The Car Insurance Blues or How to Spend an Hour and a Half Trying Your Patience

Hello everyone:

Well, it had to happen. That one task that my hubby always did has finally fallen to me. Or perhaps I should say “has fallen on top of me.”

I had to get new car insurance yesterday. Be still my soul! I also had to arrange for some other insurance, for the home I will be living in. This is the tale of that challenge, with the hope that you will be able to steer your way clear of some of the pitfalls that I fell into.

First, make sure you know EVERYTHING about your car. I mean everything. Next, make sure you know everything about your new home.

The car was relatively straightforward, after the agent was certain which car, model, make, year, (and, probably, the birthday of my vehicle). Then we moved on to some “easy” house questions.

What kind of pipes does it have? What kind of shingles? Siding? Roof? Flooring? Walls? Heat? Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you have a pet? (No, but I have a plant I’m fond of.) Do you have kids? Do you have a pool? (Mister, you’re looking at the Zillow listing for the house- does that tiny backyard look big enough for a pool, other than a little kiddie’s wading pool?) How about a trampoline? (Mister, I confessed how old I am- how old I REALLY am- do you really think I jump around on a backyard trampoline???)

Do you have a washer and dryer? What kind of appliances do you have? How old are they? Where are they? (In the house, thankfully.) Do you have a garage?

How many bedrooms do you have? How many bathrooms? Are they full bathrooms? (You’re looking at Zillow, you tell me….)

I started wondering, one hour into the conversation, if we would ever be finished. Apparently not. It felt like the Spanish Inquisition, minus the blood, guts, and gore…but I digress. We still had a mere twenty minutes to go, though I did not realize it at the time. He kept saying, “Only a few more minutes…”

Do you have a fence? Well, there are three tiny fences around three baby trees. The deer were trying to eat the bark….Oh, you have deer? Well, not personally. He lives in Ohio, so I didn’t tell him about the coyotes in the area. They have been known to eat things- like the dog I don’t own.

Please tell me your tale of insurance woe, so I don’t feel quite so alone….What have you experienced in the world of “Let me bet I’m going to have a tragedy befall me” while the insurance company bets I won’t. Hence their willingness to insure us in the first place.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

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