Ecar/Southern Rock/Eldon Insurance Incompetence!!!

24

Comments

  • mazybel
    mazybel Posts: 24 Forumite
    i sent recorded delivery also e-mail re above , received reply next day saying they are sending details to another dept to be considered and will be in touch in due course ! My next plan was to request my daughter retrieve her car herself,( if garage will allow it without charge ) rather than leaving it to languish in garage , while they consider decision. Any advice please !
  • mazybel
    mazybel Posts: 24 Forumite
    ecar rang last friday they agreed to pay cost incurred for car being held at garage ,although any further cost after friday they are not responsible for. Garage are not releasing car until insurance reply to e-mails sent requesting confirmation of this,.. or we pay costs ..in excess of £250 and rising,. as yet no reply nor written confirmation , i have sent e-mails and recorded delivery requesting this matter to be put in writing and all i have received in response is one phone call.. Am becoming more and more stressed , angry and frustrated .:mad::eek::(
  • Quote
    Quote Posts: 8,042 Forumite
    OP - Sorry to hear about your problems.

    Was the insurance the very cheapest you could find?
  • mazybel
    mazybel Posts: 24 Forumite
    since ombudsman contacted insurance they have been in touch and offered me choice , "claim and they will pay for locks to be changed and possibly storage " , cost £270, or not claim and "premiums next year will not be as high ". question is ...should i claim , my excess is apprx £250 with additional excess of £100 as new driver, or not claim and foot the bill myself ! Advice urgently needed please , ringing insurance with decision today .
  • dacouch
    dacouch Posts: 21,637
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    How much damage money wise has been done to your daughter's car?
  • mazybel
    mazybel Posts: 24 Forumite
    No obvious signs of damage, ,company have not been in contact with garage to allow them to assess any damage . car had just been left there. paid for release myself. during drive home shock absorbers went = £100. Total cost for car theft £410.

    I have decided to carry on with complaint and try for insurance to pay all costs and protected no claims (got nothing to lose) as they have displayed total incompetence throughout .

    They have gone from saying (verbally)' they will pay costs' to 'disclaimer' then back to 'valid claim ', and they still will not commit to anything in writing , e-mail or otherwise !
  • dacouch
    dacouch Posts: 21,637
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    The policy covers theft and your daughter's policy was stolen so unless they have an exclusion for keys stolen from the house (I have never seen one) then they will have to pay for all the valid repairs that the policy covers.
  • mazybel
    mazybel Posts: 24 Forumite
    Thanks , they appear to be choosing bits of policy as and when they feel like .
    Will continue battle though, and keep you posted .
  • mazybel
    mazybel Posts: 24 Forumite
    Eventually received a letter from eldon , admitting it is a valid claim and thanking us for co-operation !! they have instructed accident managment company to repair vehicle !! ( why they left car in peoples body shop for 2 months i dont no ) anyway , am now awaiting for office in Gibraltor to respond to my complaints letter .appears it is going to be a long battle !!
  • dacouch
    dacouch Posts: 21,637
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    That's good news that they have finally realised you have a valid claim.

    You may find this helpful from the Ombudsman

    15. loss of use and courtesy cars

    Usually the policyholder is entitled to a courtesy car only where the policy specifically provides for it. Even where the policy does provide for a courtesy car, this will usually be in limited circumstances (for example, whilst repairs are carried out by a repairer approved by the insurer) that do not apply where a vehicle is "written-off". This often comes as a surprise and disappointment to the policyholder.

    Usually we only award the policyholder compensation for loss of use of the vehicle where the insurer unreasonably delays, or wrongly declines, the claim. Exceptionally, we may say that the insurer should compensate the policyholder for loss of use where:

    the insurer’s overall presentation of the policy gave the consumer a legitimate expectation that a courtesy car (or compensation for loss of use) would be provided; or
    the claim was badly administered (for example, the insurer initially took the car to be repaired, delayed several weeks and then decided it was a "write-off" after all).
    Where we consider it fair for the insurer to compensate the policyholder for loss of use:

    If the policyholder hired a car for this period, we might require the insurer to refund the hire-car charges (plus interest).
    If the policyholder did not hire a car, we might require the insurer to pay compensation for other reasonable transport expenses incurred plus inconvenience caused by lack of a car.
    If we award compensation for inconvenience caused by lack of a car, we tend to award around £10 per day, if it had a material effect on the policyholder, and depending on the individual circumstances – for example, whether the policyholder had "free" access to another vehicle, availability of public transport etc.

    http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html

    In the circumstances I would be asking the Insurers to make a payment to you on the above basis or at the least a percentage of it to cover the inconvenience THEY have caused
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards