Auto glass repair shops popping up at gas stations. Are they legitimate? News10.net
30.08.11
SACRAMENTO, CA -- "Pop-up" auto glass repair operations are showing up at gas stations, car washes and parking lots all over the Sacramento area.
The temporary repair shops are on location for a few hours offering to fix chipped windshields at no cost to you, the driver.
"You could be standing at your gas tank, gassing the car up and they will literally walk right up to you. I had it done to me," said Frank Scafidi, spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The repair workers will ask for your insurance information and bill them for any needed work, which is usually less than a deductible. Scafidi says some of the pop-up operations are perfectly legitimate, but others may be in the business to scam your insurance company out of $50, which is a typical repair cost.
"You may be getting inferior quality glass. The windshield that goes into the repair might not cost what it was billed for to the insurance companies, so there is potential insurance fraud there," Scafidi said.
Source:
How Short Term bCar Insurance/b Can Be Better Value Than An Annnual b.../b
Several automobile insurance policies are still sold for 12 months. As during a 12 month period the needs of drivers may change, short term insurance can now be secured potentially providing a better value and more flexible solution.
Most firms when referring to temporary motor insurance or short term cover would define this as lasting from 24 hours up to one month in duration. However, flexible insurance is now available for between 1 to 8 months.
To add to this, rolling pay as you go monthly insurance is now available to drivers. This gives the option to switch insurance on and off for times when they know it will not be required.
There are several scenarios where insurance for one day may be convenient. One is making sure you are adequately insured when using a friends car. Although you may be able to drive another vehicle on your annual policy, taking out an additional policy for this could protect any no claims bonus acquired. This could therefore be a cost effective option for more experienced drivers.
Another reason temporary insurance is taken out is to provide insurance for an additional driver so driving can be shared on a longer trip or vacation.
Insuring a visitor from overseas is an important reason for taking out this type of insurance. As is requiring 24 hour insurance when driving home a recently purchased new or 2nd hand motor. Taking a test drive and requiring cover for a day can be another reason.
Not many van drivers actually own the vehicle themselves. This is where one day car insurance can be very useful, if you are borrowing a van to move house or for other needs.
For those bikers that are planning a summer road trip or perhaps attending a biking convention or meet-up, temp car insurance could be useful if the motorbike you are riding is not one you use regularly. This could be cost effective if they only ride the bike occasionally.
