Know Your Rights

For most people, the aftermath of a road accident, no matter the scale of the incident, is a whirlwind of stress and inconvenience. Long-winded and confusing conversations with insurance companies can leave you unsure of where you stand and how you should proceed. That’s why it’s important that you fully understand your rights – before making your claim.

Your Car, Your Choice

No matter what your insurance company says, the right to choose who repairs your vehicle lies with you. Your insurance company may try to talk you into picking a repair shop of their choice – but this could be the cheapest rather than best. Take the time to choose the right repair centre for you, then ask them to provide a quote to be authorised by your insurance company.

The right to choose the centre in which your vehicle is repaired following an accident was confirmed by the Office of Fair Trading, who stated that your insurance company must treat your fairly and allow you to exercise this right. Should you feel you have been treated unfairly or pressurised into a decision you aren’t comfortable with, inform your insurer you will be contacting the Financial Conduct Authority who offer free and impartial advice.

Find a Quality-Assured Accident Repair Centre You Can Rely on

When deciding which accident repair shop you should pick to mend and restore your car, the following points should be considered to ensure repairs meet your expectations for quality:

Make sure the repair centre you choose only uses genuine parts. Many repairs shops will use non-genuine aftermarket parts to fix your car, which compromises the quality of the repair as well as affecting the residual value of your vehicle and potentially rendering any manufacturer warranties invalid.

Choose a garage that has been quality-assured by a recognized body. Companies such as BSI offer quality-assurance licensing, so looking for the BSI Kitemark™ can help establish the caliber of an accident repair centre’s work.

Look for a manufacturer-approved repair centre. This is a sure way to guarantee your car receives the highest level of care: as well as marking the quality of a repair centre, these stamps of approval mean your car will be fixed in a manner in-line with manufacturer specifications using genuine parts, products and methods, by a team of technicians with a specialist understanding of the brand.

SJ Cook & Sons ARC Don’t Compromise When It Comes to Ensuring Quality

SJ Cook & Sons ARC tick all the boxes when it comes to making sure we offer our customers accident repairs they can trust. We are BSI Kitemark™ approved, have the approval of top manufacturers such as Citroen, Dacia, Renault and Volvo, and only ever use genuine parts no matter what make your vehicle is. All of our technicians are ATA certified, and to top it all off we offer a lifetime guarantee across all of our repair work for your full peace of mind.

If you’re still unsure about your rights or how we will work with your insurance company to authorise your claim, give our friendly and knowledgeable team a call today or alternatively start an online enquiry here and we will get back to you shortly.