Drivers are warned to be alert to an increasingly-common scam in which non-licenced mechanics and repairers offer big ‘prizes’ in exchange for windscreen replacements, often at inflated prices.
Less-than-scrupulous repairers are increasingly offering in-demand products as ‘free gifts’ to drivers who sign up to have their windscreen replaced or repaired with them, even though they may not be associated with any reputable insurance company or garage, reports Le Parisien.
Often, the price charged is vastly inflated, and/or the work done is to a poor standard, after its investigation into the practice, which has been dubbed a “windscreen mafia”, Le Parisien said.
‘Free gifts’
Le Parisien worked with insurance fraud agency l’Agence de lutte contre la fraude en assurance (ALFA), and 18 insurance companies, to investigate the practice further.
It found extensive ‘free gifts’ being offered to would-be customers, including electric scooters, a TV, a Nintendo Switch games console, an air fryer, a hot tub, a mini motorbike, or even €500 in cash. Yet, the price charged for the windscreen work can often exceed 50% more than it should, and repairers have even boasted of making up to 65% profit for the work.
In one example identified by the investigation, a Nissan Qashqai windscreen, which can be bought for €150, was replaced to the tune of €1,350, including a supposed purchase price of €530, plus labour and extras. Insurance companies are then given this extortionate bill, leading some to decline payment, landing some clients in court as they fight their case.
“This is now stressing the courts,” said ALFA director, Maxence Bizien.
Read also: Why car insurance prices are likely to keep rising in France
Direct marketing calls
The investigation also found that many of these ‘scam’ repairers are targeting drivers directly, even if their windscreen is not broken, said Mr Bizen.
The companies make marketing calls asking “Did you know you have the right to change your windscreen every year? Why not take advantage?’ Sometimes, they don’t even change the windscreen, submit a false claim, and offer the client an even bigger gift,” he said.
Some convince drivers that their windscreen has been installed using the wrong type of glass, and needs an immediate replacement to be safe.
“Fraudsters have figured out that windscreen repair is a lucrative business,” said Mr Bizen. “There is so much abuse [happening] that insurers have had to reactivate contractual clauses that no longer existed or they did not need to use before. They put limits on the prices.”
One victim who spoke to Le Parisien, Marie from Yvelines (name changed), described her experience as “one big scam”. She said that when her windscreen needed replacing, she spoke to her insurance company. They provided her with a list of agreed repairers, but also told her she could go to any repairer she chose if she preferred.
“I found a place where I could get Disney tickets or an e-scooter,” she said. “When they told me that, I went for it.”
The repairer told her that she would receive an e-scooter within two weeks, but it never materialised. After many calls and emails, Marie discovered that her insurance company had refused to pay out in full for the repair, judging that the €750 bill was disproportionate.
The repairer then told Marie that unless the insurer reimbursed the entire amount, she would not receive her e-scooter.
“I was blinded by the ‘free’ gift,” Marie admits. “I blame the garage for its lack of honesty, but also the insurance company for not having advised me better.”
Some victims have even reported similar scams for other repair work, including the changing of tyres.
‘Unfair and illegal’
Florence Lustman, president of national insurance federation France Assureurs, said: “There is now a real incitement to fraud through windscreen changing, with a view of obtaining a gift of disproportionate value, with the cost eventually at the expense of other insured drivers.
“It is unfair and also illegal because an insurance policy must - the law states - put the insured person back in the same situation as they were in before the damage, meaning without extra gain.”
The scams can also have lasting consequences. Usually, a claim for a windscreen repair does not affect your insurance premiums, except if you were at fault in an accident.
However, some policyholders may find that their insurer does increase their premium or even refuses to cover them in the event of several claims, plus a suspect windscreen claim.
Read also: What should you expect to pay for car insurance in France?
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Rising costs
More than 90% of car insurance policies in France provide for the replacement of a car windscreen in the event of damage, in a business that was worth €1.73 billion in 2023.
Prices for replacements have also increased by 10% since then, notes Le Parisien.
