Frequently Asked Questions
- Do you provide courtesy vehicles?
- Yes, we provide courtesy vehicles irrespective of fault or whether a third party is identifiable. The courtesy car is provided throughout the duration of the repair and is a Class A type vehicle.
- Does the repair come with a guarantee?
- The vehicle repairs come with a full 3 year guarantee. In our experience we have found that the majority of lease car contracts are on a 3 year basis. Therefore the guarantee would last the life of a vehicle.
- Do you collect and return vehicles?
- Yes, we operate a full collection and delivery service following a road traffic accident with no cost to our clients. When notified of an incident we will establish the location of the vehicle and will appoint the nearest approved repairer. Following the repair the vehicle would be returned and at that stage the courtesy car collected.
- Why use an in-house accident management company as against an outsourced company?
- We chose to create our own in-house accident management company as we believe we provide a first class service to our clients. We have found that if you outsource to accident management companies their priority is with the repairs only. Our accident management works in conjunction with the motor policy and the claims handling - uninsured loss recovery, in as such that we minimise costs, as we not only have a duty to the repairers, but also to our clients, as higher claims costs will ultimately result in increased premiums.
- Do you have fixed labour costs?
- Yes we do have agreements in place with all of our approved repairers. Labour charges can vary, dependent on areas, i.e. inside or outside the M25 and in city areas. However, all labour charges fall under the current published national average labour charges of £28.66 per hour.
- Can we use our own garages?
- Unlike outsourced accident management companies our accident management is based on a partnership with our clients. We are frequently advised by our clients that they have a policy whereby they support the local community and like to use local repairers with whom they have established a working relationship and who are dependent on a flow of business from a Stakeholder. In these cases we would contact the repairer concerned. If they were able to meet our own approved repairer network criteria, we would include them on our national list. If, however, they were unable to meet all of our requirements, we would merely advise our Stakeholder but continue to support the chosen repairer.
- Do you outsource the ‘after hours’ emergency help-line?
- No, our help-line is manned by our dedicated Accident Management Team 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Do you have you own panel of solicitors?
- Yes we have a panel of solicitors who are experts in the field of motor insurance related claims and personal injury. We also have a solicitor based in our offices in order that a claim may be acted upon at the earliest opportunity for the benefit of the claimant.
- Will you pursue small claims court actions on our behalf?
- Yes we provide a full in-house small claims court assistance. We firstly endeavour to recover any losses that have been incurred, without the necessary of court action. Unfortunately, however, in some cases, it is inevitable. On these cases, we firstly discuss the situation with our Stakeholder and the employee in order that we may explain the procedure of a small claims court action. We then prepare the papers on behalf of the Stakeholder. The summons would be served and we assist until the completion of the claim. We see this as a very important part of our activity on the basis that all losses, wherever possible, should be recovered in order that a fund is replenished following a repair.
- Would you pursue personal injury claims on behalf an employee and any passengers that were in the vehicle at the time of the accident at no additional cost?
- Yes in the event of a non-fault claim we would undertake to pursue losses of a personal injury nature along with any other losses on behalf of the driver of the vehicle and any passengers that may be in the vehicle at the time of the accident. The only time that we would not offer to act on behalf of passengers would be in the event of a fault accident where a conflict of interest may arise.
- What is the average recovery time?
- Intensive research has gone into the anticipated recovery of losses from a negligent party. We monitor the claims very closely. The current national average is 90 days from date of support documentation is received. Our average is currently 82 days.
- What happens if there is a dispute in respect of liability?
- Unfortunately this is a frequent occurrence. Where a dispute in respect of liability arises we will attempt, based on the accident circumstance, to negotiate a settlement with a third party. If, however, a dispute continues we would discuss the matter with our Stakeholder and the employee for their comments with regards to the third party allegations. At the same time we would liaise with our Stakeholder’s insurance company before ultimately a decision was taken with regards to possible court action.
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