Both TACC and Consumer groups have expressed concern over the loss of freedom for consumers to choose their own crash repairer in the event of accident damage.

Many consumers are not aware a problem may exist until they make a claim on their vehicle insurance policy.

Statistically, consumers have an accident approximately every 7.5 years. If you have not had a claim recently, the chances are the rules have changed considerably since your last accident.

Most policies over the years have allowed consumers a genuine freedom to nominate who shall carry out necessary repairs. Over the past 5 to 6 years, however, many Insurers stipulated that a second quote was required, usually from a repairer nominated by the Insurer.

Most businesses, therefore, are aware that they face competition in the market place, and are prepared to quote on that basis.

When a consumer shops for quotes for repairs that they themselves are to pay for, most will pay close attention to the quotes they receive and evaluate where they are getting the best value. It is up to the repairer to quote accurately, explain what they are going to do and try to win the job on service and quality values.

Unfortunately, when an Insurer becomes involved the situation becomes more uncertain depending on which Insurer the consumer is insured with. Insurers who have set up recommended repairer schemes will sometimes go to extreme lengths to shift the consumer into their repairer network.

TACC has evidence of Insurers telling their nominated repairers to deliberately underquote repair jobs so they win the job and get it into their shop, the matter of cost can then be addressed when the assessor attends and the deficiencies are pointed out to them.

Other Insurers will instruct the repairer not to supply a copy of the quote to the consumer, but they are to transmit the quote direct to the Insurer. This way the consumer has no idea of what has been quoted and the Insurer then instructs the consumer to go to their nominated repairer as he has supplied the most complete and economical quotation. On many occasions this is incorrect and it is more a case of the Insurer supporting their repairer network.

So what have we learnt from this? Insurers will tell you repairers can be devious at quoting time and repairers can give you instances of Insurers being devious at the same time.

To protect your interests you could do the following:

• Make enquiries locally as to who carries out good repair work, and if possible look at a repair completed by this repairer.
• Get a quote from the repairer; question them on exactly what the quote means and what work will be carried out. Indeed,any repairer who wants your business will take the time to carry out this exercise with you.
• Look at the repairers shop and equipment, is it clean and well laid out, a place you would leave your asset in with confidence?
• Contact your Insurer and find out their requirements: if a second quote is required attend to this procedure. You may find a similar service available, so carry out the same procedure, make sure you get a copy of the quote and have it explained to you.
• If you feel co-erced at any time, be prepared to argue for your rights or to walk away. You should be the one to choose who is to work on your car.
• If a repairer will not give you a copy of the quote, see if the Insurer will send a copy to you before you make any final decision. If they are reluctant to do this, tell them you do not want to deal with someone who is not prepared to undergo the scrutiny you require. Remember, your vehicle is your asset, and you should protect your rights.
• You may have a repairer you are comfortable with and have dealt with previously. You may have to check your policy wording, but you can insist that your repairer carry out the work.
• There are conditions in some Insurance policies which are either not enforceable at law, or are in contravention of Consumer law. Just because they are in a policy does not mean they are correct.
• Technically, if an Insurer has included some onerous requirements in their policy and these are not pointed out to you at the time of taking out the policy, the Insurer can be in breach of the law, and there is no obligation to comply.

This may sound a little daunting, but you may find your Insurer has some old-fashioned service staff who give you good advice, a freedom of choice of repairer, an efficient Assessing procedure and minimum delays. Our advice is to stick with them.

Of course many consumers choose to avoid the hassles of organising the repair procedure and these people may wish to leave things completely in the hands of the Insurer. If you elect to do this, at least check who is repairing your vehicle and if possible, check their reputation for quality work.

Prestige imported vehicles should, where possible, go to a repair shop which has the necessary equipment to correctly reinstate the vehicle to factory standards. This may not be necessary for scrapes and cosmetic repairs, but if a major repair is contemplated, this should be discussed with your Insurer and a commitment obtained that the repairer has the knowledge regarding your particular vehicle.

You need to be aware that there are a number of ways in which your vehicle can be repaired, from physically repairing your existing panels to replacement with new, second-hand or non-genuine parts. Some Insurers are only interested in the "bottom line" figure. A TACC Accredited Body Repairer can assist in advising you in this area.

TACC Accredited Body Repairers comply with a code of conduct, equipment standards, repair standards, disputation procedures and offer at least a 3 year Warranty. TACC sees 'Lifetime Warranty' offers by Insurers as a marketing issue, as even Motor Manufacturers rarely warrant their spare parts longer than 12 months and paint refinishing products are generally warranted for 3 years.

TACC Body Repairers are committed to re-instating accident damaged vehicles as near as practical to their pre-accident condition and will strongly support Consumers and Members to ensure that this standard is met.