Auto repair: an inquiry-shock of an insurance company reveals fraud

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QMI agency

Monday, 12 march 2018, 12:17

UPDATE
Monday, 12 march 2018, 12:17

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A one-year survey conducted in Ontario by the insurance company Aviva has revealed that fraud related to auto repairs costs consumers approximately $ 547 million annually in this province, and more than two billion dollars to Canadians.

The conclusion is damning: the evidence gathered during the investigation revealed a fraud in 90% of cases by garage mechanics.

According to Aviva, 57 % of the entire cost of the repair charged were fraudulent.

“For a year, a team of investigators infiltrated Aviva has undertaken to discover what is actually happening during the process of auto repair when the repair shops and tow truck drivers are of vehicles involved in accidents on ontario’s roads”, the company said Aviva in a statement released Monday.

To accomplish its extensive investigation, the company Aviva has acquired 10 vehicles that it has itself damaged for the purpose of the exercise.

“The experts retained by Aviva have reviewed and evaluated carefully at each vehicle to measure the actual extent of the damage and calculate the cost of repairs,” said the company.

The damaged vehicles voluntarily were then fitted with hidden cameras and placed along different highways in the Toronto area to simulate accidents.

“The survey has recorded and monitored the entire process, from the arrival of the emergency services at the scene of the accident until such time as the damaged vehicles have been repaired and the bills submitted,” said Aviva.

The hidden cameras have even filmed a mechanic who damaged him-even a car that was already rough in order to inflate the amount of repairs.

Before the results of his investigation, Aviva has called on the government to implement an action plan to combat the scourge of fraud related to vehicle repairs.