Im looking for cheap insurance but i have only had my driver’s license for a year. Im almost 21 but i am being treated like a new driver (understandably).
I came accross an insurance company through Eastwood Insurance called Titan Auto Insurance. My quotes with all other companies have been 350 or higher a month….but Titan was giving me 201 a month. SOUNDS GREAT RIGHT!…well…………………. I noticed on the paper work that it had my driving experience set to 4 years when in actuality i only have 1 year (again which is why my rates have been so high.) I asked the guy at Eastwood about it and he said it was fine. That that company doesnt go by when u got your License, but they automatically make your experience from age 16. I also called Titan Auto Directly and they told me the same thing. However i am being told by State farm and Farmers that that is not right. The DMV requires it to be from the date your license was issued. I really want this insurance because it has been the cheapest i can find and even the company (titan) has directly told me that is okay.
But i still feel inky about it.
Is this okay??? I mean again, I got my license at 19…not 16. and i am 20 now..i have 1 year of ACTUAL driving…so why is it okay for them to say 4! Thats a lie right? is it legal to do…!! help D:
The agent is lying on your application so he’ll be the lowest price and get your business. This is insurance fraud. I’d report the agent to the company.
I’d seriously think about using another company.
Has long as you do not answer any question on their application incorrectly or misrepresent any information – legally you are in the clear.
Some companies go by your age, some companies go by how long you’ve been driving.
Some agents, in order to write the business, will lie on the application – and then if/when the company verifies the information, you will get uprated later (and cancelled if you don’t pay).
If you sign an application that has a lie on it, then YOU are certifying the lie – and can be prosecuted accordingly.
I strongly recommend you do not take that offer because that is equivalent to insurance fraud and you don’t want to get there for that will cause you a lot of trouble in the future. one instance is that when you decide later on to transfer to another insurance company, they will be able to pull up that information. another is that, anytime that current company (titan auto ins) could choose to increase your rates once you are already signed in. another possible issue could be, when you will actually report for a claim, the claims dept. would review all information and they will use that information against you so they would not be able to cover for the claim you are filing. Insurance specifically requires the years of driving experience and not age due to statistics. Look on the bright side of it, by the time you reach the age of 60, your insurance will still be lower compared to people your age since your driving experience will be lower than theirs.
Well, technically the other answers given are correct…insurance misrepresentation is never a good thing…but in this case they are incorrect as to the harm it will do to you if you apply for coverage.
Many “non-standard” carriers (like you one you mentioned)…use their own rating rules to issue policies…as an example one carrier I know of uses 4,999 miles per year to rate the policy, even if the agent says you drive 75,000 miles per year.
I also know of 7-8 other “non-standard” carriers who use what they call “driving experience” instead of number of years licensed to issue the policy. There is nothing illegal about that…the carriers are allowed to rate the policy anyway they want, as long as they have filed those rates with the department of insurance.
So long answer short…you will be fine to do that especially since you called the carriers directly and they said it was OK…
BTW I have been an independent agent since 1991…