Make Your Insurance Claim Easier And Faster With These Useful Tips
As getting in an accident was not tragic enough for you, you often need to go through a ton of bureaucratic paperwork to make the most out of your unfortunate situation. Making an insurance claim is often hard, complicated, and takes up a long time. However, it does not have to be this way, and you should learn a few tricks on how to make this process a little bit simpler and quicker. Follow this article to learn what you have to do in order to make an insurance claim easier and faster.
How can you make your insurance claim easier and faster?
The last thing you want to do after suffering an accident is to wait around and get covered in a ton of paperwork which will take up your precious time that could better be used to get to full recovery and your former self. That is why it is very important for you to learn how to make an insurance claim in an easier way and at a faster pace. Of course, first of all, you will need an attorney. If you live in the territory of New Orleans and suffered property damage, Insurance Claim HQ says that attorneys recommend receiving legal aid when your insurance company underpays or refuses to pay for damages. See the other tips below to learn what exactly you should do.
1) Keep everything on record
First of all, you must be sure about one thing: you never know what kind of information you are going to need. That is why you always have to keep everything on record which means that you write everything down, record conversations, take photo evidence, etc. Whenever you get yourself in such a situation you must be sure that you have everything at your disposal that could possibly help you direct everything to go your way during a settlement. So, be prepared for these situations because if things get ugly, you will have proof. Here is what you can do:
- keep your receipts
- take photos of valuable objects that you have insured to show their condition
- record the situation
- record the phone calls
- take photos on the place of the accident
2) How to file your claim?
Now, the most important thing is to properly file your insurance claim which means you need a step-by-step guide on how to do so. So it is time for you to get started with the claim:
1) Report it
The golden rule is that at the beginning of any insurance claim there is a report filed, especially if you suffered damages and injuries in a car wreck, or something was stolen from your property. Call the police before doing anything because a lot of policies are created with a time limit where you must report things to the authorities right away in order to create a valid claim.
2) Check the policy that was made for you
Before jumping into anything, you must be sure that you are actually covered for whatever has happened to you. Do not make a fool out of yourself. After that, check what kind of procedure you must follow and, of course, follow it. For example, something got wrecked in your house and the insurance policy says explicitly to have a workman present that was previously approved by your insurance company. Also, check if you are even covered for the damage that was made, and after that get someone to fix it for you. If you are lucky, the insurance company will be the one that makes the arrangements instead of you.
3) Get all the documents you need
To make sure everything will go smoothly, you first need to have all the documents at your disposal. Here is what you will need:
- receipts for the things that were damaged or stolen
- reference numbers (if you filed a police report)
- your policy document
4) Get all the facts straight
It is very important to be clear about what happened if you want things to go your way. Tell the story factually correct without missing any details and do not exaggerate. The best idea for you is to write it down and here is a little list:
- exactly what happened
- time and dates
- what your claim is for (money amount)
- details of the people involved (other party, workmen who fixed something in the house)
- money amount that you are expecting
5) Contact the broker if you bought the policy through them
If you use a broker to buy an insurance policy, they will surely be able to help you make a more valid claim. They are the ones who will offer you advice and support, and they will collaborate with your insurance company in order to do everything in your favor. So, before doing anything, give them a call.
6) Contact the helpline
Whenever you get stuck on something, to make things go easier and faster for you, contact the insurance company's helpline. You can also make a claim through them so you would be killing two birds with one stone since you will have support along the way. If you can't find their number it will surely be on the policy document that you will need anyway to claim in the first place. The number can also be found on the insurer's website. When talking to the helpline, make sure that you give all the detailed information you read in steps 3 and 4 of this guide.
3) How to make sure your claim will be accepted
Of course, the most important thing for you in these situations is to get your insurance claim accepted, and you came to the right place in order to learn what to do to be completely sure that will happen. Here is the checklist you should follow:
- File the claim ASAP
- Never exaggerate because it can be your worst enemy if they sue you for fraud
- Give every detail very clearly and you'll have no problem getting the claim accepted
- Document the process of the claim by writing down the time and date of the conversations you had with the insurance company.
- Document the damage with video, voice records, phone, or write it down have someone sign it. Get a copy of the police report if you can.
As you can see, filing an insurance claim doesn't have to be as hard as you probably thought. The important thing is to know all the steps and it will be an easy and fast process after which you will have the settlement you deserve. Always make sure to contact your attorney who will help you get everything in order way quicker and do not be afraid to contact the helpline. Good luck.