Canadian Driver #Auto Insurance Rate #Alert!
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR CANADIANS REGARDING YOUR CAR INSURANCE RATES. LISTEN UP!!!!
Okay, this blew me away!!!!!!!!! I received my annual car insurance renewal. I freaked out when I saw my new rate. Let’s keep in mind, I have a perfect driving record and have several ‘good driver’ discounts on my account for years. I also have a device plugged into my car that monitors good driving habits for a further discount. I barely ever drive my car anywhere.
Yes, rates go up annually, but usually 30-$40 dollars a year. I opened my bill and my insurance was almost $400 HIGHER!!!!! I was gobsmacked and phoned my insurer to rant and tell them I’m leaving them. But then, the agent asked me what year I got my licence.
I asked her what that had to do with anything. BUT IT DOES!. Apparently, the Ministry of Transportation has got involved with the merit system. The longer you’ve had your licence, the cheaper your rate. What’s the catch? The Ministry only went back ‘x’ amount of years in the database. When they slacked off, your year you became licensed is most likely not accurate! Exactly what happened to me.
My agent went through the ministry files and got my actual date I received my licence and my rate came down almost $400!!!!! I asked her WTF? People don’t know this and if they don’t call to inquire about their raised rates they just pay it? Pretty much!
The Ministry has to get their shyte together if they want to penalize people for dates they started driving and aren’t inputting the correct dates to their system. According to my agent, she had to go into the ministry backfiles to find the actual date my husband and I were each licensed because the date that was given to them was decades off from the actual date.
EVERY CANADIAN SHOULD CALL THEIR INSURER IF THEY NOTICED THEIR RATE SKYROCKETED THIS YEAR!
This is a public service announcement from me. You’re welcome!
Note: Please share this important info around, even if you are not Canadian, I’m sure you have Canadian friends who need to know this. Thank you.
DGKayewriter.com 
That’s a shocker! Glad you got that resolved Debby. 🙂
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Yes Marje. But how many others who aren’t aware are just paying without even asking questions? It mostly affects those over 50. 😦 xx
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Great alert. I’d be gobsmacked too over that increase–much like I felt when my health insurance tripled.
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It’s uncanny when we’re not informed, and those who don’t ask questions just pay. I feel it’s my duty to spread my findings around to warn others. 🙂
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The insurance company and motor vehicle licensing thing is weird in the US too. They were insisting one year that the VIN # on the registration, insurance and vehicle didn’t match. It was the insurer’s fault in this case. The upshot is if the VIN doesn’t match on all three, the licensing folks will suspend your DRIVER’s license for driving without insurance. But at least I got a notice about this.
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Wow John! I chock this all up to incompetence of people. Now granted, if you were the one giving out the VIN to them and it was copied wrong everywhere else then the onus was on you, lol. But if it wasn’t copied correctly by the ministry and you didn’t catch it, you’re still going to get penalized. Not a winning situation, so glad you rectified! 🙂
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Oh wow! I must admit, I don’t like insurance companies. You’d never know that from all the bad press the ones have received in the U.S. lately. Of course, I’m one of the x-thousands of Americans who don’t have health insurance, so if I get really sick, I’ll be journeying to meet my maker. If I got an incredible car insurance bill like that one, I would definitely call! I’m glad it was an error and you got it taken care of, Debby.
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Thanks for sharing Lana. Of course I’m referring to car insurance rate hikes here, but I am so, so sorry to learn you are one of millions without healthcare. It’s beyond me why the US doesn’t have universal healthcare like the rest of most of the free world. Wait, it’s not beyond me, it’s all about greed and kickbacks the politicians would miss out on from pharma and insurance companies. Don’t get me started. Suffice it to say, I’m so sorry for the predicament you’re in. Every human being deserves healthcare.<3
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You are exactly right, Debby. It is all about big corporate profits and little regards for the citizens of this country. I do work hard at staying healthy eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and I’m blessed with strong genetics (so far)…fingers crossed. Here’s to a healthy diet!
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Good for you Lana. We have to be proactive. Are you on FB? You should check out a post I wrote about American healthcare that went viral shared by many American friends.
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I am. I will look for you….if I can’t find you, I’m under Lana Dunlap Broussard, give me a shout 😀
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Great Lana! I’ll find you and after you accept my friendship (lol) I’ll message you the post. 🙂
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Excellent! 😀
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Wow, good tip Debby. My renewal will be more this year, too but not that significant an increase.Go figure. It’s a convenient error on their part, isn’t it? Good thing you called them. To further warn your Canadian blogger friends is just the icing on the cake, Deb. You rock!
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Thanks Lis. I always like to share injustices I come upon, hopefully to save someone else the grief. 🙂 xx
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OH wow, Debby! I paid my car insurance for the year earlier this month and didn’t see a difference for me. But that sucks if your rate DOES go up because of a mistake in the files regarding the year that you got your driver’s license! I mean, it’s paying hundreds of dollars extra for an oversight – crazy! I’ll share this post on all social media networks to help spread the word. Glad you got it fixed ♥
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Thanks so much my friend. And glad you rates weren’t caught in the cross-fire. Let’s warn others! ❤
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WOW, Deb! Truly incredible – tho’ I’m not surprised you tracked it down, got it handled, and spread the word. Pinned to my Un-think-able Today? Board, will send the link to a Canadian buddy who reblogs quite a few posts, and try to figure out how to post to my FB wall.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD/EFD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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You’re a doll M. Thanks for spreading the awareness. I’m guessing (due to my interrogations of others) this is mostly happening to the people in Boomer age and beyond. 🙂 xx
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That makes sense. Some early 20-something coder-kid only went back so many years, thinking that anybody over a certain age wouldn’t be driving (or was no longer alive?)
We can sort of get that, right? After all, we were the generation that once said not to trust anybody over 30!
xx,
mgh
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Lol, but seriously, I’m not that old LOL! 🙂 xx
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We are ALL “old” in the eyes of the kids. When I taught a college theatre class one of my freshmen told me – on my 30th birthday and totally sincerely – that I was her idol and that she hoped that when she was my age she would be so “well-preserved.” Blew my mind!
xx,
mgh
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OMG that sounds like a familiar song. Somehow as much as those are compliments, they make me cringe, lol. 🙂 xx
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So nice of you to share this tidbit of information, not provided by the authorities or insurance companies that should let people know! How infuriating – that these mistakes happen (does anyone know how to do their job these days?) and that you have to find everything out yourself. I do hope more people call in about this, and that they fix the problem in their database. Imagine how these companies – undeservingly – make lots of money off poor people who don’t know any better and fail to inquire…
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Thanks Liesbet. Those were all my sentiments! So many incompetent people with jobs, even scarier that they work in our governments. 🙂
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