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Posts Tagged ‘o’

Car Insurance: Steps for Making a Claim

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

A car accident can be a harrowing and traumatic event. One will be shaken and often not thinking clearly. If you are involved in a car accident, you have to think about your condition as well as the events that took place because you will most likely have to file a auto insurance claim.

In order to prepare for the results of a car accident, the following steps should be followed in order to make a proper claim:

1. After an accident, your heart will be racing and you may be disorientated. You need to gather your thoughts and think about how to proceed. If you are hurt, and the car is not a danger such as on fire, retrieve your cell phone and call 911. If there is no emergency such as a serious injury, call the police. Check to see if anyone else is hurt. Ask for people who witnessed the accident to stay and talk to the police.

2. Swap contact information, including phone numbers, license plate numbers, and car insurance details with the other drivers involved in the accident. When the police arrive share all the details you remember about the accident so that they can write an official report that can be given to the insurance companies. Make sure you tell the police officers that you want a report. If the officers won’t do it because the accident took place on the property of an establishment like a store parking lot, then ask the store owner or a security guard to write something up. If you have a camera, take pictures of the accident scene that includes any vehicle damage.

3. Contact your insurance company, even if you are not at-fault. Also, compensation is based on the extent of fault so you need evidence to support your claim. Most insurance providers have a toll free claim number. Make sure you have your policy number available. If the other person is at-fault, you must make a claim. You are entitled to have the insurance company process your claim and resolve any disputes. Your insurance company will advise the other driver’s insurance provider that you are making a claim and seeking compensation. You will have to make a list of all items damaged. If the other driver does not have car insurance, you will have to negotiate directly or go to court. Some experts suggest that if the other party is at fault, you should file claims with both insurance providers.

4. Once you have submitted all of the paper work to the insurance companies, they will sort out the claim. You may have to speak to the other driver’s provider about your recollection of the accident. Your insurance provider will tell you what statement is required. Before you give your statement, write down what you remember about the accident.

5. A claims adjuster will inspect your damaged car in order to assess the costs of the loss. They will also assess if the damage can be repaired or if you require financial compensation. If you are financially compensated, the insurance company will write you a check minus the deductible. A car accident can be a very emotional time in one’s life. It is important to remember that you need to keep yourself together so that you can make the right decisions regarding your physical well-being as well as filing a car insurance claim.

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Vehicle Inspections: Your Insurance Company And You

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Insurance companies offering Insurance quotes usually ask for little information about the vehicle that has to be insured such as the type of vehicle, model name, year of manufacture, make, the total mileage and the condition of the vehicle. The other way is to analyse using the VIN number. Every vehicle has a unique VIN number of its own and If the vehicle’s VIN number is supplied ,the actual quote given will be more tailor made, based on its previous Insurance history, the car’s condition and the number, type of accidents so far the vehicle has encountered.

While you may think your car is in excellent condition, it may be only in average condition. And if you are planning on buying a policy that insures the car for far more than it is worth, you are only hurting yourself financially by throwing money away on expensive yearly policy premiums.

Many times an insurance company will require an inspection to verify the condition of a vehicle. Many older or classic cars can have a wide range of replacement values depending upon their condition. Rust, issues with paint quality, and upholstery issues can all effect the value of a car and, thus, effect the amount an company is willing to insure. Unfortunately, insurance companies have a lot of experience with car owners who claim their older or classic car is in ?mint? condition when it really is more than a little banged-up.

Typically vehicle inspections are very rare. The situation that most often tends to draw the extra attention of insurance companies are customers who insure older cars for full-coverage. Such inspections make sense for both insurance companies and car owners. It is in the insurance company?s best interest to verify that vehicles they insure are valued properly and, additionally, it may lead to lower premiums should car owners over-estimate their vehicles? worth.

It is in your best interest to be truthful with your insurance company when searching for a quote. If your passenger door is about to fall off and you are just waiting to lie to the insurance company and tell them you were a victim of a hit and run and that your car door is now totaled, the insurance company can throw you in jail for insurance fraud. They may even already have pictures of your car before you created the accident.

This is why inspections can happen at any time. The insurance company needs to know if you are honest. So it is best to be truthful when looking for a quote because the day after you get your policy, the insurance company might be at your place taking pictures of your car.

