Expert: Justin Petty - 1/18/2012

Question
Hello, I live in Texas and have a 2001 Ford Focus Hatchback with full-coverage insurance with Allstate. We have been with Allstate all my life and I am now 41. My car has hail damage, I think mostly from a storm in April 2011, but I have recently noticed what appears to be several more dents than I noticed back then. We've had so many storms here in Texas over the last few months, so I'm not sure that the damage is all from April. Is it too late for me to have Allstate give me an estimate and make a claim?

Answer
That's a tricky question.  Insurance policies for comprehensive damages on autos (which is what hail is) are handled on an occurrence basis.  If you cannot definitively say exactly when the damage occurred, or if it all occurred at the same time, then you risk the insurance company applying your comprehensive deductible more than once.  

As for the main question, it is not too late to file a claim, but be prepared to explain the delay.  Your insurance company is obligated to repair damages that you have purchased coverage for, but not to just repair them with one deductible applied if the damages occurred on two separate occasions, make sense?

Allstate is pretty fair, I would suggest trying your luck and simply being honest.  If I were the adjuster, I would ask you why you didn't report the hail damage from the April storm earlier, and I would instruct the appraiser to go over the vehicle closely and get good pictures of damages.  

I hope this helps, and if you need further help, feel free to contact us directly.  Information is always free at Petty Details, LLC!  If you put www before and .com after our company name (no comma), you'll be at our site!