Ending Those Windscreen Notes, With Some Peaccce

Users of the peaccce wallet can now upgrade to a paid pro plan and create an online page for their car’s DVLA record. Peaccce sends out a QR-linked static window sticker that reads “Contact Owner”. Any good samaritan can scan the code and send a pre-set message from a basket of options like “Your alarm is going off”, “I witnessed damage to your vehicle” and the final honesty opportunity of “I caused damage to your vehicle”.

It’s a feature born from a real life experience. After a trip where peaccce’s founder, James York, and his wife, Emma, had used an affordable car concierge service at the airport – they were surprised to find a note shoved under the petrol access door at their next fill up. A good samaritan had crudely let them know that the car had been parked far away on a residential road – and they suspected the Yorks had been the victims of parking fraud.

“We thought ‘that’s nice – but also random’ – and it gave me an idea. Peaccce isn’t about selling insurance – so a risk management type social feature such as this was really appealing to us. Everyone has a phone – how many more good samaritans might leave a note now? “

To test the idea, peaccce asked 300 car owners if they had ever had their vehicle damaged whilst parked or unattended. A whopping 66% responded that they had, with only 1 in 10 of these lucky enough to receive a note from the responsible party or a witness. These statistics are backed up by research conducted by the RAC. More interesting, though, peaccce also found 22% of those who caused or witnessed an issue with another’s car couldn’t leave a note because of a lack of a pen and paper.

CONNECTING DATA TRAILS

“Everyone has a phone – no one carries a pen and paper. Plus, QRs are much more accessible post-covid. If 22% more notifications could be created – what a great potential impact on motor-related issues?” James York, founder of peaccce commented.

Insurance providers are already investing the use of greater technology from black boxes and dash cams to help reduce claim costs. Car QR is low cost, low maintenance and works when the engine is off. With inflation costs pushing car insurer providers’ claim costs up – the prospect of connecting more damage issues and claimants could have huge appeal.

Car QR is not a software. It’s a hybrid, physical product giving the insurtech a different appeal and route to market. It also heralds the next phase of peaccce’s plan to bring social and connecting tools into the risk world.

“We love that this is tangible and totemic in a way insurance PDFs can’t be. People have subscription fatigue, too – so we’re pricing this product to be one-off. It’s cost-of-living friendly. No renewal churn hassles – just setup and stick in a windscreen. Easy..” Said York.

Peaccce has built the physical packaging for its Car QR with a view to co-branding for customer marketing, corporate gifts and employee rewards. With bulk orders available in a short two-week lead time – at just 100 unit minimum order.

As for the social elements – a  temporary chat room is set up online for each message, with SMS notifications, allowing the car owner to initiate and end a conversation if needed. That platform is also secure – with both the notifier and owner’s details masked by peaccce unless both parties choose to reveal their details. Controls have also been put in place to prevent and report abuse.

Whilst the product is set to be made available nationwide, peaccce are focusing on two main areas – St.Alban’s (Herts) and Beaconsfield (South Bucks) having had particularly strong local interest from civic groups and car parking stakeholders.

“This is a national product, but given the incredibly strong interest from two fantastic economies local to members of our team – our roll out will seek to build strong local awareness across each first. Both areas are doubtless packed with good samaritans!” Said Richard Dulcamara, peaccce’s co-founder.

“Car QR doesn’t guarantee people will leave a note, but it will reduce the barrier to helping others and therefore increase the chances of car related issues being mitigated. Cars are just the start for this social era. We know so-called ‘To Whom It May Concern’ letters are one of those nagging industry costs – we’ll be coming to fix that next. ” added Dulcamara.

Car QR is a pro feature and starts at £15, with bulk and wholesale orders available. The product will initially be rolled out in beta to existing peaccce users, corporate partners and those who join the now-opened waitlist – with full access expected ahead of Christmas.  Peaccce.com continues to fulfil its mission to be a social network for peace of mind.