The insurance company generally has approximately 30 days to investigate your claim. Documenting damage to your vehicle with your smartphone is a good idea, but it's not the best way to get an accurate estimate for repairing damage to your car. Photographic estimates of auto insurance claims leave drivers at a disadvantage, as they could drive an unsafe vehicle and have to pay large out-of-pocket expenses. After an accident, it's always best to have a mechanic check any damaged vehicle to confirm that it's safe to drive.
Keep in mind that car accident investigations can take months to complete if there are serious injuries, multiple drivers and cars involved, and if it is unknown who was at fault. Filing a car insurance claim can be a difficult process, and you're not the only one with questions about how things work. Most major auto insurance companies, such as Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Greco and Progressive, offer their policyholders the option of quickly obtaining an estimate of vehicle damage by taking photos and videos with their smartphone and uploading them through the company's app. This information is not an insurance policy, does not refer to any specific insurance policy, and does not modify any provision, limitation, or exclusion that is expressly stated in any insurance policy.
If you are not insured by Progressive or are a Progressive customer without logging in to your account, you can report or view an existing claim here. The insurance company generally has approximately 30 days to investigate your car insurance claim, although the number of days varies by state. Depending on where you live and what car insurance policy you have, you may have the legal right to choose where your car will be serviced.
