Someone crashed into my car - Insurance advice

[Black9]

So earlier today in my golf I was parked on the correct side of the road on the pavement whilst I ran into the bank across the road. Came back to my car indicated right to come off pavement and into my lane. A lady in a Subaru Forester is making a U turn across the road and coming into my lane. Half way through the u turn she hits in to the rear arch of my car making a substantial dent and damaging the face of my wheel. She's claiming it's my fault and I know it's hers. Called my insurance earlier and they told me they've marked it down as a partial fault and the team who deal with claims would decides who's fault it is. I'd need to pay my £700 excess if I decide to go ahead with making a claim. Alternatively they said I can call her insurance company and they might admit liability, but I really doubt it as they will have her best interest at heart.. Any advice on what I should do? Right now I'm thinking go through my insurance and hope for the best?

[pudding]

Everything goes 50/50 regardless of who's fault it is because the whole stinking insurance industry is corrupt.

So yeah, £700 it is then, unless you can get a quote to fix it for less.   But you'll still be hit with a premium hike next year because she will claim against your insurance.

I take it you were stationary when this happened? In which case it's her fault.  If you were both moving when it happened, there's a "DWDCA" case against both of you, so, quelle surprise....50/50.

Insurance is effin pointless, but c'est la vie.

[Black9]

Heard back from the assessor today and cars a write off. They've offered me £2900 for the car which is a joke, I've rejected the offer.. they said they will look at car again but it's unlikely they will offer anymore?

Any ideas where I should go from here, car has full spec apart from dsg and I'd say it's worth £4000 minimum. Do asseseors usually come back with 3 offers?

[pudding]

They always come back with a low ball WBAC offer in the first instance.   2nd offer may also be crap.  Gather up as much market evidence as you can to support your claim of £4K.  If you push them hard enough they should yield eventually.  If you're patient, the longer they get tied up with this, costs them more in admin/paperwork, so keep rejecting the offers for as long as possible 

It makes the "Value" box on the application form utterly pointless.  You put the market rate figure in, and they offer you 60% of it when it's written off.  A holes.

[shaunK]

I feel your pain on this, I had a Cooper S a few years back that someone reversed into and drove off. My experience with insurance assessors was awful, the guy was an utter barstewards basically claiming the cars weren't made very well some the repairs didn't have to be that good. In the end I paid BMW £100 to access the repairs carried out for me a write a report which slammed the original repair shop. I managed to claim that back from the insurance company but still ended up paying my £500 excess as the guy that hit me wouldn't admit fault.

Like has been said the whole industry is completely corrupt. My only advise would be get everything in writing that you can ask for a full report as to why the car is being written off and not repaired? Maybe if the car will drive go to a few places and get your own quotes?

[Black9]

So I've received an email from the hire car company, provided to me by my car insurance. They've asked me to accept an interim offer for the amount the accessor offered and then dispute the rest at a later date

They said if I don't the car hire vehicle may be terminated, which doesn't bother me as I have another car to use. Suggestions? I don't want to accept any offers from the insurance apart from the correct and fair amount.

The issue is assesors don't realise well kept cars with good spec and history fetch fair money. Not £2900. I've seen cars with lesser spec than mine advertised to 5K, doesn't mean to say it's worth 5K but a fair bit more than £2900

[willni]

So I've received an email from the hire car company, provided to me by my car insurance. They've asked me to accept an interim offer for the amount the accessor offered and then dispute the rest at a later date

They said if I don't the car hire vehicle may be terminated, which doesn't bother me as I have another car to use. Suggestions? I don't want to accept any offers from the insurance apart from the correct and fair amount.

The issue is assesors don't realise well kept cars with good spec and history fetch fair money. Not £2900. I've seen cars with lesser spec than mine advertised to 5K, doesn't mean to say it's worth 5K but a fair bit more than £2900

I wouldn't accept it, it'll be harder to argue the rest of the value if you've accepted the £2900 offer.

[Black9]

I'm not going to. If they take the courtesy car away so be it.

[jason_rmh]

With regards to the valuation, they probably have a figure from a book / guide which generally doesn't take into account the optional extras, it really only looks at model, year, mileage.

So get a few examples from for sale add as close to your spec as possible to justify your case.

I hate this process, you have paid through the nose for the premium and when it comes to it you have to fight to get a fair outcome :(

If the car is written off, you can buy it back as salvage (which is subtracted from the agreed valuation) and either arrange repair yourself or break it for parts to recover some costs.

Jas

[Black9]

Update, received an email from esure customer relations today to be told they will increase the offer from £2970 to £3170 and this is the end of the matter. They have taken circa £500 off the valuation as my car had some previous damage, some rust on front wings and small amount on leading edge of sill.

I've been informed the cheque will be sent within 7 days..

I don't find this valuation acceptable and don't want to accept the cheque. This is only the second offer, I've been told thy usually offer 3 times? Am I obliged to accept this offer?

[pudding]

Esure.  What a surprise.  Bunch of useless bandits.

First step is to read the small print in your policy docs and find out where you stand legally.  It might also be worth posting your experience on Moneysupermarket forums as there are usually impartial lawyers, insurance and other industry experts on there who can help.

The fact they have offered you more is the smoking gun they tried to fck you over in the first place, so no, don't accept the 2nd offer just yet.  Tell them you are seeking legal advice and will come back to them soon.

As Jason and Shaun said, it's just the hoops you have to jump through in this corrupt system.  And tell the hire car company to do one as well.  What the F is to do with them?  Corrupt, corrupt and more corrupt.

[Black9]

Esure.  What a surprise.  Bunch of useless bandits.

First step is to read the small print in your policy docs and find out where you stand legally.  It might also be worth posting your experience on Moneysupermarket forums as there are usually impartial lawyers, insurance and other industry experts on there who can help.

The fact they have offered you more is the smoking gun they tried to fck you over in the first place, so no, don't accept the 2nd offer just yet.  Tell them you are seeking legal advice and will come back to them soon.

As Jason and Shaun said, it's just the hoops you have to jump through in this corrupt system.  And tell the hire car company to do one as well.  What the F is to do with them?  Corrupt, corrupt and more corrupt.

Appreciate the advice. I'll look into this. Can't believe they want 35% of the value to buy the vehicle back even though it's scrap to them.

Unfortunately I can't find my documents and I suspect they were only available through the online portal on their website. Weirdly whenever I try to login in my email is unrecognised..

On a side note, if I don't buy the vehicle back am I entitied to remove items from the car such as navigation etc??

Thanks again

[Black9]

Also in regards to my excess. Nothing has been mentioned by the insurance company who is at fault and yet they have taken my £250 excess. Is this normal procedure?

[Dave J]

Sorry to hear of your accident - these companies are such pains to deal with... 

Just one thing to try and help you or any others in the same position of having a car written off...
Have you got a private reg on your car? I nearly lost mine when my old mkiv was written off. I initially didn't realise I had to tell the insurance co I wanted to keep the plate, so car was on the way to the salvage yard after I accepted the valuation offer. As I was not at fault and it was the other drivers insurance company I was dealing with, I had to get them to write me a letter to state they had no interest in the reg. I then could get the DVLA to transfer the original plate back to the car, put my private reg on retention, and then the car could be scrapped and I could declare I was no longer the registered keeper.

Best of luck to you!

[Black9]

No private reg