Insurance is a strange kind of purchase, something that you spend money on but hope never to have to use. Unfortunately, youll probably need to claim at some point, although at least youll be getting some use out of the product! There are certain common procedures involved in making most claims.

First off, check the detail of the policy to see if you can claim. Alternatively, if you are with one of the main insurance providers like Santander, phone up customer services and get some advice. Some cases will be fairly clear cut, like when someone rear ends your car. However, insurance is rarely straightforward. When other parties are involved, the level of complexity really goes up, as the insurers fight it out to establish or reject liability.

Summarise all telephone conversations regarding your claim, as you may well need to refer back to these notes some time after the initial contact with the insurer is made. Taking the motoring example again, an admission of liability from the other party does not signal the end of contractual wrangling. Buses for example do not have regular insurance policies, and so if youre involved in a shunt that is not your fault with a number 47, you may still be waiting months for the claim to pay out.

If your insurance company cannot recover the cost of repair from the other party, you may find that you end up with a claim on your policy. It is important to keep a level head in this situation, even if the loss of a no claims bonus will seriously cost you come renewal.

A dispute over the way your claim is handled must start first with the internal complaints procedure of the insurer. Only after this process is exhausted can you escalate to an independent authority. In the insurance world, this is the Financial Ombudsman, who provides a free service to mediate disputes between insurer and customer.