Having a root canal, minor surgery, cleaning out the gutters, and filing insurance claims are all things that most of us hate to do. When you have to make a hail damage car insurance claim, you may wonder, “Should I even mess with it?” Many people who have hail damage don’t make claims because of the hassle of filing. Insurance claims are not fun, but here are a few tips and tricks to help make things smoother.
Take a Look at Your Coverage First
You want to make sure your car insurance covers hail damage. You should check and make sure yours does by looking at your comprehensive coverage.
Your biggest decision with comprehensive is what deductible should you get. It really depends on the rates of the insurance you can afford and your personal cash reserves.
Go through your budget to see what coverage costs you can handle.
Recognize Your Hail Damage Car Insurance Claim
After a storm, inspect your car and decide if there was car hail damage.
You are busy, and you may be tempted to not mess with filing a claim on hail damage, but you will regret that. Insurance companies usually have specific deadlines for when files can be claimed so don’t wait.
Once you have inspected the car, you should decide whether you should file a claim or not.
Keep Detailed Secured Notes
You want to write down all the details of the damage and when it happened. Don’t rely on your memory because you may get confused.
Keep a file on the notes of your phone so you can refer to it with every conversation with your insurance company.
Make sure your notes are backed up to the cloud so there is no chance of losing them.
Enlist the Help of a Team
You do not have to fight the insurance battle alone. Many car repair shops have people on staff who help you with your insurance claims.
Getting a repair shop to help you with your claim makes sense for a few key reasons:
- They do this all the time
- They have the experience you lack
- They often have relationships with the key insurance people
- It is free
Having help can free up your time and your stress because someone else is taking care of all the details.
Most shops have all the information you need on their website. Just like this one from the Dallas Metroplex: visit vividautobody.com.
Start Now Building Your Reserves
Just like sports teams like to have quality players waiting in reserves, you should have in mind who to go to if you need help with your hail damage car insurance claim.
Ask around to find a repair shop with the best reputation. Talk to your insurance agent and see who they recommend. Make sure the shop has experience dealing with insurance companies.
Don’t let the fear of insurance filing keep you from getting your car the attention it deserves. A little preparation will go a long way.