Soldato
I'm posting this as a bit of a therapy session / for confirmation that I'm not insane...
Some of you will have seen that my bike was stolen early in the month - the red street triple. The first point to note is that within an hour of it being taken, I phoned the insurance (Hastings Direct) to notify them of the theft; emphasis on the word 'notify'. I was very clear that I wasn't initiating a claim. Just over two weeks ago, the bike was found and I had it forensically recovered by the police at a cost to myself, payable on collection after they were finished with it. It's also worth noting that I did this purely to help catch the thieves. The bike was found just around the corner from home and could have been back in my garage after a 5 minute push if I had just taken it away.
Fast forward to today, I receive a recorded delivery letter from Police Scotland through the door saying that the bike was in storage with a company called 911 RECOVERY, about 20 minutes from home. A somewhat threatening letter I might add, obviously a standard template for people who have had cars towed. Threats of legal action and the like. Keen to get my bike back, I went straight down to their yard. When I got there I was told it had been collected by my insurance company the previous day, and all fees paid!
Now I'm really, really annoyed by this. At no point did I instruct the insurance company to take action and recover my vehicle. At no point did they contact me to advise that they were doing so. How did they even know where it was, and a full 24 hours before I did, apparently? Phoning them up eventually reveals that it has been taken to another yard about 25 miles form home, and I am told to contact them directly to arrange getting the bike back. When I attempt this, I'm told that they won't release the bike without authorisation from the insurance company! They have agreed to do this, but have said I will have to cover all fees and pick it up half way across the country. I don't even know if the thing runs. The place it was originally stored was a 30 second walk to the bike shop I originally bought the triple from. Kerry from Hastings doesn't understand what the problem is, and as far as she is concerned, the Police authorised them to collect the bike. Rubbish.
I'm now left in the position that Hastings Direct have initiated a claim on the bike, and recovered it without my consent. In my mind, my bike has been stolen again, and I am honestly considering phoning the police to notify them of the theft. Would this be ridiculous? Anyone faced a similar situation?
Edit: oh and the cost of recovery and 1 days storage was £180. Profiting from crime?!
Some of you will have seen that my bike was stolen early in the month - the red street triple. The first point to note is that within an hour of it being taken, I phoned the insurance (Hastings Direct) to notify them of the theft; emphasis on the word 'notify'. I was very clear that I wasn't initiating a claim. Just over two weeks ago, the bike was found and I had it forensically recovered by the police at a cost to myself, payable on collection after they were finished with it. It's also worth noting that I did this purely to help catch the thieves. The bike was found just around the corner from home and could have been back in my garage after a 5 minute push if I had just taken it away.
Fast forward to today, I receive a recorded delivery letter from Police Scotland through the door saying that the bike was in storage with a company called 911 RECOVERY, about 20 minutes from home. A somewhat threatening letter I might add, obviously a standard template for people who have had cars towed. Threats of legal action and the like. Keen to get my bike back, I went straight down to their yard. When I got there I was told it had been collected by my insurance company the previous day, and all fees paid!
Now I'm really, really annoyed by this. At no point did I instruct the insurance company to take action and recover my vehicle. At no point did they contact me to advise that they were doing so. How did they even know where it was, and a full 24 hours before I did, apparently? Phoning them up eventually reveals that it has been taken to another yard about 25 miles form home, and I am told to contact them directly to arrange getting the bike back. When I attempt this, I'm told that they won't release the bike without authorisation from the insurance company! They have agreed to do this, but have said I will have to cover all fees and pick it up half way across the country. I don't even know if the thing runs. The place it was originally stored was a 30 second walk to the bike shop I originally bought the triple from. Kerry from Hastings doesn't understand what the problem is, and as far as she is concerned, the Police authorised them to collect the bike. Rubbish.
I'm now left in the position that Hastings Direct have initiated a claim on the bike, and recovered it without my consent. In my mind, my bike has been stolen again, and I am honestly considering phoning the police to notify them of the theft. Would this be ridiculous? Anyone faced a similar situation?
Edit: oh and the cost of recovery and 1 days storage was £180. Profiting from crime?!
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