Insurance Center

When it comes to buying products, insurance is different. When you buy a car, for example, you get to drive it home. When you buy a house, you live in it. However, when you buy insurance, you only get a piece of paper that promises you that your claim will be paid. There is also a lot of very small print that you probably won’t read. How can you make sure you get paid? Here are some tips.

1. Make sure you know your claim number. Write it down and have it with you. Remembering to do this will enable the adjuster to handle your claim faster.

2. If the insurance company’s offer is close to what you expect to get, accept it. Don’t fight for that last $5. You will never get it out of them.

3. Do not threaten the adjuster by saying that you are going to hire an attorney.

4. Treat the adjuster like a real person.

5. Provide reasonable documentation. If you claim you had a $500 car seat in your car, you can expect the adjuster to want to see proof of it. While you may not have the original receipt, you should be able to provide some documentation that the car seat cost what you are claiming.

6. Do not expect the adjuster to be your friend. The adjuster has a job to do: Pay your claim and move on to the next claim.

7. Prepare everything for your claim. You are not going to sit down and do your taxes without reviewing documents, understanding the process, and spending time learning how to do it. The same goes for your auto insurance claim. Here’s an example: if the car is a total loss, learn how your state determines the value. Is it a fair market value state or is it a Blue Book state? Once you know, figure out what you think your car is worth. If you are trying to settle an injury claim, learn what you can get compensation for. Then, prepare that list and figure out for which items you have a claim.

Nothing else works like insurance. If you want to get fairly compensated, you must do your homework. These tips are not an exhaustive list of what you need to do. But this gives you some basic tips on how to make sure you get your claim paid fairly and timely.