Guide to settling your own car insurance claim

Guide to settling your own car insurance claim.

If you have ever been involved in a car accident and 1 in 8 of us will this year, you will understand the stress and effort involved in dealing with a car accident. Think of what is involved. Coping with injuries, whether your own or of your loved ones, then having to deal with any material damages is bad enough. Not to mention dealing with insurance companies. It can all feel rather overwhelming. This becomes even more overwhelming if you have to deal with professional insurance adjusters. Adjusters are employed by the insurance companies and have the job of settling claims. Of course they are biased toward the insurance company and have the job of minimizing expenditure on the part of the auto insurance company.

Some look at the situation and feel they cannot deal with the claim on their own and feel they need  a lawyer. As we will see, hiring a lawyer might necessary or even desirable in some circumstances. However you can settle your own car insurance without any help in most cases if you follow some simple but practical steps.

Step 1. Visit your insurance agent. This agent is the man or woman that sold you the insurance in the first place. Going to your agent is a good idea even though he is not involved directly in your claim because he has good incentive of helping you out. Why? The way insurance sales commissions are worked out incentivize long standing relationships between salespeople and clients. This is how it works: When you buy an insurance the salesperson gets a lump commission, but that’s not the end of the story. The same salesperson continues to receive a commission (albeit smaller) for as long as you are a client for the auto insurance company. So your friendly insurance salesperson has good reasons to keep you happy. Even though he probably won’t be able to take your claim to the top of the pile or guarantee it will be successful he can tell you who can help you further.

Step 2. Organize yourself. Keep copies of all important and relevant paperwork. Make sure you have the contact details and policy details of all the vehicles and drivers involved. Record and keep copies of the details of witnesses, police officers and any other person that might be needed for your claim. Get a copy of the police accident report. Draw a diagram and take photographs of the accident scene. Prepare yourself for every interview and portray a confident but polite approach. You have a fair claim and you know you deserve to be satisfied.

Step 3. Contact the experts. Most countries and states have Government Insurance Departments that provide high quality information on your rights and responsibilities. They can provide a wealth of information you could put to good use.

Step 4. If you are having serious trouble with your adjuster, don’t despair, keep the confident but polite approach. In some cases a specialist lawyer will be the way forward to deal with a company that will not give you the service you need.