My Puma is now a write off. Great.

[alex_89]

driving through a car park (this actually happened in November but recently had a bad turn of events) and a lady decides to reverse out of her space at 100 miles an hour, with no lights on, in the dark straight into the side of my pride and joy.

She admitted liability there and then, gave me her insurance details and all seemed to be going OK. The car suffered a damaged door and the sill had been knocked slightly, but the sill looked repairable, but a new Panther Black door would be needed.

It's now January and I'm starting to wonder why the hell this hasn't been sorted, I get a ring from my Insurer's to say she's trying to pin the blame on ME?

No witnesses, camera footage. Anything. I can't prove it's her fault, and seeing as I work in the Insurance sector, I've tried everything to move this on but it's my word against hers.

There are some rotten people out there, and it looks as though it will be settled 50/50

And to make things worse an engineer came to look at the car and he said the total costs of repair would be....

£3700! for a new door and repair the sill! the damage isn't bad enough for them to categorise it, but enough for them to write it off as beyond economical repair (as they have to guarantee work with new parts) my local body-shop said £250 not including fitting a new door!

I was lucky enough to have a mint, 1 owner, low miler, 1.7 as my first car, and I spent my first year driving so carefully! my insurance premium dropped from £2600 to £895 TPF+T. happy days!

But the pending accident means it went up to £1750. Money that's hard to find when you're not expecting it

Needless to say I will repair the car fully, and use it till it or I die!

Just so aggravating when you know you've done nothing wrong.

Before and after pics will follow

 

[yippeekiay]

Bit late now but didn't you get any pictures of both your cars?

Surely a dent in your door from her rear is conclusive enough to say she reversed into you I'd have thought.

my last word....Bitch!!! :evil:

 

[red]

I agree, I don't see how the blame could be 50/50 since she reversed into the side of you.

Sorry to hear of your trouble.

 

[warrenpenalver]

fucking insurance companies!!

what i find even more annoying with them is they will often try for 50/50 to save paperwork/admin costs despite the fact it screws over an innocent partys NCB/claim history. I guess its win win for them, they can screw over 2 peoples NCB and charge increased premiums for 5 years for 2 people instead of one....

youd think insurance blame would be regulated to be based on legal blame. ie follow RTA/highway code etc.

This is part of the reason i will soon have 4 cameras in my car. too any dickheads on the road prepared to lie to avoid taking blame for their own actions. camera cant lie....

 

[Anonymous]

stuff like this really pisses me off...

at least she didnt fuck off though and you got her details, not like some bastard did to my FRP the other week, cracked my bumper and fked off :evil:

hope you get it sorted soon though mate!

 

[alex_89]

I did get pics Yipp but made no difference what so ever! and she says that I drove into her, using the side of my car!? really!? I thought this would be straightfoward and over in a few weeks but no, and warrenpanalver you are right, the insurer's will only do what's cose effective for them, meaning they wont fight for innocent people like me :evil:

I never realised the whole making a claim process would be so unfair

But what I hate more than anything is that that car is my pride and joy, Iliked to think it was one of the best conditioned Puma out there.

It will be again, once it's repaired! and I will seriously consider camera's in my car once sorted.

Shit happens as they say

 

[alex_89]

Sorry to here about the FRP Zara, I saw your thread, at least you've got a new bumper for it but you're right, there are some absolute bastards out there :evil:

 

[XIIVVX]

Comiserations, you really have been handed a bum deal.

Lessons.

1) Always take out the additional premium for legal cost protection, giving you access to the funding to drag the third party to court and pursue them for the cost

2) Get an independent bodyshop to take a look at the cost of repairing the vehicle to a suitable standard. When it isn't an 'insurance job' you frequently find that the cost magically reduces, even to the stage where it is possible to buy the salvage off your insurer and have it rebuilt within the payout you have received.

