Stressful...

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Flackadder

Active Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
340
Location
Cirencester
Car
C220 Sport 125 edition Cdi Blue Efficiency 5dr Auto Diesel Estate. W204.
Car reverses into me in car park whilst I am parked.

She admits responsibility as do her insurers.

So, I contact my insurers 'Churchill' who get a company to contact me re doing repairs etc. I ask if my perforation warrenty will still be valid...no!

I then contact Mercedes who tell me that is correct and that there is no need to use my insurance company as they can organise everything for me. Sounds good.

Auxillis ring me on behalf of Mercedes and we sort out the daunting paperwork online. Like for like car is over £250 a day...nevermind as all will be well.

Today other drivers insurance contact me and want me to use them, telling me that, and I quote...'please check the daily rate that your current provider is charging and compare with our offer. If any credit hire charges are not met by Covea Insurance, you may be held responsible for them.' Considering they provide a supposed like for like for £43.65 a day...so they say. And they use repairers that work for £28 an hour.

Anyhow, I contact Auxillis and they inform me, as I had thought any way that 'they are just trying to put pressure on yourself and scare you to get the work, sir'.

My question here is...am I safe. Should I worry?

Thanks
 
Beware the car insurance courtesy car trap | This is Money

https://www.confused.com/motor-insurance/policy-extras/the-hidden-cost-of-hire-car-claims

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/articles/replacement-vehicles-a-common-courtesy/

Sounds as if you may have already entered into a credit hire agreement with the Accident management firm Auxillis? If so it will depend on how successfull Auxillis is in getting the hire cost back from Covea insurance because you may be liable for the difference?
Welcome to Auxillis

ps in particular look at the agreed daily rates here agreed 20/7/2017
Third Party Car Hire Database the link New maximum car hire settlement rates with effect from 1st July 2014[ 2017]
 
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As a general rule, you should make reasonable efforts to mitigate your costs.

In simple terms, that means you don't have to use the third-party's nominated repairer if that would result in you being worse off after the repair than you were before it, i.e. the Mercedes warranty (or part of the warranty) would be voided as a result. The fact that a repair effected by a company that keeps all elements of the Mercedes warranty intact costs more isn't your problem.

When it comes to the courtesy car things are a bit different, and the Credit Hire industry is notorious for inflating costs - and hence their profits. If you had to justify billing the third party's insurer £250 per day for a hire car when they can supply similar at a cost less than a fifth of that I think you'd struggle, and if push came to shove you could find yourself liable for the difference in the rates.
 
If you have entered an agreement with Auxillis there may be a cooling off period anyway. Be careful over these hire costs- there have been cases in the past where people have had legal proceedings taken against them by hire car companies/agents when costs have not been recoverable from the third party or their Insurers. I definitely wouldn't hire a car at £250 a day thats for sure. A friend was in this exact situation and the "agent" tried to sue him for unrecoverable costs. In fact he issued a small claims action against them for negligence and the matter was dropped immediately.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. Yes I have entered, but have another 13 days cooling off period.

I have checked with Mercedes that the work is being stareted on Monday and that I would have a car that I do not wish tho have anyway whilst they were doing nothing on my car.

I have answered the questions in the contract to say that I do not have another car I could use and there are no buses in walking distance etc etc.


There are good and bads to be found all over the internet regarding all the companys out there......annoys me that all this money grabbing could be allowed.
 
If you look at the spreadsheet I referenced under the Prestige heading the recommended daily rates for 2017 seem to hover round the £100-£115 mark for a MERCEDES A/B/basic C class--- which is a long way off the £250 you signed up for.

