Disagreements between the insurance company and its customers arise very often. The reason for this may be any violation on the part of a company along with dishonesty of insurance agents.
Where to look for help?
Trying to protect their rights, people, as a rule, file lawsuits in court. True, there are other instances, the appeal to which can solve the problems that have arisen more efficiently and, no less important, much faster. One such organization is the Russian Union of Auto Insurers. Let us consider in more detail the issue related to the appeal to the SAR.
What can citizens complain about?
The reasons that are a good reason for filing complaints with insurance companies can be many. But some typical violations by unscrupulous insurers are most often allowed. The undisputed leaders in the number of various disputes with their customers are companies that are engaged in auto insurance. So, people who take out MTPL insurance are mostly unhappy with the following situations:
- The imposition of additional services completely unnecessary to the client.
- Refusals to execute agreements or pay financial compensation.
- Excessive increase in terms of payment of indemnities.
- Refusals to issue or receive a package of documents.
- Inconvenient location of items that deal with claims.
- A significant reduction in the amount of financial compensation for insurance.
- Incorrect application of discounts for accident-free driving, i.e. the so-called KBM.
- Refusals to pay compensation in case of insured events.
- Extension of the repair period.
- Repair work of inadequate quality.
PCA appeal
Since December 2015, a new and simplified algorithm of appeals by persons who disagree with the value of the MSC has been used in the SAR. Upon receipt of a relevant application from a citizen, the insurance organization must mandatory check the value of the coefficient of KBM in the RSA identification system. In the event that the obtained value of the bonus-malus coefficient does not coincide with the one that was used, the insurer applies a new indicator for MSC. At the same time, the new indicator is taken into account both in the current contract and in those that will be concluded later. But this is possible only if there are no claims declared subsequently.
Against the background of all this, in case of disagreement with the value of the coefficient used by the insurer, the PCA recommends contacting the insurance institution in which the contract was concluded. As a rule, citizens' requests are processed as soon as possible and, no less important, with minimal efforts from citizens. In this case, a complaint to the PCA regarding the MSC may not be necessary.
Who to apply for in the PCA?
On the official website of the RSA, it is said that this organization accepts complaints and appeals of citizens only on issues related to compulsory motor third-party liability insurance and insurance within the framework of the Green Card international system. The RSA does not carry out any consultation and consideration of complaints on other types of insurance. A direct sample of the application form can be found on the official website of the Russian Union of Auto Insurers. You can print it out and fill out a complaint to the PCA not on the spot in the office, but in advance. Thanks to this, the submitter has the opportunity to collect his thoughts and better argue his claims.
PCA complaint
When submitting complaints to the union of car insurers about the incorrect application of the coefficient (KBM) or other violations by one or another insurance company, the following data must be indicated:
- Full name of the applicant (full name).
- Date of Birth.
- Driver license number In this case, a copy of the driver’s license or passport is required. A copy of the passport may be needed if the contract was concluded on conditions that do not provide for a limitation on the number of citizens who are allowed to drive a vehicle.
- The essence of the problem with the obligatory indication of the number of the compulsory motor liability insurance contract
- Numbers of compulsory motor third-party liability insurance contracts are required for the person who caused the harm and the victim in the case when it comes to paying financial compensation in case of an accident.
- Indication of the insurance company in whose actions you need to understand.
- Applicant's contact phone number.
- Date of application to the insurance company.
- Signature of Applicant.
In the event that copies of the documents are not provided, the complaint to the PCA will not be considered.
A written claim, as well as a copy of it, must also be brought to the insurance company. In this case, it is important to obtain from the secretary their registration. One of the copies of the document remains with the insurer, and the second, respectively, with the insured.
PCA complaint by mail
The second option for filing a complaint is to send it by registered mail with notification of receipt. A complaint about an insurance company in RSA will reach the addressee as soon as possible. The coupon, which will be returned, can become a good reason for a citizen to go to court if no measures are taken to resolve the situation.
Immediately after the registration procedure of the received application, the management of the insurance company is obliged to consider the claim by providing the applicant with a written response within one month.
What happens after?
A properly compiled complaint will be dealt with by the Auto Insurers Union. In most situations, the PCA sends a request to the insurance company that has not fulfilled its obligations, with a request to clarify the situation and without fail to eliminate all the violations. As practice shows, most disputes result in the insurance company, due to unwillingness to participate in further inspections and proceedings, to pay the required compensation in full. For example, it can shorten the repair time, conclude a contract and the like. A complaint in the PCA really helps to assert their rights without serious losses.
In a number of cases, the statement of the insured indicates serious violations in the work of the entire company. On the basis of the claim received, an audit is carried out, and in addition, decisions are made that can even go to a halt or completely deprive the company of the corresponding license. Therefore, it is also worth writing a complaint to PCA in order to protect other car owners from similar troubles.
How to resolve a conflict with an insurance company without involving a PCA?
It is worth noting that in addition to filing a complaint with an insurance company with the RSA, writing reviews on the official website of a dysfunctional company, as well as on social networks or forums, sometimes gives a good result. This helps because most insurance companies compete with each other, so they do not need negative advertising at all.
Do not forget that the citizen who revealed the violation also has the right to go to court. Theoretically, filing a lawsuit is possible at any time, but, as practice shows, a preliminary appeal to the Russian Union of Auto Insurers helps to save money. Such organizations can significantly help in resolving issues, and the written answers received from them are taken into account by the court.
What you need to know before contacting PCA?
Before complaining about certain actions of an insurance institution on issues related to road traffic accidents, it is important to take into account that documentation of accidents can occur without the participation of authorized police officers in the following situations:
- In the event that as a result of the incident only vehicles were damaged.
- The accident occurred as a result of the interaction of two vehicles, the civil liability of the owners of which is insured in accordance with applicable federal law.
- The circumstances of the damage resulting from vehicle damage due to the accident along with the nature and list of visible defects do not cause any disagreement among the participants in the accident.
Thus, the Russian Union of Auto Insurers considers issues that are related to the violation of the law, primarily on insurance under compulsory motor liability insurance policies. And any claims that relate to understating financial payments must be sent to court. You should not abandon the idea of filing a complaint against PCA under compulsory motor third-party liability insurance if you are firmly convinced that your rights are infringed. The difference between the claims and complaints that are drawn up for the union of car insurers and the documentation for other similar organizations (for example, the Federal Insurance Supervision Service) is in the requirement to pay monetary compensation and indicate the size of the penalty. The response time from the PCA is one month. And in order to avoid any problems with the execution of insurance contracts or obtaining financial compensation in the future, it is necessary to apply only to reliable and trusted organizations. Then there will be no reason to file a complaint with the PCA.