Collision Damage Claim Handling
The Claims Process
Dealing with insurance companies can be stressful, we know. Here at McCurdy’s we’ve handled thousands of claims and are delighted to handle the process for you from start to finish. We work with all insurance companies and know how to keep them moving along to ensure you get your vehicle back as soon as possible.
Opening the Claim
The first step in the claims process is calling to report the claim. This step can only be done by the customer. If you do not have the claims phone number, we can provide it for you. They will need your statement and will ask you questions regarding the incident. You should have the following information available: Policy number which can be found on your insurance card, location of the accident, date of the accident, description of what took place, any information you may have on the other party involved, notify them if a police report was taken, provide the name of the department involved, and the police report number. This is especially imperative when you feel the other party is at fault and they are not accepting liability right away. If you are not at fault in the accident, then you will be provided a rental car from the at-fault party and your deductible will be waived. If you are at fault, your deductible will apply and you will be able to get a rental car if you have that coverage on your policy.
At this point, they will provide you a claim number. Please provide this to us as soon as possible so we can contact them and make sure the process is moving along.
The Inspection
After filing the claim, there will need to be an assessment of damages and estimate that is created to determine the repairs necessary to bring your vehicle back to pre-accident condition. We will need to contact the insurance company that is going to be paying for the repairs to see what their process is. Most of the time they will send an appraiser out to inspect the vehicle with one of our representatives. Other times, they will want us to submit photos and our estimate. They will review and approve via email, a phone application, or through a submission form on their website.
After the Claim is Filed and Estimate Finalized
Usually, once the estimate is finalized, we have the documentation and authorization to begin ordering parts if required and can begin repairs. In certain situations, authorization may not be granted right away because they are investigating or there can be a coverage issue. If this is the case, you may want to consider contacting an attorney.
Once parts are ordered, we will have a good idea of the length of time required to complete the repairs and will be able to provide you a timeframe. We may run into additional damages along the way and will have to contact the insurance company to request a supplement for these additional damages. If this happens, we notify you and change the target date based on what was found and the amount of time it takes them to approve our requests.