Car accident, problem with insurance

RedPantsRedPants Posts: 696
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I had a minor car accident a while ago, it was the other driver's fault (she admitted it).

I called my insurance company to ask what to do. They told me the other driver was insured so they would deal with it and it shouldn't be a problem.

But they've now told me that the other driver's insurance company hasn't responded to any of their communications and so it's been passed to "legal" to try to recover damages from the driver directly.

I assumed their insurer must be legitimate if the car is showing up on the national database as insured, so why aren't they responding? :confused:
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  • seacamseacam Posts: 21,364
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    Hi,

    How minor was minor, cost wise?
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    RedPants wrote: »
    I had a minor car accident a while ago, it was the other driver's fault (she admitted it).

    I called my insurance company to ask what to do. They told me the other driver was insured so they would deal with it and it shouldn't be a problem.

    But they've now told me that the other driver's insurance company hasn't responded to any of their communications and so it's been passed to "legal" to try to recover damages from the driver directly.

    I assumed their insurer must be legitimate if the car is showing up on the national database as insured, so why aren't they responding? :confused:

    After 3 months the other insurer if they have not had a response from their driver..would normally deal with the claim..

    As long as the vehicle description is correct...

    Normally...how long has it been??
  • RedPantsRedPants Posts: 696
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    Thanks for the replies.

    The damage didn't look too bad but the repairers said there was a bent bracket behind the rear bumper and the cost was £380. My excess was £250 and I had to pay this.

    It was around 6 months ago. I took photos of the damage and reg plate of the other car at the scene. The reg number matches the car description per the askMID website and this does say it was insured.
  • jsmith99jsmith99 Posts: 20,382
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    I'd have thought that your insurance company would have paid for the repair, and it's now their problem, not yours.
  • Keefy-boyKeefy-boy Posts: 13,533
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    jsmith99 wrote: »
    I'd have thought that your insurance company would have paid for the repair, and it's now their problem, not yours.
    Well yes but the OP has paid £250 out of the £380 repair costs so who's problem is it really?
  • seacamseacam Posts: 21,364
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    RedPants wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies.

    The damage didn't look too bad but the repairers said there was a bent bracket behind the rear bumper and the cost was £380. My excess was £250 and I had to pay this.

    It was around 6 months ago. I took photos of the damage and reg plate of the other car at the scene. The reg number matches the car description per the askMID website and this does say it was insured.

    HI,

    I understand the accident was someone else's fault and they admitted this but for such a relatively minor accident and cost, why on earth did you inform your insurance company?

    Regardless of whether other side settle, your vehicle insurance will rise, even tho' no fault.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    seacam wrote: »
    HI,

    I understand the accident was someone else's fault and they admitted this but for such a relatively minor accident and cost, why on earth did you inform your insurance company?

    Regardless of whether other side settle, your vehicle insurance will rise, even tho' no fault.

    The op will need his insurers to chase the third party, re claim his excess, the cost to the insurer and any un insured losses...

    Yo cannot say for certain if the OP's insurance will rise even if a full recovery is made..

    You are just assuming Seacam.

    Plus"its just a bumper" can turn into..

    It's a new front end.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    Also although liability can be admitted at the scene...that can soon turn around when it comes down to.it..

    Op...if you have a correct description of the car, colour, make, model and a description of the driver...and the location is correct...if the third party insurers don't get a response from their driver..they should settle.the claim after a certain amount of time has passed. Your own insurers may clarify that for you..

    Good luck.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    Also if your vehicle has been repaired, you need to be chasing this with your insurers now..ring then soon as and see how the recovery is going.
  • Keefy-boyKeefy-boy Posts: 13,533
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    The op will need his insurers to chase the third party, re claim his excess, the cost to the insurer and any un insured losses...
    If the OP hadn't gone through his insurer there wouldn't have been any excess to pay.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    Keefy-boy wrote: »
    If the OP hadn't gone through his insurer there wouldn't have been any excess to pay.

    Third party is involved..the insurers are there to protect you.. That's why you pay them..
  • jsmith99jsmith99 Posts: 20,382
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    Keefy-boy wrote: »
    Well yes but the OP has paid £250 out of the £380 repair costs so who's problem is it really?

    True, I'd forgotten that part.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    Hopefully the third party insurers will deal with it...if they don't receive a response then usually they will open a claim, pay out and inform their driver..
  • seacamseacam Posts: 21,364
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    The op will need his insurers to chase the third party, re claim his excess, the cost to the insurer and any un insured losses...

