Question

Anil has his automobile insured with ABC Insurance through his agent, Chad. Returning to his car in a shopping mall parking lot, Anil sees that vandals have spray painted graffiti on his vehicle. He calls Chad to report the damage and ask what he should do. Chad tells him to report the vandalism to the police, follow their instructions, and then take the vehicle home and wait for a call from a claim representative. Chad then reports the loss to ABC. Melissa is the claim representative assigned Anil's loss. Which one of the following will be the first step Melissa takes?

1) Contact Anil to gather more information about the incident
2) Contact the police to gather more information about the incident
3) Contact Chad to gather more information about the incident
4) Contact ABC Insurance to gather more information about the incident

Answer 1

Melissa, the claim representative, will start the claims process by first contacting Anil to gather more information about the vandalism of his vehicle. She needs to understand the incident from the policyholder's viewpoint to decide the coverage and subsequent steps. Other processes such as police report review and vehicle inspection follow this initial contact.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Melissa, the claim representative assigned to Anil's loss, begins her process, her first step will be to contact Anil to gather more information about the incident. It's vital for the claims representative to understand the policyholder's perspective and details of the occurrence. Melissa will need to assess the situation by asking Anil for information such as the time and location of the vandalism, a description of the damage, any witnesses, and whether a police report has been filed.

After collecting this data from Anil, Melissa can then proceed with further steps such as reviewing the police report, contacting any witnesses, and arranging for a vehicle inspection. Understanding what happened from the policyholder's viewpoint is crucial for the claims process. It also helps in determining whether the incident is covered under the terms of the policy and what the next steps should be in terms of repairs or compensation.