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What happens after I file an insurance claim through Pirate Ship?

Learn about the next steps once you file an insurance claim, including how to check your claim status and where you'll receive your payout

Updated over 4 months ago

You’ve gathered your evidence, reached out to our Support Crew, and have officially submitted an insurance claim to Pirate Ship…so, now what?

  • Advice for When a Claim is Filed: Missing or damaged packages can be frustrating, but working with our team for a successful claim outcome doesn’t have to be 😎 Continue reading below for some advice on what to expect after you’ve submitted your claim!

Contacting our Insurance Team

  • Email Communication Only: Due to the detailed nature of insurance claims, our Insurance Team communicates via email only, meaning our live chat Support crew cannot provide claim updates.

    • After your initial evidence has been submitted to the Insurance Team, you will receive an email notification any time there’s an update to your claim. Responding to those emails will be the best way to ask questions or provide additional information to our Insurance Team 📧

Don’t reach out to Shipsurance or the UPS Claims Department

  • Contact Us for Claim Questions: Since Pirate Ship is handling the claim process on your behalf, Shipsurance and UPS can't provide you with claim updates or details if you contact them directly 🙊 You will always want to reach out to Pirate Ship for claim questions.

    • There are times when reaching out to the carrier is needed for evidence requirements, but our team will let you know when those steps are necessary.

How to check the status of your claim

  • Filling Out a Claim Form: This guide will walk you through each step of the claim form 🏴‍☠️

  • Check Your Emails: As we mentioned earlier, you will receive an email confirmation once your claim is submitted, as well as any time our Insurance Team has an update for your claim. Our insurance team will reach out to you via email as soon as they have more details regarding your claim.

    • We'll Reach Out With All Updates: We wouldn't recommend reaching out to our team for a status update - our live chat support team does not have access to your claim details, and our insurance crew will always reach out proactively when there's news to share 😄

  • Claim Forms in Chat History: If you recently submitted your claim, you'll see it appear under "Recent ticket" in your chat messenger window. If you have older or multiple claims, you can see a recent history of your claim submissions by clicking the "Tickets" icon.

    • Here's how that looks:

  • Email Instead of Live Chat: When viewing the status of your claim ticket, you will have the option to send a message directly to the pirate handling your claim - just remember our Insurance Team is not available via live chat, and will follow up with your message via email within a few business days.

After your claim is filed

  • Once You File a Claim: Once your claim has officially been filed, a member of our crew will reach out via email to confirm. Keep this email handy, as it’s one of the best ways to get in touch with the pirate most familiar with your claim situation. This outreach may include some additional requests or information about your claim. Here are some examples of requests you may see:

    • If there is insufficient or missing evidence, we will follow up with you to get that information.

    • The insurance company may require an affidavit signature for missing package claims, and we’ll send over instructions on how to complete that.

    • We may confirm that we provided evidence to the insurance company, but we haven't gotten any updates to share.

    • We will relay any follow-up requests for additional information from the insurance company.

      • Some requests are delayed as the insurance company needs to review the initial evidence provided and determine if they still have any questions about the situation at hand.

Claim Timelines

After a claim is filed, there are a few factors that can contribute to how long it is in progress:

  • Waiting for the Initial Response: Once the Insurance Provider and/or Carrier has responded to your submitted claim, our insurance team will reach out with new claim updates within 3 business days.

  • Evidence Review: Insurance providers and/or the Carrier may sometimes take additional time to review evidence or research claim situations to determine the most appropriate path forward.

  • Additional Evidence Requests: Please keep an eye out for correspondence from our team, as we may need to gather more information to keep your claim moving forward. If the Insurance - Provider and/or the Carrier lack clear information or sufficient evidence, a claim may not conclude for several weeks.

  • Ideal Scenario: After being filed, claims with clear and sufficient evidence often conclude within 1-2 weeks (if not sooner).

When your claim is completed

  • Claim Status Change: When the insurance company has gathered all the evidence they need to make an informed decision, your claim status will be changed to “In Progress" with a brief message that your claim is being reviewed by an underwriting team for approval or denial 🔍

    • It is very uncommon for additional evidence to be needed beyond this point.

  • Resolved Claims: After a claim decision is made, you will receive an email saying that your claim status is “Resolved," which will either show the total amount the insurance company has paid out or details on why your claim was denied. You can always respond to that email with any questions or comments 🙂

How do I get my insurance payout?

  • Receiving Claim Payouts: When submitting your claim, you may have been asked to indicate where you would like your claim funds to be sent. Once you have received notification of a claim payout…

    • Credits to Your Account Balance: Account balance credits will be applied by the time you receive your email 💰

    • PayPal Transfers: PayPal transfers will be processed no later than the end of the next business day, if not the same day 💸

      • For PayPal business accounts: Pirate Ship doesn't have any control over fees issued to PayPal accounts registered as businesses, and PayPal may apply additional fees outside of Pirate Ship's control if you have a Business PayPal account 🙈

    • Paper Checks: Paper checks will arrive in roughly 4-6 weeks depending on processing and delivery time 🐌

  • Funds Apply to Your Account Balance by Default: If you did not make this selection when filing your claim, funds will be applied to your account balance by default (which you can see on your Reports page).

    • Want payout funds to come another way? You can always live chat with our customer support team to have those transferred via PayPal or check, or try sending some of those funds back to a payment method on file 💳

  • Insurance Premiums Aren't Reimbursed: Lastly, note that the amount you paid for insurance is not reimbursed to you when Shipsurance pays out a claim. If you get your postage cost along with the item cost refunded from Shipsurance (if you added it to your declared value), you won't also get the insurance premium back.

Hoist the flag if YARRrrr in need of help!

Any questions about insurance claims, Matey? Click the blue chat button to get in touch with ARRrrr Support Crew and we’ll lend a helping hook 🪝

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