Just Car Clinics Share Discussion Threads

[yorkshiret] 08/9/2011 20:50

New website does look good - much more retail focused when someone lands on the site.

That said, I would have liked to have seen much more SEO on each individual branch - these pages just are not optimised at all to drive search traffic towards the site.

Poor show on the mix up between the VAT number and Company Reg No at the bottom of each page.

I'm not sure on the 'new sites' issue - there have been a few long standing bodyshops close their doors recently and they haven't been picked up by anyone. ADR (who operate in a similar territory to JCR) bought a bodyshop in Warwick last week to add to ones in Halesowen & Cannock that they have picked up in the last few months. A bodyshop in Coventry (Frank Brookes) has called in the administrators today - was an RBS shop so I guess JCR will be hoping to mop the capacity up through Hinckley.

And with regard to reviews, I think I'd rather be JCR with the odd one than NARS with a whole Reviewcentre section dedicated to me:

[harrogate] 08/9/2011 18:43

Thanks for spotting that ..I agree it looks good and interesting to see that new sites seem in the forefront. I have always seen a few poor reviews about all bodyshops wehn i have searched over the years. I don't think that is an issue. Some people expect to have a bad time at a bodyshop and I guess a few actually do. 45,000 customers a year ..bound to be a couple of bad days.
I am guessing results out next Tuesday/Wednesday..Not expecting them to be good but keen to see the outlook statement.

[rmillaree] 08/9/2011 16:23

Website has had a revamp and it looks pretty good.
A little bit of extra info on the fixed price Dents repair option.


Nice to also see that the front page is advertising the fact that they are looking to add new outlets with Barry's dierct contact details for anyone wanting to sell.

One other slightly disappointing piece of tittle tattle is a customer review of the Swindon Branch on ciao. I think the company needs to keep close Tabs of customers making complaints as there aren't many independent reviews of JCR on the net and the bad ones are easy to find. Obviously this review could very well be from another bodyshop owner/employee but i didn't get that impression from reading the review.

[harrogate] 08/9/2011 14:54

That is a chunky 50,000 buy at full price. Unusual these days

[aleman] 08/9/2011 11:21

If they ban the approval system wouldn't they have to ban similar systems like ISO quality shemes ( EU replacements of the old BSI kitemark). My initial thought is that a ban on a scheme that is to provide better quality and possiby safer, repairs to consumers, would be out of the question. I would think it is more likely that regulation would spread and enshrine approval schemes over time to squeeze out dodgy/illegal repair shops doing shoddy/unsafe repairs and participating in criminal activity with stolen cars and write-offs.

I suspect car insurance rates have risen by more like 25% on average in the last year from what I have read in accounts of companies like Chaucer but different profiles will have been hit very differently. (Mine rose just under 10%.) Insurance premia have a habit of overshooting like most free markets. It would be typical for the report to reach a conclusion in a couple of years when falling premia had removed the apparent problem. Given so many insurance companies have lost money on car insurance in the last couple of years, I think they are barking up the wrong tree and should be asking what is being done about claims fraud.

[harrogate] 08/9/2011 11:13

Who knows!! Previous OFT stuff in most markets is a damp squib. They need to look at referrals for car hire and injuries ..that would sort out the premiums

[narc2] 08/9/2011 11:11

Agreed. But if the outcome of the enquiry is a ban on the approval system which I understand is a large part of JCR's business, will this impair or enhance their ability to secure business?

[harrogate] 08/9/2011 10:33

It won't take them long to see that it isn't repairers that are causing this increase ..look at the margins!

[narc2] 08/9/2011 10:30

Does the following OFT enquiry pose a threat to JCR's business model?

OFT cost of motor insurance enquiry:

On 8 September 2011 the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) issued a call for evidence on the UK private motor insurance market.

We are very interested in vehicle repairers' views and experiences of the private motor insurance market.
We have prepared a list of questions which we very much hope you will take the time to complete. The information that you provide will be of great assistance to us in understanding market practices in the UK.

Please could you return your answers to us by 12 October 2011.
You can send your response by email to [e-mail] or by post to:
Motor Insurance Call for Evidence
Fourth Floor
Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London EC4Y 8JX

If you choose to respond by post, please could you also include a CD-ROM (or similar) with any tables of data in a format compatible with Microsoft Word or Excel so that we can analyse the data provided.

