Taranjit
For many of you that have read my old posts, you may know that my brand-new car was destroyed by a deer. There was no way that I could drive this left-side damaged car to school or work. I am sure everyone would be able to find me easily if I did from the car metal trail I would have left behind. I had no choice but to get it fixed. The question came down to whether filing an insurance claim would help me or hurt me?
Of course, I went to my dad. Because parents have more experience with this kind of stuff, right? Not that my parents ever had a deer encounter, at least to my knowledge, but they sure know more about insurance than I do. My dad told me to call the insurance company because what else do we pay them for. So that is what I did.
You know the insurance card you keep in your car to provide proof that you have it when you are stopped by a police officer or get in an accident? Well, that card comes in handy in a time like this. Usually, somewhere on the card, either the front or the back, there is a number specifically for filing claims. How convenient? There is one number dedicated just for what I needed. This was the first time I was every filing a claim, so I was not prepared for the questions that I was going to be asked. Luckily, the insurance representative that answered was very nice and walked me through the entire process step by step. In fact, she answered questions I didn’t even know I had.
So, what are you asked when filing a claim?
The first thing the representative will ask you is to describe what happened? Where did it happen? When did it happen? If you do not provide enough details about the incident, don’t worry. The representative will ask you the questions about the necessary details they need. Just answer to the best of your ability.
Once you described what had occurred, the next question you will most likely be asked is where is your car right now and are you still able to drive it? This will determine whether they need to send you a tow truck to help move your car or not. Very important, because, if you are like me, you would not want to just leave your car on the side of the road even in this condition.
After she documented my statement, she began to look over my insurance policy. Thank goodness my dad added the collision with an animal protection to our policy. Very smart on his part, because it came in handy right now. That meant my insurance would help cover most of the cost of the repair. The lady went on to explain the coverage I had and that I would have to pay the $250 deducible and the rest of the cost would be covered by the insurance. Thank goodness! The repair was going to cost around $2500. Being a broke college student, who was struggling to pay tuition and new car payments, I would not be able to afford the repair myself.
The next decision you have to make is where to take your car for repair. The representative will look up collision repair shops near you and give you the options of which shops are partnered with them. In my case, I had two collision shops near me and all I had to do was choose which one I wanted to go to, and she would do the rest. She would make the appointment and all I would have to do was drop the car off. Easy!
The third decision I had to make was did I want a rental. The insurance representative will inform you whether your policy includes a rental and what kind of rental is included at little to no cost to you. She will ask if this is something you are interested in, and if you are, again all you have to do is say yes. She will do the rest of setting up the appointment and arranging the rental.
The entire filing a claim to repair process was not as stressful as I thought it would be, especially when everything was taken care for me. The insurance representative was so understanding and helpful, and she made the process as easy and simple as possible. I dropped my car off at the collision shop where the employees were amazing. Very understanding and very helpful people during the entire process. I felt that my car was in good hands. They immediately gained my trust and loyalty. In fact, I recommend them to anyone who needs a repair. Now the rental company, on the other hand, is another story for another time.
