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Submit Your Car Insurance Claim Without Going Crazy

Written by Susan Tanner on November 13th, 2008

A person buying a car is required by law to buy insurance for it even before he drives away from the lot. Buying car insurance is the most sensible and important thing a person buying a car does. What type of cover you wish to have depends on you. You can get a cheap car insurance quote by browsing on the internet. If you have bought a comprehensive cover then you can sit back and relax.

If you are unfortunate enough to experience having your car stolen or damaged in an accident, you need to submit an insurance claim in order to obtain compensation for damages, repairs and injuries to your own and possibly othersa property and person. In theory it is not difficult to submit a car insurance claim. If your car is involved in an accident or theft, you should report any damage or loss related to the accident or theft right away to your insurance agent or company.

Submission of your auto insurance claim after an accident or theft must be accompanied by the filing of a police report. A copy of the report will go to the insurance company. This is especially important when there are deaths or injuries resulting from a car accident. You will also need to gather and share with your insurance carrier all pertinent details of the car theft or accident. These details include names, addresses and phone numbers of witnesses and other people involved in as well as the time and place at which the event took place.

In the spirit of fair and equal information exchange, inquiries by your insurance agent or company into the car accident or theft for verification purposes are expected. As you willingly share all the details that you have gathered, you will likely be encouraged to enter all such data in writing or online, as well as follow other claims-oriented procedures. During the filing process, you should begin inquiring about the amounts and wait-times for any possible compensation for loss and repairs, which, again, can vary depending on your policy and amount of coverage.

An insurance policy with collision coverage is ideal, as you are entitled to compensation for damages from any sort of accident, including those with walls, other cars, or even trees. Your agent should let you know about repair estimates and where you should go to have repairs done. Remember to be assertive and not be intimidated by the agent, company, repair shops or the claims process. You have a right to ask for clarification for any details you want, for you are the customer and claimant, and in the end it is your money that is at stake.

The claimant should also ask the agent about the time within which the claim will be settled. He can ask for information like the policy of his insurance provider with regards to car rentals and does his policy cover it. He should obtain detailed information about what benefits he can avail through his insurance cover. The insurance company is bound to give true information to the claimant and it makes the task of the claimant easier.

The claimant can also inquire from the agent the duration after which he will be contacted about any further proceedings about the case. If he has an auto insurance policy with collision or comprehensive cover then he will not have any worries. The insurance company will pay the damages without assigning the fault.

The car insurance claims filing process does not have to be a nightmare. It can be a relatively simple and worry-free submission, especially if you keep your head on straight and remain assertive, persistent and smart. The process will flow more smoothly and you will see your compensation that much more quickly.

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