After a traffic accident that was not your fault, our appraisers will accompany you through the claims process, claims settlement and beyond. Make use of our claims settlement from a single source. Fast, competent and reliable!
We as motor vehicle experts and surveyors work in the area of Hanover and Hildesheim with competent partner workshops and lawyers for traffic law. For a professional repair of your vehicle you can enjoy the advantages of our partners. We will gladly help you with the mediation.
Claims settlement from one source- your expert witness
In order to assert your legal claims with the opposing insurance company, we provide you as the injured party with a specialized lawyer for traffic law free of charge. Thus you do not have to worry about anything else. Our one-stop claims settlement service contacts the opposing insurance company and accompanies the claims process.
Why damage settlement by a motor vehicle expert?
Being involved in an accident is certainly an extremely unpleasant experience for everyone. In addition to possible injuries and damage to your own vehicle, there is the additional burden of claims handling. The challenge is to do everything necessary to assert and enforce your own claims. Here it is necessary to be particularly attentive and careful. Especially as an injured party, who is not to blame for the accident, you can fall into some traps.
Claims settlement: if the opposing insurance wants to keep the damage low
At this point the behavior of some insurance companies is to be mentioned first of all. It happens again and again that the insurance company of the person who caused the accident wants to contact the injured party as soon as possible in order to arrange the settlement of the damage with him immediately. The aim of this approach is not to give the injured party time to find out about his rights and the amount of money to which he is entitled.
In such cases, the insurance company usually promises to take care of everything so that the claimant has as little trouble and stress as possible with the associated tasks. For example, the insurance company will provide the following services:
– Repair of the vehicle
– Cleaning / washing of the vehicle
– provision of a rental car
The problem here is that these procedures are largely non-transparent for the injured party. Doesn't know in advance which repair shop will be hired or how it will proceed with repairs. For example, does it only bend damaged parts, does it use spare parts, and if so, are original parts used??
It should always be remembered that the insurance company is interested in keeping its costs as low as possible. So in case of doubt is saved.
Insurance companies have different and ingenious methods to reduce the amount of damage. For this purpose, they also resort to specialized third-party providers who, depending on the type of vehicle and the type of damage, automatically and by computer generate ready-made lists with possible reduction items. For example, people like to save money on the choice of workshop, the painting of parts or certain spare parts, and often do so without a suitable legal basis.
For this reason, every injured party is strongly advised to seek the assistance of a lawyer. If one is not the cause of the accident, the opposing insurance company must pay the lawyer. And if there is a partial debt or the question of guilt is unresolved, legal advice is even more important.
Various court decisions confirm the usefulness of legal advice even in the case of minor damages.
Select your own assessor
If the opposing insurance company wants to provide its own expert, utmost caution is also required. As already described, the insurance company has an interest in the lowest possible claim amount. This means: In case of doubt, the insurance company's assessor will estimate the damage to be less than it actually is. This can be avoided by hiring your own appraiser to assist in the claims process. As an accident victim you are entitled to it, as long as there is no minor damage. The limit for this is 1.000 Euro. In such cases, the workshop's cost estimate is sufficient. Attention: If the insurer reduces individual items of the cost estimate, the so-called de minimis limit no longer applies. In this case, an expert may be commissioned at the insurance company's expense, even if the amount of damage is low.
Your advantage: We offer you claims handling from a single source. We advise you as a motor vehicle expert and take care of the necessary legal assistance. And all this in order to protect your interests and to enforce the claims for appropriate compensation to which you are entitled.
Caution: If you agree to the commissioning of an expert by the opposing insurance company, the costs for an expert of your choice may no longer be covered. For this reason, you should be especially careful and not be persuaded to make quick decisions – as tempting as the insurance offer may be.
Caution with alleged total loss
It happens again and again that the opposing insurance refuses the repair of a vehicle with the reason that the costs of the repair exceed the current value of the vehicle.
Do not be impressed by this and bear in mind that the insurance company often deliberately understates the value of the vehicle to be repaired in order to save costs.
In addition, you are entitled to a repair even if the cost exceeds the current value of the vehicle. The repair can be carried out up to 130 percent of the value of the vehicle.
Merkantiler Minderwert
Under the mercantile diminished value in connection with motor vehicles is the loss in value to which a vehicle is subject in connection with an accident. Even if a vehicle is professionally repaired after an accident, it will later have a lower value due to the accident than it would have had without the accident.
