Woman’s son gets into a car accident in Georgia. Then Progressive makes her a lowball offer fit for Florida: ‘There’s no rule…’

A woman says her son crashed her car in Georgia. However, she says her insurance company is quoting her as if the car is in Florida — and as a result, it's offering her less money. But why?

In theory, car insurance is pretty simple. You pay a certain amount every month. Then, in the event of an accident, your insurance pays for a portion or all of your damages.

But in practice, anyone who has ever been in an accident can tell you that's not really how it works much of the time. It's often a battle to get paid. And when you do get an offer, it can be for significantly less money than you thought.

One woman is accusing her car insurance company, Progressive, of using a trick to pay her less money. Is this legal?

A Florida payout for a Georgia accident

In a video with over 5,000 views, TikTok user @nurseshark007 says she's at her “wits end” with her car insurance company. The reason, she says, is the company's handling of her son's recent accident.

According to the TikToker, her son got into an accident while driving her car. She says that he was driving under the speed limit, was not on his phone, and that there was “no violation, no ticket, nothing” as a result of the accident.

Even though she says she notified her insurance the same day as the accident, the car was not picked up until 10 days later. A week after that, the TikToker recounts receiving an offer on the car from her insurance company that seemed surprisingly low.

After a bit of investigation, she alleges she realized that the low offer was due to the fact that the car is registered at her home in Miami, Florida; thus, the adjuster was using Florida prices, even though the accident happened in Georgia.

Woman disputes insurance company's first offer

The woman says that she declined the insurance company's initial offer.

“I disputed the offer because the car is registered at my home in Miami, although the car has never been in Miami,” she explains. “My son has the car in Georgia. The accident occurred in Georgia. The car is garaged in Georgia. And I did a little research, and there's no law that dictates that the insurance company has to use comps based on the ZIP code where the car is registered.”

After comparing rates across states, she realized that offers in Georgia are sometimes $3,000 more than their offer.

The TikToker then asked that the issue be escalated to a manager with Progressive. After receiving a call from someone who was not a manager, she repeated her request that her concerns be escalated.

“This is absolutely not right,” she concludes. “We pay years and years and years of premiums, and then something happens, and they want to nickel and dime us.”

Progressive did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Can insurance companies base offers on where the vehicle is registered?

whether an insurance company can base an offer on where a car is registered is a bit complicated.

Georgia's insurance regulations lay out a specific method for determining the value of total loss claims. These typically involve comparing prices for similar vehicles within 50 miles of where the damaged vehicle is principally garaged, not where it is registered.

Florida law determines prices using comparable vehicles in the local market, recognized vehicle valuation databases, or quotes from licensed dealers.

But which rule applies here? It's uncertain. If the policy was purchased in Florida, the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance will likely not have jurisdiction.

Plus, even if the vehicle was garaged in Georgia, whether Progressive was informed might be relevant. Progressive, which she identifies as her insurer in comments, explains that policyholders are generally supposed to tell their insurers where vehicles are primarily kept.

Providing an incorrect address can lead to anything from misquoted claims to outright denials. But it should be noted that there are often exceptions made for students, active military, and others.

The creator says in comments that her son is a college student and alleges her broker is aware of this.

This means she may be able to fight Progressive, though it might be a long road with an uncertain conclusion. This may be why, in a comment, she stated that she ultimately decided to accept the offer.

“I stopped fighting with them. We are now moving forward with the payout,” she writes in a comment. “I'm done and don't want to go forward with an independent appraisal. I'm exhausted.”

We've reached out to @nurseshark007 via TikTok direct message and comment.

@nurseshark007 #carinsurance #caraccident #momsover50 #florida #iamnurseshark007 ♬ original sound – nurseshark007

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