Advice appreciated- no fault accident

[curlywurly]

Hi, I've just set up a profile so am limited to certain parts of the forum, I can't post on SPL so am trying here. I've seen good info on PH already but want to canvass opinions so I know what I'm getting myself into.

Background- I've had a minor prang, classic no-fault situation, rear-ended while waiting to enter a roundabout. My insurer has put me onto Drive Assist. I didn't like the way the conversation was going so came here to get some more info. (DA trying to convince me that my car's unsafe to drive, I NEED a hire car, blah blah.) Other driver admits liability, is insured etc.

So can I check what my options are?

My insurer suggests that if I claim through them I pay and reclaim my excess and have a claim on record. (I've over 10 years NCD, not protected, I'd lose a couple of % on renewal maybe?)

Second option, Drive Assist. Not keen but it sounds easy. I can cope without a car for a day or so, which I think should cover replacing my bumper.

Third option- TP insurer (elephant). What do I need to consider? What should I ask or look for?

Private repairs- last option? Other side initially interested when I offered but they're also happy for me to claim. I don't have time to drive about getting quotes though and no-one wants to quote without seeing my car. The other car's not being repaired. (old car, cosmetic damage.) My car: def needs a new rear bumper, it's cracked, dented and loose. Also child seat'll need replaced.

Both insurers have been notified already and its up to me to decide how to proceed.

Also, I'm now wondering if I should really be driving a car with a damaged bumper.

Thanks for any posts :-)

[SmoothCriminal]

You are always going to have a claim on record no matter what option you take even though it will be a non fault claim if they make recovery of repair cost.

Re hire car, what's your problem your going to need a car whilst yours is getting repaired or not, if you don't want it tell them and get on a bus or walk.

[curlywurly]

I should add: Drive assist will only deal with my claim if I take their hire car.

From reading about accident management companies (I didn't know what an AMC was til now) they make money from providing me with credit to obtain a hire car that I *need and can't fund myself*.

[caprirob]

Why not talk to a few Accident management companies and see who you think will offer the best service ?

They all make money the same way as you've already established - as the other party is clearly at fault and insured if you use an AMC at least you should get a hire car comparable to whatever you drive currently - and as the other parties insurance will be billed for the hire costs its in their interest to get the repair done quickly.

Why should you be out of pocket and inconvenienced because someone's hit you ? Your own insurer won't want to deal with it really because you're not at fault - they dont want the hassle of paying out and then having to claim it back from the other insurer - and forget trying to deal with the other parties insurer yourself - they won't be in any rush to pay out quicker than they have to !

Good luck.

[curlywurly]

Cheers, yes I suppose looking into another AMC is also an option. That's why I posted- I naively thought I would call my insurance company and it'd all be set in motion but it now seems that even if claiming on insurance, there are a few routes I could take. So I'm asking for advice to help make that decision. I'm sure I'm not the first one to be here, it'd be good if all the options with pros and cons were clear

[CYMR0]

Third party insurer would be my choice ... that way you'll get a like-for-like car if needed (but only if needed) with no prospect of the cost of the claim being inflated, and no risk of the other party deciding that £30 is a reasonable amount for a new bumper and if you disagree, they'll say you reversed into them. Elephant/Admiral are, from my experience, extremely good to deal with as the third party to a claim.

[Blue Oval84]

Claim off Elephant directly, I was rear-ended by an Admiral insured driver (same company) and I claimed directly, swift and painless, hire car was delivered and my car was repaired at a manufacturer approved bodyshop.

I had a similar experience about 10 years ago when I claimed directly from Direct Line and that was equally painless, no risk of getting stuck with a hefty hire bill either

[saaby93]

yep go direct to the third party otherwise you might have hassle about it going 50:50
If you dont have the time or know how to do it choose a good one of these
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

good luck

[curlywurly]

Thanks everyone! I called my insurer and they confirmed TPI means my premium and NCD are unaffected at renewal while going through my own insurer will count against me even if they recover all costs. I suppose it's fair enough since they'd rather not deal with the claim and let the TPI do the work but as a customer I'm left feeling like it doesn't matter what my car policy includes (I paid for extras) as I'll lose out by using it for this bump. TPI seems fair enough but I thought they may try to downplay the claim to reduce their costs - it doesn't sound like that's been anyone's experience here so far.

[Blue Oval84]

No mate, the TPI will want your claim settled extremely swiftly.

My experience was:-

• No excess to pay out

• VW Eos courtesy car (presumably on the grounds that it's "comparable" to my Z4)

• BMW Approved bodyshop repair which is pretty reasonable, although a year on I'm starting to spot a very, very marginal colour difference on the repaired panel.

When I got my car back from the bodyshop, despite having explained that it was freshly detailed recently (the paint had no swirls or marks in it) that they had managed to swirl it up nicely by very poor washing. I complained and Admiral gave me a cheque to get it re-detailed once they saw the invoice that I had previously paid.

I'm relatively convinced that it's precisely because it went via TPI that it went so smoothly, given that Admiral and Elephant are the same company I'll bet you have no bother

[tercelgold]

Could someone explain TPI insurer to me, is that claiming directly to the other persons insurer?

[Blue Oval84]

tercelgold said:

Could someone explain TPI insurer to me, is that claiming directly to the other persons insurer?

Exactly that.

[curlywurly]

Thanks again. I feel happy about dealing with the other driver's insurance.company directly. I'm just glad that I stopped the phone call with drive assist before agreeing to anything. 20/20 hindsight and all that but it's easy to just get caught up with the process without knowing all the ins and outs.

I've lurked on the forum before but never posted and its great to get such a lot of responses as a newbie