1,200 Hours of Productivity are Lost as a Result of The More Than 240 Car Crashes That Happen in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale Each Day
Drivers Involved In Crashes Report Spending Four Days' Time Managing Claims/Repair Process; New Service from Progressive Cuts That to 15 Minutes
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 31 -- More than 88,500 car accidents happen in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area each year -- that's about 1,700 a week and more than 240 a day. And, while 41 percent of all claims handled by Progressive in the area are considered minor in terms of repair costs since they cause less than $2,000 in damage per vehicle, the time wasted and inconvenience caused are anything but minor. About 40 percent of drivers involved in crashes report spending four or more days managing the process of getting their vehicles repaired. This means drivers here collectively lose nearly 12,000 hours of time -- that's more than four years -- managing the claims/repair process because of minor accidents that happen every day.
Not anymore. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060116/PROGRESSLOGO )
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies today announced the opening of its second Service Center in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area; drivers locally can now receive a "concierge" level of claims service that reduces the time each driver spends on the claims/repair process from four days to about 15 minutes. And the service is not limited to just Progressive customers - it's also available to anyone involved in a claim handled by Progressive.
With Progressive's new Service Center, a driver simply drops off the damaged vehicle at one of two Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area Service Centers and, in about 15 minutes, can leave in a rental car assured that a claims representative will handle the process from beginning to end and that the repairs will be guaranteed. Without a Service Center, drivers have to spend several days doing everything themselves -- arranging for alternate transportation, getting repair estimates, finding a shop, getting updates, inspecting the repairs, etc.
"Any accident, no matter how minor, is a major inconvenience for drivers because they have to spend a lot of time managing the vehicle repair process themselves," said Jose Benitez, claims general manager, Progressive. "People can save time by using our new concierge level of claims service, which handles all aspects of the repair process for them so they can spend their time doing things they want to do."
The opening of the new Service Center at 3710 West Commercial Blvd. marks the 36th Progressive Service Center in the U.S. There are now seven Service Centers in Florida -- two in the Orlando area and one each in Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach.
How the Service Center Works
- The customer calls Progressive to report the claim any time of the day
or night and then schedules an appointment to bring the vehicle to the
specially designed Service Center.
- In about 15 minutes, the customer can be on his or her way in a rental
car with assurance that Progressive will keep him or her informed of
the status of the claim throughout the repair process.
- A Progressive claims representative prepares a repair estimate and
contacts an auto body shop based on its track record of providing
superior service and ability to begin work promptly. Both Progressive
and the shop reach agreement on the cost of the repairs; the shop then
transports the vehicle from the Service Center to its facility and the
repair work begins.
- When the work is finished, the vehicle is returned to the Service
Center where representatives from both Progressive and the body shop
inspect the quality of repairs.
- Once satisfied with the repair quality, Progressive calls the customer
and asks him or her to return to the Service Center where, together
with the claims representative, the customer inspects the repairs.
- The customer then leaves with a written guarantee on the repairs that
both Progressive and the body shop stand behind as long as the customer
owns the vehicle.
All Service Center people handle claims for Progressive Direct(SM) and Drive(R) Insurance from Progressive customers and undergo specialized claims and customer satisfaction training at the company's expanded claims training facility in Tampa, Fla.
Progressive employs more than 13,200 claims people in more than 460 offices countrywide. Although this concierge level of claims service is not yet available in all markets where Progressive operates claims offices, claims representatives there continue to personally handle each customer's claim from start to finish.
The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation and fourth in Florida for auto insurance based on premiums written and provides drivers with competitive rates and 24/7 in- person and online service. The products and services of the Progressive Direct Group of Insurance Companies are marketed directly to consumers by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE and online at www.progressivedirect.com through the Progressive Direct(SM) brand. The products and services of the Drive Group of Progressive Insurance Companies are offered by more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies and online at www.driveinsurance.com through the Drive(R) Insurance from Progressive brand. More information can be found at www.progressive.com.
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: Jose Benitez, claims general manager, Progressive, is available for interview. Customer testimonials available upon request.