Recently my car was damaged, while parked, on a private drive. The damage to my car, a Ford focus, was a rear foglight and bumper, cost £443. I have been offered a courtesy car, paid for by the other driver's insurance. He admitted liability, which he had to do really, as he was the only person around at the time.
The car hire firm want me to agree to a £250 excess when I drive their car. I have refused, saying that I did not ask their policyholder to hit my car, and the terms of any replacement should be no worse than my own insurance, whom I have not involved in this third party claim, and that I do not accept an excess more than the £100 I have with my insurance.
The repairer, the local Ford dealer in Irthlingborough, who I requested instead of the insurer's own repairer, a Vauxhall dealership, have offered a car but I feel the offending party should provide it.
I wonder if any backroomers have had similar experiences.
I am inclined to be extremely bloodyminded about the whole thing.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 04/02/2010 at 00:03
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Pay CDW and claim this back off the other party on the basis that the terms for a hire car are more onerous than you may have for your own vehicle.
As an exmaple if my car gets a slight car park scratch I'd leave it and get my valeter to hide hit before selling. Get one in a courtesy car and it can quickly become a full panel respray costing hundreds.
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Thanks Davey
I'll be in touch the insurance company very soon, so I'm glad of that suggestion.
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Their insurer will be paying for the repairers loan car anyway so why worry?
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"Their insurer will be paying for the repairers loan car anyway so why worry?"
Not the excess on any damage to it though, if one is charged.
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My DiL car was hit from behind. 3rd party agreed blame but on picking up the hire car they faced a £400 excess or paying £5 /day (IIRC) - repairs took ages (more damage than 1st budgeted) and the £5 became nearly £50 - they could not recoup this so being an innocent party cost £50.
The colour matching was done by Stevie Wonder so the remedial work of 3 days............My son & DiL did not take a car as it was too much hassle and cost.
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Their insurer will be paying for the repairers loan car anyway so why worry?
Hmm..interesting thread.
If you claimed on your own insurance and used a loan car from the approved repairer then normally it's covered on your insurance with the same T's & C's as your own policy.
But I guess that all goes out of the window if you don't follow the standard route to repair.
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It may be worth checking whether the policy, or others such as household, gives "uninsured loss" recovery.
Edited by nortones2 on 04/02/2010 at 12:33
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Insist on CDW and that the insurance co pays it.
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After several phone calls where young girls tell me how difficult it all is, and then give a cheery 'no problem', to which I reply that there is a problem which is why I phoned in the first place. The car hire company are quite inflexible, so, as it is a quick repair, I have bypassed them, and the insurance have been more helpful and agreed to send me money for my expenses. Had the repair been complicated the story would have been different but in this case I am happy to abandon the use of a hire car.
I could have got my insurer to cover the car, and Allianz( who have been most helpful) did agree to pay the cost of that, but I needed the vehicle details of the hire car before getting the insurance, and it just got ridiculously complicated. Also I would have had to predict when the hire would cease, and so on.
As someone I knew had a one week old car keyed in a supermarket car park I just did not want to take that risk.
Thanks to all who commented. I just object to being messed about when the culprit, in a firm's car, never gave it a second thought, even though it was the second claim against him in two months.
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Couldn't you get the repairer to source, prep and paint the new bumper and then fit whilst you wait?? Wouldn't take more than 30 min max to swop over the bumper.
Would save a lot of hassle.
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and only get away with 30 mins labour?
computer says its a days job?
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apparently the bumper comes from Ford ready painted. It is only a quick job, but experiences with BMW bikes in the past puts me off standing around waiting for someone to do a simple task.
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