The TV/DVD monitor was stolen out of our brand new conversion van. It
will cost $1500 to replace. We have a $500 deductible on our insurance
and pay approx $2000 a year to insure 3 vehicles.

Question: Do we file a claim on the TV and pay $1000 to replace or pay
the entire $1500 ourselves and not get the insurance company involved?
In other words, how much can we expect our rates to rise if we go
through the insurance company?

sbaxman --

I am not an expert on this subject, but I'm not sure that there is a
single researchable answer to your question.

First, I suspect that insurance companies differ (although probably
not by much) on the way they treat claims in determining premium
increases.  Second, your state insurance department may have
regulations that limit to some extent insurers' flexibility to raise
rates.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, from my limited experience I
believe a rate increase does not necessarily happen after the first
accident in a given time period, but after the second (and/or the
third).  So the question for you may not be how much more you will
have to pay now if you make a claim, but how likely it is that you
will have another accident in the next year or two or three.

Finally, from what I have read, you should not ask your insurance
company for its advice, because insurers may take the fact that you
have had an accident into account on rating your policy whether or not
you make a claim. On the other hand a call or email to your state
insurance department might be fruitful.


markj-ga

From what I know, your insurance rate will not be hiked unless you
have a habit of making claims. Each company has a trigger point and it
typically is 3 claims in a 2-year period. I would go ahead and file a
claim provided there have been no other claims. You can also ask the
company directly what their policy is regarding number of claims and
premium hikes. Such a query should have no effect on your records
either.