Ameriprise, which sells policies in 44 states and is the 35th-largest personal auto insurer in the U.S., has launched a new “Shop of Choice” program to allow collision repair shops outside its direct repair program to upload estimates and photos to the insurer.
The company says customers filing a claim will still be encouraged to use a shop in Ameriprise’s “Values in Partnership” DRP. But if they don’t, they will be given a control number and told about the Shop of Choice claims processing website, which is built around a NuGen IT system.
A shop that is registered on that system (a process that takes 10-15 minutes) can then upload estimates, photos and supplements to Ameriprise, and check online for status updates. Registering does not require any parts discounts or other concessions, but does require the use of one of the three major estimating systems.
While payment will still go through the customer, Ameriprise says it may add direct-to-shop payment to the system.
Follow this link for more information on submitting an Ameriprise estimate online