Video appraisals between insurance companies for estimating damage from car accidents and road accidents are becoming more and more fashionable and which concern both compulsory car liability (civil liability which covers damage to other vehicles in the event of an accident) and optional additional guarantees (theft and fire, hail, weather events, comprehensive insurance and more). Some insurance companies (Generali, Allianz, Cattolica, Aviva, Sara Assicurazioni, Reale Mutua, etc.) have already started to use video car appraisals mainly to reduce the costs of the insurance appraiser and the time needed to manage an accident.
Video expertise
Let’s take a practical example of how one happens video appraisal. With their smartphone or tablet, the motorist takes a film of all the parts of the car damaged in an accident, without moving the car from the place where it is located: garage, garage, courtyard, street. Remotely, from his office, the insurance appraiser guides the insured via video call, giving indications on how to best use the technology: it is the professional himself who ultimately provides the estimate. In this way, without the expert going out to reach the vehicle, there would be a saving in terms of time and costs, which would be positively reflected on the prices of the policies, or at least this is the thesis of the insurance companies.
Video appraisal limits, pros and cons
If they video appraisals they may be fine for minor bodywork damage, certainly through a video inspection it is not possible to identify more important hidden damage, such as a bent side member, boot floor, various cross members, and other hidden and barely visible parts.
Video inspections therefore also have strong limitations: the motorist, doing it himself, does not have the experience and ability to take a correct video with a smartphone or tablet. It is not sufficient for the expert to be followed remotely while carrying out his work. The result is that many damages may not emerge: hidden problems, identifiable only by eyes accustomed to finding even the slightest problem with the bodywork and of a mechanical nature. It is very difficult for the citizen to juggle the size and depth of the deformations, rooting out the non-visible parts. Furthermore, the expert will have to understand how many hours will be needed to remove the pieces and reattach them to the bodywork, without considering the painting of the details.
How to defend yourself from a lower damage estimate
The risk therefore is that the compensation from the company could be less than that necessary for the repair. To protect yourself from the risk of a lower compensation for damages, we recommend following these instructions:
- Collect all documentation relating to the accident: the CID, photos of the damage, witnesses if there are any and above all the repair estimate from a trusted workshop that identifies and photographs all the damage, especially identifying the less obvious ones.
- Place the car in a well-lit place, preferably outside. During the video appraisal, follow the expert’s instructions to correctly frame the damage, showing it from different angles and always with good lighting, answer the expert’s questions clearly and completely. In addition to the parts seen with the expert, provide all other information on other damages relating to the same accident, previously found by the trusted workshop or body shop.
- Compare the quote proposed by the insurance company with another drawn up by a trusted body shop to verify that they are aligned on the real cost and value of the repair.
- Request a copy of the report drawn up by the expert after finishing the video assessment.
- Speak to the appraiser and then to the company before accepting, if the insurance company wants to settle the claim at a significantly lower amount. If no agreement is reached, do not sign anything, do not accept the proposed sum but present an appeal to the insurance with the help of a trusted lawyer expert in claims settlement and insurance.
It is important to remember that the video assessment represents a useful tool to speed up the management of claims, but must not replace an accurate assessment of the damage. The injured motorist has the right to contest the expert’s assessment and request fair compensation that fully covers the damage suffered by his vehicle.
Insurance scam risk
In addition to the above there is another problem linked to insurance scams. Some crafty motorists could invent damages out of nowhere, simulating non-existent defects on the bodywork: real scams to illicitly extort undeserved compensation from the companies. The trick? The use of markers with removable ink on some external parts of the vehicle, to mislead those who evaluate remotely via videos taken with smartphones or tablets. Thus the reimbursements rise, with a cascade of costs borne by the companies, which in turn pass on the extra costs to the rates of the car and ancillary liability insurance policies.
He goes down hard on the limits of video appraisals Luigi Mercuriopresident Aiped (Italian Association of damage estimators), who maintains that video appraisals are completely unsuitable for providing a fair assessment of damages, with possible reduction of reimbursements or fraud. According to Aiped, the spirit of the Private Insurance Code (article 156) should instead be followed: the expert must ascertain and estimate the damage to property resulting from traffic. Operations that the qualified technician carries out with diligence, correctness and transparency. There is also a role of experts, in which only professionals who have adequate knowledge and professional skills can register: these are ascertained by Awareness (Public insurance services concessionaire) through a suitability test, which focuses on technical, legal and economic matters relevant to the exercise of the activity.
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