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Car Insurance-Checklist for Initial Examination

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Whether it is an accident, vandalism or burglary, the best thing about owning a car Insurance is, you can make the Insurance Company handle the replacement of the missing expensive accessories / damaged parts or repairs in many cases by just filing a claim and paying a minimum amount of deductible.

When you speak to the insurance agent about the claim they will start an initial examination checklist to ensure that the claim is valid and what part of the claim if any is to be paid by the insurance company according to your policy. There are many questions the insurance company might ask of you and any other information gathered will be from your policy and coverage information.

The first thing the insurance agent will check for is to make sure your policy is active. When you file a claim your insurance policy must be paid up-to-date and not have lapsed to obtain your coverage.

The Claims are usually Validated after reviewing the policy rules and if there are items damaged or stolen which are not covered by the policy contract, the coverage amount cannot be claimed. You will also not be able to claim if you just have a liability insurance or a third party cover in instances of car burglary.

The checklist examination is the guideline for what will be covered. The checklist will allow the agent to determine if “acts of God” are covered under you policy. If they are not and you suffered from fire or flood, then your claim is not valid and will receive no reimbursement. Also, if a vehicle is stolen or vandalized and contains expensive items inside, those items are only subject to an insurance claim if it is stated so on the insurance policy you have.

While the insurance company is liable for valid claims, it is dependent upon the policy holder to uphold the policy requirements. If the holder failed to take the proper actions on their end, the insurance company will deny the claim. This will leave the victim of the crime responsible for the damages that occurred.

Other than looking out for policy reasons, the trained insurance agent might even carry a checklist to rule out suspicion in case of fraudulent claims. For example Expensive trunk load of goods carried in an old car, if reported as stolen and has been filed for a claim, the agent might raise a suspicion that it might be a fraudulent claim by the policy owner. Misleading facts and false information might lead to the coverage being denied. Once the checklist is complete along with the Initial examination, the agent forwards the case to its assessor along with his reports of examination, to assess and approve claim, if it is genuine.

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Consequence of Lying to Your Car Insurance Company

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Car insurance companies are very strict on their insurance packages and most times, they look at your details to be able to award you the necessary insurance. Therefore, it is not uncommon to find car insurance buyers looking for ways to falsify their details in the bid to reduce their premium price and get cheaper auto insurance quotes. In fact, research has shown that in the UK alone, over 10% of all drivers have lied at a point in time about their details or records while in the US, it is estimated at a whopping 27%. Details that are mostly lied about include the age and address of the driver. In some cases, drivers have been known to leave out speeding tickets, drunken driving records and bans on driving they may have received.

Sadly, many drivers seem to think this is the norm and therefore lie about all these when they are applying for an insurance policy. And this is further influenced by the thinking that the companies are mandated to pay and reward them. Most informed drivers know that falsifying your records is seen as fraud while the uninformed drivers think it is ok to lie about their records. The truth is insurance companies are beginning to catch up with this trend and are taking steps against the frequent occurrence of such acts. One of these steps is in the installation of software that will function as a lie detector and will compare all the different data for traces of irregularities. Besides this, insurance companies now have penalties that are meted out on culprits of this act. These include:

1. Cancellation of the Insurance Policy. All culprits will lose their rights to any form of insurance with the company of they are caught. This means that all the monies paid prior to that time will not be retrieved or paid back and the driver will forfeit all attendant benefits.

2. All Claims will be lost and denied. All drivers caught in the act of falsification will be denied all claims. During accidents, most drivers and car owners resort to the insurance company to offer some form of relief. Even if the claims are genuine, the insurance company will desist from making the required payment if it detects false information.

3. Blacklisting in all car insurance companies Depending on the severity of the false information, most insurance companies will willingly blacklist the driver thus making it really hard for him to drive his car.

4. May pay Fines If the driver is found guilty of severe falsification or under the insurance act, he would be required to pay the sum of one hundred thousand dollars and another two hundred thousand dollars if there are other offences discovered. 5. Jail Terms.

In Canada, all offenders could face up to ten years in prison and may be forced to pay a sum greater than five thousand dollars if found guilty. So whatever the case may be, it is in your best interest to tell the truth at all times.

