Insurance claim hassle

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AyBee

Original Poster:

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
A third party drove into me so rather than deal with it myself, I passed it to a claims management company (thinking they took a fee for handling my claim) mainly because I'm busy and don't have time to deal with the hassle myself. I have a witness and was stationary when hit so 100% non-fault. Turns out that the claims management place need me in a credit hire car in order to recoup their fees so they told me to go to my own insurer because I didn't want to do credit hire.

I passed the details to my insurance saying I wanted my car fixed at a place of my choice because it's not a mainstream car and that I needed a car for this weekend. They've just told me that I can't have a car because I'm not getting it repaired through one of their approved repairers and would need to go through credit hire to get a car. I tried to save the industry a bit of money and now they want to send me down the route I didn't want to go down. At a bit of a loss as to what to do now...

Driver101

14,376 posts

120 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
By going to a claims management company you are far more likely to cost the insurance companies far more money.

Most insurance companies have it stipulated in their polices that if you choose to use a repair centre of your own choice you forfeit the courtesy car.

I would have let the other person's insurance company sort things out.

Edited by Driver101 on Tuesday 24th February 11:31

essayer

9,008 posts

193 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Can't the repair centre provide a car?

AyBee

Original Poster:

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Which is where things don't add up:
Option 1: Claims management company gives me a car, lets me get my car fixed where I want to and costs the insurance industry a lot;
Option 2: Own insurer lets me get my car fixed where I want but doesn't give me a car but is cheaper to the industry.

Where's the incentive to try and keep costs down for the industry?

Driver101

14,376 posts

120 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
AyBee said:
Which is where things don't add up:
Option 1: Claims management company gives me a car, lets me get my car fixed where I want to and costs the insurance industry a lot;
Option 2: Own insurer lets me get my car fixed where I want but doesn't give me a car but is cheaper to the industry.

Where's the incentive to try and keep costs down for the industry?
So what you want now is the insurance company to pay for the repairs, pay a higher rate at a bodyshop of your choice, pay for a courtesy car and pay the claims management company their fees?

You've already involved a claims management company before giving the insurance company the chance to sort things.

How do you know your bodyshop is better that the one they'd use?

Most people just want their car fixed. They don't know what is a good bodyshop and what isn't. They just was the insurance company to give them a replacement car and fix their own.

The incentive to keep down costs comes when you come to renew. When you declare the non-fault accident next year your premium will go up. The more expensive the claim the higher it will push your premium.

Slidingpillar

761 posts

135 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Did they give you a list of their approved repairers? One might meet your standards of repair.

AyBee

Original Poster:

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Driver101 said:
AyBee said:
Which is where things don't add up:
Option 1: Claims management company gives me a car, lets me get my car fixed where I want to and costs the insurance industry a lot;
Option 2: Own insurer lets me get my car fixed where I want but doesn't give me a car but is cheaper to the industry.

Where's the incentive to try and keep costs down for the industry?
So what you want now is the insurance company to pay for the repairs, pay a higher rate at a bodyshop of your choice, pay for a courtesy car and pay the claims management company their fees?

You've already involved a claims management company before giving the insurance company the chance to sort things.

How do you know your bodyshop is better that the one they'd use?

Most people just want their car fixed. They don't know what is a good bodyshop and what isn't. They just was the insurance company to give them a replacement car and fix their own.

The incentive to keep down costs comes when you come to renew. When you declare the non-fault accident next year your premium will go up. The more expensive the claim the higher it will push your premium.
The claims management place is no longer involved, so there are no fees to be paid there. The car's a Lotus, I want somebody to repair it who knows what they're doing, I don't think that's too much to ask. I want a car for a weekend, I'm not requesting like-for-like. All this should be paid for by the third party's insurer since this wasn't my fault, again, not too much to ask for in my opinion, I just can't seem to get this to happen...but if I go to a claims management place, they'd stick me in a like-for-like straight away and the total claim cost will shoot through the roof!

thescamper

920 posts

225 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
OP have you tried talking to the third party insurers, sounds like a cut and dried case to me, talking to the TP insurers explaining the situation that you are happy for just any car and in doing that and only having it for the weekend and not for the full period is mitigating their losses you may be able to swing it.


AyBee

Original Poster:

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
thescamper said:
OP have you tried talking to the third party insurers, sounds like a cut and dried case to me, talking to the TP insurers explaining the situation that you are happy for just any car and in doing that and only having it for the weekend and not for the full period is mitigating their losses you may be able to swing it.
Thanks - didn't know whether this was worthwhile trying...

Matt_N

8,900 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Just deal with the third parties insurers, we got rear ended in August last year, had a hire car from Enterprise and the car was collected the next day, no hassle what so ever.

The third party was with Direct Line who I have to say were great.

Plenty of posts on here regarding AMCs and their credit hire agreements.

