Does a "dummy Claim" on Glass Count Towards my Claim History?

badkitty

Expert
57
I was reviewing my auto policy online. I noticed there was a glass claim
in 2010. I now I never filed a claim, so I called the insurance company
to find out what it was.

The rep told me it was a "dummy claim" used to determine how much I
would have to pay to replace a front windshield. Then I remember that
I did go to a glass shop to ask about the cost to replace my windshield
which had tiny scratches. The glass shop asked for my insurance info
and told me that the windshield was $1400.(no aftermarket one because
it's a special BMW windshield) I had to pay the $1000 deductible and
insurance would pick up the $400. I decided not to bother.

I had no idea a simply inquiry would end up on my account. No actual
claim was ever filed and obviously no money was ever paid.

Does this so-called "dummy claim" end up on my record as a negative?
 
Some carriers will take away the safe driver/accident free discount for a $0 claim and if you end up filing more claims it could affect you.

I've had clients disqualified because of 3 $0 claims on the CLUE. The carrier's justification is that the frequency was unacceptable even though nothing was paid out. But it should be off your record soon if you are in a state that looks back 3 years.
 
Some carriers will take away the safe driver/accident free discount for a $0 claim and if you end up filing more claims it could affect you.

I've had clients disqualified because of 3 $0 claims on the CLUE. The carrier's justification is that the frequency was unacceptable even though nothing was paid out. But it should be off your record soon if you are in a state that looks back 3 years.

when I log into my insurance policy account online, I can see claims dating back to 1999. Is the insurance allowed to keep the records that long? (in 1999, someone hit my car parked in airport parking lot while I was away.... left a note.. I filed a claim with her insurance company... but the incident showed up on my record anyway... but listed as the other party's fault)
 
It depends. Those annoy me because I can never remember how my carriers deal with those type of claims. Will they pull up or won't they? The carriers will usually pass the motor vehicle report costs onto the agent in some form or another and it can get expensive running MVRs through all of your carriers until you find the magic carrier that doesn't pull it up.

Typically stuff after 5 years won't affect the rates (in Florida anyway). Even comp claims under $1,000 don't generally hurt (i.e. with Travelers it will). If you make too many claims even if minor, the company might non-renew you. Travelers Home & Marine in Florida recently got more restrictive on new policies. One of my prospects got denied because they had 3 comp claims under $1,000 in 36 months. I was taken aback even for Travelers.
 
Insurance companies can keep records for as long as they want to. In fact, they share claims history so you can't hide claims when switching carriers.

Most states have rules that govern how long claims can have an impact on your rates. This is not the same thing on how long they can keep records.

Sort of like the credit bureau. They still have records of when God applied for a construction loan to build earth, but they can only use the last 7 years for most things, though this varies with who and why your credit is pulled. Doesn't mean that the records are gone, just that they aren't used for some purposes after the 'expiration'.

Dan
 
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