Insurance companies and auto body shops are trying to keep up after a rash of hailstorms left hundreds of damaged homes and vehicles in its wake.
Ossama Kharfan, manager of Carstar Okotoks said the shop has done close to 400 repairs since the June 28 storm hit.
“That’s just the tip of the iceberg,” said Kharfan. “There are a lot of people holding out until the end of the season.”
He said most repairs in their shop have ranged from $2,000 to between $6,000 - $7,000. The cost to repair is based on a matrix, which takes into account the number of dents and their size, he said.
There is a threshold – more than a certain number of dents will mean replacing a hood or a roof because it would cost more to repair it, he said.
No matter how severe the damage may seem, Kharfan said he recommends people get their vehicles assessed because sometimes looks can be deceiving. On some light-coloured vehicles, the extent of damage may not be obvious, he said.
Even minor damage that seems cosmetic should be taken care of, he said.
“Would I suggest you get it fixed? Absolutely,” said Kharfan.
There are two main reasons for addressing hail damage as soon as possible, he said. The first is resale – extensive hail damage could affect the price tag of a vehicle in the future.
The second is more concerning, he said. Insurance companies could deny future claims based on existing dents.
“Down the road, if you get in another collision, insurance could actually come back and say it’s prior damage so they don’t even pay to replace it,” said Kharfan. “Unfortunately, sometimes that does happen, and the insurance companies consider it a ‘no-loss.’”
He said the amount of traffic coming through his shop this year is second only to the major hailstorm that wiped out vehicles across Calgary during the Stampede in 2010.
In both cases, thousands of people were hit at the same time and making claims at once, he said.
“We can’t take everyone in all at once,” said Kharfan. “So the biggest thing is trying to accommodate all of our customers in a reasonable timeframe.”
Despite long waits and uncertainty with what the future holds for weather, he said people should always claim damage on their vehicles after every major storm.
Technicians in the auto body shop can tell the difference between damage from two different storms, he said, and legally every storm should be a separate claim. When a vehicle is assessed, the size and number of dents is documented, so additional damage should be handled separately with insurance companies.
“I would say always make the claim no matter what,” said Kharfan. “Make the claim and get it repaired because it could affect you down the road.”
Melissa Rioux, assistant manager at Western Financial Group, said insurance companies prefer claims are filed immediately, though most provide a one or two-year window for damage to be assessed.
“A lot can happen in a year or two though, and you don’t want a claim to come back as no-loss,” said Rioux.
She said hail repair can be claimed by anyone with comprehensive coverage, but those with liability only would not be able to file a claim.
For homeowners, she said hail damage should be reported and repaired as soon as possible to prevent further issues, like water leaks due to pierced siding.
She recommends having the extent of home damage assessed prior to filing a claim, because the deductible can be restrictive.
“The increased number of claims in the last couple of years has caused as increase in the deductible,” said Rioux. “Most have a deductible of $2,500.”
She said people should not be surprised to find it takes weeks to close a claim.
“Due to the volume of claims this year, it could take a while for insurance adjusters to get back to people,” said Rioux. “Typically the timeframe for response would be 24 to 48 hours, but we’ve been hearing some are taking one or two weeks.”
