Windshield replacement turns into $14,393 in claims and doubled premiums
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Like most people, Colleen Hernandez called her insurance company when she discovered a crack in her windshield.
But getting that crack fixed ended up resulting in more than $14,000 in bills sent to her insurance company, which resulted in skyrocketing premiums for her.
“What’s happening here is wrong,” Hernandez said.
This all started nearly a year ago, in February. Hernandez says she called her insurance company. Farmers then sent a technician to her work parking lot to replace the glass. She says it was her understanding that the technician worked for a well-known glass company that is a preferred vendor of Farmers.
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She says she left the car unlocked and received a phone call from the technician when it was finished. When she left work, she says everything seemed fine. She says she didn’t sign anything that day and didn’t receive any paperwork and was not asked to produce an insurance card for the worker.
Seven months later, the phone rang and Hernandez says a woman claimed to be with that same glass company and said the windshield they put it had been recalled and was dangerous.
“She said she would give me a gift card for the inconvenience and that this would be completely free, no charge, as it’s a recall,” Hernandez recalls.
When she complained that the new windshield was noisy when the drove, they came back to fix it. Everything was fine again until renewal time. She says her rates doubled without explanation. The new rate was more than $1,000 a month, she says, for two cars.
Hernandez says she started shopping around, seeking lower rates and then learned stunning news.
“The representative comes back on the phone and says, “Do you know you have three very large comprehensive claims?”
She soon discovered there was claim for each time a tech worked on her Honda CRV—$2,728 in February; 5,297 in September and $6,367 weeks later for a grand total of $14,393.
Both are from companies she’s never heard of, and she says Farmers has now opened a fraud investigation and she has filed with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. She says two of the claims have forged signatures. Hernandez says she went with another company but her rates are hindered by the claims that she says are fraudulent.
Better Call Behnken reached out to Farmers and received this statement:
“We are working with our former customer to resolve this matter.”
The Insurance Information Institute says the average cost of a windshield insurance claim in U.S. is $294 and the average cost of a windshield insurance claim in Florida is $435. That’s 48% higher than the U.S. average, the institute says,” due to inflated claims from third-party glass vendors who solicit business at car washes, gas stations and shopping centers.”
Data shows 500,000 windshield claims are filed annually in Florida, more than any other type of car insurance claim, according to the Insurance Institute.
Florida is one of seven states with no deductible for windshield replacement. Windshield replacement is covered by the comprehensive portion of an auto insurance policy.
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