Vocabulary: The Estimate

In my last post we covered some of the lingo you'll hear when dealing with an insurance claim, but what about the repair? And the estimate? What is an estimate anyway!?

The estimate itself comes with a set of words and abbreviations that would be confusing to anyone that hasn't dealt with this before. When you're handed an estimate from a shop, the estimator should go over it with you line by line to explain what they'll need to do to fix your car, like we do here at Olsen Auto Body. Trying to read the estimate sheet on your own won't make as much sense as looking at it with someone who is experienced and that can actually show you on your car what needs to be done.

  

Here is a list of some of those terms:

Estimate: Usually the first step on your road to repair. An estimate is our best educated guess as to what is needed to be repaired, how long it will take and how much it will cost.

Supplement: Any additional damage found after the estimate, usually during the course of repairs. This can still be billed to the insurance company and we will handle that for you.

Sublet: Any part of the repair not done in house. We don't do a wheel alignment here at our shop, but we'll handle that for you as part of the repair. We take that to another shop and sublet the work to them. Then we cover that bill so we can bill everything out to you or your insurance company on one invoice.

The following is a list of abbreviations you'll see on your estimate and final bill:

Rpr: Repair, a physical repair of a part.

Repl: Replace, a new (or recycled) part put on the car in place of an existing damaged part.

Refn: Refinish, Paint.

Blnd: Blend Paint .

R&I: Remove and Install. Physically taking a part off a car to repair or paint the area around it, and then reinstalling that part after repair and paint is done.

Our next post will contain even more vocabulary, if you can believe it! We will go over more of the short hand that you'll see on the estimate and repair order and what it all means to you.

Email us with questions! olsenautobody@gmail.com

-Lanni

Vocabulary: The Insurance Claim

Let's face it, most people don't like reading all the information and fine print that you get when you sign up with a new insurance policy. Maybe some of you do but I don't expect anyone to remember every last detail of their policy ten years down the road after they've had an unfortunate accident.

It seems as though insurance companies speak their own language, a language you don't want to be too familiar with because being familiar means having multiple claims. And multiple claims means multiple accidents and probably an increase in your premiums. Nobody wants that.

So what do we do? We don't want practice in claims but we want to be in the loop with the lingo used so we can keep informed and be part of the process. We all want to be educated customers.

Here is a list of frequently used insurance terms what they mean:

Adjuster: This is the person within your insurance company that is handling your claim, this may also be called the Internal Claims Adjuster. They are the best person to call with any questions relating to your insurance claim. The word adjuster may also refer to a Field Adjuster, the person your insurance company sends out to inspect and write an estimate on your car.
For more general info on Claims Adjusters, Click HERE

Agent: A licensed person, company or organization authorized to sell and service insurance policies for an insurance company. This is the person who can tell you if they may raise your rates after a claim.
Want to read way too much detailed info on Insurnace Agents, Click HERE (Thanks Wikipedia!)

Claimant: The other party (vehicle), if any, that was involved in the accident.

Claim Number: The reference number assigned to a specific accident.

Date of Loss: The date the accident happened.

Deductible: The amount of the bill that the policyholder is responsible for paying. Similar to a copay at the doctors office.

Facts of Loss: Details on how and where the accident happened.

Policyholder: The person listed on the insurance card, the owner of the insurance policy.

Policy Number: The number on your insurance card, like your insurance account number.
 

Rental Coverage: Some insurance policies have rental coverage. This is the amount of money the insurance company will pay towards your rental vehicle while your car is in the shop. It depends on your specific policy, so make sure to ask your insurance company about your rental coverage when you have them on the phone. (If you are not at fault for the accident and using the other parties insurance to repair, they will always pay for a rental when your car is in the shop. More about that in another post.)

Supplement: Any additional damage found after the estimate, usually during the course of repairs. This can still be billed to the insurance company and we will handle that for you.
 

Anything missing? Is there a word or a phrase that you've heard that you need clarified? Please email me your questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
olsenautobody@gmail.com

 

 

 

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Lanni and I work in the office at Olsen Auto Body & Collision in beautiful Bellingham, WA. In my eight years here at Olsen's, I've seen a lot of wrecked cars with very upset owners. I've also seen a lot of nicely repaired cars, washed and ready for delivery to very happy customers.

We repair auto body damage on cars and trucks everyday. You might think this could get boring, but it can't possibly. No two repairs are ever EXACTLY the same. Each accident, repair and customer is unique. That's why there can't be a fast food approach to collision repair, insurance claims and customer service. Each person, car and accident is their own.

Customers arrive in our office often very confused, they've just had an accident. No matter if it's your fault or another driver's, an accident and a damaged vehicle is very frustrating and overwhelming experience. It's not something you planned for, and odds are it's not something you have ample time to handle in your busy lives.

My goal in starting this blog is to have a resource for our customers to go to when they have questions. But don't expect any short answers! As I've said before, every claim, repair and accident is different, so there are a TON of scenarios we can go through, and we will!

Thank you for reading, and hopefully you won't need us... but if you do, we're here for you!

Olsen Auto Body & Collision
1919 Humboldt Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
(360)733-0463
info@olsenautobody.com
www.olsenautobody.com