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Strategies For Maintaining Low Insurance Premiums

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Getting a quote for car or truck Insurance is easy but there is a little known hidden fact about the premiums when you get the quote for your Insurance agent. Premiums are pre determined on the basis of your previous Insurance history and if it is your first policy or if it is your brand new policy ,the percentage offered by the Insurance companies is usually greater than a having a strong history of previous Insurance coverage.

Many will argue that the lack of insurance history should not increase one’s premiums. Regardless, among the many considerations in determining premiums are an applicant’s demonstrated ability to maintain their payment schedule, their proclivity for making claims on their past policies, and their demonstrated clean driving record. A failing in any of these areas will have the effect of markedly increasing your premiums to a much higher rate than you would prefer.

Persons having previous lapsed policies, and are in need to find a new one with better quotes are generally not entertained. Even if it happens, the credit history is checked for timely payment of premiums for the previous policy, so that the new company has some points for consideration.

If you are a new driver, if you have a string of traffic tickets, if you have had traffic accidents, if you have submitted _insurance claims_ for accidents, if you’ve let policies lapse due to non-payment… any (or, you poor sap, _all_) of these things make you a high-risk customer. You can still find insurance, but you will definitely pay a price. You’ll have a higher down payment, higher premiums, a higher deductible, and generally less coverage.

So, for amateurs, it is best advised to go for a short term insurance policy, say around 6 months. Prompt timely payment and a good driving history for at least 6 months will give you a good chance of having a better quote next time. Instead of continuing or extending the same policy after 6 months, it is always better to compare what the other companies are ready to offer you. No doubt, there might be some surprising deals for just 6 months of clean history which might save you a handsome amount, may be a few hundred dollars.

Having a clear history, and extending or renewing the same old insurance policy is actually not a good idea. If you have a strong clean history with the previous insurance company, better look out for what the other Insurance company can offer you, because usually the company itself will not review your actual insurance cover, instead its left you to pick the best deal which suits your need. Switching to them might offer you to save lots of money.

Always do your homework when choosing an insurance policy. Keep your driving and payment histories spotless. _Never_ let a policy simply lapse. This will make you a highly desirable insurance risk. Now shop around for the best offers. You’ll get them.

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You Can Save Money On Your Car Insurance With These Tips

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

It’s really very easy to change you into a savvy shopper, just take note of these car insurance pointers. You will be amazed by how simple, easy, and effective these strategies are at giving you the best deal. Heres some fail-safe ways to shave ten, twenty, or even hundreds of dollars off your car insurance policy.

First, drive cautiously. A person with even a few accidents or speeding tickets on their record will ultimately pay a much higher price for their car insurance policy than a driver with a clean record. Instead of shelling out your hard-earned money for insurance premiums, take care to obey all traffic regulations and keep your money in your own pocket.

Another is, take note of the numerous discounts you can receive from car insurance companies. To best avail of this deal, you need to be acquainted with what they offer. For example, you can include all of your vehicles in one policy to acquire a multiple vehicle discount.

Another is to insure your house and your vehicle in the same policy, so you can avail of a multiple line discount. It is also worth inquiring if companies give credit for good student card report, low mileage, airbag and anti-theft safety systems, age of car, and occupational and auto club discounts. The more discounts you accumulate, the more money you can save.

A few more car insurance tips: raise your deductibles if you can, if the price is right. Your deductible is how much you will have to pay up front in the event you have to file a claim before the insurance company steps in and helps with the costs. When you have a low deductible, for example you pay the first 250 dollars, your premium will be higher. If you had a higher deductible of 500 dollars, your premium will be lower.

In case you transfer to another residence, make it a point to seek out the best car insurance suitable for your new location. You can always stumble upon car insurance policies with better deals just right for your new residence. Auto insurance companies are like snowflakes-they all have the basic scheme of insuring their customers, but each has a unique way of implementing this. So if you are told that it does not matter which company you pick for insurance as long as you have it, do not believe them.

The best advice that you can get to save money on your insurance is to shop around. Don’t just pick the insurance with the cheapest premium, because the quote may not include the same coverage from one plan to the next. Instead, be sure you compare and contrast plans with similar coverages, deductibles, and limitations, so you know you’re really getting the best possible deal.

It may be helpful to check out comparison websites to assist you in gathering the information you need about different plans. Hopefully these car insurance tips are just what you need to start saving you and your loved ones money on your premiums today.

