A broken car is always unpleasant. As a rule, after an accident, owners want to return the car to its original appearance as soon as possible. Insurance payments under CASCO help to avoid unnecessary worries and sudden material costs.
Having paid a considerable amount of premium for an insurance policy, the consumer wants to receive money to repair the car without unnecessary delays. What are the deadlines for CASCO payments, how to apply for CASCO payment and what is the best way to receive compensation in case of an accident - money or repairs? Let's figure it out.
How to get insurance compensation
When an insured event occurs, it is necessary to notify government authorities and the insurer without missing the established deadlines. No attempts should be made to independently resolve problems with the victim.
It is necessary to wait for the arrival of road service employees and the decision of the emergency commissioner regarding the assessment of the incident as an insured event.
After the incident is recognized as an insured event, it is necessary to collect documents and write statements regarding the provision of payments.
The deadline for receiving compensation is counted from the moment the documents for receiving the payment are presented.
Terms of this kind are discretionary and contractual. They are established by agreement of the parties and are usually calculated in days. In some cases, it is necessary to conduct an examination and the policyholder is not required, but it is advisable to contribute to this.
If the result of assessing the condition of the subject of insurance does not stand, then you can always conduct your own examination and apply for a change in the existing decision.
After the insurer receives all the documents, it is necessary to clarify the case number, registration date and deadlines for its consideration. There is no need to silently wait for the completion of the consideration of a personal case. The best option is to remind yourself as often as possible.
CASCO under a loan agreement is described in the article: CASCO agreement. Information about CASCO for taxis can be found at this link.
Sample application
After all this, you need to file a statement about the theft of a personal vehicle. In this case, there is absolutely no need to invent anything, because the forms to fill out should be either on the insurance company’s website or directly in their office.
This statement contains all the information that the insurance company needs. Without such a document, there can be no question of refund. In case of any problems, the insurance company employees will have to help you.
Payment terms
There are two methods of compensation under CASCO:
- vehicle restoration;
- payment of sums of money.
The terms of payments under CASCO differ from company to company, as they are discretionary. There are no laws or other regulations that would establish them.
The payment terms are usually specified in the company's Insurance Rules or the policy itself. The limitation period will begin from the day on which all necessary documents were provided.
Deadlines may be delayed in the following cases:
- if it takes a long time to agree on the cost of the vehicle;
- if there is a long queue for payments.
In the first case, to speed up the process, you can contact a service station. After this, take all the necessary documents to the insurer.
A cover letter with a request to pay the service center bills must be added to the package of documents.
If the delay is due to a work delay and an existing large queue, the insurer must send a message to the client about this. Average terms range from 15 to 30 days.
If the exact timing of payments is not indicated anywhere after the end of the 30-day period, you must submit a claim for compensation to the insurance company within 7 business days.
The claim may be based on the provision of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation that the payment terms must be reasonable. Pre-trial dispute resolution is a mandatory stage today when resolving disputes with an insurance company.
Only after sending a claim and no response from the insurer can you go to court with a claim to recover insurance compensation and penalties for late obligations.
in case of an accident
The terms of payments under the CASCO policy are discretionary and can only be provided for by the contract or the Company Rules. They are always different, but using the example of several of the most well-known insurance companies, you can get an idea of what they usually are like.
its Rules establish the following deadlines:
- to file a claim for damage – up to 10 working days;
- The general terms of payment in case of an accident are up to 20 working days from the day the person provided all the necessary documents to the insurer.
offers another way to receive payments in case of an accident:
- time limit for reporting an accident – 24 hours;
- the period allotted for submitting a written application to the insurer is up to 5 calendar days;
- Damage payment terms are up to 15 calendar days.
The payment frames are as follows:
- time to file a claim for damage – up to 7 calendar days;
- The period for payments for road accidents is no more than 15 calendar days after receipt of the originals of all necessary documents.
Obviously, the average payment period for road accidents is 15-20 days, which are counted from the day all documentation is provided to the insurer. During this time, the client must receive his money or a written refusal from the company.
for theft
The terms of compensation for car theft may differ from those established in case of damage. For example, it establishes the same period: 7 days for filing a claim for an insured event and up to 15 calendar days for receiving compensation.
One feature: the payment period is counted from the date of completion of the preliminary investigation and can be reduced by agreement of the parties.
establishes the following rules:
- to submit a theft claim to the insurer – up to 3 working days;
- The period for payment of compensation is up to 20 working days after the initiation of a criminal case.
A similar scheme is used, but the payment period according to its rules is counted from the day of submission of all necessary documents.
The insurer "RESO-Garantiya" gives three working days to file a theft claim. The period for payments for theft cannot exceed 30 working days, which are counted after the initiation of a criminal case.
with total
The largest amounts of compensation are provided in case of total loss of property. Typically, in this case, the insurer pays money for the purchase of a new vehicle that is equal to or close to the amount insured.
It is not surprising that insurers set the longest payment terms in case of total loss of property. But for all insurers they do not exceed 1 month.
Time period for consideration of a decision on compensation for damages
Each company has its own payment terms. Typically, the insurance company has 15-30 days to pay the damage after the application is accepted. During this period, the insurer is obliged to study the documents received and determine the amount of loss.
