EUROPE

[the big welshman]

Hi there, I am interested to know is there a DEDUCTABLE on a windscreen over in Europe ie car insurance please advise me of the amounts?? or is a windscreen free????????????????????????????????

[Frank EU]

Typically here in Nederland it would be e272 (in your money that currently would be aprox $400 -high exchange rate).
ALL replacement companies split that in halve to ''support'' the customer and ''convince'' them to have the glass replaced. Too many folks indeed do.
I find that a criminal act, I mean: deductabels are in place to make the people think twice before spending the insurance money right?
Yet...all insurers seem to accept this kind of weird support, they scream and shout about their costs, but do nothing about the deductable and naughty vendors.

A deductable is a deductable. One should not, never, fool around with that and insurers should never accept any vendor to ''support'' any customer.
It tells me that the ''standard'' prices are too high and that, as a consequence, the profits must be very high, otherwise one cannot just give a discount like that. Replacing became a very, very, easy business. How complicated would a sale be, when you claim that your business simply helps you with the cost? Mainly at the expense of the insurer? That fact makes many people feel really good (...) because not all that many people like their insurer.

Replacing is heavily subsidized by insurance companies and that is all wrong. It is obvious that MORE people than ever before replace their glass, thanks to this kind of ''support'' and mass promotions on tele and radio.

[screenman]

We have a average £60 or $100 deductable overe here, the prices are screwed down so tight by the insurers there is very little room for the supplier to give anything back. Many insurers also have a maximum they will pay out for non approved replacement, often this is less than we can buy the glass for.

[Frank EU]

Oops. Wrong figures! Not good, here are the proper figures.
e136 for replacements ($202 in your money).
But ALL replacement companies ''lower'' the original e136 with 50%, so that makes e68.

Some replacement companies even charge e0, they just swallow the entire deductable, the customer pays zero.

I discussed this many times with most insurers and I still believe that the insurance industry should act firmly against vendors that ''support'' customers to persuade them to have the glass replaced. That indeed includes Belron. It is very simple: any vendor where the original deductable-policies were changed, to make spending money at the insurers' expense easy, should be excluded from insurance payments.

Repairs are, when coverred by insurance, at no cost to the vehicle owner -our (repair only) work is paid for by the insurers.

[the big welshman]

Hi there, Thank you for the infomation ?? does the whole of Europe have a deductable?? how about Ireland??? When I lived in Ireland and the UK there where no deductables?? I recently repaired a Windshield here in the Boston area for an Insured from the Uk and she advised me of a deductable in the UK???????????/

[Glasseye]

Deductables on glass repair are beginning to appear in the UK, normally about £10. I am not sure if this is waived if the customer uses a recommended repairer.

[the big welshman]

Hi there, I am just wondering what other European countries have a Deductables ?? Do you have networks over in Europe ? how do you get work from the Insurance companys ?? or do you sighn up with each insurance company ???