If there’s 1 thing most people agree on, it’s that most insurance companies hate approving claims. We’re not saying that’s how they actually feel, and we’re not saying that insurers don’t want to pay out claims. But we can’t escape the fact that this is an actual perception held by lots of people.
Our take on this, is that it doesn’t help to hold onto such negative vibes. Worrying about what might happen when you have to claim 1 day, will only cause unnecessary anxiety for when you do have to put in a claim. Besides, if you’re lucky, you might never even need to claim at all!
What you should rather do is prepare for how to correctly lodge an insurance claim. Make sure you know how to do it right, so that you have a fair chance of your claim being approved and paid out.
Here are some steps that you can take to do just that.
Talk to your insurer
There are 2 types of conversations that you need to have with your insurer, which are related to your claims.
The first type is the ‘ad hoc’ chat you have whenever you have a question about your cover. This has nothing to do with calling your insurer to put in a claim. This is about calling your insurer to ask about something you’re not clear on. Like, are you covered for a car accident if your friend was driving when the accident happened? It’s good to know so that you don’t get anxious about claiming under these circumstances.
The second type of conversation takes place when something has happened that you need to claim for. It’s super important to call your insurer and tell them as soon as you possibly can… Usually within 24 hours (although different insurers have different time limits).
Oh, and then you also need to let the police know and get a case number from them. Also typically within 24 hours.
Information is your friend
This step consists of 2 parts. Firstly, we need you to know that everything about your cover is detailed in your policy docs. So read this info to avoid claiming for damage to your own car when you only have third party only car insurance. It’ll save you a lot of heartache, and give you the chance to change your cover so that it covers what you want it to.
The second part of this step is making sure you get all the info your insurer needs once you’ve been involved in an accident.
This is the info you’ll need to collect:
- The police report and case number.
- Your police statement.
- Details of the police station and attending officer.
- A detailed list of all items lost, stolen or damaged.
- Any other relevant docs.
- Details of any third party involved in the incident, including their full name, ID number, contact details, etc.
Most insurers offer an online accident form that you can download and print out. This helps you keep your facts straight, so check this 1 out that King Price has created for their clients.
Other insurers
You might not realise it, but 1 of your items could be insured by 2 different insurers. If you know about anything like this or suspect it, just bring it up to your insurer. It’s a legal thing they need to know about and they’ll be able to sort it out.
Also, by hiding this info, both insurers may reject the claim, so it’s safer to be honest.
Get it done
There are some things that your insurer may ask you to do. Like taking your car for an assessment or allowing an inspector into your home to verify any damage. It’s important for you to follow their instructions so that they can process your claim as quickly as possible. You don’t want to delay the process any longer than you need to.
Pay your excess
Your excess is the amount you need to pay when you put in a claim. Even if it’s not your fault that you’ve had to claim. By not paying your excess, your claim could be rejected altogether.
And that’s it. That’s all you need to do to lodge your insurance claim. And while we have you here, we need to reassure you that there are insurance companies in South Africa who have good reputations for paying out their claims. For instance, King Price has stated before that they pay out R1 million in claims every single day.
Impressed? Want more of that kind of reassurance in your life? Well, if you’d like to be on the receiving side of this kind of peace of mind, royal service, and super cheap premiums, then click here for a commitment-free quote.