Auto Insurance Claim Process
How long before an auto accident insurance claim expires?
Someone hit my parked car on November 6th. It’s now November 24th. I made a file with the insurance the day after the accident, and got a letter saying it was approved shortly after. I was told I now need to bring my car in to a repair shop to get it evaluated and worked on. It’s a very long complicated process that’s very inconvienient for me, because most auto repair shops around here are closed on the weekends & when I get out of work.
I’m not sure how long I have to fix my car under the claim. Will it eventually expire? NO-ONE has been returning my phone calls, and I’ve tried calling both my insurance company and the person who hit me who I have the claim with.
Anyone who can help? :/
How important is it to you to get your car fixed? Apparently, not very.
Decide what shop you want to do the repairs. Call them up, make an appointment to take the car to them for an estimate. Then you fax the estimate to the insurance company. Some body shops are on a direct repair program and they send the estimate/photos to the insurance company. It’s not a long complicated process at all.
If you pick a shop near your work, you may be able to take the car for an estimate on your lunch hour. Or call your boss and let him know you’ll be in an hour or two late one day. Maybe you can get out of work an hour or two early. It only takes about 30 to get an estimate done.
If you can’t do that….do you have a friend or family member that could run the car to the shop for the estimate? Maybe they could switch cars with you for a day or take you to work and pick you up.
Banks are often closed on weekends and nights….yet you would manage to find the time to get over there to apply for a loan if you needed it.
If you have a package to mail…..many post offices are closed on the weekends.
If you woke up sick on a work day….you’d find a way to go to the dr during business hours.
Body shops and insurance companies are like a lot of businesses and keep traditional business hours – Mon-Fri. 8:00-5:00. Some body shops don’t close until 6.
The body shop hours are not the problem. You just want to feel like the victim and like you don’t have to go out of your way to get your car fixed.
In the future, if you don’t want to take the risk of being inconvienced by an accident….then don’t drive.
Until then, sometimes accidents happen and you may have to go out of your way a bit to get your car fixed. You have to help them help you.
Once the insurance company gets the estimate..they will know how much to pay. Then they issue a check and send it to you (or to the body shop if it’s in a direct repair network).
If you need a rental car to drive…call the adjuster and let them know. If you get voice mail – leave a detailed message with your name, phone number, claim number, name of body shop, body shop phone number and date your car is going into the shop and that you will need a car to drive.
Most adjsuters have internet connections with rental companies like Hertz or Enterprise. If you leave the information they need, the adjuster can get your message – jump on line – set up the rental and Enterprise or Hertz should call you to set up everything with in a day or so.
So…here’s the process:
1. take car to body shop for estimate.
2. send estimate to insurance company (fax works fine). If body shop is in direct repair network….they will send in estimate for you.
3. get check from insurance company. If body shop in direct repair network….insurance company sends check directly to body shop.
4. call body shop – set up date/time to bring car in for repair – usually a monday or tuesday. Or when you take car for estimate, you may be able to set this up with body shop then and not have to call later. The body shop manager can guide you.
5. call insurance company- let them know you will need rental, when, and where car to be repaired.
6. You should get a call from Enterprise or Hertz once adjuster sets up direct bill – if not, phone nearest Enterprise and/or Hertz location and see if they have direct bill from ins co. If they don’t have on…they can help you get one set up.
7. when day comes to put car in shop….take it to shop. When you speak w/ Enterprise/Hertz to set up rental res – you can set up to use their pick up/drop off service.
8 when repairs done — pay shop (if check was sent to you) and pick up car.
