Hello,
My wife's car went off for *three* weeks to the insurance company's 'recommended repairer' to have to following items replaced after a minor ding:
1. front foglight x 1
2. Washer bottle
3. Headlamp washer jet x 1
NOTE: No bodywork damage or painting required.
It took them 2 weeks to get the parts, but they were in stock (I checked) for 2-day delivery at the manufacturer's part centre. Then they took another week to fit them.
And when I got the car back, they did not even replace the washer bottle but I was charged for it (and laboutrtoo): the old one's still in the car ('cos it's still covered in road muck, and is still dented after the accident). And I reckon that was the part that was the most labour due to it poor loaction.
I would have replaced the part myself but the access was non-existent plus I have a bad back.
Is this a scam? Or am I paranoid?
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Yes, it sounds like a scam, the washer bottle's probably on ebay.
Was it leaking? How come it's OK now?
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My wife's car went off for *three* weeks to the insurance company's 'recommended repairer' .................
I'd never have insurance that specified I use a certain repairer, and I wouldn't dream of letting a repairer have my car for three weeks for that small amount of work. I get all my work done locally. I'd expect to let them have the car first thing in the morning and to be able to pick it up late afternoon the same day.
Is this a scam?
Who knows? At the very least it sounds like a bad choice of insurer.
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L\'escargot.
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They had it for 3 weeks whilst parts were acquired. Bet the mileage now is higher than it was.
You could have kept the car, waited till parts were available and then taken it in for repair.
That's what I did in my only claim in 1983...
Scam. probably.
No need to leave car there imo.
madf
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Repairers that are on an insurers list of recommended repairers are quite often a long way away and I think they get more work via the insurer than they can handle. Consequently instead of doing all jobs in order of booking they work on whichever vehicle will, at the time, make them the most profit. Small jobs are put into one corner and then done when it suits them ~ probably in a rush as well. In 40-odd years I've always been allowed to choose my repairer, and I choose one locally from personal recommendation. Every time my car has been booked in only when the parts were available, and the repair carried out promptly. And the advantage of having a car repaired locally is that you can pop in at any time and see what is happening to it.
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L\'escargot.
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Repairers that are on an insurers list of recommended repairers ....
Yes, agree with this, I wonder if the OP "chased" them up ...or did he wait until the repairer called to say the car was ready. Did they say it would take 3 weeks?
Last time I had a small knock i was directed by my insurer to their approved repairer..........turned out to be a back street place about 30 miles away, when I got there I found cars in various states of partial repair parked up and down the street outside, inside in the prep/repair area cars were so close together that the relevent dismantled parts and new bits awaiting fitting were being stored on the roof of the particular car! due to the lack of floor space.
There must have been 30 cars on the premises and I could only see 2 panel beaters and 1 sprayer working .
I left and told my insurers that i would be using a local trusted firm!
Jacks
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I'm with L'escargot, I have never been told I have got to go some where a Garage as been recommended I turned that down, the Insurance company told me to get better quote from my garage they said NO. I went back to the Insurance company and said "am I insured with an insurer that cannot pay for quality repairs they sent me a letter telling me to take it to my garage.
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Its not really an insurance scam, now is it.
A garage may well have treated you dishonestly but I don't quite see how you believe that your insurer is scamming you.
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think the point was that the repairer was scamming the insurer
i had a fair few problems with my insureres repairer where they had to have the car back 4 times to complete and I put in an official complaint. the repairers also tried stiffing the insurers over the loan car. I admit that there was a tiny scratch on the bumper (about 5mm by 3mm) but the insurance company were not overly impressed with the repairers having taken the bumper off before anyone else had a chance to look at it.
What I can never get over is the prices garages charge. I was hit some years ago by a security van and got a quote for doing the work privately (as I wasn't sure they were goign to pay up) or on their insurance. The difference in the prices was (IIRC) about 50%. No wonder our insurance premiums are so high if garages and repairers just write out blank cheques to themselves.
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I have only ever used an Insurance Approved Repairer twice, the first time was with Elephant, and I said "never again", the next time, with Swift, I found many bodyshops disinterested in quoting for insurance work, or they would charge around £15 which you would get back if you had the repair done (I would not do this on principle), what is more, the insurance tried to impose penalties for this so I gave in and said "never again" again. I think the insurance and repair industry needs a thorough shake up by a regulatory body.
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Agree with you Ashok, the problems I had with the second one you mention (Swiftly moving on...) was appalling. They're not even that cheap, but treat their customers like a piece of sewage farm intake. Friend when they want your money, but not when it comes to fulfilling their policy offer. Argument was about using a franshised repairer vs their one, they only wanted to pay rock bottom and disregard the quality. I believe there's a strong lnk between what you pay and what you get, and this applies to the premium as well as the repair should you be unfortunate to need one. I'd avoid this outfit.
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