Reporting an Auto Insurance Claim

Reporting an Auto Insurance Claim

We all buy car insurance with a silent plea on our lips as we pay for our premiums—Please don’t ever let me actually need the benefits this policy offers.

Unfortunately, a small percentage of the population does have to use their auto insurance policy and place auto insurance claims.

If you need to place and auto insurance claim, there are some things you can do to make this process easier and more efficient for you.

1. Call your agent. Agents are there to make this process easier for you. One phone call to your agent and you can take yourself out of the picture for much of the paperwork and claims coordination. Your agent will ask you about the accident (some may even visit the scene) or incident surrounding the claim and file paperwork for you. Not only is this less time consuming for you but it’s a great way to make sure the paperwork is done correctly.
2. Call your insurance company. If your agent is unavailable you can call the toll free claims line of your insurance company. A company representative will be on the line to help guide you through the process. If you want updates and further requirements to be communicated to you through your agent, be sure to let the insurance company know so they can put this information in their system.
3. Have all information handy. Before you make your claim with the insurance company or your agent, make sure you have all the pertinent information with you. You should have your policy number, the insurance and contact information of any other person involved in the claim, the details of the event that caused the claim, police reports and pictures. If you were not there when the claim happened, make sure you have all the information about how you found the car and the damage.
4. Make a copy: Make a copy of the claim paperwork and all supporting documents before you submit them to the insurance company.

If you have any doubt that you will not be able to remember important details pertinent to the claim, make sure that you write them down as soon as possible after the incident. You can hold on to this paper in the event that future questions arise that you don’t remember the answers to or you can include the statement in your claim.