Not a good day - someone hit the back of my car!

[Dieselman]

Thanks for taking the time to post. I understand your point about not getting attached to the car.

My whole gripe is that I was not at fault, it was the other person's fault and his insurance company have admitted that.

Now through no fault of my own I will now be out of pocket. I have to chase around searching for a new car and his insurers have only given me one week to find another car. They were quite happy to provide me with a courtesy car straight after the accident, while my car was assessed. They then decide it is uneconomical to repair (fair enough - I accept that), but then they appoint themselves Judge and Jury, to decide the value of my car (and yes I can understand the concept of book value etc), and they then say that the hire car they provided will be taken off hire next Wednesday. I have to work weekdays so only have Saturday and Sunday to find a car. In my mind this cannot be right.

It is your insurance company that are removing the hire car, but in theory, there is nothing to stop you renting a suitable car for a short duration and claiming that back of the other parties insurance.

iirc, They are the same company, but still they can't stop a claim for legitimate out of pocket expenses against the other party.

 

[fatdazza]

It is your insurance company that are removing the hire car, but in theory, there is nothing to stop you renting a suitable car for a short duration and claiming that back of the other parties insurance.

iirc, They are the same company, but still they can't stop a claim for legitimate out of pocket expenses against the other party.

The hire car was provided by the other person's insurance (Admiral) not mine (Bell). They both are part of the same group. So it is the other person's insurance which is removing the hire car.

I could undertand if I was claiming on my fully comp insurance and if the accident was my fault, but in this case I am the injured party (not physically injured).

I will hope to look to hire a car for a reasonable duration (I am not trying to milk it - I just want a reasonable time to source a replacement car), and try to claim from the other party, but even my legal advice have so far said that 7 days from receipt of cheque is standard industry practice. Any one with legal experience in these matters?

 

[Dieselman]

Another option is to just take the money and buy a really cheap shed of a car while searching for the right one, then sell the shed on.

Don't get hooked up on what you can't achieve, just concentrate on a solution.

 

[No Name Benz]

Oh! Perhaps I'm being a Gob****e here, but His insurance provided you with a courtesy car. Now I would have thought your company would have done that till this issue was resolved. What is his company trying to keep you sweet, or something? Then take it away after a week? Has his company given him a courtesy car as well? It feels like somewhere along the line the two insurers are not talking. Maybe seek free legal advise?

 

[Dieselman]

They are the same parent company.
It is quite normal to only offer the loan car until the payment is accepted.

 

[No Name Benz]

"It is quite normal to only offer the loan car until the payment is accepted."

So who has accepted payment? This poor man is still up in the air with all this.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Insurance is there to return you to the position you were in before the incident.

I'd say in light of an offer of a fair payout their job is done.

Hire cars for extended periods push all of our premiums up.

 

[No Name Benz]

Hello,

I've not been round for a while I know, so how,s it going with you? Any further with the car?

 

[fatdazza]

Hello,

I've not been round for a while I know, so how,s it going with you? Any further with the car?

Received payment for £6660 (a bit ominous that number) from insurer today. Not what the car was worth to me, but it was top of Glass's guide for my model and mileage, so I think I will have to settle for that.

They have allowed me to retain the hire car until Monday ("to give me time to find a replacement"). Still trying to get some action from my "legal cover" to extend this to allow a "reasonable" time to source another car.

I would not wish anyone to have to go through this. Admiral Insurance (the third party's insurer) have lied to me more than once during the process. I find their business practices thoroughly shocking. They are owned by EUI (who also happen to own my insurer Bell), when my renewal is due I will be changing insurer and will never insure with this group again. It may be a small protest but it is the only option open to me.

Finally, as for "legal cover" the "service" offered by Cordner Lewis (appointed by Bell insurance and paid for on my insurance premium) has been almost non existant. My phone calls have never been returned, and the support I have received almost non existant.

 

[No Name Benz]

It really is all such an inconvenience, and none of it to do with you really when all you did was to mind your own business. I myself do be sickened when I hear of how easy insurers can write off cars and be so cold hearted about it. I hope you can source something suitable soon, though how possible is this when a person has to work throughout the day.

Hows the house coming along? Suppose you've lost heart with that somewhat with the car taking up your time. But look it will sort itself out. When it does, then you can bash the fcuker who started all this.

 

[fatdazza]

It really is all such an inconvenience, and none of it to do with you really when all you did was to mind your own business. I myself do be sickened when I hear of how easy insurers can write off cars and be so cold hearted about it. I hope you can source something suitable soon, though how possible is this when a person has to work throughout the day.

Hows the house coming along? Suppose you've lost heart with that somewhat with the car taking up your time. But look it will sort itself out. When it does, then you can bash the fcuker who started all this.

House is looking good thanks. Kitchen nearly finished and bathroom.

Whole car business has been a hole in the head that I could have done without

Might be trouble if I bash the guy responsible - we live in a small village and he lives just around the corner! He was a tw@t for what he did though and I have made sure he knows the trouble he has caused me

 

[No Name Benz]

Good for you, him knowing may give him a bit of conscience, though so far seems no guilt has set in with him. Bet his car is OK all the same! If I were in his shoes I'd be helping out where I could.

Be in contact soon.

 

[cathalferris]

I thought that in a situation like this where the 3rd party is completely at fault, that the 3rd party's insurance can *not* write off your car. Only your own insurer can write off your car. The 3rd-party's insurance must make good on returning your car to the same standard that it was before the accident.

Of course, the 3rd party's insurer will see in most cases it would be cheaper to buy your crashed car from you than to repair your car, but you do not have to accept their purchase offer at all, and you can force them to repair the car even if that repair is significantly more than the worth of the car being repaired.

I remember there being a thread on here last year with exactly this situation where a garage drove a forum member's car into a wall and wanted to write off the car, but the owner refused and got it repaired at about 2x the cost of the car. That car was in particularly good nick as well hence that route being taken.

 

[timskemp]

It's a bit late to the party as I've not been around for a while, but yes, someone else has caused you a loss and it is their responsibility to put you back into the position you were in before. If a court would deem it reasonable then they must pay out to repair your vehicle. Although this is a month ago so it's all in the past I guess now!