Anti-ICBC sentiment strong

[Timpo]

Anti-ICBC sentiment strong
by Nicholas Johansen | Story: 147064 - Sep 3, 2015 / 4:40 pm



According to a recent Castanet poll, a lot of people are fed up with British Columbia’s car insurance provider.

The poll asked, “Should ICBC be privatized?” Of the 4,344 people who responded, 3,182 said it should be privatized while only 1,162 felt it shouldn’t.

Comments on the poll varied. Many people posted how different their rates were in B.C. compared with elsewhere in Canada, where insurance is provided through private companies.

“Yes I paid double in B.C. for my Jeep insurance compared to Alberta,” wrote Stephen Burns.

“Yes please. Moved from Ontario. 2015 Jeep. Perfect record. Insurance doubled. Driving to work? Extra. Outside the province? Extra. Outside the country? Extra,” wrote Ryan Benson. “B.C. gets F'ed when it comes to insurance.”

Others felt that simple comparisons of rates between the provinces do not paint the full picture.

“If you are elderly, young, especially a male under 21, you would pay SUBSTANTIALLY more under private insurance as these groups are high risk,” wrote Bob Dunbar, who said he has 18 years experience in the insurance industry. “ICBC has "fair" rating that can't discriminate for those things.”

Others remembered how B.C.’s insurance was before ICBC was implemented.

“No, I remember what it was like before ICBC came into being, THANK YOU NDP. No one had to insure you. If you were a young person wanting to get motorcycle insurance, good luck, and get another job to pay if you did get it,” wrote Richard Thuillier. “Quit your whining, it's a better system than we had.”

Regardless, the anti-ICBC sentiment was strong among the commenters.

“You know you have nothing to fear in life after dealing with ICBC because even Hell would be a vacation/piece of cake,” wrote Tracy Rennes.

Anti-ICBC sentiment strong - BC News - Castanet.net

[JaPoola]

If the government didn't steal ICBC's surplus money to balance the budget or whatever they used it for, they wouldn't need to raise rates.

[white rocket]

The masses have hated ICBC for years. Insane rates, etc. Err'body wants the sector privatized. Nothing new here.

[T4RAWR]

It's the lesser of two evils.

[JaPoola]

Keep ICBC and allow other private companies to operate. Not just for third party insurance tho.

[BoostedBB6]

Turns out that out of the 4,344 people polled, 1,162 were ICBC employees.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by T4RAWR

It's the lesser of two evils.

After all the private insurance horror stories I've heard, I'd rather stick to ICBC.

[Presto]

Next in Timpo Current Events: The Sky is Blue

[pastarocket]

I think the "anti-Timpo" sentiment is strong in RS.

Am I right?

I almost mis-read this thread as "Anti CiC sentiment is strong".

[carisear]

Originally Posted by Presto

Next in Timpo Current Events: The Sky is Blue

erm, since this is Timpo, I believe it would be:

The Sky(line Veilside kit) is Blue.

[ImportPsycho]

talked to someone from Ontario, ICBC starts looking real good after.
unless I missed some key points.

[Tone Loc]

Personally, I prefer ICBC to private insurance. You think that ICBC "screws over" claimants? Try going with private insurance where surplus money goes into some executive's pocket instead of being recirculated into government coffers and you will see the real meaning of being f'd over when you need coverage. Private insurers are MUCH more stingy with payouts because every cent they don't pay you goes into their personal pocket.

Modify your car? Good luck getting insured. Or random "audits" to make sure your car is not modified for speed. I know of folks in the States whose insurance went up or got straight up cancelled because of simple mods such as a new exhaust, air intake, etc.. because they were perceived by the insurance provider to be indicative of unsafe or high-speed driving.

And as a male in his 20s (pretty sure many of us on RS fall into this demographic) we would get completely wrecked by private insurance since we are a "high-risk" group. Also, say goodbye to insuring RHD cars, "rare" cars, or speciality vehicles when private insurance has absolutely no obligation to insure your car. Whereas ICBC does....

[Timpo]

^ I think many of us know that there are some benefit to ICBC. Someone here on RS posted a while ago.

For example, if you go to the states, you can get your car insured for $300/year.
But you will typically only get $50,000 coverage for third party liability.
Whereas here in BC, it's very typical to see people with couple million $ coverage or even more.

What's frustrating for most people is that, we do NOT have an option.
ICBC is an auto insurance monopoly and if we do not like ICBC for whatever reason, we have no option to try other insurance companies.

Also many lawyers say that ICBC represents both at-fault and no-fault drivers at the same time, which is nothing but a conflict of interest.

[jasonturbo]

The funny part to me is that the same people bitching about ICBC sucking because it's a public company probably think we should nationalize our resources lol

Having dealt with private insurers in Alberta and of course ICBC in BC.. my premiums were almost identical but there was a major difference in the service, I was blown away by how much better it was dealing with ICBC from a customer service perspective.

[68style]

I only wish they would insure the driver not the car itself so you can be covered for more than one vehicle (of course with only one being on the road at any given time) under one policy. This is how it's done in pretty much every other developed country in the world. Having to pay for a full policy on every car you own just to be able to drive them is super constricting. It would also save on license plates, you sell your car and the plate goes with it just like in the UK or USA etc

[sleepywheel]

Originally Posted by 68style

I only wish they would insure the driver not the car itself so you can be covered for more than one vehicle (of course with only one being on the road at any given time) under one policy. This is how it's done in pretty much every other developed country in the world. Having to pay for a full policy on every car you own just to be able to drive them is super constricting. It would also save on license plates, you sell your car and the plate goes with it just like in the UK or USA etc

I sold my CJ7 to a guy in Seattle. He showed up at my doorstep with cash and a temp sticker. Apparently his insurance goes with whatever vehicle he is driving and he is allowed two free temp stickers per year. All he has to do is buy the tags for each vehicle and insure himself.

