The state has been experiencing some fierce weather in certain areas, leading to thousands of dollars in damage.
This summer has been quite the stormy one, so far, in parts of Tennessee, and along with that weather has come thousands of dollars in property damage which has, in turn, led to a spike in insurance claims.
The state is now issuing recommendations for filing those claims, to help consumers and prevent fraud.
As the state anticipates that a large number of consumers will be filing insurance claims with their providers in order to cover some of the damage that they have suffered as result of the weather, it has offered some advice to help people to better understand the process. Its goal is to make certain that policyholders will understand the ideal way to accomplish that goal, while protecting themselves from scammers that tend to target this type of situation in order to grab a quick buck and then run without a trace.
The first recommendation made for filing insurance claims is to make sure that action is taken quickly.
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) released a statement through spokesperson, Kevin Walters. In it, it was expressed that acting quickly after the damage was discovered is one of the key moves that policyholders should make when contacting their insurance companies.
He stated that “The most important thing that consumers can do is file their claim as soon as possible.” Walters also added that “Call your insurance company or your agent with your policy number and relevant information.” At the same time, some of the other recommendations that he made included taking video and pictures of the damage that was left behind by the storm, in order to document it.
It is also a good idea to request a complete list of the documentation that is required from the insurance company, as well as an explanation as to how to properly make the filing. This way, the risk of misunderstandings will be minimized, and it will speed up the process as much as possible. Any receipts – including those for temporary repairs – should all be saved for the insurance claims filing process.
