Insurance Claim Procedures

            In order to make your insurance claim and the repairs of your vehicle proceed as quickly as possible,

here are some guidelines to follow.

We, at Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach, will restore your vehicle to its preloss condition or better. In order for us to make a complete and thorough evaluation of all the damages, including frame and suspension, engine, mechanical, body and paint, the vehicle should be at our shop. This way we can reduce or eliminate ordering, and waiting for additional parts and approved additional labor discovered during repairs.

It will reduce or eliminate the waiting time for your insurance company representative to re-inspect the additional damages found. By having your vehicle and the insurance representative at our shop at the same time, we can point out damages they may overlook inspecting your vehicle elsewhere. We sometimes need to have your vehicle set up on the frame machine to justify the extent of the damages.  The insurance representative may want to inspect and take photos when on the frame machine. Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach have been working with all the major insurance carriers earning their trust and respect in our industry. In some cases we can take digital photos and E- mail them to the representative to reduce waiting time. Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach will make sure that your insurance carrier sees and approves all the damage so we can make a complete repair ensuring the vehicle’s safety, drivability and appearance is fully restored.

            You the owner, have to do your part to expedite the repair procedure.

1)      Take your vehicle to Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach so we can evaluate the damages and write a complete detailed estimate. This should be done prior to the insurance company seeing it, because it is often hard for an insurance representative to add to their figure when items are overlooked.

2)      If the vehicle is not drivable notify your insurance carrier that the vehicle is at our repair facility.

3)      Because you are the owner of the vehicle, the liable insurance carrier is obligated to pay you, not Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach. This means they will send you the repair check. If you do not receive the check after four or five days after an agreed figure has been secured, you should call your agent or contact person. It is your responsibility to make sure the check is available at the time the repairs are completed.

4)      When the vehicle is financed or leased, the insurance company is obligated to put the lien holder’s name on the check along with yours. It is your responsibility to call the lien holder and find out what is required to get them to endorse the check.  When the vehicle repairs are complete, the check must have all the proper endorsements on it so it will be in a cashable state.    

5)      You do not have to cash the check. It can be signed over to Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach. 

6)      In the event that you have an open account with us, please note that insurance claim repairs can not be applied to your account. We have labor & part obligations and feel if all the previous steps are adhered to, the funds should be available at the time the repairs are completed.

7)      The insurance company may take deductions from the repair cost for depreciation and if applicable, the deductible. These deductions are taken based on your policy and by the insurance industry standards. These deductions are applied at the time the insurance company writes their appraisal. Please ask your insurance representative to see what your responsibility will be. This cost, not covered by your insurance company, will need to be paid at the time of delivery.

8)      In the event of a supplement, we at Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach will submit all the documentation, and photos, requested by your insurance company, so they will reimburse you. Again the insurance company will pay the owner for these additional repairs. The owner is responsible to pay Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach.

Thank you, for taking the time to read these procedures. Merrill & Son's Truck & Coach intent is to make sure you are well informed to make the repair procedure and the claim process go as quickly and smoothly as possible. Having an accident is usually an unpleasant experience. Hopefully we can make this procedure as painless as possible. Please feel free to call us any time you have a question or concerns.

Sincerely

Merrill & Sons Truck & Coach