Vehicle Insurer's Hire Bid
Newcastle Herald
Friday September 2, 2005
THE NRMA has fired its biggest and most expensive shot yet in its battle with Hunter Region smash repairers over the insurance giant's controversial internet-based repair scheme.
Only a week after it was revealed that it was taking up to a month for NRMA-insured motorists to have their cars repaired, the NRMA announced a guaranteed turnaround time of seven days "or we'll pay for the cost of a hire car until your car is back on the road".In extensive radio and newspaper advertisements launched yesterday, NRMA Insurance said it wanted to rectify the "misinformation being spread in the community about our new Care and Repair service in Newcastle".More than 100 Hunter smash repair businesses have united in opposition to the web-based scheme in which repairers are required to bid on repair work after viewing photographs of damaged vehicles online.About two-thirds of those smash repairers who previously undertook NRMA Insurance work now refuse to do so.An NRMA spokeswoman said yesterday that the company still had seven preferred repairers in the Newcastle metro area and several more in outlying areas, and the company was confident that its commitment to seven-day repair jobs was achievable.The disenchanted smash repairers disagree."Only one thing's certain and that is that the NRMA will be spending a lot of money on hire cars," Country North Vehicle Repair Association president Gary Mamic said."The extent they're going to is quite unbelievable. "It's obvious now that the number of people cancelling their NRMA Insurance premiums is starting to hurt them."NRMA Insurance head of claims and assessing David Brown said he was aware of "industry issues that we're working to correct and resolve".
© 2005 Newcastle Herald