Being conned by insurance

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paulfoel

Active Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2003
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253
A bit off topic so hope no-one minds...

Had a slight accident a few months ago where I was'nt paying attention and rolled into the car in front of me at low speed in a traffic jam (5mph).

Anyway, got out, no visible damage to this young lads Corsa but my number plate was wrecked. Thats it.

Gave the lad my insurance details etc. and he agreed to check there was no damage and give me a bell to let me know if there was. So, I agreed to shell out if there was slight damage.

Two months went by and I'd heard nothing so forgot about it.

Then, out of the blue he phoned me, and told me his mate at the garage had done him a quote for the damage which was £900 !!! He asked me if I wanted to pay cash to which I politely refused and told him to sort it out throught the insurance...

I get the idea that maybe hes taking the p@ss !!!! Hes having half a new car for that,,,

Anyway, my insruance company have now got the claim from his company for £900 + £300 car hire.

Told me that hes already had it done and that it'll be difficult to prove that I did'nt cause the damage.
 
Paul,
You made the classic mistake of admission at the scene of the accident...your Insurance asks you not to.

To make an agreement about repairs and paying in cash all go against you.

You are lucky this guy does not suddenly develop "whip lash" (delayed) and takes another chunk out of your no claims.

The thing to do is ALWAYS deal with any claims accidents via your Insurance....no matter how tempting offering to buy the guy a wing mirror might be........this is what you are paying insurance for.
Also fight every claim(as far as the insurance company let you) against you......it costs you nothing ....you have your no claims to lose.

Joe
 
I have twice been been a passenger in a car that was hit from behind and initially there looked like there was no damage, but in both cases there was in fact quite substantial damage.

It does sound like he's trying it on though, especially as he's already had the work done.
 
Fight it all the way.

Don't let this piece of grot get away with it. He'll be terror ising the local McDs before you can say Max Power.
 
Originally posted by GregE240
Fight it all the way.

Don't let this piece of grot get away with it. He'll be terror ising the local McDs before you can say Max Power.

get away with what exactly?

we've all heard stories where a seemingly minor shunt from the rear can do thousands of pounds worth of damage - even though nothing is immediately visible the crumple zones are so fragile these days and designed to be "pedestrian friendly" that even a slight tap can disturb them. If he's had work done then ask to see receipts for it from the place that did the repair - if you think it's suss ask him to make the car available for an independent engineer of your choice to check the car over and see what was done and whether the damage repairs (if any) could be attributed to the impact and timing you describe. That should stop him if he is trying it on.

As the others have said you admitting liability at the scene is a bad thing, but assuming there were no witnesses now is the time to deny you ever said that.

Tell the insurance company that you both checked your cars at the time and that you both agreed that the only visible damage was to your car and that he was to contact you if he needed to claim following a proper inspection of his car - that's why you gave him your insurance details isn't it? :)

Your insurance company will no doubt accept this version of events as it is what they want to hear and it will be up to him and his insurers to prove otherwise - they may try but a strongly worded denial letter from you will in most cases satisfy them - unless there were any witnesses who heard your offer to settle.

Remember what he heard you say doesn't actually have to be what you really said :)

Andy
 
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Know the feeling, had a similar incident last year. Reversing into a parking bay and my tyre on full lock brushed against another cars bumper, just left a small black scuff on the bumper that would polish off. Guy ( a taxi driver in a rusty 1988 Nissan Bluebird) jumps out and demands money for the 'damage' I apologies but tell him politely, but firmly to go away. Anyway 4 hours later PC Plod arrives at my door, 'you were involved in a collision with another car and left the scene without giving your insurance details…blah…blah" The joker in the Bluebirds with him. After getting me to hand over my details in return for not nicking me the Plod says Mr X would be happy to settle without going through the Insurance. Told Plod and Mr X to go forth. Anyway when the bill arrived at the insurance company they were somewhat surprised that after 'causing' £600! damage to his Nissan I reported no damage to my car, the loss adjuster was even more surprised when he inspected the Nissan and saw the rusty state of it.
My secretary at work's husband is a loss adjuster for an insurance company and said they often notice that minor bumps that would be just shrugged off when another old banger is involved often seem to result in huge estimates for 'repairs' from back street garages when Mercs, Beemers and other high value cars are involved. He said its a common scam, the work never actually gets done and "Joes Bodyshop' and the driver split the money…grrrrrrr!
The good news for me was matey got told by my insurance company to go take a jump!
 
I'm with Andy on this one 100%.

Firstly, your word against his.

Secondly will he have the invoices, etc, for the work done? If not, then it shows him as being of dubious character, and therefore the 1st item above falls in your favour.

Thirdly, if his mate has done a dodgy invoice, then request an independent inspection to confirm that £900 of work has been done (ie - new parts, etc, etc ...).

Fourthly, £300 for a hire car. Receipts please. Unless it's "Dodgy mate Car Hire Ltd." again.

And finally, I do not believe that the insurance would pay up, as there's absolutely no proof there was any damage.

Of course, his mate may well have legitimately done £900 of work. Bit of a gamble ain't it? I would not fork out £900 in the hope that someone else might pay for it. What if you gave dodgy details - he's shafted then!

Also, is 'Dodgy mate Ltd' VAT registered? They certainly won't pay up if he's not VAT reg'd. Also, are the 'alledged' parts new or from a scrappy? Can 'Dodgy Mate Ltd' prove he ordered them from a regular supplier and have supporting paperwork?

K

Legal disclaimer: Don't believe anything I say (butt covered)
 

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