A recent case involving AA Accident Assist has raised alarm bells. Lawmakers are concerned with how post-collision services are handled particularly regarding storage fees and the time it takes to transfer vehicles. The person hurt in the crash faced alarming costs and challenges. This lack of transparency led to confusion and heated outrage, creating a powerful call for transparency.
According to Accident Assist, the £254.50 storage fee was attributed to the cost of transferring the car to the garage. Further to this, they charged £76 in storage fees for what they had falsely described as storage over the weekend. The person claimed that the fees were unreasonable. They highlighted the fact that the vehicle did not reach the nominated garage until four days post-collision.
The defendant agreed to have the repairs done for £1,200. But then saw a huge charge for Accident Assist’s services—almost that much—to their sheer bafflement and anger. Accident Assist let the person know they would be charged cancellation fees of £991.71. This sum comprised a stated charge of £254.50 for weekend storage as previously detailed.
“It’s alarming how quickly these fees can accumulate,” said the individual. The team locked the car away for the weekend. It took five days to get to the garage, and they require an additional three to four day assessment period before they can assume repairs begin.
Accident Assist said that they would cover a courtesy car but only after confirmation that the insurer would pay for it. This contract would only start once the vehicle showed up to the repair garage. This new layer of delay only aggravated the frustrations of someone looking for an immediate service.
Upon investigation of the case, Accident Assist voluntarily refunded Collins the higher storage fee plus £150 administration charge. This decision was met with a sigh of relief. It did nothing to mitigate the first blow of the massive costs due to delays in getting a car out of impound.
Usually, average storage costs for vehicles are between £20 and £45 per week. As a result, the fees now being charged by Accident Assist look excessive.
“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.” – AA Accident Assist