Explaining insurance claims to customers

[Steve]

Alot of people seem to be really concerned about using thier insurance. They ask me if it is a claim and if it will effect thier insurance and I really don't know the best way to answer that. Maybe some of you guys with alot of experience can help out with that answer.

[GlassStarz]

My standard response is mr Customer most insurance companys dont consider it a claim and infact waive the deductible because they want you to get the repair done knowing that if they dont the chip will probably spread resulting in them having to pay considerably more for a windshield replacement. Ask them who thier insurance company is the answer Coo! it apears that your insurace company is one of the forward thinking ones who waives the deductible.

[Coitster]

Careful GlassStarz,
If they call their insurance company they will tell them its a claim however you are right in the fact that it doesn't raise their insurance rates. Personaly I tell the customer that this: "Look the insurance companies arn't stupid, they aren't going to offer something for Free unless its in their best interest. I wish I could say they do this out of the goodness of their harts but it all comes down to money. This saves them a fortune with the high prices windshields go for now days and this saves thems hundreds of millions of dollars a year so thats why they started this program because it makes so much sence for them to do it, also because they offer it as an incentive it won't raise your rates."
David

[Coitster]

I have to add one more responce to this post and I wanted it to be a seperate post for all you super troopers out their who are scared to tell people it won't raise their rates. While it is true that an insurance company has the right to raise the rates of their customers for absolutely no reason what so ever when it comes to chip repair they won't raise rates for a 50 dollar claim, especialy on comprehenise insurance. Now lets use some common sence here, if a customer already has like 2 or 3 claims on their insurance over the last year then it could cause their rates to increase but on its own it won't do it. I have been doing this over 12 years and I have never had a customer tell me that a chip repair raised their rates. I have had some tell their rates went up and when we called their agent to see if the chip repair did it, they always said no, it was a general increase accross the board to all the customers for that insurance company. So in my opinion if you are telling a customer their rates could go up, then you are going to lose a lot of sales because you are trying to be way to careful and shooting yourself in the foot.
David
Coitster

[scratchy]

When I started doing the insurance I went right to my agent and asked him if it will raise rates. He said yes and no. If a customer abuses the system and calls in chips frequently it can bump them up to another bracket which may raise their rates. For the regular guy it won't. This is from a Farmers agent.
I think its funny now to see people terrified of their insurance company. I have counted 20 providers in my area of which two don't do chips. It is so easy to switch companies and get a good rate, why get worked up about it?
I could be getting a little better deal right now from Progressive but my particular agent is sending me work!
If someone wants to know what will raise their rates... just quit paying your bill, get dropped and try and get back on! I know someone who forgot to pay and has a teenager on the policy! They are paying out all kinds of money for that mistake.

[GlassStarz]

Dave
Actualy if you read my blurb I never said it wasnt a claim just that his ins was one of the ones who waive the deductible. my pevios staement to him might lead him to believe it but oh well.
And they never call thier ins agent because I made the call to them for them thats how I was able to tell them the deduct was waived. I hand them the phone they talk to the ACT rep and thier own ins company at the same time ACT monitors the call and steps in to steer the questions in the right direction. One shouldnt have to justify doing someone else a service and that is what we do we fix thier car and do it in such a way that they dont have to pay and in doing so save them alot of $ by not having to replace the glass
When all else fails tell them I would hope your ins doesnt call this a mark against you if making a $50 caim raises your rates your with the wrong company and give them the card of some friend in the ins buisness.

[George G.]

I've learned from experience that, with Farmers Insurance, it did count as my second claim. I had a previous earlier that year. When I went to file my next claim on my other car, I was informed that this would make 3 with a certain time period(I forgot). I told her that this would be my second and that's when she told me that the WSR counted as a claim...a $50.00 freaking dollar claim. And If I filed the 3rd that my rates might go up. Needless to say the 1st and now 3rd claims were the high dollar ones.

George

[glassdoctor]

Sorry about that George. Farmers is one of the worst insurance companies in my book, for a wsr guy. I thought they must be pretty good to their policy holders, but maybe not.

I think Farmers needs to pull their head out... or just stop paying for wsr. They already pick and choose when they pay and how much they pay based on the type of vehicle, etc... They are the only company that I have had pay me whatever they felt like instead of the billed amount.

I always cringe when I hear someone has Farmers Ins.

[Coitster]

George,
You made the comment that you where going to have a 3rd claim on your insurance. Of course your rates are going to go up if you have 3 claims. The chip repair by itself won't raise your rates but if you have lots of other claims it can.
David
Coitster

[GlassStarz]

I think your missunderstanding them George, they only pay for 3 chips per 12 month period to the same customer. Since your second car is on the same policy it counts against the 3. The Farmers # gave me this info a couple months ago when a customer brought it up.