Driver runs into back of our little Skoda at traffic lights with next to no damage

[markjay]

It’s funny; people slag off accident management companies but once you get one on your side it certainly mushes the insurers on!

I have used an accident management company before, and my conclusion was that as long as I can get from the insurer what I want without using them, that would be my preferred option (and I have done so successfully in the past), but if the insurer is uncooperative then my experience is that using an accident management company brings-about a sense of panic on the insurer's side, and they suddenly become as effective as they can be in trying to settle the case before the costs escalate (and they do, quit qukcly - the accident management companies are pros, I wouldn't be surprised in they are ex-insurance people who crossed the lines to the other side and made a carer out of it)

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I have used an accident management company before, and my conclusion was that as long as I can get from the insurer what I want without using them, that would be my preferred option (and I have done so successfully in the past), but if the insurer is uncooperative then my experience is that using an accident management company brings-about a sense of panic on the insurer's side, and they suddenly become as effective as they can be in trying to settle the case before the costs escalate (and they do, quit qukcly - the accident management companies are pros, I wouldn't be surprised in they are ex-insurance people who crossed the line to the other side and made a carer out of it)

In my experience, insurance companies are like lawyers - they need a rocket up them to get them going!

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Perhaps you should have told them something along the line of "Fine, I'll just leave this to the accident management firm then, shall I?"

That is more or less what I told them, I mentioned I was giving them the opportunity to put things right before I went to my own insurer or perhaps even a Claims Management Firm.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Received call from the other parties insurance company a little while ago.

Apparently they have now been informed of the accident and they are accepting liability.

Offered to send a mobile repairer to carry out the repair I declined.

They have now offered to use their approved repairer, i explained without knowing who this is I do not know if I can accept them. Waiting on an email from them now to see what they offer.

My preference would be to use the Audi garage so i may have to push them on this.

 

[zipdip]

Thats good news of course you want to use the Audi garage

 

[AMGeed]

Received call from the other parties insurance company a little while ago.

Apparently they have now been informed of the accident and they are accepting liability.

Offered to send a mobile repairer to carry out the repair I declined.

They have now offered to use their approved repairer, i explained without knowing who this is I do not know if I can accept them. Waiting on an email from them now to see what they offer.

My preference would be to use the Audi garage so i may have to push them on this.

Positive news Pat. Dig your heels in and insist on whichever bodywork shop you choose.

 

[markjay]

Received call from the other parties insurance company a little while ago.

Apparently they have now been informed of the accident and they are accepting liability.

Offered to send a mobile repairer to carry out the repair I declined.

They have now offered to use their approved repairer, i explained without knowing who this is I do not know if I can accept them. Waiting on an email from them now to see what they offer.

My preference would be to use the Audi garage so i may have to push them on this.

Ah... they quickly came to their senses....

No need to push them on anything, just let them know politely which garage the car will be in, and when, and the contact details. End of. They'll contact the garage and will pay them directly. Nothing more for you to do (unless you also want a rental car while your car is in the garage - down to you).

And don't forget to notify your own insurer... and emphasise that this is 'notification only', I.e. you're not making a claim on your own policy.

 

[bob6600]

And don't forget to notify your own insurer... and emphasise that this is 'notification only', I.e. you're not making a claim on your own policy.

They are unfortunately still likely to put up the insurance premium next year, the excuse being that you still had an accident, regardless of fault and being high risk blah blah bollocks. Years ago we notified the insurance about making a claim (3rd party hit our car) but decided not to go through with it as it was minor and they may have written the car off (it was a cheap car). The following year they said we had an incident on the file, I explained what had happened and they said it doesn't matter that no claim was made, the incident still took place and so we were at higher risk of being in an accident etc etc. Hopefully not the case these days but I wouldn't put it past the insurer.

 

[markjay]

They are unfortunately still likely to put up the insurance premium next year, the excuse being that you still had an accident, regardless of fault and being high risk blah blah bollocks. Years ago we notified the insurance about making a claim (3rd party hit our car) but decided not to go through with it as it was minor and they may have written the car off (it was a cheap car). The following year they said we had an incident on the file, I explained what had happened and they said it doesn't matter that no claim was made, the incident still took place and so we were at higher risk of being in an accident etc etc. Hopefully not the case these days but I wouldn't put it past the insurer.

This is correct, but what alternative does he have?

