Dealing with your insurance company

For lots of people, making an insurance claim after a car accident is something of a minefield; they’re not sure what they’re entitled to and dealing with phone calls, paperwork and trying to organise a decent courtesy car can be a lengthy, stressful process.

That’s why XL provides a full accident management service to ensure our customers total peace of mind. We’ll handle all aspects of your insurance claim and liaise directly with your insurer to ensure your claim is handled swiftly and professionally.

Whilst we will remove the need for you to deal with them directly, many people are still confused by terms and conditions within their insurance policies so we’ve covered the basic terms here below for your information.

If you would like us to handle your claim or need advice, please just give us a call free of charge on 0800 954 0024. We’re always on hand to help.

Insurance approval
XL Accident Repair Centre can undertake work for ANY insurers, it is a common misconception that customers must use the repairer approved by their own insurance company. This is not the case and it may be worth considering the following information before deciding on the garage to repair your vehicle.

IT'S YOUR CAR, YOUR CHOICE…

It’s possible that your insurance company has directed you to their list of chosen repairers. These repairers are companies who have agreed to make concessions to the insurer in return for large amounts of work. This referral is for their benefit, not yours. The choice of repairer is a matter for the policyholder. You pay the insurance and are entitled to select a repairer of your own choice.

Estimate/quotation
Under the terms of most insurance policies, only one repair estimate is required. Some insurers may ask you to obtain more than one estimate BUT THIS IS NOT NECESSARY. If you are asked to obtain more than one estimate, you may wish to remind your insurer or broker that you do not want to be put to the inconvenience of having to obtain alternative estimates.

Insurance excess
When you bought your motor policy you may have agreed with your insurer to pay ‘excess’ in order to reduce the cost of the premium or because of your driving record. Excess therefore applies to the part of the claim for which you are uninsured and is payable on collection of your vehicle. The final account to the insurer is reduced by the appropriate amount, but you may be able to recover the excess equivalent from the party responsible for the accident or their insurer. XL can advise on this.

Collection note
Most insurers ask for a collection note to be signed after completion of the repairs. This document provided by us for you to sign is then passed to your insurer in order that the repair account can be processed. Signing a collection note in no way affects your statutory rights.

Guarantee
In addition to maintaining the vehicle warranty (where appropriate) we offer a full 3 year guarantee on all repair work. A twelve months manufacturers guarantee applies on all parts.

Vehicle anti-perforation warranty
All of our work is guaranteed and complies with motor manufacturers’ specifications. Your warranty is unaffected.

VAT
If you or the owner of the vehicle are registered for VAT purposes and the vehicle is used for business purposes, the VAT content of the repair bill must be paid by you, not your insurer, when you collect your vehicle.

The VAT can then be set against your output tax and recovered in the normal way through your VAT return. If you are not registered for VAT or if the vehicle is not used for business, your insurer will accept responsibility for the full amount, less any contributions such as excess and betterment.

Don’t forget, XL’s professional claims manager can deal with all aspects of your claim so you don’t have to worry. Give us a call on 0800 954 0024 today.