After an anonymous collision repairer in Nebraska forwarded an email from a State Farm estimator instructing repairers to not use PartsTrader to expedite claims involving a recent hail storm, State Farm released a statement clarifying what the email meant.
The repairer thought it was odd that State Farm would ask repairers to not use PartsTrader for the sake of efficiency, since PartsTrader has been billed as a more efficient way of ordering parts. The email from the State Farm estimator read:
In order to streamline the estimating process for storm losses related to June 3-4, 2014, it is NOT necessary to submit the estimates to PartsTrader for quotes. Continue to use PartsTrader to direct order all parts.
But State Farm issued its own interpretation of the email via its statement:
State Farm recognizes the impact extreme weather events have on our customers. Extreme weather events present unique challenges and result in claim handling processes that differ from normal business practices.
Depending on the volume of a weather event, State Farm may not offer customers the Select Service program because the volume would hinder a Select Service repairer’s ability to perform traditional repairs in a timely and efficient manner.
In cases when Select Service repairers are asked to participate in weather event losses, and are selected by the customer to repair their vehicle, we expect our Select Service business partners to provide the same service and to remain in compliance with the Select Service agreement.
In this case, the internal message to our business partners was just a reminder that the direct order functionality, which has always been available, is an option when alternative parts are not available. Misinformation in the industry continues to cause confusion. Local management felt this reminder would be helpful for our business partners in this particular situation.