On the premise that he wanted the bumper repaired, doing it this way and putting himself 'at the mercy of his insurer' is still the cheaper option.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Had an email through now with a document attached.

Emphasis seems to be on giving me a replacement car while mine is being fixed but the good news is it does say.

"Should you wish to use your own repairer, please confirm to us who they are, so that we may authorise repairs swiftly"

I'll send them the estimate I have and we can go from there.

 

[markjay]

Had an email through now with a document attached.

Emphasis seems to be on giving me a replacement car while mine is being fixed but the good news is it does say.

"Should you wish to use your own repairer, please confirm to us who they are, so that we may authorise repairs swiftly"

I'll send them the estimate I have and we can go from there.

The reason they are offering you a rental, is because they have agreements in place with car rental companies that greatly reduce the cost to them. And, this way they get a VAT invoice in their name and can claim back the VAT. They will also not include insurance cover when hiring the car from the rental company, instead they will provide the cover themselves, which further reduces their costs.

However, since you are entitled to a replacement car, you can simply pick any similar-size rental from Hertz or Avis etc, pay the RRP then give the bill to the insurer.

Or, you could arrange for a rental through an accident management firm... in which case, again, the insurer will be forced to pay RRP.

I am not suggesting that you do any of the above, however this explains why the other-party's insurer will be keen to settle your claim as soon as possible and will be as helpful as they can be - to prevent costs escalation.

Perhaps this is the silver lining behind accident management firms - their introduction into the market some 20 years ago got insurers very very focused when dealing with third party claims. The sword of the accidental management firms is hanging over their heads...

 

[markjay]

To others who find themselves in a similar situation....

Once the other party's insurer accepted liability (but not before):

- Let the other party's insurer know where the car will be repaired, and from what date it will be in the garage. No need to discuss with them any of their offers to help with the repair.

- Tell the other party's insurer if you need a rental, and from what date. They will get back to you with details of where the rental car can be picked up locally to you, or will arrange for it to be dropped-off at your home or work. If the car that the insurer is offering you isn't suitable for your needs, ask for a different model of car, but make sure that you are able to demonstrate in what way the rental car they offered you is not similar to your own car.

- Inform your own insurer, but do not claim on your own policy.

- Collect the car from the garage when it is ready, and hand-back the rental car immediately (if taken). Nothing to pay the garage or the car rental company, and nothing more to discuss.

It is really as simple as that. Insurers tend to obfuscate the process to their own end. Just follow the above and you'll be fine

That is my experience, anyway.

 

[markjay]

Another point regarding accepting a rental car as replacement while yours is being repaired:

The insurer will automatically provide you with insurace cover for the rental car, with the same T&Cs as per your own policy that covers car that is in the garage.

This means that any other named driver on your own policy can also drive the rental car. But, there will we excess, the same as there is on your own policy. The different is, though, that when it's your own car, you can decide not to repair a small scratch, or alternatively repair it on the cheap. With the rental car, you are running the risk of incurring the full amount of execes in case of any minor damage. So you might want to pay the rental company for full cover / excces waiver, your choice.

 

[219]

They are unfortunately still likely to put up the insurance premium next year, the excuse being that you still had an accident, regardless of fault and being high risk blah blah bollocks. Years ago we notified the insurance about making a claim (3rd party hit our car) but decided not to go through with it as it was minor and they may have written the car off (it was a cheap car). The following year they said we had an incident on the file, I explained what had happened and they said it doesn't matter that no claim was made, the incident still took place and so we were at higher risk of being in an accident etc etc. Hopefully not the case these days but I wouldn't put it past the insurer.

You can legitimately claim for any increase in insurance premiums over the next 5 years ( the period over which the incident can be taken into account ) ask your insurer how much the incident will add to your renewal premium and multiply x5 ( won't be exact , but near as you're going to get ) or obtain alternative quotes with and without the incident declared and estimate what it is going to cost you .

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Still no further forward with this.

Insurer giving me the run around.
Asking for things like pictures all round car, VIN number, mileage picture, picture of damage, another picture of damage as we can't make it out..............................
They can't send an engineer so I will have to provide all this!

I've now told them if no response by Friday I'm getting a claims company to handle it.

