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With or without legislative support, Progressive has moved forward with its plans to offer "Concierge Services" to California consumers. With the opening of its first service center in San Diego, located in an upscale business park, Progressive offers its customers the choice of using either a traditional body shop or Concierge Service, a time-saving accident claims/repair process that Progressive boasts takes only minutes of the customer's time.
 | Progressive's Service Center in San Diego is clean and bright with eager young represen- tatives ready to serve clients. Customers drop off their cars and Progressive inspects the vehicles, then assigns them to body shops. Since it is not a repair facility, Progressive says it does not need to register with the BAR.
| According to Progressive, many drivers whose vehicles were repaired after an accident estimate that they spent at least four days of their time arranging for alternate transportation, getting repair estimates, finding a shop, getting updates, and inspecting the repairs. Progressive's "Concierge" level of claims service oversees all elements of the vehicle repair on behalf of the driver, reducing the time spent managing the claims repair process to about 15 minutes. At the Service Center, Progressive works with a representative from the body shop selected to perform the repairs to oversee all elements of the vehicle repair process. A driver drops off the damaged vehicle and can leave in a rental car, assured that a claims representative will handle the repair process from beginning to end and that the repairs will be guaranteed. The service is not limited to Progressive customers - it's also available to anyone involved in a claim with a Progressive insured. No repair work is done at the Service Center, located at 4141 Ruffin Road. The center's responsibilities include inspecting damaged vehicles, writing the estimate and facilitating repair. How the Concierge process works According to Progressive • 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 their way in a rental car with assurance that Progressive will keep them informed of the status of their claim throughout the repair process. • A Progressive claims representative prepares a repair estimate and selects a pre-approved repair facility. Within 24 hours of drop-off, a representative from Progressive and the repair facility will contact the customer, review the details of the repair estimate and obtain authorization from the customer for the shop to repair the car; 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 by the shop 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. The vehicle is then inspected again with the customer. • The customer signs the final work order provided by the shop and 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. | The shop is equipped with pneumatic tools and a vehicle lift to allow inspection of damaged vehicles, but no major tear down takes place at the service center. Progressive claims representatives at the Service Center decide which of the approved body shops will do the repairs based on the shop's availability to complete the job. There are approximately 14 shops in the San Diego Concierge program. Responsibility for obtaining the repair authorization from the customer, as required by California law, lies with the body shop. Not registered with BAR Since it is not a repair facility, the Service Center is not registered with the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR). According to Progressive spokesman William Perry, "The San Diego Service Center is compliant with California law." The Califonia Autobody Association (CAA) is not so certain of that. "We can't say they're breaking the law," said CAA Executive Director David McClune. "Only the BAR or the Department of Insurance could question their procedure." McClune noted that Progressive could simply register with the BAR and avoid the controversy, "But they apparently don't want to be do so, probably because they would then be subject to BAR regulations." McClune noted that Progressive pushed for legislation (A.B. 303) that would allow the insurer to stand in the shoes of its insured and authorize repairs. Appeals to a young clientele Tyler Cook, 32, is the manager of the San Diego Service Center. He supervises a staff of 10, including customer service reps and damage appraisers. The customer service staff appears to be mostly 20-something, greeting customers from in front of a huge mural of a smiling, happy young woman at the beach. Progressive says that Cook and all of the claims representatives have received extensive, on-going training in damage assessment and estimating. "Accidents do happen and when they do, no matter how minor, they are a major inconvenience for San Diego drivers who then have to spend a lot of time managing the vehicle repair process themselves," offered Cook. "By using a service that handles all aspects of the repair process for them, people can save time and spend it the way they want to." Continued Cook, "The Service Center approach is simple and it works. "It shortens the amount of time customers have to spend dealing with claims from about four days to about 15 minutes and can also reduce the time it takes to get their car back after an accident." Progressive Concierge, 4141 Ruffin Road, San Diego 858-503-4800. |
