Helphire problem

Bbarney_Rrubble

Hi all

Over 12 months ago i was involved in a car accident which i believed was not my fault. I was contacted by a company called HELPHIRE, who explained that i was entitled to a courtesy car similar to my own, assuring me in the process that i would not be liable as they would retrieve all monies from the 3rd parties insurers.
Unfortunately my insurance company paid out (even though i was hit in the rear side while at traffic lights) and HELPHIRE have now sent a letter charging me in excess of £3,000 for a period of 18 days.
I feel like i'm a victim of some sort of con trick and do not know what to do.
Does anyone have any advice?
Has anyone had a similar problem, if so what was the outcome.

Bbarney

LadyIndecisive

The t&cs of the hire should have been explained or available to you. This was not a courtesy car, it was a hire car provided to you on a credit basis. See if you can locate the hire agreement you signed.

Who put you in touch with Helphire? Did you know the daily hire rate when you took the car? Was the car comparable to your own? Did anyone explain the risks involved?

Your insurers appear to have accepted you were liable for the accident and hence Helphire cannot reclaim the hire charges.

I do not have first hand experience but there's a post on this thread which sets out the issues as experienced by someone else.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/caradvice/2754378/Honest-John's-agony-column.html

Bbarney_Rrubble

At the time of the accident i had never had the use of neither a courtesy car or hire car and (as the only contact made was to my insurance company) i assumed that it was part of my cover.
I do have some paper work with figures on but at the time was told that they dealt with the insurance companies directly. I asked what would happen if the 3rd party insurance did not pay and was told not to worry as i would not be liable.
Looking back, this was all concluded rather quickly (while i was sat in the helphire car with no other means of transporting myself) and i'm embarrassed to say that i did not read the paperwork and took the helphire staff member at his word!!
I still feel to this day that i was not at fault and was disgusted with the way my insurance company at the time dealt with my claim, so much so that even though they remained the cheapest i switched to a more expensive company

LadyIndecisive

Check the agreement you signed. If it is a consumer credit agreement and you were given mis-information regarding your liability it may be worth taking this up with the Office of Fair Trading. I'm not an expert but they will advise if you have some recourse. Try www.oft.gov.uk for some info.

vikingaero

Helphire offer their services in the hope that you recover your losses from the third party. If there's a dispute then the overinflated cost of car hire is charged to you. I imagine the Helphire documents state somewhere that you are responsible to pay if the third party insurer does not pay.

LadyIndecisive

Bbarney Rrubble - can you also check if you had a separate legal expenses policy that put you in touch with Helphire. Possibly it would have been through Angel Assist, which is part of the same group. If you did have the policy may cover the cost of the hire.

cogito

The major pitfall of credit hire in a nutshell.

Cloister

OUCH!

Thats incredible, I used helphire about 3 years ago on the advice of my insurer, I was hit from behind at a roundabout. Nothing was explained to me either when I went with them and I also did not read the agreement.

Luckily the 3rd party paid out in my case and I did get a letter from helphire confirming it was all done and dusted.

Sorry I have nothing constructive to offer....

Bbarney_Rrubble

Thanks all

After reading the thread LadyIndecisive pointed out, i now realise how this company works. I've been in touch with others who have used them but were fortunate enough not to have any problems and all assumed it was just part of there cover.
It really is a dirty trick they're pulling. I've just read about a hearing which took place at the house of lords (basically trying to stop them from operating). It failed so they have even more power now.
I'll seek legal advice and see what can be done. Whatever the outcome i'm going to do my best to ensure more people fully understand how they work and do not fall into the same trap

Thanks again for your replies