When was the last time you compared automotive insurance rates? Probably after you bought your vehicle and were first looking for a policy. Once a policy has been picked and added, most people stick with the same insurance company for a long period of time. The only time people typically think about switching insurance companies is when they are in a conflict with their current company over a claim. Insurance companies will try to work around fully paying for your claim, and some will even try to drop your policy. If you are paying an expensive premium, you have the right to be covered when accidents occur. We are going to tell you a few secrets that your insurance company doesn’t want you to know!

You Won’t be Penalized for Filing a Claim

Some drivers will hesitate to file a claim in fear that their rates will increase. This is not always the case. Whether your rate goes up or not depends on the circumstances of the incident. If the incident is an act of God, such as hail damage, your insurance company cannot raise your rates. This is something out of your control and although insurance companies can raise the rates in a particular location, such as somewhere that gets a lot of hail, they cannot penalize a specific individual for a claim. As long as the claim is not a result of your negligence, you can file as many claims as you want/need without being penalized.

Claim Adjusters are not on Your Side

After an accident, protect yourself and document everything! This includes documenting the date, time, and location of the accident, as well as taking pictures of the damage and of the license plates of all vehicles involved. Insurance adjusters are on the insurance company’s side, they are there to save the insurance company as much money as possible. Make sure your report is thorough in order to avoid losing money. The goal of the insurance company is to lower the amount on the check they have to send you. They will ask questions trying to make you admit partial responsibility. If you document everything that happened, your chances of taking full advantage of your insurance that you pay into monthly will be increased.

Good Credit Can Lower Rates

Insurance companies look at many factors when estimating rates, and credit is one of them. Insurance companies have found a correlation between credit scores and the likelihood of filing a claim. Therefore, if you have good credit, your rate is likely to be lower than someone with bad credit.

Dent Damage

If you’ve had dent damage to your vehicle, we can help! We specialize in Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) and can make it look like the dent never even happened. We can work with insurance claims, or if you’re choosing not to file a claim, we can help save you time and money with PDR.