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5 Things That Can Go Wrong with Reimbursement Claims in Bike

Team AckoJan 17, 2024

Insurance acts as financial protection for the assets you want to safeguard against any future losses. Likewise, bike insurance offers financial security to your two-wheeler against liabilities arising from an accident, theft, fire or natural and man-made calamities, along with coverage against third-party liabilities. For your financial safety and legal purposes, you must have valid bike insurance if you wish to ride your two-wheeler on the roads.

There may be circumstances when your bike incurs damages due to an accident or could be stolen. You need to raise a claim against your insurance policy to recover the repair costs during such situations. You can do so through two ways: cashless or reimbursement claims. While cashless claims are not cumbersome, reimbursement claims are comparatively complex. Here are 5 things that can go wrong in reimbursement claims in bike insurance and how you can fix it.

Contents

Types of bike insurance claims
5 things that can go wrong with reimbursement claims
Frequently asked questions

Types of bike insurance claims

Primarily, there are two types of bike insurance claims.

Cashless bike insurance claim

When you get the bike repaired from an ACKO-authorised/empanelled service centre, we process your claim through the cashless method. You don’t have to pay any amount to get these repairs done, except for deductibles and depreciation, as ACKO settles the bill with the service centre.

Costs of specific services not included in your policy must be paid by you. Most insurers have a vast network of authorised service centres for you to avail of cashless claims.

Reimbursement bike insurance claim

As the name suggests, reimbursement bike insurance claims are a claim where you incur the expenses out of your pocket and approach ACKO to reimburse these expenses later on.

For repairs done at service centres other than those empanelled with us, you need to settle the bill first, and then you can raise a reimbursement claim. After submitting the original repair bills and receipts, we will review and process your claim through the reimbursement method.

Since the right to reject or accept a claim belongs to the insurers in its entirety, be diligent in filing your claims to mitigate the risk of the financial burden. Here are the reasons or situations when insurers could reject your claim.

Submission of false or incorrect information about the incident.
Riding the bike without a valid driving license or an insurance policy.
The incident occurred outside the geography mentioned in the insurance policy.
Riding the vehicle in an intoxicated state at the time of the accident.
The vehicle was being used for illegal purposes at the incident.
Repair the damages to your bike without informing ACKO about the incident.

5 things that can go wrong with reimbursement claims

Here are the five most common things that can go wrong in reimbursement claims.

1. Rejection of claim due to non-coverage or expired insurance policy

There are instances when the insurer rejects your insurance claim. This could be due to non-coverage of damage or a loss. For instance, if the insurance provides cover for damages due to fire, accidents, storms. However, it does not cover damages to the bike’s engine.

Due to the non-coverage of engine damage, insurers reject your claim. Hence, all inclusions need to be carefully understood when purchasing the policy.

Further, the insurance policy should be valid to raise a claim. There can be consequences of lapsed insurance, which could be the reason for the rejection of your claim. Ensure the continuity of the policy to avoid claim rejections.

2. Partial claim settlement due to limited coverage

The claim may not be fully settled in some cases when the policy does not cover specific damage or loss. Further, you may have to incur a significant amount of costs in the repairs bill submitted for reimbursement if the bill exceeds the depreciated value of the bike. To avoid this mistake, it is imperative to be mindful of the policy exclusions.

3. Rejection of claim due to delay in informing the insurer

There should be no delay in informing ACKO. If you miss the decided deadline, ACKO might reject your claim, especially in cases where you require a First Information Report (FIR). Hence, you need to inform us immediately about the incident. However, if you meet with an accident, and are unable to inform your insurer, then the insurer might not reject your claim.

4. Rejection of claim due to insufficient documentation

Though there is a general requirement of the Registration Certificate (RC) of the bike, Driving License (DL), and insurance policy, the specific documents needed may vary from case to case. In case of theft, fire or explosion, you have to submit documents such as an FIR. Ensure that you submit the required documents to avoid rejection of the claim.

5. Delay in claim settlement due to lengthy process

Some insurance providers have countless tedious steps that you should follow before processing a claim. Filling several forms, submitting physical copies of documents, visiting the office, etc., can lead to unavoidable delays in settling a reimbursement claim. When you purchase an insurance policy, go with the insurers that have lean processes and minimal paperwork to avoid unnecessary delay in the settlement of the claim.

In a nutshell

Consider the five points mentioned above while raising a reimbursement claim for a smooth claim settlement. To conclude, here are the three points you need to keep in mind.

Bike insurance should be current and valid.
Be aware of your policy’s exclusions and inclusions.
Raise your claim request without any delay.

Additionally, a bit of understanding and awareness of policy terms and coverage will go a long way in making your claim settlement process smooth and hassle-free. And above all, with some online research on bike insurance in India, and the above pointers in mind, you can master the skill of filing your reimbursement claims perfectly.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some of the commonly asked questions about reimbursement claims.

How to avoid bike insurance reimbursement claim rejections?

The best way to ensure this is to be mindful of your policy’s exclusions, to initiate claims without any delay and to cooperate with the insurer during inspections.

If I modify my bike, and there is a claim, can this be a reason for rejection?

Yes, ACKO might reject your claim if you do not inform us of the modifications to your bike.

Is a First Information Report (FIR) mandatory before raising bike insurance claims?

It depends on the circumstances leading to the claim. FIR is mandatory in cases such as theft, fire or explosion.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet; and is subject to changes. Please go through the applicable policy wordings for updated ACKO-centric content and before making any insurance-related decisions. Explore More: