Non Fault Claim

[TwigtheWonderkid]

zygalski said:

GT72 said:

Twig / Zygalski

As people with inside knowledge - what do you do in the OP's circumstances - go through own insurance co. or 3rd parties?

Over years I've had a few no fault claims over the years and where the 3rd party has completely admitted liability, I have always found it better to deal direct with their insurer. I've found that with the threat of an ACM getting involved they bend over backwards to provide a great service. Whilst putting a claim through my own insurer has still got the car fixed, they've not been as attentive, accommodating or communicative, however, that could just be a reflection of my own insurance company rather than an industry standard. I'm interested in what your thoughts are.

It really makes no odds, although I'd be more inclined to use my own insurer if the TP was insured with a smaller or relatively obscure company with fewer resources.

The claim info is all shared between insurers on the Claims Underwriting Exchange, so it's not like claiming through the TPI will mean you won't have a claim registered against your own policy anyway, which is another very common misconception promoted on here and elsewhere.

If you claim directly off the tp, the claim will not be known about by your own insurer, unless they choose to run a future CUE check against you. tf doesn't automatically link to your own policy.

[Jakg]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I don't really have insider knowledge, just work in an industry that has a lot of dealings with insurance. I'd probably claim directly off the third party, if I had the info handy and the tp had admitted liability. Means no excess to pay, and like for like hire car if required. But, when dealing with your own insurer, you are the customer, their top priority, and you have a contract with them. When dealing with a tp, whilst normally it's fine, you are a nobody, if they are short staffed their own customers will (and should) get priority over you, and you have no contract with them.

When I had a no-fault accident, the third party offered me a better level of service than my insurer - specifically my insurer wanted to drive my car to the garage, but the third party offered to pick it up on a flatbed.

When asked they said that different insurers have different levels of cover and in this case they beat mine.

Anecdotally the third party insurers were very accomodating - way better than mine. But in this case liability had been confirmed.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Jakg said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I don't really have insider knowledge, just work in an industry that has a lot of dealings with insurance. I'd probably claim directly off the third party, if I had the info handy and the tp had admitted liability. Means no excess to pay, and like for like hire car if required. But, when dealing with your own insurer, you are the customer, their top priority, and you have a contract with them. When dealing with a tp, whilst normally it's fine, you are a nobody, if they are short staffed their own customers will (and should) get priority over you, and you have no contract with them.

When I had a no-fault accident, the third party offered me a better level of service than my insurer - specifically my insurer wanted to drive my car to the garage, but the third party offered to pick it up on a flatbed.

When asked they said that different insurers have different levels of cover and in this case they beat mine.

Anecdotally the third party insurers were very accomodating - way better than mine. But in this case liability had been confirmed.

That's entirely possible. I suspect you'll get better service off an insurer like Aviva as a tp than you will do off Supercheap.com as a policyholder.