To Sue or Not to Sue?

In many instances, filing a lawsuit is unavoidable. For instance, when a person seeking coverage has his claim denied, a lawsuit may be the only action that is available. But seeking satisfaction in court can be its own problem. Court calendars (dockets) are often backed up so it could take months or even years before a hearing can take place. Trials may be followed by one or more appeals. The legal expense can be staggering, involving court costs, filing fees, attorney costs, research costs, fees for expert witnesses and a host of other expenses. Time and cost considerations are great incentives for finding other methods to resolve disputes.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

When disagreeing about the amount that should be paid for a loss, mediation and arbitration are popular alternatives to suing your insurance company. Each is a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) since they are alternatives to going to court.

• Mediation – This process involves the two parties meeting to discuss their situation with the help of a mediator. The mediator typically has special training and a legal, financial or similar background. As a disinterested party, the mediator studies information from both sides of an argument. Mediation sessions begin with each party fully explaining their position to the other party and the mediator. It is critical that each party is able to explain their side of the issue without interruption. The mediator then discusses each party’s position in private. Afterwards, the mediator shuttles between the parties and tries to negotiate a settlement. The most important features of mediation are that the process is voluntary and the disputing parties are actively involved in reaching a solution.
• Arbitration – This is a method that is frequently required by an insurance policy provision. Under arbitration, you and the insurance carrier each select a representative (arbitrator). Once the arbitrators are selected, they agree on another arbitrator who acts as the arbitration judge. The three persons discuss the merits of the situation and, once any two of the three persons agree on a settlement amount, the process ends. Arbitration differs from mediation in two important respects. First, the disputing parties are bystanders, waiting for a decision to be made by their selected representatives. Second, arbitration is (generally) binding on both parties.

If you are in a dispute with your insurance carrier, no course of action is perfect. Considering the cost and time involved with lawsuits, it makes sense to take advantage of other options to handle high-stakes disagreements. If you need more information, Peoples First is able to navigate you towards an advisable way to reach agreement with your carrier.

Insurance companies flew in adjusters from all parts of the country to the area in order to assist in making this recovery as smooth as possible. Encompass Insurance, for example, came to our office and set up appointments with their customers to inspect their vehicles in our parking lot for the entire week after the storm. Clients showed up at their appointment time, and an adjuster checked out the damage to the vehicle and wrote the individual a check on the spot. We even allowed those who were with Encompass but not Peoples First clients to set up an appointment to get their vehicles inspected. While repairing property that suffers weather-related damages can be burdensome, we thank Encompass for their excellent response in the wake of this storm.

Do you still need to file a claim from property damage to your home or vehicle caused by the April 9th hail storm? Contact us at 803-324-5262 and we can assist you today.

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For more information about what to do immediately following any damage, see our Claims page.

Natural disasters often occur unexpectedly and give you little time to react. If one were to strike and cause damage to your property, do you have insurance to cover everything? It is not likely that we will ever see something as devastating as Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, but South Carolina has seen its share of volatile weather.

Because we simply do not know when disaster will strike, it is important to make sure all of your valuable possessions are covered. Whether you need homeowners insurance for your house and contents, auto insurance for your new car, or life and/or health insurance for you and your loved ones, the peace of mind you will have knowing that you will be protected if tragedy should strike is invaluable.

Contact us today, and let us know what we can do to help you.

Being distracted while stopped at a red light is bad enough; the consequences for being distracted while actually driving are far worse. Taking your eyes off of the road even for a second to look down at your phone seriously impairs reaction time and can have tragic results. From an insurance standpoint, if your distracted driving causes your car to hit another individual’s automobile, you are liable for the damages. States across the country are enacting laws that place a ban on texting and driving (there is no such law in South Carolina, but lawmakers are discussing the possibility of creating one), but they are difficult to enforce and do not appear to be stopping this behavior. See the interactive charts below; while the number of overall car accidents and fatalities have been in a constant decrease over the last few years, the percentage of those crashes that are a result of a driver being distracted are on the rise.

If legislation cannot make the roads safer, another place to look is to technology. That is where appsFx’s LifeSAVER BlackBerry app (http://appsfx.com/) comes in. Aimed at eliminating your cell phone as a distraction, this versatile app uses the BlackBerry’s GPS technology to lock the phone when it senses that your automobile is moving faster than a certain speed. Once it locks the phone, LifeSAVER will not unlock it again until the car slows down below the speed threshold. This is a great tool for those who wish to cut down on their distracted driving or for parents who have teenage drivers on the road.

