How to report a claim with The General
- Phone: 1-800-280-1466, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Online on thegeneral.com, or in The General mobile app.
- Hit by a driver insured with The General? Use their “File Third-Party Claim” option.
You choose the shop, not The General
California's Auto Body Repair Consumer Bill of Rights says it plainly: an insurance company can't require you to have the repairs done at a specific body shop. You also have the right to a written, itemized estimate, to know what your policy covers for towing, storage and a rental car, and to get your own estimate from a registered shop while your claim is open.
The General is an agency that places policies with insurance partners and is part of the Sentry Insurance Group. Your right to choose the repair shop in California doesn’t change with the company.
Check your coverage first
Many budget policies are liability-only. That pays for the other person’s car, not yours. If you were not at fault, the claim goes to the other driver’s insurer. If you were at fault and have only liability, we can still give you a written estimate and repair it as self-pay, with no work starting until you approve it.
How we handle a The General claim at GV
- Tow or drop-off. If the car can't be driven, we tow it to our shop in Downtown LA for free when we do the repair.
- Photos and teardown. We document all the damage, including what's hidden behind the bumper and panels.
- Estimate and adjuster. We send the estimate and photos to The General and work directly with the adjuster.
- Supplements. If more damage shows up during the repair, we send The General a supplement for approval before we continue.
- Repair and report. Factory procedures, color-matched paint, a written report with photos at pickup, and a 3-year warranty on body and paint.
You get text updates the whole way. Hablamos español.
GV Auto Collision is an independent repair shop and is not affiliated with The General. Insurer phone numbers and programs are taken from The General's website and can change; check your policy and insurance card. General information, not legal advice.