The Venting Spot

[badger_14 601]

Nothing seems to be going right lately. Late January through March is a tenuous time of year for me mental-health-wise anyway, even without everything going on.

[Chadd 916]

Two more weeks on the shelf, head injuries suck

[althoma1 575]

I paid for a 4 wheel alignment in November, a new car battery in December and two new winter tires last Friday night. Then on Saturday evening, I was driving home and did not see a big pot hole since the sun was setting, there was a puddle flush with the road and the portion of the road that had a the pot hole was darker than the rest of the road due to a previous repair. I hit the pot hole at approximately 60 km/h and heard a large bang and felt the car bottom out. It was apparent I had a flat tire and I slowed down and safely pulled over.

When I got out of the car I noticed that not only was the tire flat, but the side skirt on the passenger side was barely hanging on. On the other side the tire was not flat, but one of the treads was torn off (I believe this was caused by loose asphalt on the road). So I'm thinking I'll probably have to get 2 new tires, possibly a new rim and get the skirt put back on. I missed roller hockey Sunday because I didn't want to drive on the space saver tire any more than necessary. I picked up two used tires and then carefully drive to my mechanics on Monday. He showed me all the damage I didn't notice - there was damage to the front bumper, right fender, right mudguard, right panel, entire front right suspension (bent), right tie rod, steering boot, wheel hub, stabilizer boot and rocker moulding. Oh, and the skirt would likely have to be replaced as well. The repair estimate was $5053.06 - this is a 2005 Mazda 6 with just under 200 thousand km (125 thousand miles) on it so it's not really worth it for me to pay anywhere near that for repairs.

I call my insurance company - I can pay a $1000 deductible as I'm considered at fault since it's a single vehicle accident. My premiums shouldn't go up this time since it's my first at fault accident and I have an accident forgiveness feature, but if something else happens in the near future my rates will skyrocket. They say I can try to make a claim with the City of Toronto so I look that up and then use my in-laws car to take pictures of the location on Monday. I notice in the light of day on Monday afternoon that there are wheel covers strewn around the area and a shredded tire so I wasn't the only one who had issues with this hole. The loose asphalt had been moved the the grass and there was caution tape wrapped around a nearby pole - it's right in front of a Catholic school so I think it's possible the school did this and not the city since the huge pot hole was still there and there wasn't even a caution cone.

I then hear a story on the radio about pot holes (there are A LOT of them in Toronto right now since it was freezing at the beginning of last week and then we had a warm spell later in the week) and in the story they mention that 95% of claims to the City of Toronto are denied. The assistant manager at the auto shop told me another customer said that in order for the city to approve a damage claim you have to be able to prove they knew about the hole and didn't take action.

So I called my insurance company and started a claim today. I also submitted a claim to the city, but they mention it takes on average 90 days for them to make a decision and I don't like the odds that they'll approve the claim since I don't have any concrete evidence that they knew about the hole and loose asphalt. Although one would think that someone would've reported that large of a hole and loose asphalt while it was visible during the day. It wasn't easy to see in the fading light.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I'll have a rental car to get to the games I'm supposed to ref tomorrow - I'll get there by transit if I have to, but it'll take me 4x as long to get there and back. I'll have to talk to the insurance adjuster assigned to my case tomorrow.

For this to happen while I'm not working full time and using officiating, a bit of freelance Marketing and writing work and my savings to get by is especially stressful. I do have a phone interview on Thursday, but my mind wants to focus on the car and finance issues rather than the interview.

Sorry for the long post. I just really, really needed to vent. I know people have worse problems, but it sometimes it helps to get things off your chest.

[bigdmac 12]

I can't give you much advice on the situation because I don't know much about insurance or claims with the city, however, I can give you some support and say car issues like are some of the worst, and most stressful I've had to deal with throughout my life. There's nothing worse when something stupid happens and you basically have to fork over 5 grand, or bite the bullet and buy a new car. I know the feeling, and I can tell you that it does suck; however don't get down on yourself too much, it'll work itself out with time

[xracer4844 5]

I paid for a 4 wheel alignment in November, a new car battery in December and two new winter tires last Friday night. Then on Saturday evening, I was driving home and did not see a big pot hole since the sun was setting, there was a puddle flush with the road and the portion of the road that had a the pot hole was darker than the rest of the road due to a previous repair. I hit the pot hole at approximately 60 km/h and heard a large bang and felt the car bottom out. It was apparent I had a flat tire and I slowed down and safely pulled over.