If you wish to discuss how to answer the questions, require any clarification on them, or would like to discuss the call for evidence further please contact either:
- Louise Bailey (020 7211 5819)/ [e-mail])
- Jon Riley, Team Leader of Motor Insurance Team (020 7211 8143) / [e-mail])
- the Project Director, Claire Hart (020 7211 8782) / [e-mail]).

What is the purpose of this call for evidence?

The OFT issued a call for evidence on the UK private motor insurance sector on 8 September 2011. UK comprehensive car insurance premiums are reported to have risen by 40 per cent in 2010-11 and the OFT is interested in gathering market participants' views on:
- whether the reported increase in motor insurance premiums is accurate
- the factors that are responsible for contributing to an increase in premiums, and
- whether there is work that the OFT or other parties could be doing to improve the way that the market is currently functioning.

What are the potential outcomes?

If the call for evidence highlights any concerns, the OFT will work with the Government and the FSA to decide which organisation is best placed to address them.
Options open to the OFT could include launching a market study into specific aspects of the market, undertaking consumer or competition enforcement action, seeking voluntary action from the industry, or undertaking further work to consider referring the market to the Competition Commission for in-depth analysis.

What is the timetable for the study?

The next steps for the study involve gathering market participants' views on the UK private motor insurance market and then considering the information provided.
We will publish our findings in December 2011.

Please provide the following information by 12 October 2011.

Repairs to vehicles involved in accidents

1. How has the way you carry out repairs to vehicles involved in accidents developed over the past five years and how have the costs of vehicle repairs changed during this period?
We are interested to understand what has driven these developments and what impact have they had on your business.
Please provide evidence to support your answer.

2. Is there action that could be taken to improve the way that repairs to vehicles involved in accidents are carried out?
Please identify what action is required and which organisation is best placed to take this action.

3. Are you involved in any ownership relationships or contractual arrangements with:
- motor insurance providers
- credit or car hire organisations
- recovery firms
- accident management companies
- claims management companies?

If so, please provide details of these arrangements and the impact they have had or are expected to have on your business.

Approved repairer schemes

4. What are, or what would be, the advantages and disadvantages for your business of joining an insurance company's approved repairer scheme?

In answering the question please tell us about:
- whether there is any impact on the price, speed and quality of your repairs
- whether you are a member of a panel, or if not, whether you would like to become a panel member
- if you are a member of such a panel, which insurers' panels you are on
- if you are a member of such a panel, the percentage of your revenues generated by this work.

5. We are interested in how insurer approved repairer arrangements work.
If you are a member of one or more insurer approved repairer panels, please provide details of the following and, where relevant, explain how in your experience the following differ between insurers:
- the process that is followed to gain membership of the panel
- whether you have to re-apply for 'approved' status once you have become a member
- how you are assigned work by the insurance company
- whether and how you could lose their 'approved' status
- any fees or commissions you are paid or have been paid for panel membership, such as a retainer
- any fees or commissions you pay for membership of your approved panel, by, for example, giving a percentage of the earnings you made through the insurance company's referrals
- how regularly the quality of your work is inspected by the insurance company of whose panel you are a member.

6. Please explain what impact the Association of British Insurers' (ABI) General Terms of Agreement (GTA) has had on your business since its introduction.
We are particularly interested in its impact on repair rates and the time taken to complete repairs.
Please provide evidence in support of your answer.

7. Is there action that could be taken to improve the operation of insurer approved repairer schemes?
Please identify what action is required and which organisation is best placed to take this action.

Private motor insurance in the UK

8. According to the AA's British Insurance Premium Index, average motor insurance premiums quoted have risen by over 40% in 2010-2011.
Are you aware of any factors that might have contributed to this increase?
Please provide evidence to support your answer.

9. Is there any action that could be taken to address the factors you have identified as contributing to higher private motor insurance premiums and/or to improve the way the private motor insurance market is currently functioning?
Please identify what action is required and which organisation might be best placed to take this action.

[supreme mo] 26/8/2011 17:51

Yes, but in terms of improvements for the next financial statements, will this improve pretax or EPS compared to last year?

Granted it is good news for the business and shareholders, but as far as I see it, the renewal of this contract won't increase profits, so I won't be running out buying any shares.

