One of our insurance partners, Aviva Canada, conducted an undercover investigation into auto body shops and their repair practices.

What they found was quite frankly shocking, even to the most seasoned investigators.

Over the course of a year, Aviva staged 10 accidents with intentionally damaged vehicles. They rigged them with hidden cameras and waited for tow trucks to arrive.

In most cases the tow truck driver suggested, or even forced, the car owner to go to “preferred” auto body shops for the repairs.

While there, the Aviva investigators found that in nine out of 10 cases unnecessary work was done, excessive billing took place, or repairs were not adequately completed.

Have a look for yourself (opens as video) » Investigation into auto body repairs reveals inflated charges, incomplete work

We encourage you to watch the entire Aviva investigation on CTV’s W5 website.

It is important to note that the only auto body shop in the investigation that completed only the necessary repairs and had fair billing was another Staebler partner, CARSTAR Canada. We have recommended their services for many years and proud to see their honest actions.

What does this mean to you?

In short, auto repair fraud costs you money.

While Ontarians already pay some of the highest auto insurance premiums, fraud like this and others, quickly adds to the cost for all consumers. Fraud estimates are as high as $2 billion a year across the country and that’s costing you between $100 and $150 a year.

FRAUD: How it all adds up (Opens as a video)

So, what can we do?

Insurance fraud affects us all. And we all have a role to play in helping reduce fraud.

Aviva has launched a Fight Fraud campaign and as a broker partner we are proud to support this initiative. We believe that honest drivers deserve fair auto insurance and will continue to fight for our clients.

To learn more about what Aviva and its brokers are doing and how you can help this important cause, please visit their website: AvivaCanada.com/fightfraud/the-answer

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Be Wise. Staebler Insurance is a general insurance broker specializing in auto insurance, home insurance, small business, and commercial insurance. Staebler brokers proudly serve Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford, Listowel, Fergus, Elora, Wellington County, Perth County, Waterloo Region and southern Ontario. Get started with a free quote today.