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Car Insurance Tips For Saving A Lot Of Cash

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

With just a few car insurance tips, you could be on your way to saving money on your premiums. A lot of people gripe about how much they pay for car insurance, but the fact of the matter is, many of those same drivers aren’t getting everything they can out of their policies. If you know what your insurance company offers, you are more likely to get the best possible deal.

The easiest way to cut down on your insurance rates is to apply for every discount you are eligible of. After all, why pay full price for a product when you can get away with it? Car insurance works just the same.

There are different types of obtainable discounts. A good student who can show a promising report card can get a discount. A police officer or nurse or other professionals can avail of discounts because of their alliances. Further, a person who insures his house and car in the same policy may qualify for a discount.

Next, you may deliberate on ending your coverage. Now before you toss these car insurance guidelines out the window, think about it this way. A vehicle more than fifteen years old with a collision insurance on it may cost you much money you’ll later regret.

When your car gets in a collision, it will be deemed a complete loss. Rather than securing a collision coverage for an older car, simply discontinue this particular policy since you don’t need it. It’s better to evaluate your every vehicle coverage to be certain you aren’t over insuring them.

Another great way to lower your premium is to pay off your entire bill when you get it, rather than pay it monthly. While it may feel convenient to pay the bill this way, it is actually going to cost you more. If you pay a higher amount up front, you’ll reduce your bill and end up paying less in the long run.

Now you know, all you have to do to save money on your insurance is invest a little bit of your time to make sure you are taking advantage of all the discounts possible. Only pay what you need to on coverage and pay your complete bill when you get it to avoid extra fees. The money you will save yourself using these car insurance tips will really amount to a lot as the year goes on.

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Using Incidence Rates To Make Better Buying Decisions

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

There are many confusing terms associated with car insurance plans. Many of them can be confusing to first time insurers who may be unfamiliar with contract wording. The term “incidence rate” is a way the insurance company examines the risk level of the vehicle in question. It’s important to understand how incidence rate affects you since it is an integral part of the scrutiny the insurance company will use to determine your rates.

When one applies for insurance the company is not only interested in their driving record, but also in the kind of car they drive. There are several factors that may affect the incidence rate of a car, such as its popularity among car thieves due to value after disassembly, weaknesses that could lead to accidents or failures, or the temptation that the driver will engage in reckless driving due to superior performance levels.

Any insurance company will have data that shows the likelihood of cars being stolen, how often they’ll be in accidents, etcetera. This is what your insurance agency will use to determine how high the risk level of your vehicle will be and the effect this will have on your policy rates, if you have a vehicle that falls in to one or more of the high risk categories for incidents then your rate will be dramatically higher than you would like.

It seems common-sense that sports cars are more likely to be involved in reckless driving incidents or speeding violations. But there are also some incidents that are not so obvious. For instance, statistics show that a white or light-colored vehicle is more likely to be involved in accidents than darker vehicles. Knowing this information can help consumers make better decisions about the types of vehicles that they choose. Incidence rates can be found either by searching the Internet, or by asking a car dealership for the information. By knowing this information and how it affects your insurance premiums, you will be able to see why your quotes differ from other drivers with similar driving records.

But what if you really had your heart set on a certain vehicle type, only to find out that the specific model was more prone to auto thefts than others? Obviously, your insurance rates will be higher than if you had chosen a different vehicle. If a vehicle is stolen, your insurance company must reimburse you for the full fair-market value of the vehicle. But by installing anti-theft devices, alarm systems, and even GPS systems, you can lower the theft risk and help lower your insurance premiums.

Even the color of your car can determine your policy, but not as much as some other factors. If you have a light car you might be more likely to get hit, but you can combat that fact by being underinsured and have the ones who hit you take the fall. Your insurance company will appreciate this.

By knowing the incidence rates associated with your vehicle and the ways to offset them you can ensure lower rates, but it works both ways. It’s possible to research and seek out the cars that have the lowest theft rates and best safety records in order to get the lowest possible insurance rates. When advertisers note good performance and safety records they’re really drawing your attention to the possibility of lower rates.