[mcgreen] 26/8/2011 16:58

We have won a new contract, this is not a renewal of an existing one. Not sure if the work provider is public yet, so please don't ask me who it is.

[yorkshiret] 26/8/2011 16:04

No I don't, sorry. It would be a new contract because the last one ran for 5 years and expires next February. The next one is for 5 and a half years, and so effectively is a 'new contract' - JCR could have potentially lost it (thought I don't expect them to have).

[supreme mo] 26/8/2011 15:46

good shout yorkshire t.

I think it is potentially misleading to call it a 'new' contract when really it is an 'existing' one wouldnt you agree?

[yorkshiret] 26/8/2011 15:36

Hi Harrogate

I wouldn't have thought so, as this has already been announced.

I'd expect this to be referring to RBS, although the official line is that they are still wading through the tender applications and deciding on the make up of the network. Maybe RBS have already told JCC they have the lion's share?

The numbers are a little worrying - 1000 claims in August, divided by 25 shops equals 40 claims per site (or 10 per week). Not the sort of volume you'd expect to keep a big machine like JCC going (though it is quiet out there).

You would hope that these 9 dedicated staff would be a direct replacement for 25 individual bods - one sat in each branch.

[supreme mo] 26/8/2011 15:06

Major new contract..... hmmm directors buying shares in mass then a 'major new contract' close to being signed.... interesting

[rmillaree] 26/8/2011 13:57

Major new contract? I like the sound of that.

[harrogate] 26/8/2011 13:50

Hi. Thanks for posting this
I hope these jobs are replacement for those going in the branches! Do you think that the "major new Contract" is Allianz?

[yorkshiret] 26/8/2011 13:36

JCC claims centre celebrates first year



A centre handling Just Car Clinic's claims has created more jobs as it prepares to celebrate its first anniversary since opening.

Despite initially employing just one member of staff, the centre proved to be such a hit with insurers that more signed up to utilise the Claim Centre. As a result, a further three full-time and three part-time colleagues had joined the central claims team which enabled the centre to open for longer. This produced an increase in customer satisfaction levels obtained via direct feedback, jumping from 88% in March 2010 to 97% in April 2011.

Sarah Burgess, Claim Centre manager, said, 'The new process of taking all claims centrally rather than at the individual repair centres was a bit of a change for insurance companies, however once they agreed to trial it, the benefits became immediately obvious. Here at the claims centre we are dedicated to purely answering the phones and deal with customer enquiries, taking this time consuming task away from the various repair centres.

'It is no surprise that we now have some of the most prestigious insurance companies sending their claims calls through us and we are just about to secure a major new contract. As a result we have gone from just one member of staff processing 170 claims a month to now employing nine people who between us this month will process over 1000 claims.'

[supreme mo] 26/8/2011 12:53

Interesting article about a car repairer diversfifying in these tough times for car repair.

[rmillaree] 10/8/2011 16:04

Great stuff - this is just the kind of relationship JCR really need with the insurance companies - an environment where they work together to give the client the best service, what with text updates for customers and kitemark standards JCR should have no problems keeping the insurers happy.
I notice some of the other companies on the list are fellow NARG members - not that NARG seems to be amounting to much.

I guess the important question is are JCR likely to get a sales boost from this? - does anyone have any clues?

[rmillaree] 26/7/2011 12:46

I was a little bit perplexed by the fact that the comments included "company 10% purchase of stock" - presumably this has not been removed from a previous announcement and should be ignored.

Hopefully if this individual is independent of the other holders and has the same goals as the rest of us PI's then this is good news rather than bad news.

[narc2] 26/7/2011 11:21

Who are they?

[yorkshiret] 26/7/2011 10:47

Surprised that there's no comment on yesterday's announcement that the Hodgsons now have 7.1% (930,456 shares).

The RNS includes a Canadian (Montreal) phone number 514 465-4904 for ichard Hodgson, which is the same on this announcement relating to ITIS Plc last year.

[sunny valley] 21/7/2011 23:06

Let's hope that they float the Insurance side of RBS rather than sell it. I think they are too big to sell as a group and would have to broken down into their various brands such as Directline, Churchill, Privilege etc for sale. This wouldn't be good. RBS are a big player but not 50% of JCC's turnover. That would be a dangerous egg in a basket.