Insurance companies and body shops have had their hands full since a severe hailstorm hit the Golden Triangle on March 11, as car and home owners make claims for repairs.
Cindy McPherson, a customer service representative with Alfa Insurance in Columbus, said her office is among those fielding more calls than normal.
“Since March 12, the day after the storm, we have received at least 60 calls for insurance claims. This is for people who had damages to their cars and trucks as well as homes,” she said.
The damage claims to cars and trucks is for hail damaging the hood, roof, sides and trunk areas. Damage to homes when hit by hail comes mostly in the form of roof shingles.
“When hail hits the roof shingles and takes away the granules, that will cause problems to your roof down the road if the problem is not fixed soon,” McPherson said.
Pete Perkins, an Allstate agent, said he does not have any specific numbers in terms of claims, but claims adjusters have spent time at his Columbus office recently.
“In a case like this where there is weather-related damage, clients call the adjuster to make their claim. Normally, we receive about three to four claims a week. In the past two weeks, they have tripled,” he said.
John Acker, a State Farm agent, said his office has received at least 300 claims for auto and home damage as a result of the hail.
“Hailstorms are unique in that they are spotty. They strike one area, and leave another alone. We have gotten a lot of automobile and residential claims from the downtown Columbus area, and some from East Columbus, but not a lot of calls from Caledonia and New Hope,” he said.
Acker encourages people who are needing auto and home repair work to have their work done by professionals whose work they know.
“I encourage people to do business with those they are familiar with,” he said.
LeeAnn Hardin, whose family owns and operates Hardin”s Body and Glass on Lehmberg Road, said they have received a lot more business in recent days.
“We do what it is known as paintless dent repair. Our workers take special equipment, and take the dents out without having to do any paint work,” she said.
Body shops such as Hardin”s are not the only ones doing repair work on vehicles that suffered hail damage. John Renstrom, owner and manger of Hail Emergency Logistics Partnership, or HELP, has been in the Columbus area working in the old Premier Ford Used Car facility on Highway 45 North.
Renstrom, who is based out of South Dakota, travels around the country working with car dealerships and others to repair vehicles which suffered weather-related damage.
“I am mostly working on vehicles that were on the lot at Premier Ford. I have worked on at least 50 cars since I have been here,” he said.
Renstrom said most of the work he has done has been vehicles with light damage, which requires the paintless dent repair procedure.
“There was not a lot of hail damage done to these vehicles,” he said.
Nick Pancol, owner and manager of Professional Auto Hail Repair, has set up shop at 705 Highway 45 N., across from Watkins 45, and said all he does is work on vehicles with hail damage.
“We are a nationwide company, and get calls to go all over the country. We are different in our repair work than most body shops. We work to maintain the factory finish and warranty on your car. There is no painting required,” he said.
Pancol said when people bring their car or truck to his shop for work, he also helps them to file their claim with an insurance company.
“I deal with the adjuster or appraiser for your car”s inspection. I do free inspections,” he said.
Michelle Bankhead, who lives on Military Road, said she took her gray 2000 Chevrolet Impala to Pancol to let him handle the repair work.
“He did a very good job. We had golf ball-sized hail, and it caused some dents on the car,” she said.
Allen Baswell was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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