The Mystery of the Illusive Auto Glass Claim

The auto glass claim is certainly one of those things you take for granted.  Back in the day, you could call your agent and it was done.  Not so much anymore.  Auto glass claims are now handled by 3rd party administrators who are financially affiliated with another glass shop.  That’s odd isn’t it?  Our industry is unregulated.  There are a lot of fun things that I won’t bore you with in this post……

When your glass breaks, you need to know if you have auto glass coverage.  Usually it’s pretty cheap and well worth it.  Do you need or want it?  Call your agent and have a chat.  Call a glass shop and get a cash quote for your windshield and back glass.  Sometimes the back glass is worth more than your entire car.  It’s worth a call.

Making the claim:

1) You call your insurance company.

2) You call the glass shop you would like to use.

3) You call the 800 number – it’s the 3rd party administrator; NOT your insurance company.

4) You file online.

You have options!  Be aware BY LAW YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE WHO WORKS ON YOUR CAR.  Again, our industry is unregulated so you will want to know your installer.

*If you file online you will not have a choice who does the work on your car.  More than likely, you will be steered to the company that handles the claim – the 3rd party administrator’s glass shop.

*If you file a claim with the 800 number, you will more than likely be steered to the 3rd party administrator’s glass shop.

* If you call your agent, they will give you a few names to choose from or tell you it’s up to you.

*You can call your favorite shop and they will help you make your claim.

Once you have decided how you want to get to the 3rd party administrator, all you will need is your policy number and the date the damage occurred.  You need to know the date of damage so that the 3rd party administrator can open a claim.  They have to have at least an estimate in order to open a claim.  A guess-timate is fine, but you have to have a specific date.  The 3rd party administrator will then check your coverage.  After they give the billing information to the shop, you can make a date for your repair or replacement.  It’s that easy!