Most people that drive will at some point in their driving careers have bump, scrape or a full on smash, it’s just an inevitable part of life as more and more people take to the roads. If you have been in an unfortunate event like this it can seem like an absolute nightmare, not only have you got to file a claim but then you have to get your car fixed and then wait for it to be repaired. It can majorly alter your normal daily routines.
However, filing for an auto insurance claim is actually a piece of cake and we are going to show you how to find cheap auto insurance & what you need to do in 8 steps.
- Exchange Details
The first step is simple, you will need to get the other drivers details and take photos of the damage. Get their name, number, address, registration, and make/model of car.
- Notify the Police
In some cases you may need to notify the police in order to file a report, depending on the damage, severity of the accident and general situation.
- Get Your Information Together
The very first step you will need is to have the following information ready to hand over to the claims advisor:
- Your name and policy number
- Details of the accident
- Details of the third party that was involved
- Your driving license and registration number
- Filing the Report
Once you have all the information at hand you need to phone your insurance provider to report what has happened. Ideally you want to do this as soon as you can so you don’t hold up the claim, and once you get through to an advisor you will then be asked a series of questions and given a case number that will be assigned to a new case for you.
- Taking Your Car In
The advisor will give you information on where you need to take your car for a damage inspection, during this inspection a local garage will provide you with a quote and then you must check to see what costs you will have to pay (over your compulsory excess). Be prepared to make an initial payment at this point.
- Hearing from the Third Party
By now the third party will have also reported the incident to their insurance company, and this is where the case goes easy or becomes hard. Often people will try and lay the blame back to the other driver to avoid any hits on their car insurance quotes next time it’s up for renewal. Its important that you put together as much information as you can in order to defend your case if this happens.
- A Court Hearing (Optional)
If the case doesn’t get solved at step 6 then you may have to attend court in order to fight the case in your favour. If you have legal aid covered in your policy then you will be given a solicitor free of charge to help you put a case together. If you haven’t got legal aid covered then you will have to pay these fees outside of your policy.
- The Resolution
If the other party admits to the fault, or if you have admitted to the fault then the process is straight-forward and the claim will come to a final resolution where your policy will be unaffected and any costs will be repaid.