Why I'd Choose a Refund Over Repair with Ingosstrakh

I signed up with Ingosstrakh in 2022 after getting into a car accident. I had an auto loan for a Nissan Qashqai, which I bought from a dealership that offered several insurance companies - Rosgosstrakh, RЕСО-Garantia, and Renaissance Insurance. For four years, I had Kasko with RЕСО-Garantia, but after the accident and the subsequent repair of the vehicle, I decided to change insurance and switched to Ingosstrakh.

I changed insurance because after the accident and the repair, I insisted on replacing the hood and headlight, and they calculated the policy cost to be significantly higher than what I had been paying before. Ingosstrakh's Kasko premium was reasonable, roughly the same as what I had been paying before the accident. I first signed up for insurance at the company's office, where I was lucky to find almost no one there. There were only two other people present, and one of them was also there to sign up for insurance, while the other was handing over documents related to the car accident. The first year of my insurance with Ingosstrakh was incident-free. After that, my car loan was paid off, and I no longer needed Kasko, but I continued to sign up for an OСАГО policy with Ingosstrakh.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

I downloaded the Ingomobile app after I got into another car accident in December last year. I was leaving a parking lot when another car collided with mine, also exiting the parking lot. The other driver's bumper was damaged, while my rear door and wing were dented, and my wheel rim was scratched. I called the Ingosstrakh hotline while the police were on their way, and reported the accident. When I called the hotline, I was asked for my car's registration number to confirm that I had an active OСАГО policy, and I was given further instructions on what to do next. As it was evening, I didn't visit the insurance office right away. At the office, I was given an assessment, which actually meant I was given the address of an appraiser I needed to visit. The insurance agent at the office told me to download the app and track the status of my claim through it. About a week later, I saw that the status of my case had changed in the app. It said that I had been issued a repair order. I couldn't get through to the office on the phone, but the hotline gave me the name and address of a repair shop where I was supposed to take my car. The next day, I received a call from the repair shop. I went there and asked about the repair process. Of course, the initial plan was to simply fill in the dents with filler and paint the door and wing. However, I wasn't satisfied with that option, as such dents can be removed without filler. Obviously, this repair would be more expensive, but I wasn't looking to save money. I went back to the insurance office and submitted a claim for compensation rather than a repair. The staff at the office were polite and courteous, and didn't argue with me. I had to wait about a month for my claim to be approved, but eventually, it was. The money was transferred to me within a week, and the amount covered the repair I had wanted. No filler was used, and the dents were smoothed out.

I was due for a renewal of my car insurance policy in the fall, and I decided to stick with the same company, as I'm generally satisfied with their service. I didn't delete the Ingomobile app either. Renewing my policy through the app was super convenient, as I didn't have to make a trip to the office.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

Here's what the main page of the Ingos insurance app looks like. If you tap on your policy, you can view the details, including the policy term, price, and number of drivers covered.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

If you need to make any changes to your policy, you can do so through the app. For example, you can add drivers to your policy. When I registered for the app, I provided my phone number and email address. After renewing my policy, I received the documents by mail, including the electronic policy, insurance conditions, and a copy of the European protocol. You can also download these documents through the app to have them on your phone. The European protocol isn't necessary, though, as the app will automatically load it when you report an incident.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

I also received a payment receipt for my policy purchase via email. What I really liked about this insurance company is that, after an accident last year, they paid me the damages, and my policy premium didn't increase. Other companies often hike up the premium, even if you weren't at fault in the accident. My previous policy was purchased through a broker in the company's office. It's surprising that the electronic policy I got through the app was even cheaper by 300 rubles.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

Ingosstrakh insurance company offers various services, including life insurance, home, apartment, or dacha insurance. You can check and review the insurance conditions through the app or on the company's website.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

Many insurance companies are now offering a service called 'mini KASKO', but Ingosstrakh insurance calls it Express KASKO.

Ingosstrakh Insurance Company

I've only dealt with Ingosstrakh for car insurance, so I haven't had a chance to try out their other services. I did manage to secure an OSAGO policy here, though, and I'm planning to stick with them for that. I'm not sure if I just got lucky and ended up at a particularly competent and friendly office, but the human factor definitely played a big role in my experience. Customer service can vary greatly from one office to another, so your mileage may vary.