Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience with car insurance and what to do in case of a car accident. I'll keep it real, no fancy photos – just the facts.
When I bought a new Renault about a month ago from Avantaim, we got it insured with KASKO right away. Our insurance agent found the perfect deal for us, and it was Ingosstrakh. We paid 46,000 rubles for a year's coverage.
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Our insurance policy.
It covers any damage, whether it's a car accident, a freak accident (like a snow slide or a brick falling on the car), or theft.
We calculated the premium based on two people: my husband and me. He has 8 years of driving experience, and I have 4 years. We factored in our marital status, number of kids, driving experience, and car value. Our car's value is 840,000 rubles, and the premium is 46,000 rubles.
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Car accident 101.
My husband was driving, and he accidentally rear-ended another car. It was slippery, a pedestrian was involved, and the other driver braked suddenly – no big deal. The other car had minor damage to its trunk, while we had minor damage to the hood, front bumper, and headlight.
Damage report.
The other car had a slightly dented trunk.
We didn't have any major damage.
Knowing (they warned us during the insurance process) that we could report damage up to 100,000 rubles without involving the police, we followed that route. The other drivers and my husband agreed to report the incident using the European protocol, and we got their approval from the insurance company beforehand.
Naturally, they were in a hurry to get to work, and the police would've taken 3 hours – no thanks. It was easier to handle it ourselves. My husband and the other driver acted as 'experts' and assessed the damage, concluding it was below 100,000 rubles, and we proceeded with the European protocol.
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Next steps after an accident.
After the accident, my husband called the insurance company to ask about the next steps.
They told him to bring the car to Ingosstrakh's main office in Moscow for an assessment and to file a claim.
They specified our city, so we were told to take the car to Moscow, to the main office.
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❗ Friends, if you have an Ingosstrakh office in your city, you don't need to go to the main office in Moscow. You can handle everything locally!
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This information was given to my husband at the local office after he'd already gone to the main office. 'We're here for that purpose,' they said. Logically, everything is handled at the local office. If an accident occurs, you should contact them first.
Okay, we went to Moscow. We hit the new year's holidays, and we didn't think it through – we said we'd go, and we did. We'll know better next time!
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❗ After a car accident, contact the insurance company within 7 days – don't delay.
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We gathered all the necessary documents, of course.
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Ingosstrakh's Moscow office.
I won't focus on the office itself, but I'll say that everything went smoothly, efficiently, and we didn't have to wait long.
We wrapped everything up within an hour.
The only downside was the small parking lot – it was packed, and there was nowhere to park our car.
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Office nuances.
✴ While you're waiting, I recommend filling out the claim form, which is available on the information board, along with an example.
There are tables and chairs nearby where you can sit.
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Nuances to consider during a car accident.
In the office, they initially estimated our damage at 120,000 rubles, but the European protocol only covers up to 100,000 rubles.
So, what's the plan? We could've just coughed up an extra 20,000 bucks, but there's a catch we only found out when we went to the office to sort things out.
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Here's the thing: if you're involved in an accident and you're covered under the European protocol, you might be eligible for a payout of up to 400,000 rubles. But there's a catch: you need to take photos of your car at the scene of the accident with GPS enabled.
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That's right – just take a photo of your car with the damage, and make sure your license plate numbers are visible. You don't need to share the GPS coordinates if they're not visible on the photo, but they'll be saved on your phone. The insurance company will then use this information to verify the damage.
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It's not rocket science, but it's a crucial step that can make a big difference in your payout. Luckily, my partner had GPS enabled on their phone at the time of the accident, and we were able to take photos of the damage. But be warned: it takes some time for the insurance company to process the claim, so don't expect everything to happen overnight.
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But here's the thing: it's better to call the police and get a proper protocol in place. It's not always easy to assess the damage yourself, and you don't want to risk messing up the process.
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We took the car to a local repair shop, and they arranged to have it transported to a repair shop in Moscow. There's another thing to keep in mind:
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If you need to have your car transported to a repair shop in another city, but there's a shop in your hometown that can do the repair, you don't need to worry about transporting the car yourself. The repair shop will take care of it, and the insurance company will cover the cost.
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We took the car to a local repair shop, and they arranged to have it transported to a repair shop in Moscow. A few days later, they called us to let us know that the repair would take longer than expected, but that was due to hidden damage. Thankfully, the insurance company covered everything, and we were able to get an estimate of the repair time.
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Two weeks later, we got a call from the repair shop, and they invited us to come and pick up the car. And what a sight it was – our car was looking brand new, with all the necessary repairs done to perfection. No issues with the insurance company, no hassle, and no stress.
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We're more than happy with the service we received from the insurance company and the repair shop. It was a breeze, and we didn't have to worry about a thing. In our case, the European protocol worked in our favor, and we were able to get a good payout.
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We'll definitely be sticking with this insurance company, and we'll be recommending them to friends and family.
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So, here's the takeaway:
We called the insurance company from the scene of the accident and explained the situation.We called the police to report the accident.We took photos of the car with GPS enabled, including the license plate numbers and damage.We took the car to the insurance company's office for an assessment.\xa0
Just remember to keep all the details in mind, and you'll have a smooth experience with the insurance company.
For us, the company has proven itself to be top-notch in terms of auto insurance under KASKO. Here's to their continued success!
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One last important thing to consider...
It's a good idea to give your insurance company a call within five days of an accident, especially if you've got a comprehensive insurance policy like mine with Ingosstrakh. If you don't, you'll be footing the bill for repairs yourself. I've got a friend who had to deal with a nasty surprise nine months after the fact – a ₽80,000 repair bill out of the blue.
Needless to say, that was a shock.
I spoke to my insurance company about this, and they confirmed that it's now standard procedure for any insurer to notify customers of their obligations within a certain timeframe. So, it's not just Ingosstrakh.
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✨ Wishing you all safe travels and no insurance claims to deal with! ✨