Confusion reigns in Manitoba bodyshops as repairers field calls from storm-damaged drivers and staff at the provincial insurance company work through thousands of claims stemming from a June 9 storm system.
The storm brought large hail, heavy rain, flooding, wind damage and confirmed tornado activity to parts of southern Manitoba. MPI staff said Wednesday that more than 8,000 claims had been received, including hail, flood and wind damage.
The volume comes after MPI staff told accredited autobody and glass repair shops that estimate appointments would no longer be scheduled for incoming hail claims. MPI’s June 10 notice said customers would be contacted later to schedule appointments, with non-driveable vehicles prioritized.
The notice also said MPI staff were working on dedicated locations for estimating and would not accept initial hail estimates from repair shops.
MPI’s public update said customers with damaged vehicles that can still be safely driven should open claims online. Customers with vehicles that cannot be driven because of storm damage were told to call MPI’s contact centre directly. The update said staff were prioritizing the most severe claims through the Contact Centre.
Several repairers said it had been difficult to reach MPI. Collision Repair was also unable to reach MPI by phone Friday afternoon, when the insurer’s contact centre was unable to take the call due to call volume.
Some shops are already seeing vehicles arrive for temporary glass repairs and safety-related work. Others say the larger body repair and paintless dent repair surge may not arrive until MPI staff begin moving more hail claims through the estimating process.
A representative of Eastside Collision Centre said the shop was dealing with a surge in storm-related repair requests following the storm.
A Winnipeg shop owner, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said her business had not yet seen the full rush because many customers were still waiting for estimates through MPI.
“We aren’t going to feel it until they get through the estimates,” she said. “People are asking us what to do, and we’re waiting for clearer instructions.”
Moe Zahara, an assistant manager at Abas Auto Body, said flooding near the shop had added another layer to the hail claims surge.
“It looks a bit like Venice in Stoney Creek right now,” Zahara said. “The town was hit so badly, people are using canoes to assess the damage.”
Zahara said the shop is PDR-equipped and expects hail repair work to follow once MPI staff begin clearing the claim backlog.
“Our shop is PDR-equipped, which seems like a very good decision right now,” Zahara said. “Once MPI is able to deal with its backlog, we’ll be ready.”
According to several unconfirmed reports, MPI staff are considering opening service stations at bodyshops. MPI had not confirmed those details by publication time.
Environment Canada confirmed at least one tornado touched down near Ste. Anne during the storm, while other reported tornadoes remained under investigation. Large hail was also reported across parts of southern Manitoba, including very large hail near Otterburne and tennis ball-sized hail in Winnipeg and Sanford.
MPI’s temporary procedures allow glass-only facilities and autobody facilities to open some claims through Mitchell Cloud Glass when hail-related glass damage has made a vehicle unsafe to drive.
For vehicles with an existing physical damage claim, MPI’s notice told autobody facilities to email images of the vehicle’s four corners, damaged glass, VIN and licence plate. The notice said MPI staff would then create an 02 suffix and advise the facility to proceed with temporary repairs.
The Automotive Trades Association of Manitoba told members this week that physical damage and glass claims had already been trending above last year’s levels before the storm. After the June 9 event, the association warned repair facilities to expect additional demand from damaged windshields, back glass and side glass.
Collision Repair magazine reached out to MPI for comment but was unable to make contact before publication.