The other thing is private insurance in BC wouldn't sell me extra coverage on my CJ7 deeming it as a vehicle that was easy to steal. Private insurance also didn't want to insure my commercial vehicles and I only put on about 6k km's per year. Talk about pick and choose what to cover to insure that they don't lose on.

[Selanne_200]

^ I think the post above hit it right on the nail. I think at the end of the day, should vehicle insurance be a public good? Yes, by privatizing the field would bring in arguably more competitive rate but since private companies only care for their own bottom line, it would be foreseeable that someone would not be able to buy insurance unless they pay for an arm and a leg.

Same argument against Transit going private. Unpopular route would just get canceled and people would be left with no choice but to take a cab or hitch a ride.

[noclue]

the only thing I don't like about icbc is that they don't give discounts for multiple vehicles, I think fleet policy is for 5+ and commercial use.

Anyone who hates on ICBC never left this province. If you are under 25 or have any sort of tickets or accidents the friendly gekko from geico will bend you over.

PS get roadstar plus if you travel and rent cars alot. Great value compared to credit card insurance

[Soundy]

Originally Posted by Timpo

What's frustrating for most people is that, we do NOT have an option.
ICBC is an auto insurance monopoly and if we do not like ICBC for whatever reason, we have no option to try other insurance companies.

ICBC CAN'T turn you down for insurance because of your age, sex, driving record, or the color of your hair. It may cost you a couple limbs and a testicle if you have a shitty driving record, but you can still get insurance (assuming your vehicle is legal, of course).

Private insurers are under no obligation to sell a policy to anyone. There's a chance, in such an all-private environment, that you wouldn't be able to insure your vehicle AT ALL.

Originally Posted by sleepywheel

I sold my CJ7 ...

DUDE!

[Lomac]

For reference, I decided to check what my insurance rates would be for one of my cars.

1997 Saab SE Turbo
Slightly modified
Full collision and comprehensive.
$2 Million Liability
$300 deductible
Within 15km of work
30,000+ km's travelled each year
1 partial fault collision within 5 years
1 basic speeding ticket, 6 years ago
15 years of driving experience

ICBC: $978/year
Alberta: $1601 - $2119
Ontario: $3856 - $4353
Saskatchewan: $741 (bare minimum, basic insurance... online quote system wouldn't let me add anything)

New York (Manhattan address): $362 for 6 months (bare minimum insurance)

[Presto]

Is your NYC price in USD?

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by underscore

After all the private insurance horror stories I've heard, I'd rather stick to ICBC.

A guy I worked with used to get his additional coverage through a private company. Every year when he'd renew he would have a 30 minute phone interview with the provider and some of the questions he was being asked were like wtf.. Stuff like how long have you been married/with your partner, do you drive much after midnight, if you park on the street in front of your house how far away from your front door are you? Etc lol

Some of the questions are so odd I had to ask what he was interviewing for before I found out it was for his private insurance coverage.

[EvoFire]

A lot people who complain about ICBC should really try living in other places and paying their insurance, and god-forbid, they get into an accident.

I've unfortunately had to deal with ICBC many times in the past, and most of the time they were great. Really the only "horror" story was I got rear ended in Portland, and the other party had no insurance, and I had to pay the $300 deductible.

The only real knock I have against them is it's really hard to get a hold of your adjuster during your claims process because all of them are so overworked.

As you can see I am a big advocate of ICBC, I can't say it makes me feel safe driving in BC, but at least I know I will be protected.

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by Presto

Is your NYC price in USD?

Yup. Was too tired to do the conversion into CAD. Sadly, insurance is pretty much the only cheap thing in NY. Every time I go back I simply borrow rides or take the subway and taxi anywhere the line doesn't go. Parking for a month is more than insurance for a year.

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

A guy I worked with used to get his additional coverage through a private company. Every year when he'd renew he would have a 30 minute phone interview with the provider and some of the questions he was being asked were like wtf.. Stuff like how long have you been married/with your partner, do you drive much after midnight, if you park on the street in front of your house how far away from your front door are you? Etc lol

Some of the questions are so odd I had to ask what he was interviewing for before I found out it was for his private insurance coverage.

Yup, some private insurers ask some really odd questions. Some I can understand like where the car is parked, but others like what your spouse does for work doesn't make much sense.

[underscore]

Originally Posted by Timpo

But you will typically only get $50,000 coverage for third party liability.
Whereas here in BC, it's very typical to see people with couple million $ coverage or even more.

Do you really want to be driving around surrounded by people with shitty insurance?

Originally Posted by Lomac

Yup, some private insurers ask some really odd questions. Some I can understand like where the car is parked, but others like what your spouse does for work doesn't make much sense.

This is a wild guess but I'm assuming it's because they know that at least a handful of times a year your spouse may end up taking your car for whatever reason.

Originally Posted by Soundy

Private insurers are under no obligation to sell a policy to anyone. There's a chance, in such an all-private environment, that you wouldn't be able to insure your vehicle AT ALL.

Or they'll give you such an insane quote that it's not realistic to insure with them. I recall seeing a story in the news a few years back about a kid from Alberta with a few accidents and a written off vehicle on his record. Because of all this the quote he got for insurance in Alberta was $100k a year. They didn't say what his car was but still, that's just absurd. It reminded me of the Top Gear episode where they tried to find the best car for a teenager and all the insurance quotes were several times the value of the car.