Expediting Your Auto Insurance Claim

From the Insurance for Dummies by Jack Hungelmann

 One of the biggest drawbacks to collecting from the other driver’s auto insurance is the delay in getting paid. Before they can pay you, they have to interview their driver and investigate the accident. That can take two weeks. To expedite the process, you can:

• Call and report the claim directly to the other driver’s insurance company or agent. When you aren’t their customer, they often take a few days just to get the claim reported and set up.
• When reporting the accident, get the other driver’s insurance company’s okay to pay for a rental car. If it balks and you need a rental, get one anyway and let the insurer know about it. Why? Because when it’s paying for a rental car, it speeds up your claim processing. Without a rental car, its slow processing hurts you; with a rental, delays hurt it. If the accident is the other guy’s fault, his insurance owes you both for the cost to repair you car plus the cost of a replacement vehicle. Some insurance companies claim they don’t cover your rental. That’s baloney. If the company balks, send the bill directly to the other driver.