If you were involved in an accident and want to sell your vehicle at a later date, you must declare the accident damage. In addition, you must be able to prove that the repair has been carried out professionally. We provide you with the documentation you need to do this when you call us in after an accident.
After the damage settlement and repair of the vehicle we provide a repair confirmation as a proof for a professional repair of your vehicle. Thus, in case of a possible new traffic accident, you can certify that your vehicle was repaired in advance. The work of our motor vehicle assessors and experts does not end with the preparation of the expert report. We take care of your damage.
Does the opposing insurance company have a right to a follow-up inspection or participation in the expert opinion?
You are not obliged to allow the opposing insurance company to participate in the appraisal of your vehicle. You also do not have to name the date on which the appraisal will take place.
If the opposing insurance company insists on a follow-up inspection by their own expert, they must have good reasons for this. The general intention to clarify the existing expert opinion is not sufficient at this point.
Do I have to wait with the repair after the expert opinion?
After the damage report has been drawn up, you can have your vehicle repaired without any problems. You do not have to wait until the opposing insurance company has carried out a follow-up inspection.
It has been verified in court that this procedure is legal. So you do not have to worry about being guilty of concealing evidence.
Can I have the damage repaired at a brand-name workshop??
The repair in a brand workshop must be paid for by the opposing insurance company if the vehicle is not older than three years and / or if the injured party has always taken his vehicle to a brand workshop before the accident. However, this requires that he visited the branded workshop not only for repairs but also for regularly performed inspections.
An independent repair shop must not be too far away for the insurance company to be allowed to demand its use. According to a court ruling of the Federal Court of Justice, for example, 21 kilometers are already too far.
What to do in case of an accident caused by yourself or a comprehensive damage?
In the case of a self-inflicted accident or comprehensive damage, depending on the contract with your own insurance company, the insurance company may be allowed to determine the workshop in which the repair is to be carried out.
What to look out for after an accident?
If you are involved in an accident – regardless of whether it was your fault or not – you should first keep a cool head. Even in this hectic and unpleasant situation, do not let yourself be carried away by hasty actions.
It is important to preserve evidence. A motor vehicle appraiser or expert witness can help you do just that.
If there are witnesses to the accident, ask them for their personal details so that they can testify later in the event of a legal dispute.
Take photos. These could also
n later help to reconstruct the course of the accident.
If in doubt, it is also a good idea to involve the police – even in the case of minor accidents.
Tips for settling claims
Below are some tips in brief that you should keep in mind when settling claims after an accident. With these tips, you can avoid being overcharged by the opposing insurance company and being stuck with part of your costs:
– Do not make a deal with the opposing insurance company at the scene of the accident if you are not at fault for the accident. Their interest is to keep the amount of damage to be settled as low as possible
– In case of doubt, seek the help of a lawyer. If you are not at fault for the accident, the costs will be borne by the opposing insurance company.
– Do not rely on the expert appointed by the opposing insurance company. Make use of your own expert. As an injured party, you are entitled to have your costs paid by the opposing insurance company if the amount of damages is 1.exceeds 000 euros.
– Keep in mind that the designation "motor vehicle appraiser" is not protected. You should therefore use an appraiser who is organized in a recognized association, such as the German Association of Appraisers and Experts (DGSV).
– Also be critical of garages and the services they offer. Also question complete packages that include special benefits such as a rental car. Attention: A cost estimate from a workshop is not sufficient as evidence in subsequent legal disputes. Here you should always attach importance to the expert opinion of a motor vehicle assessor.
Conclusion
Anyone who is involved in an accident through no fault of their own has a number of claims that can be asserted. This includes the use of a lawyer as well as the commissioning of an expert of your own choice. Both are strongly recommended in order to avoid being taken advantage of by the opposing party in the accident.
Many insurance companies try to minimize the damage caused and save money in this way. For it the damaged one is often promised the complete assumption of all formalities and activities. What the injured party receives in return, he often finds out afterwards, if at all. In this way it can happen that he or she is left sitting on parts of his or her costs and does not receive the claim settlement to which he or she is entitled.
To make sure that you get your right and are on the safe side in the claims settlement, we offer you our services as a motor vehicle expert and surveyor. We work together with experienced law firms and offer you a complete service, which ensures that you get your rights. It is best to contact us right away. We will gladly inform you about the possibilities.