How to Deal With Your Auto Insurance Company in the Wake of Sandy’s Wrath
Hurricane Sandy has left a lot of damage in its wake. Now that the hurricane has finally passed, and the damage finally tallied up, an entire group of people are going to feel the pain: insurance agents. They will be receiving insurance claims for the next few months because of the hurricane. It will be a disaster that will be remembered for a long time as a time of horror on many levels, and as the payouts continue.
The reason for auto insurance is for when bad things happen to your vehicle. However, it helps to make sure that your insurance is paid up; most of the problems with insurance are caused when the insured finds that his insurance did not cover something he thought it did. It thus helps to look at your insurance every so often, and to confirm what it does or does not cover, and to seriously debate when you make an exception for coverage. You can bet that a lot of people who did not pay for storm damage are really hurting right now.
When it comes to damage after the fact, attention to detail is going to help. It is easy to take digital photos in an era when every phone has a camera built in. Those photos should be sent to the insurance company as soon as possible, especially with a damage report and an estimate from the mechanic. Owners of cars damaged by falling trees should submit auto insurance claims. The insured needs to understand that insurance agents are between a rock and a hard place; it is a matter of reputation to make sure that people get the money they have paid into, and yet their supervisors, understandably fearing bankruptcy, want them to pay as little as possible. This makes for some hard times ahead for all three parties.
To maximize how much you will get back you need to make sure that you have all of the paperwork in order, and be aware that nothing needs to be questionable. Insurance agents may rubber-stamp most claims, but a claim that raises any questions will be investigated. Due to the storm, people will try to claim more than what happened in order to recoup the deductible as well, and it is a trick so basic that all insurance agents are automatically looking for it to show up; put everything down as it actually happened, do not have the insurance agency pay for anything new, and basically play it straight if you really want to get all that you are owed.
There are few more important tips than playing it straight and paying attention to details. The sooner you can get the claim to your car insurance agent the sooner he can get your check to you. Keep in mind that he may have some interesting questions for you, such as why you did not protect your car better. Ultimately, play by the rules and give your agent the information he is looking for and he will be able to process your claim faster, allowing you to put Hurricane Sandy far behind you.
Rising auto insurance costs in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire can hurt many drivers. Compare rates now and find the right coverage that fits your budget.
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