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Author Topic: ICBC Silliness
Aviator
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 3299

posted 11 February 2003 11:56 PM      Profile for Aviator     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
OK, here's the story. One day a man's wife goes into the local insurance office to insure her car. She has recently moved from another province. Two hours later she emerges having finally insured her vehicle. And, this isn't just sitting around. This is two hours filling out forms, declarations. ("Do you have one or two plates on that car?") Two bloody hours to insure a car! What in hell is going on in this province?

Why aren't the agents going to the heads of ICBC and saying, "The other day it took me two hours to insure someone's vehicle. Can't we streamline this a little?" (Not a whole lot so that we don't ruin your little paperwork empire, just a little).


From: British Columbia | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
Aviator
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 3299

posted 11 February 2003 11:59 PM      Profile for Aviator     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
BTW, that time doesn't include the two hours it took to get a provincial inspection so that vehicle (virtually new) was deemed "insurance worthy."
From: British Columbia | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
abnormal
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 1245

posted 20 February 2003 07:16 PM      Profile for abnormal   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Have you figured out how much the insurance cost relative to other provinces??

Don't forget to factor in simple things like the cost of Icky Bicky's offices (paid for by the tax payer not by premiums), etc.


From: far, far away | Registered: Aug 2001  |  IP: Logged
mr-trudo
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posted 27 February 2003 04:55 PM      Profile for mr-trudo     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The ICBC, I have heard about it's bureaucratical imcompetence before from a friend in BC. In the end, if you live in BC all your life with it, you will save money versus the private systems and the rates don't go so much up each year. That's great if your a student like me, you can actually own a car there. I guess it isn't good for 47 year olds who drive mercedes (but they have it so bad )

Then again, is that few bucks saved worth waiting 2 hours in line. Frankly, either way you'll lose.


From: Ottawa | Registered: Feb 2003  |  IP: Logged
abnormal
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posted 28 February 2003 09:35 PM      Profile for abnormal   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Actually the differentials that apply to more expensive cars are actually lower in BC than elsewhere. That means the cost of insuring a more expensive car is lower relative to a less expensive car than in other provinces.

The reason that premiums may seem lower actually relates to the fact that much of the overhead is actually paid for out of general tax revenues. Private companies only have two sources of income: premium and investment income on loss reserves. ICBC has a third, its called tax revenues. Might not sound so bad but since everyone pays taxes it's not only drivers that end up paying for the system.

However, the fact of the matter is ICBC gets other special treatment. In its first few years of operation it ran up a deficit of $175 M and required a goverment bailout. To the best of my knowledge that has never been repaid. Last time I looked ICBC didn't pay income taxes. That's a real cost that private companies are faced with.


From: far, far away | Registered: Aug 2001  |  IP: Logged
DrConway
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posted 28 February 2003 10:55 PM      Profile for DrConway     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Are you gonna start in with the ICBC-shouldn't-be-selling-car-insurance bit like you did with the Canada-Post-shouldn't-be-XpressPosting-or-Purolatoring-packages bit?
From: You shall not side with the great against the powerless. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
abnormal
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posted 01 March 2003 07:59 AM      Profile for abnormal   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I don't remember saying that Canada Post shouldn't be in the courier business.

I'm not saying that ICBC shouldn't be selling car insurance. I simply pointed out that the cost of auto insurance in BC is not covered strictly by premiums but there is an element of funding that comes from general tax revenues so that even non-drivers end up subsidizing the system. The income tax exemption granted to ICBC does reduce premiums since there is no need for the company to pay part of its income directly to the government. In short, the government is forgoing tax revenue here and has to make it up someplace else. The special treatments afforded ICBC do not reduce the cost of insurance, they simply shift the burden to other segments of society. The relative cost of insuring "high value" and "low value" cars is a different question - this actually helps the Mercedes owner.


From: far, far away | Registered: Aug 2001  |  IP: Logged
Aviator
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 3299

posted 01 March 2003 12:07 PM      Profile for Aviator     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Interesting. But how does this explain the long-winded, grind-it-to-death paperwork that we had to go through? I mean over four hours to get a car insured
From: British Columbia | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
DrConway
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 490

posted 01 March 2003 02:11 PM      Profile for DrConway     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I don't know WHAT the hell you guys were doing, but when I bought my Ford LTD Crown Victoria it took half an hour to get the transfer of ownership, the Social Services Tax paid, and the insurance and licence plates.

Boom.


From: You shall not side with the great against the powerless. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged
Aviator
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 3299

posted 01 March 2003 03:22 PM      Profile for Aviator     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I think a better question would be what were they doing. As originally stated, the woman came from out of province, so the car must be inspected. Fair enough. That really has nothing to do with ICBC.

But once we hit the insurance office (Boom is right). You should have been there. The clerk had book upon book opened on the counter. Now if you cross-reference to here..... Oh yes, now I have to get out this other volume.... Are you sure your car is dark green? Looks like it is black to me. I'll take your word for it. I should check but I am sure it is OK. Do you have two plates or one? Scribble, scribble. And on and on it went.

It was astounding


From: British Columbia | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
DrConway
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 490

posted 01 March 2003 05:04 PM      Profile for DrConway     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
In case you don't know this, the insurance agent you go to is actually an independent contractor who has been permitted by ICBC to sell insurance for it.

Do not blame ICBC for the anal-retentiveness of your Autoplan agent. You should go somewhere else next time where they will be less likely to waste your time.


From: You shall not side with the great against the powerless. | Registered: May 2001  |  IP: Logged

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