Good luck

 

[alex_89]

Believe it or not my policy had legal protection! and even though I work in this industry I'm shocked at how slow this is all moving. Luckily I've found a decent bodyshop who will carry out all the repairs plus fitting a new door for £250 - £300.

But this money is hard to find when you've just renewed your insurance at £1750 instead of £895 because of a (non fault!!) pending accident

All of a sudden having insurance seems pointless, no wonder so many people drive uninsured.. but then they hit us and we get charged more money for it.. yeah that makes sense!

 

[warrenpenalver]

take it to the ombudsman. might force them to accept blame if there is clear evidence to back it up.

 

[vekma]

its time for government run non profit insurance, it will never work something that is law you can only acquire from a private run for profit company, always the same willing to take money but reluctant to pay out

 

[alex_89]

take it to the ombudsman. might force them to accept blame if there is clear evidence to back it up.

I'm going to. I can't afford to loose £1155 in costs for repairs and insurance. That money would have bought some goodies for the Puma and leave me with loads left over. Makes me sick every time I think about it!

 

[alex_89]

its time for government run non profit insurance, it will never work something that is law you can only acquire from a private run for profit company, always the same willing to take money but reluctant to pay out

I agree. That's why the insurer's only do what's best for them financially.. THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE WE PAYING THEM FOR!!?? It should be non profit

 

[XIIVVX]

take it to the ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is there to investigate complaints of maladministration by organisations.

Are you suggesting taking a complaint against Alex's insurance company there? I can't see that getting very far.

In most cases, an ombudsman cannot look into a decision made by an organisation, just because you disagree with it.

 

[alex_89]

I was insured with Quinn, as at the the time, they were the cheapest. But the way they've handled my claim from the start has been poor. They never call me for updates - I have to call them, there has been no movement since the day it happened (as far as I know the third party's car is still damaged) and they seem to have just ignored me. I have nothing to do with the claims process in my job which is this is all new to me.

 

[thfc]

Believe it or not my policy had legal protection! and even though I work in this industry I'm shocked at how slow this is all moving. Luckily I've found a decent bodyshop who will carry out all the repairs plus fitting a new door for £250 - £300.

But this money is hard to find when you've just renewed your insurance at £1750 instead of £895 because of a (non fault!!) pending accident

All of a sudden having insurance seems pointless, no wonder so many people drive uninsured.. but then they hit us and we get charged more money for it.. yeah that makes sense!

It's a fucking joke that you have to pay for a non-fault accident. I got drove into last year ar 40mph totally wrote the car off, other party admitted liabilty and had been all paid out and bought the Puma within 3 weeks. But when I went to insure my Puma with a differnt company they wanted an extra £40 after I told them I'd had a non-fault accident. When I asked them why that was they said it was becauase people who've had accidents (even non fault) were more likely to have another one. Fucking rip off :evil:

Rant over. Lol.

 

[thfc]

Clicked quote by accident instead of edit

 

[alex_89]

[It's a f_cking joke that you have to pay for a non-fault accident. I got drove into last year ar 40mph totally wrote the car off, other party admitted liabilty and had been all paid out and bought the Puma within 3 weeks. But when I went to insure my Puma with a differnt company they wanted an extra £40 after I told them I'd had a non-fault accident. When I asked them why that was they said it was becauase people who've had accidents (even non fault) were more likely to have another one. f_cking rip off :evil:

Rant over. Lol.[/quote]


The fact is right, that people go on to have an accident after a non fault one, but it's still a bloody joke. Charging you more money for something that may/ may not happen. I had to shell out £855 of hard saved money for a pending accident, and now it looks like all that money will soon be swallowed up by the insurer's when I hink about how much this has cost me it makes me sick.

 

[warrenpenalver]

take it to the ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is there to investigate complaints of maladministration by organisations.

Are you suggesting taking a complaint against Alex's insurance company there? I can't see that getting very far.

Id consider 50/50 when the damage clearly shows different to be maladministration....