Accident management companies (AMCs) provide services such as vehicle recovery, repairs and help with insurance claims after a non-fault traffic accident. Consumers typically contact an AMC shortly after an accident has occurred and so are likely to be vulnerable. AMCs can be useful to some consumers – however, their ads should make clear the nature of their service, the limitations on those they can assist and should be upfront about the potential costs incurred using such companies. The ASA published several upheld rulings where AMC’s ran a red light.
Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not!
AMCs should not state or imply that they are insurers or that contacting them will enable a consumer to get through to an insurer. In three rulings here, here and here, paid-for search ads used the names of well-known insurers and misleadingly presented themselves as insurance providers.
Don’t imply approval or endorsement from a public body
An advertiser stalled because we considered consumers would understand their ad as implying that the services of AMCs were approved by Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) over using an insurer, when that wasn’t the case.
Don’t cross the line into irresponsibility
Promoting your services is fine, but don’t make out that insurers don’t need to be told about an accident. They do. Claims such as “Going to your car insurance provider after an accident is crazy!!!!” and “After an accident call us before you call your insurer” can suggest that consumers should avoid informing their insurer about an accident and that it’s better not to. Making such claims in your ads will give you penalty points (or, at the very least, contact from the ASA!) and should be avoided.
Make sure everyone knows where they’re heading
Some ads failed to make clear that the services were only for non-fault accidents. Claims such as “Had a road accident? Making an insurance claim? Use our completely free service today”, “In a crash? Call now to report your accident & get expert help fast” and “Report a Car Accident – Car Accident Claim Helpline” suggested that anyone involved in an accident could use the services.
Limited space needn’t be a roadblock. One search ad managed to get the message across succinctly with “Non-fault Accident? Call Us Now”.
Consumers need to know what’s down the road. So, any potential liability for additional costs is also material information about the nature of the service and needs to be made clear.
Keep “Free” and Savings Claims on the Right Track
Claims including “Guaranteed 100% Free Service” and “Nearly 100% of our customers saved money by using us to manage their claim” ran into trouble.
The basis of the savings wasn’t made clear and the claimed saving didn’t take account of costs consumers might incur by using an AMC instead of their insurer. Those claims ultimately took a wrong turn.
That’s it for our AMC ad advice. However, if you’re looking for further guidance or bespoke advice on an upcoming campaign, drive over (carefully…!) to our Copy Advice page.
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