When your car is stolen, it is a scary and distressing event. Most of us never dream of this possibility, so we do not know what to do when it occurs. The first thing to consider before the car is stolen is what you can do to prevent it from happening. There are things you can do to make it next to impossible for someone to steal your vehicle, thus preventing the problem in the first place.
The most obvious way to keep a thief from taking your car is to put anti-theft devices on it. This not only prevents your car from being stolen, but it also often lowers your insurance premium. Such anti-theft devices include lo jacks and car alarms. Also, locking your vehicle whenever you are not in it is a big deterrent for would-be thieves. Today's cars have anti-theft features built right in that make it difficult to steal a locked car. If you can, park your vehicle inside a garage or in an area with plenty of lighting.
There are other preventative measures you should take so you will be prepared if your car is stolen. You may want to have your vehicle identification number engraved in a place on your car that is hidden from view. Thieves often alter the VIN number on your car, so etching it in a hidden place will help it to be identified if it is stolen and altered.
You should keep copies of all your important paperwork somewhere other than in your vehicle. The paperwork you need to copy includes your insurance information, registration, driver's license, receipts for expensive additions to your car, and other receipts that will help identify the car as yours, such as a receipt for a major repair. Of course, the original insurance and registration papers should stay inside your car at all times.
Another tactic to help you in the event of a theft is to have pictures of your vehicle in your file. This proves the value of the car if you should need to submit a claim to your insurance company. Also, if the police are searching for your car, the picture may help them find it.
With these measures in place, if someone should try to steal your car, you will be prepared. If this occurs, you may feel like panicking. Knowing what to do will help keep you calm. Here are the steps you need to take to ensure that you get your car back as quickly as possible.
The first thing you need to do is telephone the police. You should give them a thorough description of your vehicle, including any special features that would help them identify it. You can give them the license plate as well. You should have this number committed to memory so that you can quickly give it to the police officer and get your car back in one piece. Remember, the sooner you get the description to the police officer, the more likely it is that you will get your car back without any damage. Don't forget to tell the police where your car was stolen. This gives them a starting point for their search.
Once you have described the theft and your vehicle to the police, follow any instructions they have for you. You may need to deliver copies of your insurance, registration, and other paperwork to the police department. Do this right away. If you find that your car was not stolen and the incident was just a matter of miscommunication, tell the police department immediately. You do not want someone you care about who is driving your car to be pulled over by the police and arrested.
Next, contact your insurance company. Even while the police are searching for your vehicle, the insurance agency can begin to process your claim. This way you can get a rental car quickly without cost to you.
It may happen that you find your car before the police do. If you do, call the police and give them the location, but avoid approaching the car. The thief may be hiding nearby and may attack. Also, if there is any evidence in the car that could lead to the arrest of the thief, this could be damaged when you start messing with the car. You do, after all, want this thief captured and punished for stealing your car!
These steps are simple, and they will help you stay protected in the unfortunate event of a car jacking. Also, make sure you do not forget about your insurance company. They are there to help you through this situation, and they want to see you back in your car driving down the road. If you forget what to do, always call the police first and your insurance company second. They will tell you exactly how to proceed to get your car back as quickly as possible.
When you have only a piece of paper in black and white, it is very hard to trust that you would not be conned. When you go to a grocery store, you buy stuff and for the money you pay, you have a solid product to take back. Similarly, when you pay for a car, you will find it in your garage when you wake up. How is it then you don't get to take something solid back home after an accident or after having damage occur to your vehicle and you are forced to believe that your money has not been wasted? To ensure that such fears don't manifest into reality, you need to take a few precautionary measures. If you have to assure yourself of your insurance payment, you have to follow these tips.
The worst thing that can happen in insurance claims is not remembering your claim number. To avoid a situation where you don't have something to show as proof for the insurance policy that you paid for, you have to be very cautious with your claim number. You have to remember the claim number. If you have a habit of forgetting things, write the number down somewhere and have it in a safe place. Remembering the number also helps the adjuster in handling your claim faster. If the adjuster can handle the claim fast, he / she will be a lot easier to work with.
Bargaining with an adjuster can be tricky business. When you start getting picky and keep pushing for the extra 5 bucks, you may even lose the reasonable offer that you have been extended. If the offer is close to what you expect, be satisfied. This will help when you are negotiating on other aspects of your insurance claim.
It might sound macho to flaunt your clout or threaten the adjuster that you would go to court. Telling the adjuster that you would hire an attorney doesn't make any difference to them. They meet a lot of people who tell them the same thing day after day. And a fake threat can work against you, making the adjuster less reasonable with you, and chances are that the negotiation would not go easy. So if you have really not hired an attorney, do not tell the adjuster that.
Be more respectful when you speak to an adjuster. They are people like you and they love respect as much as you do. They are not hard-liners like debt collectors, so be cordial and treat them with respect. It not only helps build up rapport but also makes it easier for you to have your claim processed.
Carry ample proof with you in order to make a claim. You need to have proper and reasonable documentation to have a claim processed. When you are claiming $ 1000 for the car music system that got stolen, show the adjuster enough proof. Provide sufficient documentation so that the adjuster finds no difficulty in believing that the music system indeed cost $ 1000. Even when you do not have the original receipt, you should be able to produce some proof to substantiate your claim. People have claimed $ 1000 for a car music system when they have not spent so much on it. Yet, if they have evidence, they always have the advantage.
Remember, the adjuster is not your friend. He has no moral obligation towards you. He has his job to do. So, if he has processed your claim, he will naturally move on to the next one and there are instances when they help the insurance company save some money. So, under no circumstance should you expect them to advise you on how to make the most of your claim, explain it to you or offer you what you expect from your claim.