Blue Oval84

5,276 posts

160 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
AyBee said:
Thanks - didn't know whether this was worthwhile trying...
I've always gone direct to the other person's insurers.

They're always falling over themselves to provide a hire car, and repair the car wherever I want (normally a manufacturer bodyshop).

Just ring them and they should play ball.

dacouch

1,172 posts

128 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Contact the other Insurer direct, most will bite your hand off to provide a like for like car and use the repairer of your choice as you have refused the claims management company and credit hire as these inflate their costs massively.

If you don't know the other Insurer's details you can find who they are, the contact number and policy number for a small fee here www.askmid.com

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Blue Oval84 said:
I've always gone direct to the other person's insurers.

They're always falling over themselves to provide a hire car, and repair the car wherever I want (normally a manufacturer bodyshop).

Just ring them and they should play ball.
How many accidents do you normally have?

AyBee

Original Poster:

10,522 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
dacouch said:
Contact the other Insurer direct, most will bite your hand off to provide a like for like car and use the repairer of your choice as you have refused the claims management company and credit hire as these inflate their costs massively.

If you don't know the other Insurer's details you can find who they are, the contact number and policy number for a small fee here www.askmid.com
Thanks - have sent them an email giving them the chance to provide me with a hire car to keep their costs down. Will follow up with a call tomorrow if I don't get a response.

Blue Oval84

5,276 posts

160 months

Tuesday 24th February 2015
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
How many accidents do you normally have?
Four in fifteen years, rear ended at-

1a) A roundabout
1b) A roundabout but without damage so doesn't count
2) Traffic lights
3) After stopping in the road due to a tree in my lane and oncoming van
4) Traffic lights - he knocked the two cars behind me into my car which was quite impressive in a 30mph zone!

I've now fitted a target to the back of the car to make it more fun hehe

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Wednesday 25th February 2015
quotequote all
Blue Oval84 said:
Monkeylegend said:
How many accidents do you normally have?
Four in fifteen years, rear ended at-

1a) A roundabout
1b) A roundabout but without damage so doesn't count
2) Traffic lights
3) After stopping in the road due to a tree in my lane and oncoming van
4) Traffic lights - he knocked the two cars behind me into my car which was quite impressive in a 30mph zone!

I've now fitted a target to the back of the car to make it more fun hehe
I saw a Target courier transit van a couple of years ago that had rear ended another vehicle. They have the target sight logo on the bonnet and he had hit this smack bang in the middle of the centre of the "cross hair" of the logo.



anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 25th February 2015
quotequote all
AyBee said:
thescamper said:
OP have you tried talking to the third party insurers, sounds like a cut and dried case to me, talking to the TP insurers explaining the situation that you are happy for just any car and in doing that and only having it for the weekend and not for the full period is mitigating their losses you may be able to swing it.
Thanks - didn't know whether this was worthwhile trying...
Why not just get a courtesy car from the repairer? I've never known them not to have them.

Adrian E

3,248 posts

175 months

Wednesday 25th February 2015
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REALIST123 said:
Why not just get a courtesy car from the repairer? I've never known them not to have them.
Usually the 'courtesy car' supplied by the repairer is being paid for by the insurance company, as a cheap way for them to hire a replacement while yours is being repaired. So as soon as you choose to go somewhere else for a repair, or remove the automatic courtesy car clause from your policy, they're under no obligation to supply one.

Because I'd never take my cars to an insurance approved repairer, as in my experience round here the vast majority are useless, I refuse to pay an additional premium for a service they will then inform me I am not entitled to.

We have more than 1 car so it's really not an issue for us anyway.

surveyor

17,763 posts

183 months

Wednesday 25th February 2015
quotequote all
Adrian E said:
REALIST123 said:
Why not just get a courtesy car from the repairer? I've never known them not to have them.
Usually the 'courtesy car' supplied by the repairer is being paid for by the insurance company, as a cheap way for them to hire a replacement while yours is being repaired. So as soon as you choose to go somewhere else for a repair, or remove the automatic courtesy car clause from your policy, they're under no obligation to supply one.

Because I'd never take my cars to an insurance approved repairer, as in my experience round here the vast majority are useless, I refuse to pay an additional premium for a service they will then inform me I am not entitled to.

We have more than 1 car so it's really not an issue for us anyway.
I've always assumed that the repairers courtesy car is paid for by the repairer as part of becoming an 'approved bodyshop'

Adrian E

3,248 posts

175 months

Wednesday 25th February 2015
quotequote all
surveyor said:
I've always assumed that the repairers courtesy car is paid for by the repairer as part of becoming an 'approved bodyshop'
Becoming an approved bodyshop for an insurance company usually involves agreeing to a spectacularly low labour rate. It may be in their T&Cs with an insurer to guarantee a loan car when the insurer requires one to be provided, but the cost is being passed on one way or another.