Insurance issue
Discussion
Mtwife's car was parked up by the side of the road, legally parked, while she took the dogs for a walk in the country. She came back to find a not of the "sorry I bumped your car" variety, with a phone number and name. Very honest, thanks.
We contacted the other party, and she asked us to get some prices, one from the "guy who runs the local car wash" !, we chose to go to a proper body shop, and £380 - £600 were the prices. She doesn't want to go through the insurance, so has agreed to drop a cheque in, for the full amount. Fair play.
In case it went pear shaped, i.e she doesn't pay, or denies responsibility, I contacted out insurers. They took all of the details supplied "for information only", no claim, and at the very end of tha call advised me that the renewal premium may now be affected, as we have reported an incident.
Three things here.
1) I was doing the right thing, advising them.
2) Only at the very end of the call was I advised that even just letting them know may affect my premium and
3) Even though the other party has admitted full liability, why should this affect my premium, I am not claiming, we were not at fault.
Madness, pure madness !
We contacted the other party, and she asked us to get some prices, one from the "guy who runs the local car wash" !, we chose to go to a proper body shop, and £380 - £600 were the prices. She doesn't want to go through the insurance, so has agreed to drop a cheque in, for the full amount. Fair play.
In case it went pear shaped, i.e she doesn't pay, or denies responsibility, I contacted out insurers. They took all of the details supplied "for information only", no claim, and at the very end of tha call advised me that the renewal premium may now be affected, as we have reported an incident.
Three things here.
1) I was doing the right thing, advising them.
2) Only at the very end of the call was I advised that even just letting them know may affect my premium and
3) Even though the other party has admitted full liability, why should this affect my premium, I am not claiming, we were not at fault.
Madness, pure madness !
Yes they do this. Where as the person who hit your wifes car will not have informed her insurers at all and will see no premium increase next year. Yet another example of insurers punishing the victims.
However just because your insurance company knows about the prang doesnt mean all the others do. Usually they ask if you've had any claims or convictions in the last 5 years. You can still answer no to both of those.
However just because your insurance company knows about the prang doesnt mean all the others do. Usually they ask if you've had any claims or convictions in the last 5 years. You can still answer no to both of those.
LHD said:
Because statistically people who have been involved in an accident are more likely to have another one.
The joy of insurance underwriting i'm afraid.
Hence my "madness" comment, so people who park in a safe and reasonable place are likely to get hit by stupid f.king women drivers who's 4x4s are too big for them !(in this case).The joy of insurance underwriting i'm afraid.
LHD said:
Because statistically people who have been involved in an accident are more likely to have another one.
Im not sure our definitions of 'involved in an accident' are the same, considering the OP's wife wasnt anywhere near the car at the time. The other dozey cow crashed into a stationary vehicle, is what happened, and now the owner of that legally parked stationary vehicle will be the one to suffer. And people wonder why i dont like insurance companies?tezzer said:
Hence my "madness" comment, so people who park in a safe and reasonable place are likely to get hit by stipid f.king women drovers who's 4x4s are too big for them !
Yes. I wouldnt mind if that f
king woman driver with 4x4 was the one seeing an increased premium next year though, as the incident was entirely her fault (as she's admitted) yet i guarantee you she hasnt told her insurers and her premium will be unchanged as a result.This is why i always say you're better off not telling insurers anything. If you tell them then they'll put your premium up. If you reject the womans offer of paying and claim instead then both yours and her premiums will go up (not to mention the fact you'd be waiting 6 months for them to bother to do anything). If you dont tell them at all and the insurers find out then they put your premiums up.
It enrages me as well, because your wife did nothing wrong. If she'd parked it halfway round a roundabout then i'd side with the insurance company but she didnt, she parked it legally and a daft bint who cant drive will probably get off scott free. You did the right thing and you'll be punished. Makes you want to start doing the wrong thing doesnt it?
tezzer said:
LHD said:
Because statistically people who have been involved in an accident are more likely to have another one.
The joy of insurance underwriting i'm afraid.
Hence my "madness" comment, so people who park in a safe and reasonable place are likely to get hit by stupid f.king women drivers who's 4x4s are too big for them !(in this case).The joy of insurance underwriting i'm afraid.
I saw a woman in a large oriental 4x4 melt a car (£1000+ repair) while reversing and was totally oblivious to what she'd done.
She attempted to drive off when i stopped her.
Her response was 'it must have been like that before' until i showed her the rear bumper on her Land Cruiser was all damaged.
She refused to accept responsibility via her insurer and if it wasn't for mine and another witness statement she would have got off with it being 50/50.
I got a box of Milk Tray from the owner of the car she hit.
Which was nice.
LHD said:
She refused to accept responsibility via her insurer and if it wasn't for mine and another witness statement she would have got off with it being 50/50.