    Yo cannot say for certain if the OP's insurance will rise even if a full recovery is made..

    You are just assuming Seacam.

    Plus"its just a bumper" can turn into..

    It's a new front end.

    No I'm not.

    I do know for the next 3-5 years, at renewal the OP will be asked if they have had an accident in any particular time period regardless of fault.

    I do know if the OP was to say no to that question, it is possible their insurance might become void, even if not asked, they have to mention it at least once depending on how they renew and should they switch insurance provider.

    That the OPs insurance is likely to be loaded, I know that.

    By how much, who knows.

    " it's a new front end ", now who's assuming.
  • GogfumbleGogfumble Posts: 22,155
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    The trouble is, if you don't go through your insurer you have to keep chasing the other party for payment. You have no idea how honest they are going to be.

    Someone crashed into my car in a Supermarket car park a few years ago. I wasn't in the car but luckily they waited for me. There wasn't a huge amount of damage, a couple of dents and paintwork so I agreed we could settle it between us but informed them I would be taking it to the garage of my choice not any old cheap place. I took it to my garage and got a quote, was about £800. Gave them the quote and they said something along the lines of "ok, but as its late November do you mind waiting till after Christmas as we need to buy our kids presents".

    I was not happy to do this as although they had been honest with me so far how do I know if they are even going to answer my calls after Christmas let alone having to wait over a month to get my car repaired. So I told them I'd do it through the insurance.

    The next renewal I did quotes with and without the no fault claim and there wasn't much difference. In fact the insurance company I was with renewal was cheaper than the previous year.
  • Sarah777Sarah777 Posts: 5,057
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    I had the opposite experience. Few years ago, I rear-ended a car who braked suddenly. We pulled over to the side and I gave him my details and he was in hurry to go, I asked for his number and he gave it and drove off. He was pretty mad. Three months went by and no claim from my insurance and I tried to chase him and he said didn't want to claim. When I told my insurance people, they said may be an illegal person. Thanks to that guy, I still have a clean sheet.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    seacam wrote: »
    No I'm not.

    I do know for the next 3-5 years, at renewal the OP will be asked if they have had an accident in any particular time period regardless of fault.

    I do know if the OP were to say no to that question, it is possible their insurance might become void, even if not asked, they have to mention it at least once depending on how they renew and should they switch insurance provider.

    That the OPs insurance is likely to be loaded, I know that.

    By how much, who knows.

    " it's a new front end ", now who's assuming.

    Unfortunately careless drivers and bumps are part of motoring life...

    If the third party were to shift blame to the op, he would have no choice in informing his insurance...

    And yes a simple knock can turn into "what lies beneath" as it happened to me, my insurance chased the little Scrote for two years, it went to court, I got paid out.. My policy didn't really differ...but that was me..

    Also if you deal direct with the third party how long shall the op wait..and no courtesy car as well..

    "I'll sort it mate.."
  • soap-leasoap-lea Posts: 23,851
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    seacam wrote: »
    No I'm not.

    I do know for the next 3-5 years, at renewal the OP will be asked if they have had an accident in any particular time period regardless of fault.

    I do know if the OP was to say no to that question, it is possible their insurance might become void, even if not asked, they have to mention it at least once depending on how they renew and should they switch insurance provider.

    That the OPs insurance is likely to be loaded, I know that.

    By how much, who knows.

    " it's a new front end ", now who's assuming.

    If his insurer is unable to recover the costs of the claim then it may affect his premium especially now it been passed to legal. If he has had no other accidents, no convictions and protected ncd it prob won't make much difference.

    His policy will not be loaded if they recover all the costs. However naturally the rates change because the base rates and applicable discounts alter due to your driving history. its not just a premium - ncd

    but the important point is this is no longer a £380 claim, once legal get involved dependant on how long they go on for it can runs into thousands. I am pretty suprised they have gone down the legal route for £130, sounds like a bit of a dodgy co.

    The OP if he has legal cover should be using it to try and reclaim his excess from the TP
  • RedPantsRedPants Posts: 696
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    Thanks for the replies.

    I'm currently out of pocket by the £250 I had to pay for the excess and my renewal premium went up by about £100. My insurers told me it shouldn't be a problem as I had all the evidence I needed to prove it was the TP's fault. But the problem is that it seems to be the TP insurance company that is not responding, not that they can't contact the other driver.

