Credit where it is due?

Few issues in the motor market stir as much controversy as credit hire and the companies that promote and supply it, argues Philip Bird, director of claims at Groupama Insurances.

Your assessment of the merits of credit hire will be influenced by your position in the market. Many brokers see these firms as a useful source of revenue through referral fees; they might also be seen as a way to provide clients with better service than they receive from some insurers. Other brokers have little or nothing to do with them, except in instances when a client uses one then lets them know as an afterthought.

Most insurers feel that credit-hire companies add unnecessary expense to