When I got out of the car I noticed that not only was the tire flat, but the side skirt on the passenger side was barely hanging on. On the other side the tire was not flat, but one of the treads was torn off (I believe this was caused by loose asphalt on the road). So I'm thinking I'll probably have to get 2 new tires, possibly a new rim and get the skirt put back on. I missed roller hockey Sunday because I didn't want to drive on the space saver tire any more than necessary. I picked up two used tires and then carefully drive to my mechanics on Monday. He showed me all the damage I didn't notice - there was damage to the front bumper, right fender, right mudguard, right panel, entire front right suspension (bent), right tie rod, steering boot, wheel hub, stabilizer boot and rocker moulding. Oh, and the skirt would likely have to be replaced as well. The repair estimate was $5053.06 - this is a 2005 Mazda 6 with just under 200 thousand km (125 thousand miles) on it so it's not really worth it for me to pay anywhere near that for repairs.

I call my insurance company - I can pay a $1000 deductible as I'm considered at fault since it's a single vehicle accident. My premiums shouldn't go up this time since it's my first at fault accident and I have an accident forgiveness feature, but if something else happens in the near future my rates will skyrocket. They say I can try to make a claim with the City of Toronto so I look that up and then use my in-laws car to take pictures of the location on Monday. I notice in the light of day on Monday afternoon that there are wheel covers strewn around the area and a shredded tire so I wasn't the only one who had issues with this hole. The loose asphalt had been moved the the grass and there was caution tape wrapped around a nearby pole - it's right in front of a Catholic school so I think it's possible the school did this and not the city since the huge pot hole was still there and there wasn't even a caution cone.

I then hear a story on the radio about pot holes (there are A LOT of them in Toronto right now since it was freezing at the beginning of last week and then we had a warm spell later in the week) and in the story they mention that 95% of claims to the City of Toronto are denied. The assistant manager at the auto shop told me another customer said that in order for the city to approve a damage claim you have to be able to prove they knew about the hole and didn't take action.

So I called my insurance company and started a claim today. I also submitted a claim to the city, but they mention it takes on average 90 days for them to make a decision and I don't like the odds that they'll approve the claim since I don't have any concrete evidence that they knew about the hole and loose asphalt. Although one would think that someone would've reported that large of a hole and loose asphalt while it was visible during the day. It wasn't easy to see in the fading light.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I'll have a rental car to get to the games I'm supposed to ref tomorrow - I'll get there by transit if I have to, but it'll take me 4x as long to get there and back. I'll have to talk to the insurance adjuster assigned to my case tomorrow.

For this to happen while I'm not working full time and using officiating, a bit of freelance Marketing and writing work and my savings to get by is especially stressful. I do have a phone interview on Thursday, but my mind wants to focus on the car and finance issues rather than the interview.

Sorry for the long post. I just really, really needed to vent. I know people have worse problems, but it sometimes it helps to get things off your chest.

my girlfriend works in insurance in the gta and deals with claims specifically. you are correct - you would have to pay your deductible that you arranged when setting up your policy. you mentioned that it was 1000 dollars. since the damage is just over 5,000 dollars to repair and you aren't planning on buying a new car it makes sense to pay the deductible. make sure that your policy includes a first at fault free accident because not everyone qualifies for this. this would have been negotiated in your policy before signing. and you are correct, if you do get in an accident after this "free" on - your rates will increase significantly until the cost of repairs have been paid for. also - you aren't guaranteed a rental car from the insurance company. this would also be negotiated in your policy before signing.

did you use an insurance broker when finding insurance? the reason i ask is because my family has had the same insurance BROKER for over 30 years. i now use him. if i ever have a claim or any problems I NEVER DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY. insurance companies have zero intention of paying you money. that's why insurance is full of loop holes. my broker has the knowledge to tell them what they need to hear and he deals with them directly on my behalf. if you have a broker i would suggest speaking to him or her and they possibly may have some answers or solutions to your problem.

im sorry this happened to you - super frustrating. i've totally been there before.

[MThockeydad 469]

Assuming CA insurance laws are anything like US insurance laws, the insurance company should "subrogate" the cost of your claim and seek compensation from the city. If that's successful, they get their $5,053.06 back and you get your $1,000 back.

It also costs them less in the long run to use their resources to pursue the claim against the city instead of writing off the $4k they paid out on yoru claim.

Use your broker to assist you in this process..that's what he or she is there for, not just to sell you insurance. Use the word subrogate. Ask your agent to help you by having the insurance subrogate the loss against the city.

Can you get access to city maintenance records or work orders?