For the £43 ish per day Covea are offering you might get [ according to that spreadsheet] a medium size mid range car but certainly not a Merc/BMW
Peugeot 407 (1.8) / Vauxhall Vectra (1.8) / Ford Mondeo (1.8) / Renault Laguna (1.8), V W Beetle 1.4 convertible, Ford Street ka 1.6 convertible, Mitsubishi Colt CZC cabriolet 1.5, Mitsubishi ASX 3 (1.8) , Vauxhall Tigra coupe cabriolet 1.8, Volkswagen Passat SE 20v Turbo1791 (petrol), Toyota Avensis 1.8, Volkswagen Golf SE 2 door Cabriolet 1595cc, Peugeot 206 1.6 sport convertible, Volkswagen Golf Hatch 5 door1.6 FSI, Alfa Mito 1598, Toyota Prius 1.8. Honda CR-Z. 1.5 ltr. Hybrid Eng., Honda 2012 Civic I-VTEC SE 5 dr Auto Hatchback 1.8, Skoda 1.6TD CR Elegance.(New Model.2010) Peugot.308s.5 dr. Toyota Auris.1.8 Hybrid.Synergy. Vauxhall Astra. SE2 Coupe. 1796ccs. Volkswagen Golf. 1.6. TDI. Bluemotion.tech DSG., Volkswagen JETTA SPORT BLUEMOTION 1589cc, Vauxhall Astra. Twin Top. Conv. 1600i Vauxhall Astra Sportive. DTI. 1686ccs. .Peugeot 308(all derivatives except Con/ Coupe), VW Passat S TDI Bluemotion Technology estate 1.6, Vauxhall Insignia SE 1.4 Petrol, Vauxhall/Opal Insignia 1600cc, Peugeot 508 HDI SW Active 1560cc, MG6 GT S 160PS 1796 Turbo,
 
Hi grober, I was looking at those when you just posted. I intend to contact Auxiliis in the next few minutes to ascertain the suituation. :)
 
Well, Mercedes themselves tell me should have the car back Thursday /Friday...Cool.

Auxillis guy was gonna get a punch.....grr!

How difficult could it be to nswer the question....'how much am I being charged per day for this car I am hiring'..which is an A class by the way ( i am not wanting like for like really)


Reply...'you are not being charged anything sir it is recoverable'.

'How much are you charging me'

Reply...'you are not being charged anything sir it is recoverable. It is on the contract in front of you sir'.

'Are you going to tell me or are you going to not answer a question on which yourselves and myself have entered into a contract over.


Reply...'you are not being charged anything sir it is recoverable'.


'Ok, I shall put this a different way. You will tell me or I shall cancel under 'cooloff'.
.

Reply...'It's, err, £282.50 per day'.

'so double the guidelines. And can you assure me that this astrnomical price will be recovered'?

Reply...'yes'.


------------------

Makes my blood boil. No wonder insurance costs are the way they are..

The guy was under pressure and I could tell he was uncomfortable with my insistance.
 
Well, Mercedes themselves tell me should have the car back Thursday /Friday...Cool.

Auxillis guy was gonna get a punch.....grr!

How difficult could it be to nswer the question....'how much am I being charged per day for this car I am hiring'..which is an A class by the way ( i am not wanting like for like really)

Reply...'you are not being charged anything sir it is recoverable'.

'How much are you charging me'

Reply...'you are not being charged anything sir it is recoverable. It is on the contract in front of you sir'.

'Are you going to tell me or are you going to not answer a question on which yourselves and myself have entered into a contract over.

Reply...'you are not being charged anything sir it is recoverable'.

'Ok, I shall put this a different way. You will tell me or I shall cancel under 'cooloff'.
.

Reply...'It's, err, £282.50 per day'.

'so double the guidelines. And can you assure me that this astrnomical price will be recovered'?

Reply...'yes'.

------------------

Makes my blood boil. No wonder insurance costs are the way they are..

The guy was under pressure and I could tell he was uncomfortable with my insistance.

It's pissing me off reading it let alone being on the phone to him lol.
 
Actually "not like", but I agree; clearly knows they are trying to pull a fast one or he'd just answer the question.
 

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