    I don't know who the TP insurance is, my insurer wouldn't tell me.

    So yes, I'm thinking it probably wasn't worth claiming. Hindsight is a great thing.
  • bri160356bri160356 Posts: 5,147
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    RedPants wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies.

    I'm currently out of pocket by the £250 I had to pay for the excess and my renewal premium went up by about £100. My insurers told me it shouldn't be a problem as I had all the evidence I needed to prove it was the TP's fault. But the problem is that it seems to be the TP insurance company that is not responding, not that they can't contact the other driver.

    I don't know who the TP insurance is, my insurer wouldn't tell me.

    So yes, I'm thinking it probably wasn't worth claiming. Hindsight is a great thing.

    This article makes interesting reading. :(

    Small claims!
  • soap-leasoap-lea Posts: 23,851
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    RedPants wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies.

    I'm currently out of pocket by the £250 I had to pay for the excess and my renewal premium went up by about £100. My insurers told me it shouldn't be a problem as I had all the evidence I needed to prove it was the TP's fault. But the problem is that it seems to be the TP insurance company that is not responding, not that they can't contact the other driver.

    I don't know who the TP insurance is, my insurer wouldn't tell me.

    So yes, I'm thinking it probably wasn't worth claiming. Hindsight is a great thing.

    You can cancel the claim. you would have to pay the claims costs back to them tho.

    Also, they should tell you who the TP is. call them and say you need to know so that you can try your own action to recover your excess.

    If they refuse but a request in writing to see your full claim file, if they refuse, make a complaint, threaten the ombudsman but either way you should get the details.

    did the tp not give you that information anyway?
  • seacamseacam Posts: 21,364
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    RedPants wrote: »
    Thanks for the replies.

    I'm currently out of pocket by the £250 I had to pay for the excess and my renewal premium went up by about £100. My insurers told me it shouldn't be a problem as I had all the evidence I needed to prove it was the TP's fault. But the problem is that it seems to be the TP insurance company that is not responding, not that they can't contact the other driver.

    I don't know who the TP insurance is, my insurer wouldn't tell me.

    So yes, I'm thinking it probably wasn't worth claiming. Hindsight is a great thing.

    Hi,

    Ain't it just and had you come to DS forums before claiming I'd have just put a big AVOID in front of everything I wrote.

    This loading of premiums has been going on for some time, it is a complete rip off, an outrageous state of affairs perpetrated by insurance companies on no fault claimants.

    They would argue premiums raise all the time,---and they do, ----but £100 in your case, frigin' outrageous and it is due to this back door loading.

    Vehicle insurance, prices paid, are totally out of control in this country and it will not stop until a solution is come up with.

    GDJ is also correct, a knock is not always a simple knock,--- what lies underneath .

    IMO if excess is say £250 and repair costs are 100% of that, take a view as to whether to inform insurance or not.

    I know that might mean allowing some scroat to get away with denting your pride and joy but it might just be worth it.
  • Galaxy266Galaxy266 Posts: 7,049
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    You need to play insurance companies at their own game.

    The less you tell an insurance company the better; given the opportunity they will just use the information you give them against you. Be very careful what you report to them. If you have no intention of claiming then there's absolutely no need to report an accident that doesn't involve a third party, e.g. scraping your car on a concrete post.

    I personally would never consider ever claiming for a damage only claim where there was no third party (or identifiable third party) involved unless the bill ran into thousands, I really wouldn't. It's just not worth the aggravation.
  • gdjman68wasdigigdjman68wasdigi Posts: 21,705
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    i find it odd that the ops insurers will not disclose the third party insurance details, especially if it has been passed to legal.

    also they are not responding , normally the insurer at fault is falling over themselves to control the claim to keep their costs down..

    avoid unnecessary hire vehicles etc..

    op who are you insured with?
  • stackmanstackman Posts: 710
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    In these circumstances I would write to the original driver stating that their insurance company has not responded, that you are out of pocket and that you intend to recover the costs of the excess and increased premium from the driver directly through the small claims court.

    Send the letter recorded delivery.

    Hopefully that should galvanise the driver to jolly up their insurance company.

    If not then issue a small claims court claim.

    The driver is also required to give you details of their insurance company in the event of an accident.
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