If your vehicle was damaged from an accident or another problem, there are a few things that you might want to do to get the best results with your claim.
Dealing with a damaged vehicle can be an unnerving experience. But, if you can try to be as organized as possible before contacting the insurer, this can really help.
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Your insurer is going to want to know what happened: where, when, and who was involved. Having a police report, pictures, or notes from the accident can really help in answering these questions. But, you might also want to have some other details ready about anything unique about the damage, especially if you had special equipment or features on your vehicle that were damaged.
Every insurer handles things differently. Some will send an adjuster to look at the car. Some will just rely on pictures and a statement from the repair shop and give you the go ahead to get the repair started. If possible, you may want to get more than one estimate for the cost to repair. Having an extra estimate or two can be helpful if you need to dispute the claim later.
Keep in mind that insurer uses the actual cash value of the vehicle and cost to repair, not replace. They may only authorize aftermarket parts. And, if the cost to repair is more than the actual cash value of the vehicle, they may consider it a total loss and offer far less than what you might expect.
If you disagree with their offer, provide more details and proof that your vehicle is worth more. Also, before signing off on the claim or cashing the check, make sure that the vehicle has been repaired properly and that you are being fairly compensated for any other costs, especially if your policy provides coverage for towing or use of a rental car.
If you run into problems that you cannot get resolved, you can always contact our call for action office for help.