[althoma1 575]

my girlfriend works in insurance in the gta and deals with claims specifically. you are correct - you would have to pay your deductible that you arranged when setting up your policy. you mentioned that it was 1000 dollars. since the damage is just over 5,000 dollars to repair and you aren't planning on buying a new car it makes sense to pay the deductible. make sure that your policy includes a first at fault free accident because not everyone qualifies for this. this would have been negotiated in your policy before signing. and you are correct, if you do get in an accident after this "free" on - your rates will increase significantly until the cost of repairs have been paid for. also - you aren't guaranteed a rental car from the insurance company. this would also be negotiated in your policy before signing.

did you use an insurance broker when finding insurance? the reason i ask is because my family has had the same insurance BROKER for over 30 years. i now use him. if i ever have a claim or any problems I NEVER DEAL WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY. insurance companies have zero intention of paying you money. that's why insurance is full of loop holes. my broker has the knowledge to tell them what they need to hear and he deals with them directly on my behalf. if you have a broker i would suggest speaking to him or her and they possibly may have some answers or solutions to your problem.

im sorry this happened to you - super frustrating. i've totally been there before.

Meloche Monnex is my broker - I went through them because I obtained several quotes when hunting for insurance and their price with my Alumni group discount was by far the cheapest. The actual insurance provider on the pink slip is Security national. I say this year because I noticed in previous years it said Standard Insurance or something like that so I guess Meloche Monnex shops around for the cheapest provider each year. I did pay for the accident forgiveness so my rates shouldn't go up this time. I filed the claim on Tuesday afternoon through a phone rep and was given the adjusters name and number, but haven't been able to touch base with him yet. I have left two Voice Mail messages. It didn't help that I use VOIP and my place had no power for most of today - there's a chance he could've been calling while the power was out. It was only supposed to be out from 9am-12:30pm, but it was out until after 3pm as the maintenance took longer than expected.

I managed to hook up my phone to the emergency power in the hall before the phone interview I was supposed to have, but there was a power surge about 10 minutes in which reset my adapter and modem. Thankfully the interviewer was understanding and we're going to reschedule for tomorrow. 99% of the time the VOIP is quite reliable, but obviously isn't when there are power issues. If I had my car I would've driven to a friend or family members house. I hadn't given my cell number since it's an emergency pay as you go phone, plus it was low on batteries due to the outage (didn't realize there was power in the hall until I was about to leave to go to a public library to access the net and get in touch with the company at about 2pm).

My in-laws are going to lend me a car on Saturday if I don't have rental coverage.

Assuming CA insurance laws are anything like US insurance laws, the insurance company should "subrogate" the cost of your claim and seek compensation from the city. If that's successful, they get their $5,053.06 back and you get your $1,000 back.

It also costs them less in the long run to use their resources to pursue the claim against the city instead of writing off the $4k they paid out on yoru claim.

Use your broker to assist you in this process..that's what he or she is there for, not just to sell you insurance. Use the word subrogate. Ask your agent to help you by having the insurance subrogate the loss against the city.

Can you get access to city maintenance records or work orders?

I'll bring up the term subrogate when I finally connect with the adjuster.

I don't have a specific broker. I have a company that acts as a broker and they have a call center full of reps. I have been assigned an adjuster, but haven't been able to speak to him yet.

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice.

[Chadd 916]

Not much has gone well for me lately, it's going to be great when this run of bad luck is over.

[fatwabbit 93]

I started cycling to and from work as I cant get any ice time and wanted to get fitter. Hate cycling, but cant really do much due to family commitments. I cycle on the pavement as its a designated cycling path as well.

Stupid blonde parked her car on the pavement blocking all of the bike path just to talk on her phone, and was standing next to her car with the passenger door open. Saw me coming, didnt even move nor close the door. Was so tempted to just hit the door when i was trying to get past her.

Dont mean to sound derogatory, but she did look like a working girl...

[Hooah4 12]

Influenza a in our house as of today.

[TeamHonda401 54]

Found out my dog has arthritis in his spine and tail :(

[kovalchuk71 212]

I've been in a rough spot the past couple months. Depression has hit me hard (I have had depression/OCD since I was 11). All of my friends have graduated, which has pretty much left me sitting in my house twiddling my thumbs every night. No hockey in my town, so I am really struggling finding anything to keep myself busy or anything to make me happy. I'm over going out to college bars and gettting hammered every night, and being an introvert works against me and makes it even worse. It's gotten to the point where even getting out of bed to go to class in the morning is difficult. I really hope things turn around, because right now, life really sucks.

/rant

Edited January 17, 2014 by kovalchuk71

[Chadd 916]

I've been in a rough spot the past couple months. Depression has hit me hard (I have had depression/OCD since I was 11). All of my friends have graduated, which has pretty much left me sitting in my house twiddling my thumbs every night. No hockey in my town, so I am really struggling finding anything to keep myself busy or anything to make me happy. I'm over going out to college bars and gettting hammered every night, and being an introvert works against me and makes it even worse. It's gotten to the point where even getting out of bed to go to class in the morning is difficult. I really hope things turn around, because right now, life really sucks.

