Karma. Laser Guided for your Convenience.

[TimmyHate]

This is from my coworker P.

Customer calls up at 9:30 this morning, gets P. "I locked my keys in my car and had to smash the window to get in". Advised no cover since he did the damage and so is clearly not accidental.

Customer then calls back at 3:30 this afternoon - and gets P again. "Some hoodlums smashed the window on my car". P points out that this is different to the tale of woe he spun earlier. Customer doesn't dispute this.

Net result:

Customer: Declined claim and cancelled policy
Company: No longer have this lying ass on the books
ME:

[Legacy_of_Torment]

He actually admitted that he'd given a different account of events previouslly??? Oh my days, what a tool.

[prjkt]

one word.

derp.

[South Texan]

And I bet his deductable for uninsured coverage was more than the cost of the window.

[Monterey Jack]

For some reason, I read the thread title in Rod Serling's voice.

"Submitted for your approval..."

[TimmyHate]

And I bet his deductable for uninsured coverage was more than the cost of the window.

Most vehicle policies in NZ have windscreen/window glass cover with no excess/deductable

[wolfie]

Glass coverage around here generally has a deductible. I see a lot of places offering "free" stone chip repairs (inject a UV-hardening resin) - what they do is send the bill (significantly less than the deductible, but also significantly less than the insured portion of a windshield replacement) to your insurance company, so you wind up with a claim on your comprehensive. Insurance companies pay, because the alternative (customer gets the windshield replaced and goes through their insurance) costs more than the repair.

I once had to get my car's windshield replaced, and the glass shop quoted 2 prices: insured repair, and pay-your-own (lower price). I went with the pay-your-own, since it was cheaper than my deductible (the "insured" price was only about $30 over my deductible).

With the complexity of stuff in car doors now, and the resulting cost (and need to sign a waiver that accidental damage to "innards" is your problem, not that of the locksmith) of getting a "keys locked in" car open, I wouldn't be surprised if, in some cases, it would be cheaper to break a window and get it replaced rather than have a locksmith try to open it. Would be a real service on some models if the auto club, on getting the "locked in" call, told the customer "On your model, roughly half the time the locksmith winds up damaging the wires for power accessories, and locksmith charges (billed to you - we just handle dispatch) are usually around 25% higher than the cost of replacing a rear door window, or 15% higher than the cost of replacing a front door window - do you still want us to call a locksmith, or do you have a rock handy?"

[TimmyHate]

Glass coverage around here generally has a deductible. I see a lot of places offering "free" stone chip repairs (inject a UV-hardening resin) - what they do is send the bill (significantly less than the deductible, but also significantly less than the insured portion of a windshield replacement) to your insurance company, so you wind up with a claim on your comprehensive. Insurance companies pay, because the alternative (customer gets the windshield replaced and goes through their insurance) costs more than the repair.

Thats seriously sneaky. I suspect thats why they just said 'we'll cover the repair or replacement with no excess' here.

[wolfie]

There is an asterisk on the sign that says "Free glass repair", and the small print says "with appropriate insurance coverage". I'd imagine that the customer would have to sign something for the glass company to be able to bill the insurance company, but I'm sure a lot of people don't realize the consequences of putting in a claim on their policy, or even that this "free" repair would result in a claim.

[mhkohne]

Would be a real service on some models if the auto club, on getting the "locked in" call, told the customer "On your model, roughly half the time the locksmith winds up damaging the wires for power accessories, and locksmith charges (billed to you - we just handle dispatch) are usually around 25% higher than the cost of replacing a rear door window, or 15% higher than the cost of replacing a front door window - do you still want us to call a locksmith, or do you have a rock handy?"

Can you send a guy with a hammer and a vaccuum?

[sirwired]

With the complexity of stuff in car doors now, and the resulting cost (and need to sign a waiver that accidental damage to "innards" is your problem, not that of the locksmith) of getting a "keys locked in" car open, I wouldn't be surprised if, in some cases, it would be cheaper to break a window and get it replaced rather than have a locksmith try to open it. Would be a real service on some models if the auto club, on getting the "locked in" call, told the customer "On your model, roughly half the time the locksmith winds up damaging the wires for power accessories, and locksmith charges (billed to you - we just handle dispatch) are usually around 25% higher than the cost of replacing a rear door window, or 15% higher than the cost of replacing a front door window - do you still want us to call a locksmith, or do you have a rock handy?"

I'm willing to guess that the windshield is actually cheaper to replace than side-glass, as windshields are pretty much the same on every car, and can be done pretty quickly by any guy in a glass truck. A side window involves taking the door apart, which probably requires a mechanic. And since windshields get replaced so much more often, the part is likely less expensive than you'd think.

[RealUnimportant]

With the complexity of stuff in car doors now, and the resulting cost (and need to sign a waiver that accidental damage to "innards" is your problem, not that of the locksmith) of getting a "keys locked in" car open, I wouldn't be surprised if, in some cases, it would be cheaper to break a window and get it replaced rather than have a locksmith try to open it. Would be a real service on some models if the auto club, on getting the "locked in" call, told the customer "On your model, roughly half the time the locksmith winds up damaging the wires for power accessories, and locksmith charges (billed to you - we just handle dispatch) are usually around 25% higher than the cost of replacing a rear door window, or 15% higher than the cost of replacing a front door window - do you still want us to call a locksmith, or do you have a rock handy?"

Just be sure that a: you've picked a cheap window, and b: you can open the door or grab the keys from that position.

My google-fu is weak, but I saw a clip recently where some numbskull actually smashed & ripped his way in through a arm-sized hole in the big, expensive front window - and still couldn't get in the car because the interior handles were disabled when the car was locked!

[wolfie]

My google-fu is weak, but I saw a clip recently where some numbskull actually smashed & ripped his way in through a arm-sized hole in the big, expensive front window - and still couldn't get in the car because the interior handles were disabled when the car was locked!

WTF? How is a design like that even legal? Scenario: someone is driving with the doors locked, and gets into an accident. Due to the nature of the accident, the power locks are disabled. As a result, the occupants are trapped in the car.

I've been in an accident where power locks would have been disabled if they'd been present (second road lesson for my "ordinary car" license, difficult turn into the school's lot so the instructor took over, he stepped on the gas instead of the brake - hit the fence of the house across the alley, fence rail went in through the parking light and severed the battery cable).

Some vehicles are designed so that if you pull the handle to open the door from the inside, it automatically unlocks (Volvo trucks - single handle controls both lock and latch. One end of the travel is "locked", center position is "latched but not locked", other end of travel (with spring return to center, of course) is "unlatched - I'm opening the door").

[TimmyHate]

I'm willing to guess that the windshield is actually cheaper to replace than side-glass, as windshields are pretty much the same on every car,

Sadly not true.

The price for the windshield of my 1996 Caldina is $450.00 (roughly).
The price for the newer 2006 Subaru is $920.00
The price for my parents Hyundai Sante Fe is $1280.00

Different windsheilds have different features, colorations, shapes. Once you start getting into rain sensors, acoustic insultation etc etc the price can skyrocket

[wolfie]

Holy shit! My truck has a split windshield (and far lower production volume than any of the cars mentioned - so no economy of scale) - each half costs roughly $400 to replace, so 2 out of the 3 vehicles have more expensive windshields than a heavy truck. Next you're going to tell me that the battery for one of those vehicles is more than $100 (typical price for a group 31 dual-purpose).