SECURA Claims team delivers genuine compassion, care, and service
It’s a heart-stopping moment when you realize your property has been destroyed.
Adrenaline and emotions are in overdrive, and it’s difficult to think clearly. You are so overwhelmed, but thankfully, if you have insurance coverage from SECURA, you won’t have to go through this alone.
What should you do? What should you expect? Here are five things you should expect from our SECURA Claims team if you face a disaster.
Step 1: Call SECURA’s 24/7 claims number
It’s important to report your claim as soon as possible to help provide accurate information and establish a clear timeline. Early reporting also moves your claim forward more quickly and helps expedite any repairs or replacements.
To report your claim, you can use the form available on secura.net or call SECURA’s 24/7 claims number. No matter when you call, you’ll get a live person who is going to help you through your claim.
On nights and weekends, our answering service puts you in touch with one of our experienced claims supervisors or large loss professionals, who are trained in assessing and addressing a variety of claims. They’ll walk you through what you need to do immediately and let you know when you can expect a follow-up call from SECURA.
If the claim has the potential to be a “large loss”, something like a barn fire or a tornado that ripped a building off the foundation, a claims representative will call within one hour of first notice.
Step 2: Identify immediate needs and concerns
The on-call claims representative will help as much as possible by phone and assign a remote claims associate near you.
“It’s not unusual for our claims representatives to get there while a fire’s still smoldering or the dust is still settling,” said Devin O., SECURA Claims Manager. “We’re there to address immediate needs and alleviate concerns whether that’s securing the site or even setting up a place for a dairy farmer to milk their cows.”
As traumatic as it can be for policyholders, our claims team has extensive experience in helping handle these immediate needs. Usually, within a day or two, the policyholder receives an advance payment to help cover immediate needs.
Step 3: Investigate the cause of the loss
It’s important to understand what caused the loss.
“We find that our customers want to know how a fire started, for example. It offers some peace of mind and can help them avoid a recurrence,” Devin said. “It’s important from our standpoint as well because the coverage applies differently depending on the cause.”
After the immediate needs are addressed, SECURA will investigate large claims, and in some cases, bring in an outside expert. According to Devin, “We don’t want the loss to happen to you again or to anyone else, so we would like to understand the cause. In some cases, we’re able to use the information to help our other policyholders increase their safety measures.”
Preserving evidence
Evidence supports the facts of a claim and can help protect against fraud, as well as prevent disputes and delays in the claims process. Evidence should be preserved until the claim is fully resolved. If a claim goes to court, all relevant evidence needs to be preserved; loss of evidence can undermine credibility, even if it’s an innocent mistake.
Evidence can include:
- Documents from the scene, such as photos, videos, and notes
- Receipts, purchase orders, and estimates
- Financial records, including payroll documents, tax returns, and sales reports
- Conversation history or correspondence
- Digital evidence, such as device logs from water sensors or alarms, security system alerts, and GPS data
- Physical items, such as damaged materials or broken components related to the loss
- Service records, inspections, and maintenance logs
- Witness statements
Step 4: Coverage meeting to discuss ways to make the policyholder “whole”
Within a few days, the SECURA claims representative meets with you to review your policy’s coverages and limits.
“We also talk about the damage, the value, next steps, and a host of other things, so that you have a good understanding of how your SECURA policy will work for you,” Devin said. “Policy language can be tough to understand, so we answer any questions as we look for ways to cover your claim within the policy. Thankfully, our underwriters and agents do a great job of assessing risk and property values, so policyholders usually have the coverage they need.”
After the meeting, a recap is sent by mail or email for easy reference.
Step 5: Payments and continued service
After the coverage meeting, we process the claim, so you get a check for the actual cash value of the lost property. Most SECURA policies also include replacement cost coverage, and the claims process continues as the policyholder rebuilds or replaces the insured property.
When the work is complete, any final payments are sent and the claim is marked complete.
“Honestly, I hope you never need to work with a member of our large loss team,” Devin said. “But if you do, I want you to know how much we care. We will be there to assist you, to help you recover, and to do everything we can to help you get back to the life you had before the claim.”