Statistically, drivers have an accident approximately every 7 years. If you have not had a claim recently, the chances are the rules and your insurance policy have probably changed considerably since your last accident.
Consumer groups have been expressing concerns over the loss of freedom for consumers to choose their own crash repairer in the event of an accident. Many consumers are not aware a problem may exist until they make a claim on their vehicle insurance policy.
Having a choice of repairer option in your insurance policy is the most important clause in our opinion. Unfortunately, insurers are changing polices without notifying their customers, using tactics such as charging more for the right to have a freedom of choice policy and burying these changes deep within the PDS of their policies, hoping no one reads them (and most don’t). Don’t be fooled by these tactics!
Having a choice as to who repairs your car is very important. Ask yourself if you would allow yourself to be told where to have your car serviced or where you have to buy your shoes from – you wouldn’t, so why would you allow an insurance company to force you to have your 2nd largest investment repaired somewhere they want it repaired, not where you want it repaired.
We recommend that every car owner check’s your vehicle insurance policy has a ‘freedom to choose a repairer of your choice’, in the instance of an accident. We also recommend that you talk to your local crash repairers to build a relationship, or get recommendations from friends that have had an accident recently on crash shops they have had good experiences with. This will be very helpful if you do have an accident.
We also recommend that in the instance of an accident that you do the following:
- If the vehicle is towed, ensure you ask the tow truck driver to take your car to a crash repairer of your choice. Don’t allow your car to be towed somewhere you don’t want it to go
- If you don’t have a relationship with a quality crash repairer, call us for a recommendation or go to our find a repairer page. We will be able to give you at least 2 crash shops in your preferred area that will be able to help you.
- Talk to your crash repairer before you talk to your insurance company. Insurance companies often ‘recommend’ crash shops that they have business agreements with to ultimately save them money. Repairing a vehicle must be about quality repairs and nothing to do with saving money.
- Call your insurance company to advise them of the accident from the crash repairer of your choice. Your crash repairer can help you through the process.
- If you feel coerced at any time by the insurance company, be prepared to argue for your rights or to walk away. You should be the one to choose who works on your car
Download the Choice of Repairer Document
Always remember that the vehicle being repaired is your vehicle and that you should always be involved in what is happening to your car and how it is repaired. The experts in repairing accident damaged vehicles is your local crash repairer, not your insurance company, so we recommend to discuss all apsects of any repair with your crash repairer as they can help you through the repair process to ensure a quality outcome.