How on earth could it have been 50/50? I can understand a verdict of 50/50 if both cars were moving at the time, usually if two cars hit each other in a car park (one reversing out, one scanning for a space etc) then its 50/50 but if one of the cars was parked with nobody in it how can the accident possibly be half their fault?!?!I like Milk Tray
I got re ended whlst stationary at traffic lights about 7 years ago. I told my insurance in the same way you did and they said my premium would go up as a result. When I asked why they said "because your driving in high risk areas". I explained that it could have happened at any set of traffic lights in the country and they had no answer and could offer no further explanation. Same old thing, if your an honest law abiding member of the public, you get shafted!
Insurers move in mysterious ways, best just to leave it at that and wonder no more. The chances are the OP's insurers are obliged to tell you the premium may go up simply as a matter of course - it may not. If it does, go and get other quotes, truthfully say you've had no claims or accidents, get a cheaper quote and go back to your existing firm and say you've had a better offer. A hassle but there we go.
Lord Flathead said:
matthias73 said:
Do not tell the insurers anything, ever again, unless you've had a serious incident!
... and then get done for failure to disclose material evidence.. damned if you do, damned if you don't 
kers won't pay even if i'm honest.Even if by some miracle they do pay out they will get the payout back in the next few years of premiums anyway.
Thejimreaper said:
I got re ended whlst stationary at traffic lights about 7 years ago. I told my insurance in the same way you did and they said my premium would go up as a result. When I asked why they said "because your driving in high risk areas". I explained that it could have happened at any set of traffic lights in the country and they had no answer and could offer no further explanation. Same old thing, if your an honest law abiding member of the public, you get shafted!
Simple solution - go somewhere else. I was rear-ended at the end of 2010, and despite being blameless my insurance went up by nearly 30%. So I went to another insurer that was only slightly more expensive.The other driver can easily be placed on record as the person that caused the accident whether she tells her insurance comany or not. You have all her details and I would ensure that these details are passed onto your insurer. Her involvement will then be on record.
She is legally bound to advise any insurance company of any accidents she has been involved in and if she doesn't her insurance will be null and void.
Insurers share information according to the recorded messages I hear when waiting for quotes on the phone.
I suspect that if she has a minor bump in the future it will go though without a problem. If it's major, her insurer is likely to do some background checks and her altercation with you will come to light. Then the st hits the fan.
She is legally bound to advise any insurance company of any accidents she has been involved in and if she doesn't her insurance will be null and void.
Insurers share information according to the recorded messages I hear when waiting for quotes on the phone.
I suspect that if she has a minor bump in the future it will go though without a problem. If it's major, her insurer is likely to do some background checks and her altercation with you will come to light. Then the s
t hits the fan.tezzer said:
Hence my "madness" comment, so people who park in a safe and reasonable place are likely to get hit by stupid f.king women drivers who's 4x4s are too big for them !(in this case).
It wasn't that safe - someone crashed into it. Yhe insurance company's computer will be thinking that next time the other driver might not leave a note.LHD said:
Because statistically people who have been involved in an accident are more likely to have another one.
The joy of insurance underwriting i'm afraid.
The OP's wife has not been involved in an accident. Their car has been. Depends entirely on how the insurance company asks you the question.The joy of insurance underwriting i'm afraid.
BMW Insurance very recently asked me both ways. No other insurance company I have dealt with has done that.
They state the reason that having a no fault accident increases your premium is that you are statistically more likely to be involved in another accident, thus you are more risk to insure than someone with no previous accidents.
Which is obviously a load of bks as they'll just do anything to put the price of insurance up :@
I was hit from behind when stationary, police involved, other driver admitted liability at scene. Came to renewel time and my insurance went up £100 on all 3 policies (2 cars + bike).I have not had an accident in over 8 years of driving and subsequently have 8 years NCD but apparently the tt that drove in to me has made me more of a risk... Absolute rip-off.
So I not only have a long standing neck injury but I am also down £300 extra each year for the next 5 years due to some moronic incompetent neglect running in to me.
And would go up considerably if I wanted to insure a more valuable car with better performance i'm sure.
Which is obviously a load of b
ks as they'll just do anything to put the price of insurance up :@I was hit from behind when stationary, police involved, other driver admitted liability at scene. Came to renewel time and my insurance went up £100 on all 3 policies (2 cars + bike).I have not had an accident in over 8 years of driving and subsequently have 8 years NCD but apparently the t
t that drove in to me has made me more of a risk... Absolute rip-off.So I not only have a long standing neck injury but I am also down £300 extra each year for the next 5 years due to some moronic incompetent neglect
running in to me.And would go up considerably if I wanted to insure a more valuable car with better performance i'm sure.
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