We are open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm except for holidays. Except for one or two companies that have 800 numbers and 24/7 claim reporting, there is not anyone in the company offices to report claims to on weekends. If you do have a claim, please call the office and speak to one of the agents or leave a message. We will process the claim and / or return your call on the next business day. If your claim is auto related, it is best to just call the number on the back of your insurance card, as ALL auto claims will require the adjuster to speak to the driver.
Always call the office to make changes to your coverage. You cannot, nor can we, bind, change, cancel, or otherwise do insurance business by text or voicemail. We need to hear from you or see you, and certainly to get a new policy going, to remove coverage, or to cancel a policy, we require your signature. An email is typically OK, but you can’t send it Friday night and expect coverage for Saturday, when we will not even see the email until Monday morning. Cell phones are for emergency use only, and just don’t work well in metal buildings or from many different areas surrounding us. If we have a bad connection, please understand it is not us. We need to know the exact VIN of that vehicle or the exact drivers license number. In person is always best!
We do not handle claims. We may participate in the claim process as far as pictures, submitting the claim for some companies, or sending in your signed letters or faxing documents for you. Most companies will require you to call in and do a recorded statement of what happened. We do not get involved in, nor are we allowed to, as far as decisions on how much you will be paid or how long the process will take. You will deal with the adjuster on ALL concerns related to the claim. Remember that you are responsible for protecting your property from further damage. If we have a windstorm and you have shingles blown off, you need to take action to tarp the roof if you deem it necessary to prevent water damage to your home. If you call a roofer or other contractor to do this, and your claim meets the deductible, this cost will become part of the claim as well.
You will never profit from insurance. Insurance is designed to put you back in the same shape you were in prior to the claim, minus your deductible of course. If you insure something for $100,000 and it can be replaced for $80,000, then the $80,000 minus your deductible is the most the company would ever be liable for. There is no such thing as stated value on homes or daily use vehicles. There is Replacement Cost, and there is Actual Cash Value. If you do not understand these terms, please ask us to explain them to you. The company will ALWAYS, EVERY TIME, require a Police Report for any theft or burglary claims. Always contact law enforcement FIRST!! As far as getting your roof repaired or your car fixed after a claim is made; you can get the repairs made by anyone you want. Some companies will ask you to provide an estimate for the repairs before authorizing payment, and some will not. We do not tell you who to use.
We do offer several optional endorsements for homes, autos, and farms. Items like roadside assistance, gap coverage, earthquake, equipment breakdown, water sewer backup, and full glass coverage are all available providing your other coverage allows for the endorsement. For instance, some companies will not offer roadside assistance on a vehicle with liability only coverage. The commercials on TV make you think that your car will be replaced is something happens to it-and we can offer that in certain situations with new vehicles, but it always costs extra. They don’t tell you that in the commercial, do they.
A higher deductible will always result in lower insurance premiums. If you do want lower deductibles on your home, farm, or auto, expect the premium to be higher. This is called co-insurance, and it is about how much of the risk you are willing to accept yourself, and how much you want the company to be responsible for. All of our companies will fix glass chips for example, but they do show up as a claim on your insurance history. Your insurance history is used in determining your future rates.
If you have Roadside Assistance or Towing, we also DO NOT make that call for you. You call the number on your insurance card in some cases, and in others you just get towed or have the tire fixed or whatever the issue is by whoever you choose, and the company will reimburse you.
Changes in your life require changes in your insurance coverage. Have you gotten married? Maybe you got divorced. Perhaps you have a new driver in the family. If you are in that age group that has a lot of responsibilities such as a mortgage, kids in or planning to go to college, or young children at home, you need to consider life insurance. If something happens to you, will your spouse and children be able to continue with the life you have planned? We can help with all of these situations. You will be amazed how inexpensive life insurance can be.
Curtman Insurance Agency
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