Help With my Insurance
 

This Morning I was involved in an accident. kentucky is a no fault state and my insurance is paying for my truck. Do I have to let them have the work done at a shop of their choice, or can I pick. They seem to not even recognize the possibility I might want to.

Here in wisconsin I know you have the right to pick the bodyshop that you want. You do not have to use the one the insurance company suggests. I know they can deny payment if the estimate seems way too much. Usually the bodyshop will talk to insurance agent to make sure the estimate seems accurate. I always go to my own body shop, that way he lets me put on used parts or find my own at salvage yards, and doesnt' put on stuff I don't want (badges, pinstripping etc.)

Just to be sure, my premium still goes up if i don't let them fix it. right?

If the accident's been reported it's on your driving record and your premium goes up. You do (probably) have the right to pick your own shop, but the insurance company will play hardball and try to convince you to use theirs. Remember that they use the lowest bidder and the quality of the work can reflect that. Make sure you pick a guy you trust to do the work properly and you'll be fine.

thanks guys, the dudes they want to do the work have a really clean looking shop, and it right next to an enterprise.

Not necessarily or perhaps not as much. One the things your insurance company will use to calculate your premium is your loss history. In short, the more you cost them, the more they'll want to charge you.

I'm a programmer at an insurance company. What we call Experience Rating uses loss history for the last 3 years. It adds all losses up and then uses that amount to look up a rating factor. If you have zero losses, your rating factor might be less than 1 which will make your premium go down as part of the overall calculation. Losses with make that factor go up and of course when it goes over 1, premiums go up.

Where that factor starts and how fast it goes up depends a little on what state you live in.