Hi,
assessing damage for insurance purposes would be a way lot quicker if insurance companies were forced to pay for an alternative immediately after a claim was lodged.
Currently, insurance companies have no requirement to provide a replacement van or compensation for loss of use from the time of the accident until when the van has been repaired or the claim is paid.
At the very least, there should be a requirement to have a claim assessed within a stipulated time frame. If not, then a penalty amount per day should be paid until the claim is assessed. Similarly with respect to having repairs undertaken
Further, in the case of the van being under warranty. The insurance company should also be forced to pay the costs of extending the warranty of the van to take account of the time the van was not able to be used. Further, insurance premiums should be put on hold during the time a claim was lodged until the van is retirned or a claim paid out.
Insurance companies have a vested interest in withholding any form of payment as long as possible. Unacceptably long times to get an assessment is yet another way they have found to drag out the payments for as long as possible.
Note that different insurance companies will have different times to assess and pay out or effect repairs.
Naming and shaming is certainly one way to stamp out this corrupt process.
Contact a current affairs program and see if they are interested in doing a story and exposing the practice.
Well, dream on, I suppose. But that is what would happen if I was president of this country.
take care
Mike
