I was sitting in my six-week old Citroen C1, parked at the side of the road, dropping off a passenger. A supermarket delivery van driver tried to squeeze through the gap between my vehicle and oncoming traffic. I looked in my door mirror and watched the van getting closer until it struck my car, gouging deep furrows in the o/s of the rear bumper and lesser furrows in the o/s/r wing paintwork and damaging the door mirror. As I was struck, I gave a loud, sustained blast on my horn as this van scraped down the side of my car. I'm sure the driver knew what he had done, and didn't even slow down before driving off.
Luckily I was able to make a note of his registration number. I have reported this to my insurers and at their insistance, to the local police. My insurers set HelpHire on me, but having read of their activities here, I have declined their "assistance". This will obviously save the insurers of the other vehicle a considerable sum. I have also insisted on having my vehicle repaired by the supplying dealer, rather than the "approved repairer" that my insurers wanted me to use. The dealer has seen the damage and sent an estimate to my insurers. I am now waiting to hear from them. Have I acted correctly so far? I do not have legal expenses cover on my policy. Is there anything else I need to be aware of?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
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You can write to the "lorry owners" setting out your claim against them / get your solicitor to do this - it will cost you but you can claim reasonable legal fees in pursuit of your claim.
Persistence is required - it took me 20 months for the 3rd party insurer to admit liability - on the eve of the court case.
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Thank you for that, it looks as though I shouldn't hold my breath regarding having the excess on my policy returned to me, or my no-claims bonus restored.
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I strongly recommend opting for legal cover with car insurance. I had a minor shunt from behind recently and the company providing the legal services took over from the minute I called them, including arranging to my car collected for repair and delivering a loan car. They even paid my excess and negotiated a payment of £650 being their estimate of the depreciation on my car as a result of the accident.
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Thank you for that. I've always thought that having comprehensive cover meant that the my insurer would effectively fight for my best interest as well as their own. I have legal expenses cover on a household policy with the same company, but guess what? - It doesn't cover motoring incidents. Seems like another way of charging more for the same cover. I'm sure that if I pay for legal expenses on renewal, I will never need it again. :)
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Did you report the accident and the 'failure to stop' offence and what have the police done about it. Regards Peter
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Hi, Thanks, This happened on 1st May at 12.20. I drove home - 10 mins. - and phoned my insurance company. They said I should report it to the police, so I phoned the local police station and was advised to report it in person. I went straight to the police station and had filled in an accident report/statement within one hour of the incident. I have heard nothing further from the police yet. I made a claim on my policy by telephone as soon as I got home from the police station, and my insurers told me that they could only access the name of the insurers of the other vehicle, not who owned it. All I have done since is to decline the services of HelpHire and taken my car to the supplying dealer for an estimate to be faxed to my insurers. I am waiting now to hear from the insurers, the repairers and the police. The Monday being a holiday, I thought that there might be a delay.
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I have reported this to my insurers and at their insistance, to the local police
I have to ask why you waited? I would have been straight on the phone to make a 999 call.
I would also have rung the supermarket to find out where their delivery vans operate from and been round to play merry hell.
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Hi, thanks, I meant to try and answer two replies at once, see my previous post for full details and timings.
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I have also insisted on having my vehicle repaired by the supplying dealer
Who will more than likely use a 3rd party repairer. Very few dealers (if any) will have their own body shops on site.
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Hi, It is a large dealership with a large, well equipped and very busy-looking bodyshop, with many vehicle? in various stages of repair. I assume the vehicle will be repaired by them, should I ask for confirmation. My reason for going there was if they do the repair, they cannot get out of the 12-year body warranty some time later.
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i reckon the supermarket driver didnt even know he hit you,especially if he had a shrill of horn in his ear as he passes (im not saying he was right ,just saying that you can do damage in a truck and not be aware).
Cant see whats wrong with helphire too,you sign a sheet to confirm the accident wasnt your fault and you get a hire car till its sorted.
As said in relation to the bodyshop your car could end up anywhere including my paint man that works from a cave
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Use of a franchised dealers bodyshop does in no way guarantee you a good finish, sadly.
