JH
Joseph Harrison
Jul 1, 2026
Terrible experience, particularly the amount of time it took and the communication from Gerber. The timeline:
5/10: I accidentally rear end someone (at low speed, ~2 mph) in our van. It sustains minor damage to the hood (warped and scratched) and front grate (cracked).
5/11: I book an appointment with Gerber for 5/18. We notice the hybrid battery isn't charging when plugged in.
5/18: The van won't start, so we call a tow truck to get it to Gerber. I hear nothing from Gerber until...
5/27: I call Gerber for an update. They tell me they will have my estimator call me as soon as he can.
5/28: My estimator calls me and informs me they have completed an initial estimate, but doesn't know what is going on with the hybrid battery not charging. He recommends I have the car towed to the Chrysler dealership to have them check out the hybrid battery and make sure its not damaged. There is no way the accident could have caused damage to the hybrid battery so State Farm says: no way not covering that. A quick google search tells me the most likely issue is the fact that the hood latch switch isn't engaging (because the hood is warped, it constantly registers as the hood being open even when closed). This triggers a fault in the computer system that means it will refuse to charge the hybrid battery. I inform Gerber of this fact and ask them to repair the van per the estimate they have via my State Farm rep. I hear nothing more from Gerber until...
6/5: A week later, having heard nothing from Gerber in the last week, I call asking for an update. My estimator informs me that they have done nothing and will not work on the car until the hybrid system is inspected by the dealership. This must be done at my cost, because the insurance won't cover it. I make an appointment with the dealership for Monday the 8th.
6/8: I pick up the car from Gerber, jump it, and drive it across the street to the Chrysler dealership. Chrysler figures out by the end of that day that the problem is, in fact, the hood latch switch not engaging due to the hood warping. Huh, who could have guessed that?
6/9: I pick the car up from the dealership, pay them out of pocket for the estimate and drive it back across the street to Gerber.
6/11: Gerber calls me to let me know they got the information I provided from the dealership and to ask if I want to proceed with repairs.
6/17: I call Gerber to ask for an update. They inform me they had to order some additional parts they didn't have on hand and are waiting for those to be delivered.
6/25: Gerber tells State Farm that the repairs are complete. This triggers a cascade, where State Farm tells Enterprise that they will no longer be paying for the rental car on 6/26.
6/26: I get a text message from Enterprise saying I need to return the rental car or pay for it myself. I suspect the truth: That Gerber told someone (again, not me) that my car was ready, so I call Gerber asking for information. My estimator informs me that they thought it was done, but that they had failed to reattach the front bumper correctly and so they needed to order yet more additional parts to properly attach the bumper. I inform him of what's going on with the rental and he tells me someone at Gerber probably marked the car as complete when they shouldn't have. I then frantically call State Farm, who quickly get my rental approval extended out a few more days.
6/29: I call Gerber asking for an update again. I am informed at the end of the day that the bumper brackets just came in and they will get the car finished first thing in the morning.
6/30: Gerber calls me again to tell me there is an issue with the front radar system (error code of some kind. If you couldn't guess, the sensors for this are in the front bumper), that they need to resolve before they can return the car to me.
7/1: Our car is finally done. I pick it up, and pay the deductible.