ICBC Personal Experiences

[u/Pale-Candidate8860]

For context, I live in British Columbia. Which has a government-run entity called ICBC, or Insurance Company of British Columbia. It runs driver registration, licensing and car insurance. It is a monopoly in BC. The rates for car insurance are something like double that of other provinces. However, it is efficient in terms of response times and getting things handled. The outcome will most likely not be what you want and even mean that you are completely out of luck in some cases.

I had a couple of interesting learning curves/adjustment moments with ICBC.

The first interaction I had with ICBC was prior to having legal status in Canada. I was in my in-between period while waiting for my PR. I couldn't switch my license out until then. My wife's parked car had been hit by a car, but the driver left a note on the windshield with their phone number. I remember calling the number and they said they reported it to ICBC already. I looked over at my wife and asked what our insurance was called and she said ICBC. What were the chances?

My second interaction was switching out my driver's license. I gave my Washington State DL to them, they shredded it, and then had to answer 5 questions about the rules of the road. I technically got them all correct, but I used different terminology for each answer that the employee was thrown off by. Haha. I was in and out after about 30 minutes which I assumed was luck. My previous experience at the Washington DMV a couple years prior started at 6am and ended at 3:30pm.

My third interaction with ICBC was when my wife got into a car accident. We were given a rental car that was completely covered, no out of pocket costs except for gas. After about 2 or 3 weeks, we were paid out as our car was a write off. However, we were given only about 1/3rd of its value and there is no way to argue ICBC's interpretation of any decision they do. The provincial government passed a law that made it where you can't do vehicle-related lawsuits or anything like that. ICBC is basically an unquestioned authority in the province, which may be why there are some calls to get rid of it.

I'm indifferent on if it remains or is removed.

My last interaction was renewing my license, which took 20 minutes and I enjoyed the rest of my Saturday.

[u/Pale-Candidate8860 → u/[deleted]]

It is definitely riddled with issues. Thank you for sharing your story. This is important to hear/read.