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>Use of a franchised dealers bodyshop does in no way guarantee you a good finish, sadly.
No, but it does afford some protection against them wriggling out of any other claim due to "unapproved" repairs, which is what the OP, quite rightly wants.
It's a pity he doesn't have legal cover on his policy, this is a perfect example of where it comes in very, very handy.
In the OP's situation I would do as FB says - appoint a solicitor and claim the legal costs back from the other party's insurer.
Kevin...
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No but it does afford some protection against them wriggling out of any other claim due to "unapproved" repairs which is what the OP quite rightly wants.
True, but I have also seen dealers with bodyshops that aren't approved. Always best to check.
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Cant see whats wrong with helphire too you sign a sheet to confirm the accident wasnt your fault and you get a hire car till its sorted.
The problem is that the sheet you sign says that you accept responsibility for the (very high) hire charges - all Credit hire Companies do is effectively loan you the money (deferred repayment) to pay the hire charges until their lawyer sues and gets the hire charges back - plus his fees.
Mostly it works OK - but if doesn't the CHC will come after you for the money.
It happened to me - rear ended whilst stationary, signed the sheet, took the car, person who hit me turned out to be liar/uninsured plus mistakes in proceedures/communication meant that a solicitors letter turned up 9 months later on behalf of CHC saying :pay £600 p/week for the 1.1 Escort you hired or expect the balifs;
Spoke to AA legal people who said basically if you hire from CHC you are liable for any charges - they "help" you to recover the charges but if it fails - tough.
In the end I didn't pay (long story - long fight!) but IMO the bus is less hastle.
J
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jacks
yes what happened in our case was we rang the insurance company ,insurance company advised that the other insurance company admitted liability and so i was clear to take on helphire and their car
to add i do have insurance protection though and wouldnt have it any other way (2 claims in 10 ish years both NOT my fault)
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Have I acted correctly so far?
Totally and absolutely. Let your insurance company deal with the matter ~ it's what you pay the premium for, and they have the necessary expertise. I agree with you insisting that the car is repaired at the bodyshop of your choice.
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Thanks for all the advice so far. Update. The car is going to the repairer 18/5, all work is carried out on their premises. A loan car - 08 reg C2 will be provided, and I have had to transfer my policy to that car. The insurers are allowing me to purchase legal expenses cover which will apply retrospectively. The third party insurer, (prominently displayed on football shirts and currently struggling), doesn't seem very co-operative so far.
Nothing yet from the police, I am going to wake them up tomorrow.
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Nothing yet from the police I am going to wake them up tomorrow.
Why bother? All you need is for your car to be satisfactorily repaired, and you appear to have made all the necessary arrangements for that.
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"Have I acted correctly so far? I do not have legal expenses cover on my policy. Is there anything else I need to be aware of?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated."
"Nothing yet from the police I am going to wake them up tomorrow."
Processes do not happen as quickly as it would seem that you expect. Whilst having your car damaged might be the most important thing on your radar at the moment in the bigger picture it isn't on theirs.
If you are fully comp leave it to the insurers that's what we pay them for.
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Hi, Thanks for all the advice so far. The police have written to say that they will take no action. I do have fully comprehensive insurance, but it seems that legal expenses cover is an essential extra these days. I have not made an insurance claim since 1973. I have now paid for legal expenses cover, which does apply retrospectively, but the cost was £41 rather than the £27 I would have paid when I took out the policy. This is still a very cost-effective way of engaging a solicitor! It appears that until the third party and their insurers admit liability, I will be out by the amount of my excess, and no-claims bonus on renewal, plus all the incidental costs of this incident. My insurance company have acted very well and very efficiently, I am impressed. The only people who know the name of the owners of the vehicle are the police, and they will not tell me, but they will tell my insurers - at a price.
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For a very small fee DVLA will tell you the registered keepers details. There is a form to be downloaded from somewhere on the DVLA website which will ask you a few simple questions and why you are requesting the information and they will respond to you.
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