Customer satisfaction with the auto-insurance claims experience is at its lowest level in three quarters, but, at least in part, consumers may have themselves to blame. 

According to the J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 U.S Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, overall customer satisfaction declined 13 points to 842 (on a 1,000-point scale) driven by a 19-point drop in first notice of loss—the point at which a customer first tells his or her insurer that there is damage to the vehicle.

Satisfaction in service interaction declined 16 points and the repair process declined 15 points. However, customers' own preference has a lot to do with their satisfaction. While they are not pleased with the amount of time it takes to get their vehicle back from repairs after an accident, 47 percent of claimants say they delayed dropping off their vehicle at the body shop to wait for a more convenient time. And 20 percent indicated they waited for the weekend or a holiday.