Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant

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Sat 30 Jul 2011 08:32
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - Troutty

I guess I am not strictly allowed to name and shame but want to get a few things off my chest. My renewal date is the 20 August. I had a very minor accident on the 15 July (holds up hands but not admitted at the time of course). My car was collected and I was given a sweet Peugeot 107 as a courtesy car. It seems this is one of those financial situations when the insurance company don't want to repair the car which is under the mileage for the year (02) and last year I clocked up <5000 miles - it's a financial situation, nothing more than that. But what has really got my goat bigtime is the blatant lies I am given from various members of staff from the insurance company and I got a different story from a different person EVERY DAY. They have asked me to send original MOT, insurance certificate! and V5C - I am probably a numpty but why can't they get off their butt and check with the DVLC? I have scanned and sent them via email for now. I am still waiting for an offer and I understand I won't get a cent until they have my original documents. The car is likely to be a Cat D write off and I have not ruled out accepting a cash in lieu offer. The repair centre is about 50 miles from home so yesterday I went and collected my car which is perfectly driveable and left them the courtesy car. I have protected no claims and will be shopping around later for a renewal quote. If I keep the car do I have to disclose the Cat. D status if and when we ever reach that point because at the moment, some 15 days after the incident I am still waiting to hear - outrageous.

Sorry this was a bit long but I fell better now.

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Sat 30 Jul 2011 09:10
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - oldroverboy

if it is cat d, take the money, i assume you are fully comp. get the bits off e-bay and or one of the pattern makes and if you are happy, drive it till it drops. if you are not selling it don't worry. if it was minor just go elsewhere, quotes will of course vary wildly. i used the mail compare site and got good quotes, but take a few minutes and try the others too.

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Sat 30 Jul 2011 10:22
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - daveyjp

If the car is driveable, the damage is cosmetic and it looks like you will be wholly or partly at fault simply drop the claim for any damage to your own vehicle. You can then do as you like with it.

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Sat 30 Jul 2011 10:58
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - Troutty

That's really helpful, thanks so much for both replies. I plan to drop the claim keep the car and tart it up a bit. It has such a lot of life in it yet touch wood and everything crossed. Mind you I have been shopping around on the net and I quite fancy a cheap Hyundai, maybe later on when mine gives up the ghost.

I had a quick look at the Meerkat site but I haven't finished searching yet.

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Sat 30 Jul 2011 13:02
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - Troutty

That's really helpful, thanks so much for both replies. I plan to drop the claim keep the car and tart it up a bit. It has such a lot of life in it yet touch wood and everything crossed. Mind you I have been shopping around on the net and I quite fancy a cheap Hyundai, maybe later on when mine gives up the ghost.

I had a quick look at the Meerkat site but I haven't finished searching yet.

I have spent the last 4 hours or so searching for replacement cover which falls due on the 20 08. Rather annoyingly my present Company come out cheapest by some margin but I am a great believer in "you get what you pay for" and I have no intention of renewing with them. I really don't want to mislead the new Company I go with whomever that might be, and me and him indoors are in disagreement about one aspect of my proposal. Assuming I drop my claim, am I obliged to provide details of the claim which I assume will be made by the other party against me/my Insurers. There are several sections which I have provided details of my two SP30's from 2008 which I believe are expired anyway, but in all honesty I am not sure how to proceed with details of my dropped claim. The proposal relates to me as I see it but is honesty the best policy? Can be tricky online too.

It's all gone up by some margin anyway.

Hope I have made myself clear, thanks in anticipation.

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Sun 31 Jul 2011 10:42
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - daveyjp

The question usually asked is - "have you had any accidents or claims in the last 5 years." Answer this yes, then you will need to enter further details about the accident.

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Sun 31 Jul 2011 11:36
Focus Elle - Insurance fiasco - just having a rant - stuartl

I had two non fault accidents in 2003, both times (within 6 weeks) my van was hit while parked. The second time it was written off. Just as an experiment I rang an insurance company for a renewal WITHOUT mentioning the 'accidents' and then rang back the same company and mentioned both incidents as of course I would have to do so to comply with the law. The premium went up by £70 even though I was the VICTIM! of two driver's stupidity - I wasnt even in my van at the time! Aside of this I had the aggravation and expense the first time of getting my van to a repairer, getting a courtesy vehicle, transferring tools over, etc etc. Not impressed when I did nothing wrong

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