Mercury Insurance Assists Homeowners Insurance Policyholders File Claims by Enabling Virtual Property Tours to Assess Damage

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 12, 2020) – Maintaining a germ-free residence and keeping distance from those outside of the household is a top priority for Americans across the country who are under stay-at-home orders. However, if a house needs repairs due to a covered homeowners insurance loss, the damage will require evaluation to determine the repair costs and professionals will have to restore the property. Mercury Insurance offers homeowners who need to file an insurance claim a close-to-contactless solution, by adding technology that allows them to use real-time video to capture and assess property damage to the claims process.

“Mercury is dedicated to providing excellent service to our policyholders through accurate and efficient resolution of their homeowners claims. We are determined to provide that level of service despite the challenges posed by COVID-19,” said Christopher O’Rourke, Mercury Insurance vice president of property claims. “Of course, we want to ensure the safety of our insureds and our staff, so when possible, we use technology that allows our policyholders to take our claims handlers on a virtual tour of their homes in real-time to assess the damage and create an estimate. Should this approach be insufficient, we limit the number of people visiting the home through the use of virtual inspection technology by our network of general contractors.

“Mercury partners with contractors who have been vetted, whose work is guaranteed, and who are compliant with CDC recommendations for those who come in contact with the public.”

Mercury’s Claims Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (800) 503-3724 for policyholders who need to file a claim. Once the claim is assigned to a claims handler, the policyholder is contacted for more details about the loss, and is also provided instructions for how to download and launch the claims processing app on a smartphone.

The app enables the policyholder to share high fidelity video while talking to the claims handler, who can then accurately see what needs to be repaired.

A Mercury policyholder in Highland, Calif. recently went through the claims process after discovering wet carpeting in her master bedroom and closet. The cause of the leak was obscured by a wall, so her claims handler Nick Sandoval partnered with a Mercury-approved contractor, who visited the home to find the problem.

Sandoval was included on the contractor’s virtual inspection, where it was determined that the shower pan in the standup shower had failed, preventing water from draining properly. The virtual inspection allowed Sandoval to remotely work with the contractor to establish the scope of repairs, which included drywall and baseboard repair in two rooms, as well as the replacement of the carpet pad and carpeting.

“Once our insured agreed to the estimate and to move forward with the contractor I offered, I was able to issue a check for the repairs within three days,” said Sandoval. “She was very pleased with the timeliness of the claim’s progression throughout the whole process.”

“The system we’ve implemented to process claims benefits everyone,” said O’Rourke. “Policyholders appreciate fewer folks coming into their home and having a guaranteed contractor to work with, and our claims handlers appreciate that they have an alternative to home visits that might put them at risk.”

Mercury’s Customer Giveback Program and its new partnership with the California Medical Association’s Care 4 Caregivers Now wellness program for healthcare workers are additional ways the company is assisting Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visit https://www.mercuryinsurance.com/insurance/homeowners/ to learn more about Mercury’s products and services.

About Mercury Insurance

Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and business insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices. For more information, visit www.mercuryinsurance.com or Facebook and follow the company on Twitter.

###