Car accident. Insurance advice

[koolpc]

I just contacted my insurance company.

They said that its fine if i want to deal direct with her insurance and that if they are offering to repair etc then they are admitting liability. Check with them first.

 

[Hades]

This is true of your own insurer too.

Neither of them give a crap about you, just their bottom line.

That is indeed true. But the slight difference is that the third party insurer has a stronger motivation to limit the claim or find ways to make your own statement work against you. A few years ago I went directly to a third party insurer for damage to my parked car. The third party insurer were quite obstructive, at one point telling me it was "against the law" not to inform my own insurer (I had indeed informed them already) and later in the claim refusing to deal with me at all (I threatened to use a claims management company which would massively increase their payout and they magically started talking to me again).

Ultimately the decision the OP has to make is whether he wants a slightly easier life dealing with his own company (with a slight risk of his own company not fighting strongly and possibly losing - which sounds unlikely in this case) or dealing directly with the third party for a little more hassle.

 

[booyaka]

Strange - I had a bump last saturday - reported to my insurance. They told me under no circumstances to speak to any other insurance company, direct any and all calls to them. Do not speak to the other parties insurance/claims management firms. They would deal with everything.

 

[Nasher]

You can deal with the other party's insurer directly, but be careful what you say to them. They will not be acting in your best interests.

 

[iamdjdz]

I've used a dealer accident scheme for this who essentially sort it with the other person's insurance for you. It only works with non fault but I've used both Sytnerdrive and Arnold Clark accist. The Arnold Clark one I forgot to tell my insurer until renewal and they just added it as a note with no charge.

 

[Gaygle]

I just contacted my insurance company.

They said that its fine if i want to deal direct with her insurance and that if they are offering to repair etc then they are admitting liability. Check with them first.

Yeah for sure deal with her insurance company. I did this when some bloke hit the wing on my car and they gave me a brand new Audi A5 hire car, I didn't have to pay any excess and I got to have the work done by whoever I wanted.

If I had gone with my insurance company, I would have had got some Fiat Punto 1.2 hire car, would have had to pay my excess (then wait for god knows how long for the other persons company to admit liability so my insurance would then refund my excess back), and I would have had to have taken it to wherever my insurance company told me to go to have it repaired, which wouldn't have preserved by anti corrosion warranty.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Insurance industry is disgraceful. These shenanigans that go on, having to watch what you say to a 3rd party etc.

You pay your insurance premiums in good faith when you need them they are there.

I work in mortgages and if any of this kind of stuff went on there would be fines left right and centre.

 

[StevieP]

Insurance industry is disgraceful. These shenanigans that go on, having to watch what you say to a 3rd party etc.

You pay your insurance premiums in good faith when you need them they are there.

I work in mortgages and if any of this kind of stuff went on there would be fines left right and centre.

What "shenanigans" exactly? In this instance the OP has contacted the third party's insurer and (I assume) offered to sort his repairs and provide a courtesy vehicle? This is what should happen in the event of a non-fault bump so I'm not sure what else you think they should be doing??

As for the mortgage industry, pot-kettle-black springs to mind - no mis-selling in that industry!!

 

[BUDFORCE]

Not anymore. Very heavily regulated.

A third party insurer shouldn't be allowed to use anything you say to them unless you are under advice.

 

[koolpc]

Got to wait until monday if i want to contact her insurers as they closed the weekend.

Time to think if contacting them is best route.

 

[StevieP]

A third party insurer shouldn't be allowed to use anything you say to them unless you are under advice.

Firstly, what are you imagining the OP will/could say that and insurer could "use against them"?

Secondly, if it's the truth, where is the jeopardy?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, in my experience any third party insurer tend to handle claims pretty well - if they don't then they run the risk of the claimant getting an accident management company involved and the costs sky-rocketing!

 

[koolpc]

Firstly, what are you imagining the OP will/could say that and insurer could "use against them"?

Secondly, if it's the truth, where is the jeopardy?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, in my experience any third party insurer tend to handle claims pretty well - if they don't then they run the risk of the claimant getting an accident management company involved and the costs sky-rocketing!

Do you think i should let her insurance handle it? Or let mine sort it out?

 

[andicole0]

Do you think i should let her insurance handle it? Or let mine sort it out?

Your insurance company should want to do the best for you and they won't lose anything. Her insurance would want the cheapest solution. I would deal with the company I paid to look after insurance issues.
Andi.

 

[StevieP]

Do you think i should let her insurance handle it? Or let mine sort it out?

It's my experience that most third party insurers will do a decent job!

 

[Drumroll]

When had an accident, about 7 years ago, nothing major but my fault, Admiral was excellent. The year after my accident, some dodgy scammer crashed at my partner's car, and despite the fact that his insurance was bogus, the whole process and outcome was very efficiently managed by Admiral, her insurance. After that, i tend to ignore 10-20 quid difference when shopping for car insurance, as some are only fast and pleasant when getting your money.

 

[koolpc]

Got to decide if i should use my insurance or not

 

[MichaelAwkward]

Your insurance company should want to do the best for you and they won't lose anything. Her insurance would want the cheapest solution. I would deal with the company I paid to look after insurance issues.
Andi.

This is bad advice. They're not interested in looking after him. That's one reason why insurance prices are so inflated, because most (OPs seem perfectly happy for the third parties insurers to handle it in this case) want their customers to use their own accident management companies in the event of an accident even if the other party has admitted liability to their insurers already. Accident management companies will try to increase the value of the claim as much as possible for the insurer they work for, often before they even know if there's any chance of the third party insurers paying for it.

OP, let her insurers sort out your car. It's better for everyone involved if she's admitted liability. You should only claim on your own insurance if you're at fault, the other party won't admit liability or the other party wasn't insured.

 

[StevieP]

OP, let her insurers sort out your car. It's better for everyone involved if she's admitted liability. You should only claim on your own insurance if you're at fault, the other party won't admit liability or the other party wasn't insured.

This.

 

[koolpc]

Ok, cheers guys. I will ring her insurers on monday to see what they have to say.

 

[Tom_ed1987]

I'd always claim direct with the 3rd parties insurer if possible, with your own merely notified.
Just say they admitted fault, & if they'd like to deal with it before you ring an accident management company then they are welcome to. They know the costs increase 3-fold if you do & will generally bend over backwards to keep you happy.