Great claims service
Written: Sep 24 '06 (Updated Feb 13 '07)
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Pros: The company assigned an adjuster right away; the adjuster was helpful
Cons: It would have been better if my car was not struck to begin with.
The Bottom Line: Their claims processing is the best I've dealt with.
However, I recommend finding a good, accessible agent to handle your auto and home needs.
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| Saxguy's Full Review: Hartford Insurance Group - Auto |
On a vacation day a few weeks ago, I was off to the local supermarket with a list from my wife. Little did I know that the day wouldn’t be much of a vacation.
I was getting ready to check out and I hear over the intercom "will the owner of a black Nissan Altima…". I figured maybe the remote starter went off because my remote jingled against something in my pocket, at least that’s what I hope. The counter person said that the police wanted to take to me.
Once outside, I found that someone had hit my car while parking. He was in an adjacent row and apparently struck my car and another one by hitting the accelerator instead of the brake. The good news was that the guy had insurance and he didn’t bolt. After about 45 minutes of dealing with the police, which included the required change of insurance information, I saw that my car was drivable. I finished my grocery shopping and went home.
I got a little concerned because the guy’s insurance company was Trumbull Insurance, who I had never heard of. I called my own agent, a very reliable sort, who said that he hadn’t heard of Trumbull. I could make a claim on my own and it wouldn’t count against me. However, I would be out the $250 deductible on my collision until they collected from the other insurance co.
So, I did a web search on Trumbull and found out that they were a unit of Hartford Insurance. I found the Hartford 800 number and called in with the guy’s policy number. A claim had already been assigned and so had an adjuster. I took her name and phone number and left a message.
I then went to a body shop recommended by the Nissan dealer. The shop had experience dealing with Hartford. So, I got them to give me an estimate.
I called the adjuster back and told her I had an estimate. She said that she would try to get it from the dealer. While she never got the version from the dealer, I faxed my own the next day.
I followed up a couple of times. During the second call, she said that she had approved the estimate and was sending a check. While I didn’t know it was coming from corporate, which takes a week, it was enough so that I could take the car in.
She also said that they would cover a rental, so I had one for a few days. The rental car company, who I won’t mention, was a bit difficult to deal with. They were trying to charge me every which way, just like the myriad of vendors I dealt with during my fire claim on my house several years ago (see the Safeco epinion for more of that sordid story). To make a long story short, I told them that, if they couldn’t do a rental at no cost to myself, they could take me home. At that point they said they could do it.
I later found that the insurance will only cover a rental for the time to complete on the estimate. My car took a little longer, partly because the shop was having trouble finding a part, partly because of my teaching schedule, and partly because I was waiting for the check from Hartford. . It ended up being no big deal, because I turned in the rental after 3 days, which the adjuster said she would cover. The check came soon thereafter, and I had the car back.
I found the adjuster accessible and easy to deal with, completely unlike the adjuster I had to deal with at Safeco. Hartford approved the estimate and paid immediately.
Now, while I would recommend Hartford for claims processing, my primary recommendation is to find a good insurance agent. You need one who knows what to do and can be reached in an emergency. The 800-number outfits can be difficult to reach in the event of a general problem or a claim problem. The agent I had during the Safeco incident was missing in action when they dropped me for a claim that they agreed was not my fault. The next agent found me good, cost-effective homeowners insurance in a hurry and has always been available when I needed him. So my recommendation is to find a good agent and then shop for what you need.
Thanks for reading. God bless!
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Recommended:
Yes
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