Your Car Has a Dent, Now What?
You just enjoyed a nice meal and are walking back out to your car when you see it. A
huge dent and the guilty party gone! What can you do? You have options depending on the amount of the damage, the trouble you want to go through and whether or not you want to file a claim on your insurance.
Bling Your Ding
Of course you want to "Bling Your Ding"! You can add some pizzazz and personality to what would otherwise be an eyesore! Our decorative car magnets come in a variety of styles and colors and you have your choice of our
band-aids, bling words, blings and things, and daisies. There is sure to be a magnet perfect for you and your car.
Keep Good Records of the Accident
Hopefully you have already taken photos of your
vehicle, and documented everything. Where were you? What was the weather like? What day was it? What time of day was it? Keep track of your expenses as you go through the process of getting your car repaired. If you get your damage covered, you may be able to get your expenses covered too.
Call the Police
Sure, this may not be an emergency - you may not be hurt, but you need to have a police report if you want to file a claim on your insurance.
Call Your Insurance Company
Not sure if you want to file a claim? One thing to consider, you should file a report. There is a difference between filing a report and making a claim under your coverage. Every auto insurance policy requires the insured to notify the insurance company of any "occurence" or accident that might lead to a claim. Most policies eve contain language that says the accident must be reported "within a reasonable time", which could mean within a day or two.
Filing a claim means asking the insurance company to provide coverage to you based on the accident and the terms of the policy. Depending on your coverage, that could mean paying for your car repairs, and/or paying for your medical bills. In this case - there wouldn't be any medical bills (unless you had a severe anxiety attack and had to be medicated, or passed out and hit your head and had to be rushed to the ER).
What sometimes happens when you call your insurance company to report the accident, your agent will want to assign an adjuster to investigate what happened, whether or not you end up making an actual claim. That means the insurer will try to obtain the police report, will contact the other driver's insurance company (well not in this case - because they fled the scene of the crime) and will try to get witness statements regarding the accident.
File an Insurance Claim
You will want to research your insurance policy to see if you want to file an insurance claim. There are a few things to consider. Do you have
uninsured or underinsured motorists coverage? What is your deductible? Does it cover the damage to your car? How will it affect your policy? Will it make your rates go up? Remember any claim you file will go on your driving record. If you do decide to file a claim, you will probably need to do so within 24 hours of the incident. This is something you will need to verify with your insurance provider.
So - whether or not you decide to file a claim, we hope this information was helpful and takes the sting of your dent away just a little bit. If you have any questions, you can post them on our
Facebook page. Even if we don't have the answer, we'll be happy to try to find it for you.
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