CRASH Network 'Report Card': Body shops grade auto insurers' claims behavior during pandemic year
CRASH Network said its 2021 insurance industry “Report Card” on auto insurer claims handling revealed “remarkably consistent” results when compared to previous years.
Ten out of the 15 insurers collision repairers felt treated claimants best in 2021 received sufficient marks to reach the very best 15 again in 2021 — regardless of the pandemic. CRASH Network conducted the newest poll in November and December 2021.
The study asked auto body shops nationwide “How well performs this company’s claims handling policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for motorists?” It inquired about both large national brands and more obscure carriers; the 2021 study ultimately drew grades for 75 insurers.
“Consumers go a decade, typically, without interacting with their insurance company's claims department, but collision repairers do so every single day,” CRASH Network editor John Yoswick said in a statement. “That provides shops meaningful perspective which companies perform the best job taking care of policyholders – and which of them possess some room for improvement. We have seen the 'Insurer Report Card' providing useful information for drivers as they consider which insurer to select.”
This year’s poll saw 1,101 auto body shops answering the question not less than one insurer, an identical turnout as with 2021. The most insurers scored by one respondent was 30.
North Carolina Farm Bureau, Chubb, Erie Insurance and Michigan Farm Bureau all received “A”-level grades, with New york Farm Bureau rating an A+, Chubb getting an A, and Erie and Michigan Farm Bureau scoring an A-.
North Carolina Farm Bureau and Erie pulled exactly the same grades they earned in 2021. Chubb improved from an A- for an A. Michigan Farm Bureau didn’t receive enough responses in 2021 to become scored in the national rankings.
“Best service in the business; quickest, bar none,” a store manager described New york Farm Bureau, based on CRASH Network.
“They are curious about doing what's right when it comes to quality repairs and customer service,” a store owner said of Michigan Farm Bureau.
The New york and Michigan Farm Bureaus were reviewed by a few dozen shops within their namesake states. Chubb and Erie drew scores from 400 shops and 292 shops, respectively, across multiple states.
“Some from the highest-graded insurers sell policies in only a limited number of states, but most consumers will find a minumum of one or two insurers among the 15 highest-graded who offer car insurance policies within their state,” Yoswick said inside a statement.
“They keep their customers' welfare paramount,” a Wisconsin shop said about Erie. “I will switch my own coverages for this company.”
“Chubb causes it to be important to correct vehicles properly, following the auto manufacturers' guidelines, without pressure to cut costs,” a Maryland shop said.
Other large regional or national carriers — ones with responses from a minimum of 100 shops — who made the “honor roll” Top 15 include Amica , Acuity , West Bend Mutual and Auto-Owners .
Erie’s “Report Card” answers are interesting because it’s also one of the largest insurers in the country — it ranked No. 12 in premium dollars by spring 2021. Yet its A- grade far exceeds the scores repairers gave the ten largest insurers in the united states. Not one of them received greater C+ — placing them not only below Erie’s A- but the national B- average.
“They endure repairs a long of insurance companies currently, and they pick the cheapest, nonfitting parts again and again,” a New Hampshire shop manager said of 1 from the nation’s largest insurers.
The “Report Card” report observed that usually the very best grades in 2021 visited “smaller, regional insurance companies.”
The “Report Card” polling also looked specifically at the reviews direct repair program auto body shops gave large partner insurers. The DRP shops did indeed score the insurers greater than non-DRP shops — in some cases, a full letter grade higher. However, no insurers received an A-level grade from a DRP shop, and GEICO received the same C- from network shops because it did from non-DRP shops.
