How to handle repeat-issue customers and linked incidents

Flag a customer so future claims show a warning, group claims that came from one incident, and read the AI defect-pool hints while you investigate, so a repeat filer or a multi-vehicle incident is obvious before you decide. This is for store managers working a claim on the Work the claim tab.

When to use this

Reach for these tools when a customer's history or a wider pattern matters to the decision — a name you've seen before, or several claims that trace back to one incident.

Before you start

• Where: Store-level (web).
• Permission: The Manage Flags permission to flag customers and view the flags list, and the View Flags permission to see flag matches on a claim. Pool hints require the View Pool permission.
• Available by default to: Owners and Store Managers. (On custom roles, this needs the permission named above.)
• You must have: an open claim. Open it from the inbox and select the Work the claim tab; flags, links, and hints live in the Communications & investigation column.

Flag a customer for repeat issues

1. In the customer-flag banner, select Flag this customer.
2. Pick a Reason — Repeat filer, Previously fabricated or exaggerated damage, Hostile / abusive toward staff, or Other — and write an internal note describing what prompted the flag.
3. Select Flag customer. The flag stays within your company and is never shared with other operators.

Review flag matches on a claim

• If the customer's name or phone matches an existing flag, the banner turns to N flags on this customer and lists each reason and date. Select View flags to expand them. This is your cue to investigate more carefully before deciding.

Link a claim into a multi-vehicle group

1. In the Linked claims panel, select Link to group.
2. Choose Create a new group (optionally name it and add notes), or choose Attach to existing group and enter the group's number.
3. Select Create & link (or Link). Sibling claims in the group then appear in the panel, each linking to its own detail page.
4. To remove this claim from its group, select Detach in the panel header.

Read AI pool hints

• When the shared defect pool has matching patterns and your company shows hints, a Cross-operator pattern card appears at the top of the investigation column with a suggested verdict, a confidence level, and an accepted-versus-denied breakdown. Treat it as a general signal only.

Important: Pool hints are AI-generated investigation guidance. Do not cite them in claim-closing documentation or customer communication.

Manage the customer flags list

1. From store Settings, open Customer flags to see every flag in your company with its name, phone, reason, note, and date.
2. To remove a flag, select the trash icon on its row and confirm. Future claims from that customer will no longer surface a warning.

Expected result

A flagged customer surfaces a warning banner on every future claim that matches their name or phone, and a grouped claim lists its siblings in the Linked claims panel.

Troubleshooting

• If the flag button is disabled: the claim has no customer name or phone to match on. Add customer contact details first.
• If no pool hint card appears: there may be too few matching contributions, your company may have hints turned off, or your role doesn't include the View Pool permission — ask an owner or manager. Hints are optional, and their absence is not an error.
• If you don't know the group ID to attach to: create a new group from the first claim instead, then attach the others to it.

Related guides

• How to investigate, decide, and close a damage claim
• How to join the manufacturer defect pool and AI hints