Your Right to Choose
Your Right to Choose
What if your insurance company insists that repairs be made at a certain garage. Can an insurer do that?
NH Statute RSA 417:4 XX and Insurance Department Rule Ins 1002.17 (h) prohibit insurance companies from‘coercion' or ‘steering'. They may make recommendations, but not pressure policyholders or claimants to have repairs made in a particular shop or by a particular concern. This applies whether:
NH Statute RSA 417:4 XX and Insurance Department Rule Ins 1002.17 (h) prohibit insurance companies from‘coercion' or ‘steering'. They may make recommendations, but not pressure policyholders or claimants to have repairs made in a particular shop or by a particular concern. This applies whether:
- You are making a claim under your own policy for damage to your car, or
- You are making a claim against another person for damages to your car for which that person is responsible.
However, insurers may limit payment for repair work based on the fair and reasonable price charged by repair shops in your area.
What if your insurance company insists that you agree in writing to accept an amount less than the cost of the repair or the value of your car before they will pay anything?
Insurance companies may not withhold undisputed sums that are part of a greater claim in which other elements are disputed. The partial payment must be made and is made without prejudice to either party, as provided in Insurance Department Rule Ins. 1002.07.
Make sure that you are aware of your rights! You can help yourself by reading your insurance policy carefully, talking with your agent or insurer for answers to questions about your policy, and visiting the New Hampshire Insurance Department's web-site to review New Hampshire's Insurance Statutes and the Insurance Department's Rules and Bulletins. If you are not comfortable with how your claim is being handled, you can call the New Hampshire Insurance Department's toll free consumer assistance line if you have questions or problems. The telephone number is 1-800-852-3416 .
The New Hampshire Insurance Department maintains a toll free consumer line ( 1-800-852-3416 ) and a Consumer Division to respond to consumer questions and to investigate charges of inappropriate behavior by insurance companies. The Department may also be contacted and/or the referenced materials reviewed through its web site: www.state.nh.us/insurance.
What if your insurance company insists that you agree in writing to accept an amount less than the cost of the repair or the value of your car before they will pay anything?
Insurance companies may not withhold undisputed sums that are part of a greater claim in which other elements are disputed. The partial payment must be made and is made without prejudice to either party, as provided in Insurance Department Rule Ins. 1002.07.
Make sure that you are aware of your rights! You can help yourself by reading your insurance policy carefully, talking with your agent or insurer for answers to questions about your policy, and visiting the New Hampshire Insurance Department's web-site to review New Hampshire's Insurance Statutes and the Insurance Department's Rules and Bulletins. If you are not comfortable with how your claim is being handled, you can call the New Hampshire Insurance Department's toll free consumer assistance line if you have questions or problems. The telephone number is 1-800-852-3416 .
The New Hampshire Insurance Department maintains a toll free consumer line ( 1-800-852-3416 ) and a Consumer Division to respond to consumer questions and to investigate charges of inappropriate behavior by insurance companies. The Department may also be contacted and/or the referenced materials reviewed through its web site: www.state.nh.us/insurance.
* this information taken from New Hampshire Insurance Department's web-site: www.state.nh.us/insurance.
