In Get The Most From Your Auto
Insurance part I, we discussed budget, deductibles, and
liability. While in part II of
Get The Most Out Of Your Car Insurance we touched on holding
your costs down with comparison shopping and coverage discounts.
Now let’s move on to some tips on what to do when you need to
file a claim.
It’s during the claim process, that having a good agent will
become an asset for you.
A good automobile insurance agent will help and guide through the
process and help you with dealing with the insurance adjuster
especially if you feel the adjuster has come up short and you want
to dispute the figure.
Be mindful that although this may not seem a significant nuance,
if you have purchased your car insurance coverage via the internet,
you may be limited to an 800-number and as such sacrifice personal
service at a very stressful time.
It is certainly to your advantage (and stress level) to
understand your car insurance company’s claim process before you may
have to use it.
The entire process is much less frustrating if you know ahead of
time details such as:
Does your company pay for manufacturer brand parts or only
generic?
Are you limited by only having specific pre approved body shops do
repair work?
If so, are the approved body shops conveniently in your city and
throughout the country? If you aren’t sure, make sure your agent
fully explains any stipulations that your car insurance policy may
have.
If a claim becomes necessary, call your agent as soon as you can
after an accident. During the claim process document or journal with
names, dates, notes from conversations, emails, receipts, and
anything else you discuss or fill out as a result of the claim
process.
Stay calm and as proactive and detailed as you can during the
process including getting estimates completed.
If you don’t feel as though you got a fair number from an
adjuster have them put their findings in documentation form, again,
stay calm and work you way up the chain of command with your car
insurance company. Have your agent make calls and run interference
on your behalf when it comes to dealing with the claims department.
Hopefully you will never have to file a claim against your car
insurance policy. But, if you do it is during this time that you’ll
find out for sure just how customer oriented your agent and your
insurance company is.
Of course, ultimately if you are not impressed with the service
you receive; it may be time to do some more shopping around.
