Accident today - advice needed

[BHML]

Someone hit my stationary car while pulling into a space today and has badly damaged it (car is borderline undrivable and has been recovered to my house). Liability isn't disputed as they talked to my insurers while I was on the phone to them. I was sitting in the back seat of my own car at the time of the accident.

My concern is how to handle the courtersy car aspect. I am not in a financial position to rent a car myself and recoup from the third party insurers.

I don't want a hire car at inflated prices from some AMC, so can I insist that the third party insurers (which are the same company that I am insured with) provide me with a replacement car while mine is being repaired?

Any additional advice would be welcome.

[t400ble]

What did they suggest re an hire car?

[BHML]

t400ble said:

What did they suggest re an hire car?

I haven't been contacted by the the "third party team" of the insurance company (Covea) yet.

[KungFuPanda]

Contact the Third Party team tomorrow. They should bend over backwards to get you into a hire car.

[Aretnap]

BHML said:

I don't want a hire car at inflated prices from some AMC, so can I insist that the third party insurers (which are the same company that I am insured with) provide me with a replacement car while mine is being repaired?

You can't actually "insist" as such, but you can ask, and if they say no then you can always go down the route of getting a pricey hire car from an AMC instead. Because of this they will almost certainly say yes - in fact as Kung Fu Panda says they will likely bend over backwards to be helpful.

[davek_964]

Aretnap said:

BHML said:

I don't want a hire car at inflated prices from some AMC, so can I insist that the third party insurers (which are the same company that I am insured with) provide me with a replacement car while mine is being repaired?

You can't actually "insist" as such, but you can ask, and if they say no then you can always go down the route of getting a pricey hire car from an AMC instead. Because of this they will almost certainly say yes - in fact as Kung Fu Panda says they will likely bend over backwards to be helpful.

My ongoing experience is that the third party insurers were initially promising to be my BFF - but since that initial call, have been a little less helpful. I was offered a courtesy car, but said I didn't need it - even though it was from them, they still list prices and it would have been very expensive and added a lot to the 3rd party claim (simply because of the type of car). In the initial call, I was told the engineer would call me the next morning at 11am to arrange inspection of the car - they didn't. I called them in the afternoon, and was told I'd been mis-informed and it would be within 48 hours of the initial call.
As 48 hours approached, I called them - since they hadn't called me. I was told that they would send me a link, and I could send photos / video via the link so that the engineer could do the inspection remotely. I did that.
In their initial confirmation letter, they stated that they would arrange to transport the car to the repair center and return it to me. I called them on Friday morning and said I'd like them to arrange transport of the car to the bodyshop.
The guy I was speaking to initially said : I think we only do that if you use an approved bodyshop.
I replied that their letter said no such thing, and it would make no sense anyway - it would mean if the car was undriveable then my choice was limited.
He went away, then came back and said : But we have a note on our system saying the car is driveable.
Yes - it is. But the bodyshop is a two hour drive away and I don't want to use half a day of my weekend taking the car there and getting back when it wasn't my fault the car is damaged.
He was still reluctant to arrange collection of the car.
So I agreed that I would drive it there myself - but since I was doing that, and my chosen bodyshop is in the middle of nowhere - I would need a like for like courtesy car waiting for me at the bodyshop (something else their letter offered), and I would keep it for the duration of the repair - and return it to the bodyshop when I collect my car. The like for like car is on their list of available cars, and I believe cost them £506+vat per day?
Green Flag called me 20 minutes later, and collected the car an hour after that....

[hornmeister]

You've all ready turned down an offer of a courtesy car? Sourcing one separately and then claiming for it will be difficult. Regardless if yours is cheaper. You'll probably find what theirs costs them isn't what is costed up for you and they will try and get out of spending if they can.

Think you need to get that offer back. Once they see the costs racking up they tend to get moving with everything else.

Edited by hornmeister on Tuesday 25th September 07:59

[NewbishDelight]

KungFuPanda said:

Contact the Third Party team tomorrow. They should bend over backwards to get you into a hire car.

This. The Third Party insurer will save a fortune by putting into a hire care rather than through an Accident Management Company.

[havoc]

The risk here is that the hire car costs (esp. at AMC rates) push the total bill over the write-off threshold...at which point you lose entitlement to a replacement car.

That said, you do need to be mobile, so get yourself a car by any reasonable / justifiable means.


Final thought - know you don't want to deal with an AMC, but be careful if dealing direct with 3P insurer - they have NO duty of care to you. You're almost certainly better served by going through your insurers regardless of costs (subject to paragraph 1).

[alangla]

havoc said:

Final thought - know you don't want to deal with an AMC, but be careful if dealing direct with 3P insurer - they have NO duty of care to you. You're almost certainly better served by going through your insurers regardless of costs (subject to paragraph 1).

He's said they're one and the same - does this mean in this case he'll be dealing with his "own" insurers, or the 3rd party team of the "other" insurers, despite them being the same organisation? Either way, you'd hope they'd have him in a hire car from a firm of their choice pronto to minimise the chances of an AMC ending up in the middle.

[BHML]

Just an update - the third party accepted full liability. The third party's insurers (who are the same company as my own insurance) provided me with a car from Enterprise at their cost within 24 hours, but they warned me against taking any extras (such as satnav cover, excess reduction insurance). My car has been transported to bodyshop.

I've had several calls and they've kept me fully informed.All looks uncomplicated so far.

I wonder how much of this is to do with the fact that it is the same insurance company that's dealing with the claim.

[Sheepshanks]

havoc said:

The risk here is that the hire car costs (esp. at AMC rates) push the total bill over the write-off threshold...

They don't take hire cost into account when determning whether a car is a write off.