Take the Right Steps in the Insurance Claims Process
At Preferred Mutual, we understand your priorities. That’s why they become our priorities. We call that living assured.
Every year, thousands of people file insurance claims; whether they’ve been in a car accident, their house caught fire, or because their cat played with the faucet and left the water running. While all of these incidents can be prevented to
the best of our abilities, accidents do happen. Luckily, you have Preferred Mutual!
You’ve taken a defensive driving class, just in case. You’ve had the tree closest to the windows in the back of the house removed, just in case. Before your holiday vacation, you’ve unplugged as many appliances as you
could reach. Try as we might, accidents can, and do, happen.
What doesn’t happen by accident? Safety. Call the authorities immediately!
This step is paramount. Your safety and the safety of others involved are a priority. Calling the appropriate authorities will not only ensure your safety at the scene (they know what they’re doing), but the information they obtain while on
scene is also extremely helpful to have on file for you, especially if there are other parties involved. That report will have unbiased descriptions of the incident.
We have seen firsthand that details of the event fade as time passes, especially if the incident was particularly traumatizing. We also recommend avoiding discussing fault when speaking with anyone at the scene of the accident.
The police report will help you and your adjuster understand the details of the accident.
Collect as much information as you can!
Whether you blew a tire driving through a pothole, or you were involved in a motor vehicle accident, the more information we have regarding the incident, the quicker we can get to working through it for you.
For example, if you’re in an auto accident – Mark the location of the accident, where you were when it happened, and where the other vehicle(s) were. Take a photo of the other party’s insurance card, driver’s license, get accurate year, make, model, color, license plate
number and state of all other vehicle(s), as well as taking down all passengers names.
We also recommend identifying the names of the officers who arrive at the scene, too.
Call your independent agent as soon as it is safe to do so. They can quickly walk you through your policy, discuss deductibles and help steer you in the right direction.
You’ll also want to log into MYPreferred or call 800-333-7642 to report your claim.
Once we receive your initial claim, you’ll be assigned a claims representative. That representative will work with you through all aspects of the claim, including contacting other parties (if applicable).
Once you have a claims representative, they will assign an appraiser to get an estimate on damages sustained during the incident.
From there, our claims and appraising teams will work together to resolve the claim for you as quickly as possible! A lot of behind the scenes action takes place at this point, so it is completely understandable that if you haven’t heard from
us, we stopped working on your claim.
We’re here to tell you that is completely untrue! We understand how quick our response needs to be, and we will strive to get you back up and running as soon as possible. At Preferred Mutual, we understand your priorities. That’s why they
become our priorities. We call that living assured.