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Most Common Variables Considered When Calculating Home Insurance Rates

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Home insurance provides coverage for homeowners against the risk of loss that may occur from damage, fire or theft. Home insurance rates look at the probability that a loss will occur based on the claims experience of the insured, who is the homeowner.

Home insurance uses individual underwriting standards to assess risk. Risk is the potential for a reduction in value that may occur. When a number of these occurrences happen for a particular insured, the insurance company either raises the rate or drops coverage. It is the hope of the insurance company to not have to pay claims and employ assessment factors to understand better the likelihood that a homeowner is exposed to loss and rates it accordingly.

Certain factors beyond the individual homeowners claim experience include zip code ratings, type of home owned, whether any commercial activity takes place in the home, and the home’s overall value in comparison to similar homes within the area. These factors give the insurer the information needed to calculate the probability off loss and adjust rates accordingly.

Hazards are factors that can lead to a loss. There are three hazards, physical or tangible hazard, moral which is character and morale or indifference. For example homeowner A who buys home insurance policy for a home that is rented out to tenants will pay a higher rate than homeowner B buying home insurance on a similar home in which she resides. That is because homeowner A has a higher morale and physical hazard present in the home than homeowner B does. The tenants are not the owner and may not hold the same regard for the home as the homeowner does. This could lead to physical damage, deterioration or even theft.

A census or zip code assessment looks at the instances of crime and vandalism that occurs in a given area. Homeowners purchasing home insurance in high crime areas face higher premiums than homeowners who live in outlying suburbs. There is some controversy over this type of practice and was the basis of a group action lawsuit in Milwaukee in the late 1980s against American Family Insurance Company. The results of the suit led to changes in the underwriting practices in certain minority communities in the City of Milwaukee.

The likelihood that a loss occurs and the probability associated with it results in the rating factor. The rating factor may be set based on community experience or standards and may be reduced over time where individual claims experience results in better a rating.

All insurance provides an indemnity benefit to reimburse an individual for the value of their loss. An insured who believes that the purpose of insurance is to profit or get more than the fair market value of their property do not have the appropriate understanding of what insurance is for. Insurance is not for making a person rich but rather to keep them from becoming poor. To provide piece of mind risk ratings reflect experience, probability and the presence of other measurable variables that can be statistically tested.

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Insuring A Private Passenger Vehicle Properly

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

If you’re getting vehicle insurance for the first time then you may not understand the various aspects that exist. An important part of owning a vehicle is insuring it. This is true whether you vehicle is new or used. There are different types of coverage that you will encounter when you?re looking for vehicle insurance. It?s wise to choose your coverage based on your vehicle.

You will be looking at getting one of two types of coverage for your vehicle. There are three factors that will help you choose what type of insurance you get. You will want to consider the type of car you have, how old it is, and how much value it has. Many cars that are older have very little value to them and only need liability. However if you have a new car or a car that still has a lot of value to it then you will want to get full coverage. This is because full coverage will cover your car in the event of an accident.

If you?re purchasing a new car you should know that most states require you to have full coverage while the care is being paid off. The reason for this is to protect the lenders against a potential loss. If your car gets damaged in an accident and is beyond repairable you would still be liable to pay the loan but may choose not to since you no longer have a car. By requiring full coverage the insurance company would pay off the car for you. If your car is not new and you are debating on getting full coverage or not then you will want to take into account how much you would be paying for insurance every year versus the worth of the car. If you would have paid for the value of the car through insurance payments within 3 years then you will want to get liability only.

It’s important that you choose the right type of insurance based on the value of your vehicle. The easiest way to do this is to figure out how much insurance will cost you over 3 years. If your cars value is higher than this number then you will want to stick with full coverage.

The other type of insurance that you may decide to get is liability. Liability will cover damages to property and injuries if you were at fault in the accident. However liability will not cover damages to your vehicle. Liability insurance is great for cars that are older and have little value as your premium will be a lot lower.

Most of the time if you decide to get full coverage you will receive comprehensive coverage as well. There are a few different levels of comprehensive coverage that you can choose from. These levels will affect your deductable and how much you will be required to pay on your deductable. You will want to know the differences between the two types of coverage as this will allow you to get the best possible rate on your car insurance.

You may be eligible for a premium up front discount rate if you pay your 6 month premium all at once up front. Most companies will only do this type of discount if you pay the first six months or a year up front.

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