You asked for a discussion of “concierge service” auto insurance service options. You specifically wanted to know which carriers offer this service in Connecticut and whether any states have adopted laws regarding this option.

Concierge service is designed to save the owner of a vehicle that has been damaged but still can be driven time by having the insurance company, at no additional cost, manage the vehicle repair process. The owner can drop the vehicle off at selected service centers, and the insurer arranges for a repair estimate and the repair of the vehicle. When the repair work is completed, the vehicle is returned to the center. The insurers also allow a driver to rent a car on site while his vehicle is being repaired. Currently, Progressive Insurance, Safeco, and St. Paul Travelers Insurance offer concierge service at selected locations in Connecticut. Progressive has a service center in Hartford, Safeco has centers in Hartford and Stamford, and St. Paul Travelers has a center in Newington. For all three companies, this service is optional, and insureds can continue to take their damaged vehicles to other repair facilities.

Further information about this option is available at the companies' websites, http: //claims. progressive. com/corporate/concierge_service. asp,

http: //www. safecoagent. com/story_detail. php?a_id=921, and

http: //www. travelers. com/spt01portalmain. asp?startpage=/claim_services/pl/conciergeclaim. asp, respectively.

Other insurers, such as Allstate and State Farm, offer similar "direct repair" service at auto repair shops but do not have on-site car rental services. They also allow customers to choose from dozens of repair shops.

The only legislation we are aware of in this area is an act (AB 1079) adopted in California in 2004 that specifies that the vehicle owner, or his designee, but not the insurer, must approve the repair estimate. Staff at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, and Progressive Insurance (the first company to offer this option nationally) were not aware of any other states that have adopted laws or regulations that specifically deal with this product. NAIC staff note that while several states bar insurers from requiring insureds to use specific repair shops (including Connecticut CGS § 38a-354), the concierge programs are optional and would not be prohibited under these laws.

KM: dw