Understanding Auto Insurance Claims
I don't know why my auto insurance claim was denied and I'm not sure what do.
Whether you like it or not, the insurance company makes the last decision when it comes to approving you for an auto insurance claim in Missouri. One thing to remember when filing a claim is to never stop paying on your premium and switch to another company. The first thing your current company will do is cancel your coverage for non-payment of your premium, which is one of the most common reasons for having a claim denied.
If you think that your insurance company is not going to share your information with other insurance companies you're wrong. Let's just say that you back up into a tree and dent the back of your car in the process. Before your claim is settled, you hurry and try to get cheaper insurance elsewhere before your current premium increases. What you don't know about your claim is that if you think this is your way to a better premium, you're wrong. It is the quickest way to get your claim denied.
Sometimes you may even make an uninsured motorists claim and it turns out the other party had insurance. Or perhaps your coverage lapsed because you failed to pay the premium before the end of the grace period. Either way, those are all reasons you may have been denied. Now you're probably wondering what to do now that you have a bent bumper and your tail light is busted. There are a few things you can do, if you feel that you have been wrongfully denied.
The first thing is to at least try to write the company and let them know that they made an error. Don't forget to send them your supporting documentation proving your case. You also have the option to appeal the decision made by the company to the State Insurance Commissioner. Their job is to make sure that all insurance agencies obey their state insurance laws. They will investigate the insurance company about your auto insurance claim. If you need to take things a step further there are bad faith insurance attorneys that you can hire to talk to the insurance company. After that you can take legal action against the insurance company for breach of contract, bad faith, or violations of your state's insurance codes.
One of the things you don't want to do is not follow up and have your claim erroneously denied. Your claim will be reopened if the insurance company finds that you are correct and they will move forward with your investigation. Remember that you have the burden of trying to prove why you have suffered a loss but the insurance company has the burden of trying to prove why they have denied your claim. If you make sure that you have all of your paperwork together and certified copies of everything involving your investigation you might give yourself a chance to win.