Steps To Claim Car Insurance Premium
Car insurance premiums can be very high. As a result, it's important to ensure how to make a successful claim on your car insurance. Read on to understand the steps to claim car insurance successfully.
Don’t panic-
If you face an accident, don’t panic and try to drive away in haste. The first thing you should ensure is to assemble your vehicle in a safe and secured place especially if you’re in the middle of a road.
Inform your insurer-
Inform your insurer as soon as possible about the accident. This enables your insurer to collect all the details of the accident and then you avail a claim on your car insurance. Certain insurers will send you a claims form or allow you to apply for a claim online.
If one’s car has been damaged or stolen then report it to the police as soon as possible & get a crime reference number.
Things to remember while applying for a claim-
If the incident is a result of your fault then you may require to pay an additional charge when you apply for a claim.
However, if there’s no fault of yours then claim will be settled by a 3rd party insurance company where you will not require to pay any excess.
How does the claim work?
The process of claim varies across different insurers. As a result you’re required to follow the rules and regulations of your car insurance company.
However, in any case one must inform his/her insurer as soon as possible during any incident. Also the person must collect all the required information related to the accident which includes the contact information of other concerned parties, the crime reference number & a precise account of what happened at the place of incident.
Maintain the copies of all the documents and receipts linked to your claim.
Your car insurance company may ask you a lot of questions and ask you to provide lot of information. This can be due to the large number of insurance fraud cases as witnessed in the past years. In any case, it’s advisable to provide your insurer with all the correct details as asked by your insurer.
What if the claim gets rejected?
When such a case arises where the insurer rejects your claim, you should figure out the reason behind the same by sending a written statement or directly communicating with your insurer.
A common dispute which can arise is about the disagreement on the valuation. There can be a situation when a person’s car is written off & the owner disagrees with the valuation provided by the car insurance company.
In this case, experts comment that usually most of the insurers are fair. However, in case of any dispute on valuation, the concerned insured must support his/her claim with as much accurate information as possible. For example, if you have photographs which reveal your vehicle’s condition prior to the accident, don’t forget to share these photos with your car insurance company.
