Windshield Repair Forum

So , had a claim to file with a customer the other day and I thought the experiance was bad over at ACT allowing them to handle one of my claims....Whoooa!
This claim was with Nationwide...Yeah I know!!! So of course it gets transfered over to safelite they get on the phone with my customer and 5 minutes go by then 12 minutes go by.. By this time I'm ready to jump through the phone and ring this rep out. I not only had to interupt the phone conversation to make it aware a second time that this customer needed to get back to work, but to ask why in the world is this conversaTION TAKING THIS LONG??? wHAT SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM..

Has these insurance companies recently went through a MID-LIFE CRISIS??

So believe it or not the whole deal was that the customer has allowed this "CHIP" to remain in his WS for 2 years. Can you believe that? It was a small and a tight one at that. So get back to the deal here. The agent tells me this and says an adjuster will have to give you a call to verify insurance and approve him for a FREE repair. OK???

So I get a cal 2 days later...today to notify me that Yes he was approved. I asked if I could get that Authorization number...She said what authorazation number? I said your kiding right? Have you guys went on a recent cruise and you all are still a little swimmy headed frm the "Rocking Boat" or am I not talking to "Nationwide" in regards to a recent claim my company opened with one of your client's?

She goes to tell me to just have the customer pay for the repair and have him send her the paid invoice. I said ok no problem. Where would my customer send this to. I ned your address. She said he can just take it to his local branch. But I thought you wanted him to send it to you. No his local branch......OK...Goodbye!


This has been a headache! Nationwide come on! Get it together! Please!

Frustrating, huh?

Now, in a couple weeks you will get a call from Nationwide and some kid rep will explain to you what the "correct" process is.... you will say, "Yep, that's how I always do it" and he will again explain what the "correct" process is... they ask you if there is anything ELSE he can help you with! lol! Don't ya just love big companies!?!

Hang in there!

This is why I go for cash instead of the free repair route. I hardly ever mention that I bill insurance. The majority of the time customers ask me if I bill insurance. It is posted on my website, but for me cash is King. I do however mention to my customers that if they submit the invoice with their insurance carrier that there is a good chance they will be reimbursed. Insurance billing for me is last resort. Sorry that happened to you Chad.

shepard1,

shepardh1 wrote:Frustrating, huh?

Now, in a couple weeks you will get a call from Nationwide and some kid rep will explain to you what the "correct" process is.... you will say, "Yep, that's how I always do it" and he will again explain what the "correct" process is... they ask you if there is anything ELSE he can help you with! lol! Don't ya just love big companies!?!

Hang in there!

LOL!!!! I most definately will. Not going anywhere no time soon, Lord willing!

Dr.Chipster wrote:This is why I go for cash instead of the free repair route. I hardly ever mention that I bill insurance. The majority of the time customers ask me if I bill insurance. It is posted on my website, but for me cash is King. I do however mention to my customers that if they submit the invoice with their insurance carrier that there is a good chance they will be reimbursed. Insurance billing for me is last resort. Sorry that happened to you Chad.

Dr. Chipster,

I have actually been contiplating that move. This will be the first repair I have done where I have allowed the customer to pay for the repair. I am always scared they will have a bad experiance trying to collect thier money in return give me a bad repor!!!?????

Have any of you called the customers insurance company to verify that they will reimburse the client given the pay for the repair and submit the invoice themselves.

Chad,

I just serviced a State Farm insured a few weeks ago and while on phone with CSR he asked same question. He had a repair done on another vehicle from parking lot setup that he paid cash for. CSR told him to send invoice to agent or drop it off and he would be reimbursed. So yes, it can be covered. Now I caution you, if your a signed participant of Lynx or other networks they may be writing in your contract agreement preventing you from this process. Best to look it over.

I use words like may and might. I never tell my customers who pay cash that their insurance provider will pay, I say they just may pay. I also live in a state where a lot of the people here aren't insured. We have a very high rate of non-insured drivers. So I guess for me to get cash is a lot easier. For the longest time I was to intimidated about billing insurance companies because I just didn't get it, so from the start of my business I just asked the customer to pay for the repair. I now use A.C.T. for billing insurance if the customer wants to go that route. I sometimes use to 12.95 plan but as of late have been getting authorizations myself and submitting the invoice info for 5.95. I don't know seems to work for me.