/rant

I speak from experience on this one: Do not drink when you are down if you have issues with depression.

[kovalchuk71 212]

I speak from experience on this one: Do not drink when you are down if you have issues with depression.

Nothing more true than that. I used to drink...a lot (college life), and while it was fun....the morning/day after was absolute torture. I felt like my depression tripled in intensity.

I still like to drink, but I do it in moderation.

[kovalchuk71 212]

Ok, time for more of a "rant".

Parents who try to "coach" their kids team when they have no idea what they are doing, let alone have any hockey skills what so ever. I get that you are trying to help, but you really aren't. There are a lot of kids in my area with a lot of skill that are being "held back" because of the lack of proper coaching and it really sucks to see.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Our oldest cat (4 yrs), Mr Kiki Meowser, was diagnosed with heart disease yesterday. He's been put on heart medications that he will have to be on for the rest of his (now likely much, MUCH shorter) life. I'm still in shock. It's been a rough day.

Here he is showing off where they shaved him to do the ultrasound.



Poor guy :'(

[Chadd 916]

Ok, time for more of a "rant".

Parents who try to "coach" their kids team when they have no idea what they are doing, let alone have any hockey skills what so ever. I get that you are trying to help, but you really aren't. There are a lot of kids in my area with a lot of skill that are being "held back" because of the lack of proper coaching and it really sucks to see.

It's not so bad if they are doing it because there wasn't anyone more qualified available. When those people think they are great coaches and prevent more knowledgeable people from getting involved, that's a different story.

[Zjack38 46]

I was waiting to get my skates sharpened an total hockey, so I went into the shooting range area, and I still had my dress clothes on from my game earlier in the day. We'll anyways first shot ( I still had my dress shoes on, so it was kind of slippery) I ate it. ???

[hunt3rsean 44]

Hadn't played hockey in a month or so due to holidays and work travel. Come back to our upper league to get beat 9-2. At least there was beer and laughs afterwards.

[stnlycup67 38]

Why is it that when one headlight goes out..the other one follows within a week or two?...changed the last one in single digit weather...gonna do the same with this one...Worst headlight change ever...2007 chevy equinox, i could kick gms engineers right in the sack

[ktang 34]

Why is it that when one headlight goes out..the other one follows within a week or two?...changed the last one in single digit weather...gonna do the same with this one...Worst headlight change ever...2007 chevy equinox, i could kick gms engineers right in the sack

That's the consistency of modern manufacturing tolerances and quality control. The headlights are on the same amount of time over years.

My wife has a Honda Fit, and to change those headlights you have to turn the wheels, unbolt the wheel arch's plastic lining, reach in-and-up, and do everything by feel.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

That's why you always do them both at the same time even if they aren't both out.

[althoma1 575]

Insurance finally got back to me about the car issue I vented about. The adjuster apologized for taking so long to get back to me and told me that:

- They're writing me a cheque instead of repairing the car and the $1000 deductible will be deducted from that cheque. I did manage to get the amount bumped up a little when I mentioned recently purchasing a new battery and two new tires.

- They don't consider me at fault for the accident, my rates will not go up and I won't have to use my accident forgiveness option for this claim.

- The subrogation department is going to go after the city for the claim and if they're successful I will get my $1000 deductible back (I was going to bring up subrogation, but the adjuster mentioned it first).

- I can take the two winter tires off the car and replace them with my all season tires if I'd like. As long as there are 4 tires on the car that's fine.

- I don't have rental coverage, but thankfully my in-laws have loaned me their second car. If I do rent a car at any time before I get a new car I can send them the receipts and they can try to get that money back from the city as well.

Now I'll likely be out of pocket a bit by the time I find another good used car (I'm likely going to try to find another 2004-2008 Mazda 6 hatchback with a V6 so I can use the winter tires, filters, and oil I already have, but will consider other options), but at least my rates won't go up. So it is still a hassle, but not as bad as I originally thought.

Edited January 22, 2014 by althoma1

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Good to hear, dude.

[chrisehyoung 14]

After 8 weeks on the shelf with a fractured pelvis, bulged disc, and 3 pinched nerves, I played quite possibly the worst game i've played in years. This is my second week back but tonight was especially bad. I had hands of stone and feet to match. I seemed to always be in the wrong spot. The upside was my passing was crisp and on the mark for the most part so i'll take that positive and run with it.