If the contract stipulates that payment is made based on the results of the examination, then the timing of compensation depends on how quickly it is carried out. Next, the company draws up an insurance act and makes the payment itself or sends the client to a service station, whose bills it then pays.
Amount of payments under CASCO
When assessing damage, the insurance company conducts a specialized examination within 5 days. The legislation does not provide for limits on payments under CASCO insurance. But insurers do not pay compensation that is greater than the insurance amount.
According to current changes in legislation, the amount of compensation is calculated based on the assessment of damage. Payments to victims are also not fixed.
Depending on the damage caused to life and health, a certain percentage is paid. For example, if a CASCO policy involves the expansion of civil liability, the policyholder, upon the occurrence of an insured event, will receive the difference that remained uncovered under the compulsory motor liability insurance policy.
If the limit of compensation for compulsory motor third party liability insurance does not exceed 120,000 rubles , and the injured party needs to pay 200,000 , then under the CASCO agreement the insurer is obliged to provide the insured with 80,000 rubles .
When establishing the amount of payments for theft, an assessment of the car is used, taking into account its wear and tear at the time of the insured event.
The legislation does not establish a minimum framework for CASCO payments. The agreement is also not drawn up indicating payment intervals.
What is CASCO
Car insurance is divided into two types:
- Mandatory;
- Voluntary.
Every car owner has a compulsory insurance policy - MTPL; it is renewed every year and without it they do not go on the road. However, such a policy does not protect against all misfortunes that await the owner of the car.
OSAGO exclusively insures the liability of the driver and comes into force only if he is at fault in an accident. You can repair your car under the auto insurance policy only if you were not at fault in an accident with two or more cars.
In order for the insurance company to pay for car repairs if you are at fault for an accident, car theft, hitting an obstacle and other troubles, you need to buy a voluntary CASCO car insurance policy.
CASCO, unlike OSAGO, is property insurance; compensation under such an agreement is paid for the fact of damage to the car. Of course, not every damage can be reported to the insurance company; like any contract, the CASCO policy is limited by the insurance conditions.
However, the list of insurance cases under CASCO (voluntary insurance) is quite large:
- Road traffic accident (accident, collision with an obstacle, driving into a ditch, etc.);
- Illegal actions of third parties (theft of car parts, broken glass or damage to the paintwork by hooligans);
- Damage from animals (eg dogs or rodents);
- Natural phenomena (hail, wind);
- Fire;
- Hijacking.
Understating the sum insured
Often, insurance companies underestimate the amount of insurance compensation by excluding their payment for several damaged parts that are not indicated in the accident report.
In this case, you must contact the traffic police for additions to the certificate. After the damage is added to the certificate, it must be presented to the insurance company agent.
You can insist on conducting a separate technical examination to more accurately determine the amount of damage.
Often, insurers underestimate payments precisely on the basis of an examination carried out or a conclusion received from their employee who conducted the inspection about the overstatement of the amount based on the results of an independent study.
This happens if the vehicle repair was paid for out of pocket based on the results of an independent examination.
When it comes to repairs carried out by the insurer, everything is quite simple: in accordance with the norms of civil law, the insurer must fulfill its obligation on time.
To be more precise, the insurance company is obliged to compensate for losses after the fact, and no one can exempt it from this (Article 929 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
It is usually the most difficult to obtain payments based on the results of an independent examination in a pre-trial manner. During the trial, more than one additional damage assessment may be specifically carried out. This is the only way the court can make an adequate decision on the amount of compensation.
A small payment under CASCO is possible when the contract takes into account the market price of the vehicle and the insurer has its own point of view on this issue. The policyholder must immediately clarify the fact how the amount of payments will be calculated if the market price of the car is available.
When can an insurance company refuse to pay?
- The insurance contract is invalid:
- The CASCO insurance policy does not apply to the territory where the accident occurred (abroad);
- the speed was greatly exceeded, resulting in an accident;
- driving a car while intoxicated.
2. Incorrect actions by the owner or authorized person of the car:
- writing a statement that he has no complaints;
- the call to the traffic police occurred with a long delay;
- the participant in the accident is not at the scene;
- the location of the vehicle was changed after an accident;
- repairs were carried out in whole or in part before the examination.
3. Ambiguous interpretation of words and phrases in an insurance contract.
4. The fact of malicious intent in damaging the insured property has been proven.
Required documents
To receive compensation, the policyholder must provide the insurer with:
- a copy of the decision on the administrative violation;
- a copy of the resolution to initiate a criminal case;
- certificate of accident;
- passport or other identity document;
- CASCO policy with a receipt for payment of premiums;
- registration certificate for the car;
- technical inspection certificate;
- driver license;
- Bank details;
- in case of theft - complete sets of keys and alarm key fobs.
Depending on the circumstances of the case, the documents will always differ. It is important to collect a complete set of documents, otherwise the insurer will not be able to pay compensation on time.
The deadlines for payments under CASCO are not legal. They may be specified in the contract or the Rules of the insurance company.
