Car Insurance claim driving me mad...

raskazz

custardy wrote: »

1st of all i would disregard the 60 miles limit
who are they to dictate how far you would travel to buy a car?
you will need some proof to support the value you want though
so get looking at any ads you can find for the same car

Car values do vary with geographical area. They are quite entitled to take this approach. For example, why would anyone in Scotland travel to London to buy a car at a higher price?

On the issue of ads as 'proof' of value, the Financial Ombudsman has stated:

"[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Customers who dispute the firm’s assessment of a car’s market value often draw our attention to ‘forecourt prices’ advertised in local papers, and – increasingly – to prices quoted on internet sites. Generally we place little weight on such evidence. Advertised prices for cars are widely understood to be a starting point for negotiation, rather than a fixed price. And the information provided is often insufficient to ensure a like-for-like comparison of age, condition and mileage. But we do sometimes take local factors into account when deciding a relevant replacement cost."

[/FONT]http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/22/issue-22-motorinsurance.htm

raskazz

angel69 wrote: »

Thanks for that!

What about the docs?
Why do they need them so urgently?

They need them because (amongst other things) they need to know that you are actually the owner of the vehicle.

angel69_2

raskazz wrote: »

They need them because (amongst other things) they need to know that you are actually the owner of the vehicle.

Thats all very well but legally will copies be sufficient until I reach a settlement.

I just dont want them to hold my docs to ransom and push me into accepting an offer Im not happy with...they are being ever so pushy!

raskazz

angel69 wrote: »

Thats all very well but legally will copies be sufficient until I reach a settlement.

I just dont want them to hold my docs to ransom and push me into accepting an offer Im not happy with...they are being ever so pushy!

Copies might suffice to keep them 'off your back' in the interim but they will not actually pay you anything until the originals are received. Personally I would just send the originals to speed thing up - this will not (and cannot) be construed as acceptance of their offer. To reinforce this you could just send them with a letter stating that in sending the documents you are not in any way accepting their current offer.

*MF*

My 2p - I would still stick with copies for now - not least because you may withdraw the claim, and decide to let the lawyers pursue everything, car included - no harm is caused, and the Insurers can check everything they want/need. Send the originals, then you decide its in your interests to use the lawyers - then what, ask for the documents back?

angel69_2

raskazz wrote: »

Copies might suffice to keep them 'off your back' in the interim but they will not actually pay you anything until the originals are received. Personally I would just send the originals to speed thing up - this will not (and cannot) be construed as acceptance of their offer. To reinforce this you could just send them with a letter stating that in sending the documents you are not in any way accepting their current offer.

Great thanks for that!

taxi73

Maybe I can shed some light on this for you as I've just had the same problems.Firstly phone your solicitors and ask them if they are "acting totally for you and should you just list it with your insurer as for information only purposes"...this means that the lawyers are dealing with it totally for you.
I was given a hire car from the lawyers within 2 days of our no fault accident.They are doing the whole claim for us.Perhaps your insurance firm have not been told it's for information only ..you MUST check this with the lawyer first before contacting them again.

angel69_2

taxi73 wrote: »

Maybe I can shed some light on this for you as I've just had the same problems.Firstly phone your solicitors and ask them if they are "acting totally for you and should you just list it with your insurer as for information only purposes"...this means that the lawyers are dealing with it totally for you.
I was given a hire car from the lawyers within 2 days of our no fault accident.They are doing the whole claim for us.Perhaps your insurance firm have not been told it's for information only ..you MUST check this with the lawyer first before contacting them again.

Great thanks for that, Ive been onto the lawyers who is dealing with the whole claim and the hire car too!

Im so glad i dont have to deal with the insurer now, they were an unorganised nightmare!

angel69_2

I worte to my insurers asking them to contact my solicitor for all matters relating to the accident but I got a letter form my insurance comp asking me to call them within 14 days or the will assume I no longer wish to claim!!

Why are doing this? I really dont want to talk to them because they put so much presure on when Im on the phone.....

Debt_Free_Chick

The reason they want the docs is that they have written the car off. The car will be registered at DVLA as a write-off.

Sending the docs and agreeing a settlement figure are two different things. If the car has been written off, then you are only negotiating the settlement figure. I'd be inclined just to send them - the docs only relate to the car and are no longer of any use to you (or anyone else).

Did they say what category of write-off it is?