Accident Assist under fire for mishandling recent crash claim One person was stung by surprise charges that came close to £1,000 just to get their car back. It begs the question not only of how the company is allowed to bill customers, but how that can happen in such an opaque fashion.
The person hurt in the collision just learned that she is being charged a £254.50 storage fee. This fee was incurred due to their car being towed to an impound lot. On top of that, they were then hit with a £76 fee for what Accident Assist certified a “weekend journey,” adding insult to injury. As a result, the wrecked car was not delivered to the appropriate garage until four days post accident. This self-created delay allowed massive and unnecessary storage costs to balloon more than tenfold.
Accident Assist delivered their service for an overall price of a little below £1,200. This total was just about equal to the repair costs that the person had pre‐approved. Such a wide gap between its published list prices and subsequent price increases is disturbing and calls into question the company’s pricing practices. Average storage costs typically range from £20-£45 per week.
Accident Assist heard the growing frustration. They admitted liability for the enormous storage charge and added in a £150 admin fee on top. The pick-up experience was quite a trial. The team kept the vehicle geocache style for the weekend, locked safely in an undisclosed location. Most astonishingly, it barely made it to the repair garage five days after the accident. Even after its arrival, it would be another four days before they could get a look at the vehicle.
Accident Assist provides a courtesy car only if the person’s insurer consents to pay for those costs. The repair facility does not notify the insurer until after they take possession of the vehicle. This lengthy process only exacerbates the longer it takes to get assistance to people who need it.
Accident Assist stated, “When the customer chose to withdraw from making a claim, we instigated the cancellation process, which the customer was advised of on the initial call.” This statement goes to show that their operations is very procedural in nature. It does little to mitigate the irritation of customers who suddenly find themselves hit with exorbitant fees.
As this story continues to develop, one thing is certain, customers deserve transparency and equity in billing practices after an accident. The case serves as a cautionary tale for individuals seeking assistance after collisions, emphasizing the importance of understanding service terms and potential costs upfront.