Insurance claims, though a simple in process, may become somewhat crooked, with the wrong moves. There are dos and don’ts of filing for a claim which if followed properly, might make the process smoother for you.
Here is a list of don't s you must know before filing a claim in general:
- Don't Be aggressive: Always keep a handy camera (disposable) in your car or you may also use your cell phone camera to take pictures of the accident scene. This is because you need to document the accident scene and taking pictures absolutely don’t mean you are being dramatic. You must be clear on your part, so have as much evidence as possible because you don’t know what the other person might say about the accident.
- Don't talk much at the accident scene: You may not realize but by talking unnecessarily you may end up apologizing for the accident and the liability will become your responsibility. Let the police decide who is at fault (in tort states).
- Don’t jump into conclusions: After an accident do not draw your own conclusions. Only get the name, address, driver’s license number and the insurance identification number in case you need to turn the claim over to the other party’s insurer.
- Don't buy roadside assistance without proper information: Some private insurance companies which offer roadside assistance often consider it as part of a claim. Hence, they might increase your premiums. So, it is better that you buy roadside assistance from American Automobile Association (AAA) or a similar group.
- Don't do home repairs before adjuster comes: Do not start with any home repairs until the home insurance adjuster arrives and assesses the extent of damage. If you star off with the repair works, you may not get the amount for which you are entitled. However, you may do minor temporary repairs so that further damage does not happen.
- Don’t scream “flood” and name injury – An insurance company may have its own measurement for flood. What you consider as flooding, they may not do so. Find out how much depth of water will be considered as flood. If you have flood insurance, check in the document. Similarly, wait for the doctor to diagnose an injury after an accident before you make a claim. If it triggers the insurance to carry on further investigation and find s out that the diagnosis is different from what you mentioned, your policy may get canceled.
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