What do you do if you have hail damage on your vehicle?

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As an independent agent working in DFW area in Texas, I got so many calls and ask me what they should do if they have hail damage?  Based on my experiences, below are the few steps you  -sh-ould do:

What’s the first thing you need to do?

You should document everything.  Get out your phone and take photos of the damage.  Next, get in touch with your insurance agent to get the claims process rolling.  As a customer, please be patient, insurance company’ll be dealing with lots of people like you.  Serious losses take priority in the claims process, but that companies will likely throw extra resources at the storm.   I remember we had a very serious hail damage in March 2016,  total cost of the damages more than billions of dollars.    One of the counties in Texas had $600 million in insurance claims on that day.   because of the number of the claims, insurance companies had extra helps from other states to help us out.  when the customer makes the repair, make sure hold onto the receipt, you should get reimbursed later.

How do they prioritize what gets fixed first?

Hail Storm isn’t new to Texasen,  so insurance companies know what they are doing after some big hits.  Many companies will setup drive-up claim centers.  customers just need to drive their cars to a particular location, the onsite adjuster can inspect the vehicle and process the claim accordingly.

here are the advantage of this:

  • Quickest, easiest appraisal method
  • Average appraisal takes less than 20 minutes
  • No appointment necessary
  • Little to no wait
  • Convenient locations including several that offer Saturday service
  • Offering pre-inspection services when needed

What if you just have a little bit of hail damage – can you wait?

A lots of time, if it’s just cosmetic, there is nothing wrong with waiting for few days.  However, you should report the damage first.  After the storm, we may see lots of totaled vehicles , which could cause issues getting a rental.

Be caution of the scam and coordinate with your insurance company going forward.

For more tips or questions, contact us HERE or call us at 972-665-8608