There is no substitute for preparation. You need to understand how the system works, for you to make the most out of your claim. You have to sit down and review your documents, understand the claims process, and spend some time in learning how to go about it. In an auto insurance claim, it would help if you learn how the state determines the value of your wrecked car. You need to understand the difference between a fair market value state and a Blue Book state. Only when you know that, you will be able to come up with an estimate for the worth of your car. If it is an injury claim that you are looking at, get to know what the compensations you are entitled to are. Make a list and identify the items that you can claim for.
Insurance is not like other compensations. If you expect a fair deal and a decent compensation, know your claim well. Though these tips do not cover all the measures to implement to collect on insurance claims, it definitely will help in getting your basics sorted out so that you get compensated for your claims in a fair and timely manner.
Every day your life is changing in many ways, and new situations can warrant new levels of protection. Things like increases in your income, increases in your expenses, new purchases, moving, or a new baby can all affect your lifestyle and your needs for all kinds of insurance. Your needs for homeowner's insurance, car insurance, and personal insurance will all change over time, and the New Year is a good time to look at these things and make your changes.
In fact, an executive at Insurance.com recommends that people treat taking a more active role in managing their life insurance as a New Year's Resolution this New Year. That does not just mean adjusting your policies on homeowner's insurance, personal life insurance, and auto insurance to meet your changing lifestyle, but also learning to read and understand your policies and shopping around for better policies, better rates, and better providers to see if you are getting the best deal.
It's time to decide on your New Year's Resolution; adequate insurance coverage in all aspects of your life is vital, and you can get that through understanding your current coverage and getting more where needed. Protecting yourself and your family is important to you or else you would not be reading this, so take the steps that are necessary to protect them by making sure that things are taken care of in case of emergencies. You should know:
Life insurance should cover both of you. You may not think that a housewife or husband contributes much financially, but you will be disabused of that notion when you are forced to pay for child care, clean house on your own, and take care of the other things that the at-home partner does.
Don't forget to add life insurance to cover your debts
Add more insurance to cover a few months of living expenses for emergencies
You may want to add additional coverage for your children's' college educations as well, if you are concerned about those funds.
Homeowners Insurance Resolution
It is best to get as much homeowners insurance as you can afford. You should also understand your policy, including what is covered under liability versus what is covered under your actual property insurance.
Your Homeowners Insurance Covers:
The structure of your home
The contents of your home
Your Liability Insurance Covers:
Personal liability
Medical payments of people hurt in your home or on your property
Damage to others' property
Personal injury to others
Auto Insurance Resolution
For a similar reason, you should read and understand your auto insurance policy, and shop around for other policies that might benefit you better or cost less (or even both). Insurance.com suggests this, adding that drivers should ask themselves some questions about themselves and their current auto insurance including:
Does your current car insurance provider offer competitive rates?
Is the underwriting agency for your auto insurance provider going through any big changes lately that might affect their ability to pay claims?
Are you eligible for discounts at this time through your insurance provider or others, and are you getting all the discounts for which you are eligible?
Do you have a 24-hour claim service with your auto insurance provider? Is their staff knowledgeable?
By shopping around and checking out what other auto insurance companies are willing to offer, you can save yourself more time later, as well as money, and even get better service and easier claims processes in the bargain.
You can utilize many tips and tricks when you are looking into auto insurance. However, there is one major one that we usually forget to look into that can help you save money:
Those who are shopping for car insurance in Canada usually remember to discuss the obvious factors that can help their premiums with their agent. These are generally driver's training classes they have taken, dropping collision coverage from an older car, using your car only for pleasure and not work, and the like. However, those who get a quote in Canada may forget to mention that they have anti-theft devices installed on their auto. If you do not mention you have this, you may be missing out on some major insurance discounts over the life of your auto insurance premium!
Canadians pay approximately 1.2 billion per year in auto theft costs. This includes legal bills, the insurance costs, as well as any medical bills that occur if the theft involved injuries. It is therefore in everybody's best interest, even Canadian insurance companies, to use anti-theft deterrents on your vehicle and to get the insurance discounts associated with having them. Any type of insurance discount gets you more money in your pocket!
You can use three different types of anti-theft devices. When you know and understand them, you can get a better price on your Canadian auto insurance quote:
1. Mechanical - Devices such as a locking bar can prevent the steering wheel from moving, until the owner unlocks it himself or herself.
2. Car alarms - You can install an alarm in your car that causes alarms and lights to go off if someone tries to break into your vehicle.
3. Electronic - These are immobilizers that will cut off the power to the ignition, making the car impossible to start.
These three anti-theft devices probably sound very familiar to us. The most familiar are the electronic immobilizers, as the Government of Canada has just recently made them mandatory. These three categories can be broken down as well into two more categories of anti-theft deterrents:
Active Devices: These anti-theft deterrents require that you have to turn them on yourself to make them operate.
Passive Devices: These come on automatically when the engine is turned off, so you do not have to worry about forgetting. Canadian auto insurance companies prefer that their customers have passive devices as they consider them the better of the two. This is because we do not run the risk of forgetting to turn them on, causing our cars to be stolen.
Take advantage of all the possible discounts you can receive before you settle on a car insurance quote. Write down any anti-theft devices your vehicle may have, what kind it is, and anything else that you believe could save you money on your auto insurance. Ask about each discount. Do not just assume that because an engine immobilizer is now mandatory that you automatically get the discount. Make a point of asking to receive every discount you are entitled to!