 

[219]

The reason they are offering you a rental, is because they have agreements in place with car rental companies that greatly reduce the cost to them. And, this way they get a VAT invoice in their name and can claim back the VAT. They will also not include insurance cover when hiring the car from the rental company, instead they will provide the cover themselves, which further reduces their costs.

However, since you are entitled to a replacement car, you can simply pick any similar-size rental from Hertz or Avis etc, pay the RRP then give the bill to the insurer.

Or, you could arrange for a rental through an accident management firm... in which case, again, the insurer will be forced to pay RRP.

I am not suggesting that you do any of the above, however this explains why the other-party's insurer will be keen to settle your claim as soon as possible and will be as helpful as they can be - to prevent costs escalation.

Perhaps this is the silver lining behind accident management firms - their introduction into the market some 20 years ago got insurers very very focused when dealing with third party claims. The sword of the accidental management firms is hanging over their heads...

The first time I had dealings with a claims management firm must have been in the early 90s , after a drunk driver clipped the nsr corner of my W123 in trying to go straight ahead from the left turn only lane of a roundabout ; when the police arrived we were both breathalysed; he failed and was arrested on the spot , which made my claim a slam dunk .

After phoning my insurer I was told to get an estimate, but at the body shop I was given a leaflet for ‘ 3 Arrows ‘ , which turned out to be part of Avis car rentals ; they promised to deal with everything, give me a free loan car , not ask for any excess etc .
Being somewhat naive back then I didn’t see any downside and all worked out fine .

I suspect this was initially set up by Avis as a means of generating car rentals , but it probably generated more money by screwing insurance companies with punitive charges and became big business in itself .

 

[markjay]

The first time I had dealings with a claims management firm must have been in the early 90s , after a drunk driver clipped the nsr corner of my W123 in trying to go straight ahead from the left turn only lane of a roundabout ; when the police arrived we were both breathalysed; he failed and was arrested on the spot , which made my claim a slam dunk .

After phoning my insurer I was told to get an estimate, but at the body shop I was given a leaflet for ‘ 3 Arrows ‘ , which turned out to be part of Avis car rentals ; they promised to deal with everything, give me a free loan car , not ask for any excess etc .
Being somewhat naive back then I didn’t see any downside and all worked out fine .

I suspect this was initially set up by Avis as a means of generating car rentals , but it probably generated more money by screwing insurance companies with punitive charges and became big business in itself .

This is precisely what happened to me when someone hit my wife's car some 15 years ago. The driver was a perfect gentleman and immediately accepted liability. I got a call from his insurer one hour later...

When I took the car to the dealer, they offered me a loan car and said that 'they will take care of everything'. They even showed me a photocopy of an Axa policy that covered then in case the other-party insurer won't refund any of their costs.

I agreed because I trusted the dealer, they have been looking after the car since new etc.

A couple of months later I was chased by an accident management company, apparently the other-party insurer refused to cover some of their costs.

I told them I wasn't willing to engage with them any further unless they send me a letter stating that under no circumstances will I be asked to pay them anything in respect of this incident. After a few more back-and-forth I sent them packing and told them that as far as I am concerned they can claim any shortfall on their Axa policy, and that I did not expect to hear from them again.

Needles to say I had no particular benefit from this arrangement (other than not having to deal with the insurer myself), i.e. I drove-off with the loan car, then came back a couple of weeks later and collected my repaired car, and that was that.

The dealer BTW totally washed his hands of the whole thing claiming they had no affiliation whatsoever with the accident management company (which is rubbish because legally they are still liable, even if one of their employees did this as a private project, which I highly doubt).

That left a bitter taste and the lesson learnt was to never ever use an accident management company.

When someone crashed into my wife's parked car last year, I dealt directly with the other-party insurer and got everything sorted myself to my complete satisfaction

 

[E55BOF]

I've never had any dealings with any of those predatory b*****d companies, though I do get plenty of phone calls asking about my 'recent accident'; when I ask them to remind me exactly when it was, they hang up.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Friday and no reply!

Can see a £250/£300 (not sure if insurance can reclaim VAT) bill going to a grand or more very soon.

 

[Smiley]

If it were me I would just forget about it and do something else with my time. The damage is so tiny that it's really not going to affect the value of the car - and it may be that this is why the insurer is "giving you the run around". The problem is that the self inflicted stress of the likely "battle" with the insurer or the third party may have a much bigger unseen impact on your own wellbeing/health than a mark on an inanimate object is worth fighting over.