If the payment terms are not provided for in the dispositive order, then the policyholder can, after 7 days, file a claim with the insurer, who did not respond with reason to the client’s appeal.
The rules of CASCO insurance in the VSK company are discussed in the article: VSK rules of CASCO insurance. Read about the conditions of Anti-Crisis CASCO insurance at Rosgosstrakh here.
Find out what tariffs apply for CASCO insurance at Soglasie in this article.
What determines the period of restoration of a damaged car?
If all conditions according to the law are met and all documents are submitted (certificate of an accident, protocol of an administrative offense, etc.), then the insurer issues a referral for repairs to a partner, dealer service station or to the station that the client chooses - depending on the CASCO conditions ( Read about how car repairs are carried out under the policy here).
This is only possible if the insured event is recognized and the company’s consent to pay compensation has been obtained. The duration of restoration work depends on the severity of the damage to the car and on average lasts up to 1-1.5 months. The Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” sets a deadline for this case of 45 days. The timing also depends on the availability of parts and the number of customers at the service station. It also matters where exactly the work is carried out: at the dealer’s service station or elsewhere.
It is not only the lack of efficiency of the technician that can delay the time, but also a long examination, coordination of calculations with the insurer (this takes the most time), and evacuation of the car over long distances.
A referral for repairs under CASCO is usually issued within two to three weeks.
After completing the work, you will need to prepare two acts:
- about the repairs done;
- about reception and transmission.
Do not forget also about the guarantee for the restoration work performed.
Restoration time at an authorized dealer
If the car is new and still under warranty, the insurance company sends the policyholder to the dealer’s service station. In this case, the recovery time for the car rarely exceeds one month, and in most cases it lasts 1-2 weeks.
Repairs at a dealership are considered the most expensive, but their quality is much higher. The estimate is agreed upon between the insurer and the service station. Typically, dealers have all the necessary parts from the manufacturer and do not need to order them separately. After completion of the repair, a transfer and acceptance certificate must be signed.
At another service station
If there are problems with the warranty or the insurance contract provides for the possibility of repairs at another service station, then the car goes to an unofficial dealer. There is nothing wrong with this, but the time frame may be longer than at an official dealership. There may be a waiting list for repairs or you will need to order spare parts. But no one has the right to exceed the limit established by law of 45 days.
If the client is not satisfied with the dubious service station that the insurer has selected for him, then he has the right to appeal his actions. There is always the opportunity to appeal against the unsatisfactory quality of repairs. If you don’t sign the acceptance certificate, make a list of defects.
Is refusal possible and in what cases?
If you study judicial precedents, it turns out that insurers do not always pay out in the event of theft. And there are several factors that led to this situation:
- the policyholder has violated his obligations under the insurance contract. As a rule, violations are associated with failure to inform the insurer about the theft within the established time frame, or other violations;
- the theft was committed through the fault of the driver himself: the car was unlocked, there was no alarm, the vehicle was with the keys left in the ignition;
- documents for registration of an insured event are not provided in full;
- the theft of the vehicle was carried out on the initiative of the owner of the car;
- the insurance contract has been lost or is no longer valid;
- information on the fact of the accident was not provided in full, it was distorted.
This is an approximate list of circumstances under which the insurer may refuse to pay insurance compensation. The company may point out other facts.
To prevent this scenario from happening and to protect your interests in court, you need to follow a few simple rules:
- choose a proven, reliable insurer with a good reputation;
- Before signing the contract, carefully read the CASCO terms and conditions;
- follow the recommendations for filing an insurance claim.
Deadlines for filing for reimbursement
The disadvantage in the field of CASCO insurance is that there is no legal act that strictly regulates the timing of payment of compensation and submission of documents. Everything is set at the level of the insurer and its rules of the game.
Therefore, you need to carefully read the insurance conditions. Usually the period is from 3 to 14 days. the most popular option is a week. During this period, the policyholder is obliged not only to inform the insurance company about the theft, but also to provide the entire set of documents.
Does it make sense to have CASCO insurance against theft?
Voluntary car insurance in a reduced version, covering only cases of car theft, is suitable for many city residents who leave their car overnight in a parking lot in the yard. A significant but significant price for your peace of mind in the event of an insured event will be returned in the form of compensation. Also, the CASCO package against theft only is the optimal solution for experienced drivers with extensive driving experience without accidents, who are not afraid of car damage through their own fault. The decision is yours! We wish you never to encounter problems on the road!
Situations when the insurer may refuse compensation
This can happen in the following cases:
- the situation occurred when the policy was not valid (it turned out to be expired or had not yet come into force)
- the car was driven by a person who did not have the right to do so (the driver was under the influence of alcohol, drugs or was deprived of a driver’s license)
- damage to the vehicle was intentionally caused by its owner
- the vehicle was damaged due to military conflicts or radiation contamination
- the vehicle was seized by executive authorities
- the car owner hid from insurers the fact that the car was rented by another person
- additional parts were installed on the machine that did not comply with the contractual conditions
- clauses of the contract regarding the operating conditions of the vehicle were violated by the owner
The insurer has every legal right to refuse compensation if the fact of intentional damage to the insured vehicle is proven.
