From: suter@fawlty8.eng.monash.edu.au (Mr D. Suter)
Subject: Re: Advice on car insurance companies ?
Organization: Monash University
Distribution: aus
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 05:29:48 GMT

In article <thos.715485961@suite.sw.oz.au> thos@suite.sw.oz.au (Thomas Cohen) writes:
>In <1992Sep2.082516.8167@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au> suter@fawlty3.eng.monash.edu.au (Mr D. Suter) writes:
>
>>In article <BtxD9E.2vG@research.canon.oz.au> greyham@research.canon.oz.au (Graham Stoney) writes:
>>>suter@fawlty8.eng.monash.edu.au (Mr D. Suter) writes:
>>>>I, however, am quite happy to pay less insurance and either live with
>>>>a less than ``perfect'' repair job or even foot the bill myself. That's
>>>>the way I prefer to gamble.
>>>
>>>His question was very reasonable, but you unfortunately have missed a vital
>>>point. If _you_ stack someone elses car, their claim is against your
>>>insurance company, and on your just-get-it-on-the-road-I-don't-care-how-it-
>>>looks policy. Why should they have to put up with a bodgey repair job just
>>>because you wanted to gamble and pay a cheaper premium?.
>
>>In exactly the same way that he is forced to gamble that I have any
>>insurance at all. i.e., he should comprehensively insure his
>>and force his insurance company to repair (to his satisfaction)
>>while recouping the money as best they can. 
>>I did not miss any point, I believe, vital or otherwise.
>
>My point was, and remains, why the hell should I have to put up with
>what I regard as unsatisfactory repairs because YOU choose to pay less
>premium? Even if my car is insured TPPD only, you or your insurance
>company should make sufficient reparations that I am not put out by
>your accident. Why should I be forced into "recouping the money as
>best...[I]...can"?
>
>What you appear to want here is to force others into your low expectations
>of repair to make things cheaper for yourself. Forcing others to sue you
>or your insurers for redress seems a pretty lax moral position.

OK let's turn it around. Why should I pay large insurance premiums
just because you or others want to drive expensive cars and want 
extremely expensive repair jobs? (either or both). 
Furthermore, let's not change the subject to morals - *I* am prepared to
pay reasonable repairs for accidents that were *MY* fault.
Following your logic, every person should have mega dollar
liability insurance from birth - just in case they.......

The answer to your ``My point was, and remains, why.....''
is that insurance is for your peace of mind. If you
have a smash with me and its my fault then *I* will
try my best to meet any reasonable damage costs. If I don't
agree that your costs are reasonable, or if I am just too poor,
then you lose (either in money or in aggro) for not getting
more comprehensive insurance on your side. I lose in money
and aggro, likewise, on my side. Insurance is a multi-way
game and life's not that simple that you can expect everyone
to insure to meet your expectations. If you don't
like what I am saying then try using your imagination:
how would you feel if I worked with you and bought a ROLLS
(I said imagination) and therefore demanded, becuase of the
danger of parking next to you, that you increased
your policy cover? 
OK life isn't that extreme, but the point is that if
you have very high expectations then don't rely on
others to support them: PAY for bloody good insurance -
that's what its there for.
d.s.