What do you do now?

Have you Been in an accident, and not sure what to do?

It is your decision where you have your vehicle repaired. Although your insurance company may direct you to have your repairs completed at one of their preferred shops it is still your decision in the end where you have your vehicle repaired and you should choose the shop that you feel most comfortable with.
A damage sticker is issued by the police/RCMP detachment that is located closest to area where the accident/damage took place. A damage sticker is issued once a police report and an estimate have been completed if the amount of damage on the vehicle exceeds $2000.00. ALL repairs that exceed the amount of $2000.00 require a damage sticker to be issued before a vehicle has any repairs completed.
Even though you may not be at fault for the collision you should still contact your own insurance company to notify them that an accident has taken place. Your insurance company is on your side and they can help alleviate some of the stress of the claims process by dealing with the third party insurance on your behalf.
A claim number is issued by your insurance company once a claim has been reported to them. If you have been involved in a collision you may contact your insurance company to start the claims process. The insurance company will then assign a claim number to your claim which is used to identify your file with them.
If the vehicle is drivable and still in safe driving condition we do require an appointment for an estimate. This appointment time ensures that you receive the appraiser’s full attention and that you receive the most accurate estimate of the damage to your vehicle. It takes approximately 30 minutes to have an estimate completed on your vehicle.
You must bring the vehicle that is to be estimated to the estimate appointment, it is very difficult to complete an accurate estimate of the damages with only photos of the damage. We also ask that you bring the vehicle as clean as possible so that we are able to do the most accurate estimate of the damage we can. If an insurance claim has been started it is also important to bring your claim number as well as your adjusters name so that we are able to get in contact with someone at the insurance company in regards to your claim.
If your vehicle is not drivable or not safe to drive after an accident you should contact your insurance company and then contact the body shop that you would like to have the repairs completed at and have them make arrangements to have the vehicle towed in or dropped off. You do not need to make an appointment for an estimate in this case. If you are not sure if your vehicle is drivable you may stop in during business hours and have the damages viewed by our appraiser who will determine whether or not it is safe to continue driving the vehicle until it is time to have the repairs completed.
The length of the repair depends on the amount of damage on the vehicle. Once an estimate has been completed we will be able to give you an idea of how long the repair will take based on your specific repair.
If applicable, the deductible is paid to the auto body/collision centre once the repairs have been completed and the vehicle is ready to be picked up. The deductible is an amount that is set between the insured and the insurance company at the time that the insurance is purchased. All customers are responsible for their deductible unless the shop has received notification from the insurance company that it has been waived. Payment for the deductible is accepted by Visa, MasterCard, Debit or cash. We do not accept cheques.
Betterment charges are charges that are applied to wearable/depreciating parts such as tires and/or previous damage. It is the insurance companies/third party’s responsibility to return your vehicle to pre-accident condition. If a collision has damaged a part of the vehicle that wears out over the course of its lifetime a betterment charge may be applied that accounts for amount of use that the part had sustained prior to the accident. This charge is set by the insurance company. Betterment charges are paid to the auto body/ collision centre when the repairs are completed and the vehicle is ready to be picked up.