You wrap your pipes during the winter, set the alarm when you leave home, and always drive with both hands on the steering wheel. You have never filed an insurance claim thanks to your emphasis on safety and prevention. Unfortunately, accidents can still happen to even the safest of individuals, and when they do, you can count on your insurance to cover your loss. So how do you know whether you should file a claim? Are there any possible repercussions if you do? Continue reading to find out.
Putting Your Coverage at Risk
Insurers love to provide coverage to homeowners, drivers, and boat owners who rarely – if ever – file a claim. They reward claims-free policy-holders with preferred policies and special discounts. If you fall out of the good graces of your insurer, however, you can expect to pay for it. A single claim could disqualify you from your preferred policy and nullify any claims-free discounts you may have enjoyed in the past. If your insurer continues to see you as a high-risk customer, you might notice surcharges on your rates begin to appear. In extreme cases, you may even lose your coverage altogether due to cancellation or non-renewal.
So what is it that insurance companies care about most? What causes them to view you as a ‘high-risk customer’? That’s hard to say since all insurers use different formulas for assessing customer risk. However, the general rule is that the number of claims you make and the type of claims you make are viewed more importantly than the size of those claims. In other words, making several small claims might cause more damage to your insurability than making a single large one. Likewise, a claim for a personal injury occurring on your property could be viewed more seriously than a claim for storm damage on your roof.
The Glass Insurance Center Difference
You have come to expect a high level of service from Glass Insurance Center, and with good reason: We know that your unique insurance needs are unlike those of anyone else. Not only are we committed to finding you the right coverage, but we are also dedicated to protecting you throughout the claims process with our personalized claims assistance.
When you experience a loss, call us first – not the insurance company. Your agent can assess each individual claim situation and help you determine if filing a claim is in your best interest. We can help you find out if a particular claim is at risk of being denied, as well as if your loss valuation will be less than the cost of your deductible.
If a claim is necessary, we can communicate with insurance underwriters about the reasons the claim occurred, as well as any preventative actions you have taken to reduce the risk of it happening again. This gives the insurer greater clarity into your situation and can also help to minimize the impact your claim may have on your insurance premium.
Working with Glass Insurance Center provides a level of first-class service you simply cannot find by shopping for insurance online. We are a full-service insurance center, delivering high-quality insurance products customized to fit your needs. For more information about our claims assistance services or to request a consultation with an independent agent, contact our office today. We look forward to serving you soon.