Currently LifeSAVER is only available for BlackBerries, but the creators are working on developing an app for iPhones and Android phones.

We have a new feature on our website that allows you to find the latest prices at the pump in Real Time. Powered by GasBuddy.com, the interactive map allows you to zoom in to view the price at a particular gas station. It also lets you zoom out to view the map from a state or national level so that you can compare prices from county to county or from state to state. There are other features on this page, such as the ten lowest gas prices in York County, price trends, and tips to help you save fuel. There is also an option to report a gas price if you notice a change before it is displayed on the map.

Click here to view the interactive map.

Auto insurance covers the policy holder in the event of an accident. While coverage can vary from policy to policy, standard auto insurance covers the policy holder’s car, as well as the other vehicle involved in the accident. This standard coverage, called general liability and collision, is required by most states before they will register a vehicle.

In addition to covering accident costs, auto insurance may cover theft, vandalism and other damage to your vehicle. Uninsured motorist coverage is also available. Discuss your auto insurance options with your independent insurance agent  to determine the coverage best for your car. Don’t wait until you get in an accident to think about auto insurance. Get in touch with a provider today.

Many of these options carry deductibles. A deductible is a portion of the damages that you are required to pay before the insurance company pays damages. Deductibles start as low as $100 and may go as high as $1000 or $2000. The higher the deductible on your insurance coverage, the lower your monthly premium typically is. However, lower premiums are not always the goal. Talk with your independent insurance agent about the premium and deductible right for your budget.

• General liability: Helps protect a covered driver who is legally liable in an accident that results in injury or death to others.
• Property damage liability coverage: Helps protect a covered driver who is legally liable in an accident in which another person’s property is damaged.
• Medical payments: Provides coverage if you, covered family members or your covered passengers receive medical treatment, services or products for bodily injury caused by a covered accident.
• Comprehensive & Collision: Collision coverage provides coverage (less your deductible) for loss to an insured auto due to a collision with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive coverage provides coverage (less your deductible) if your car is stolen or damaged due to a covered “non-collision” loss, such as falling objects, fire, vandalism and others.
• Uninsured motorist: Helps protect you, covered family members and your covered passengers who are injured or killed in an accident involving a legally liable uninsured driver. (Uninsured Motorist Coverage for Property Damage is also available in certain states).
• Underinsured motorist: Helps protect you, covered family members and your covered passengers who are injured or killed in and accident involving a legally liable underinsured driver.
• Extra coverage options: Towing insurance and rental insurance are commonly purchased extra coverage options.

Whether your needs are basic or you want to ensure complete coverage in the event of an accident, People’s First can help. Because we are an independent insurance agent, we offer a variety of coverage options at affordable prices. We shop large auto insurance carriers for you, so that you can rest assured that you care getting maximum coverage for your premium payment.

In terms of insurance, research shows that most hybrid owners are safe drivers and are a lower risk. The majority of consumers who are willing to pay more to own a hybrid have a different mindset than the typical driver. They are eco-friendly people, married, usually in their 40′s and 50’s and are more likely to be conscious about safety both on and off the road.

Early indications show that the majority of people who own and operate hybrid cars are the same people who qualify for low-risk insurance. Therefore, some insurance companies are offering a discount of anywhere from 5% to 15% to hybrid owners.

Some states offer a tax break of up to $5,000 for purchasing a hybrid. Also, some states allow hybrid owners to drive in the High Occupancy Vehicle lane even if there is only one passenger. Before making a decision, check to see if the city and/or state where you live offer these perks.

Remember that age may be an additional factor. Younger drivers under age 25 usually pay more for insurance. At the same time, many insurance companies offer a small discount to students with good grades.

Since hybrids have not been around that long, it is difficult to truly determine the insurance costs of owning a hybrid.

Given the continuously steady rise in gas prices, these estimates could change. Additionally, the average or typical type of hybrid drivers may change as more consumers start purchasing alternative fuel vehicles.

Overall, it is difficult to approximate the insurance cost that a given hybrid owner will pay due to the many variables of insurance pricing such as age, marital status, driving record, zip code, grades, kind of car driven, the amount of insurance coverage, etc.

In conclusion, owning a hybrid will most likely help lower your insurance premiums. Assuming that your driving record is accident free for at least 3 years, owning a hybrid will impact your insurance in a positive way.