How well you communicate with the insurance company can have a big effect on how smoothly your claim for commercial windstorm damages goes. If you don’t stay on top of the claims process and make sure that it’s working out the way your business needs it to, then you could end up months or years down the road trying to fight denials and further delays. That’s why it makes sense to communicate clearly from the start.
If you’re stopping to think about your communication style with the insurance company right now, there are definitely ways you can improve. Here are some questions that you might ask yourself if you’re having trouble seeing eye to eye with the insurance company about a windstorm claim:
- Have you been communicating with the insurance company as your business has changed over time? Insurance companies don’t like surprises, and it could hurt your claim for wind-related losses if the insurance company shows up only to find out that you’ve made major renovations, purchased new equipment, or added a location without notifying them.
- Did you promptly report your wind-related losses? If you wait too long to communicate with the insurance company about your losses, it’s much more difficult to accurately assess your losses—and it may call the legitimacy of your claim into question.
- Did you accurately report your wind-related losses? If you don’t get a thorough and professional assessment of your wind-related losses, then you can’t expect the insurance company to pay the full cost of the damages.
- Have you responded to the insurance company’s attempts to reach you? If you won’t return the insurance company’s calls, they probably won’t return yours, either. Make sure that you look over every document and message sent about your claim and take appropriate action.
Even with the clearest communication, commercial windstorm claims are sometimes unfairly denied. Learn more about your rights when handling difficult insurance claims by reading through a copy of our free book, Commercial Insurance Claims: The Basics.
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