Advice needed

hil-ster

My son had an accident in his 54 plate Jeep Cherokee on the 20th Dec 09. It slipped on black ice and he had cosmetic damage to his vehicle and pushed down a garden hedge.
He informed his car insurers and they told him to take his car to their approved garage. he waited for 4 days as understandably it was a busy time of year accident wise for a courtesy car. In the end after many, many phone calls between the insurers and the garage, the insurance company had a hired car brought to him. He has been paying for this himself although he is supposed to have one on his fully comp insurance??? Also his jeep has now been quoted as having £4.500 of bodywork damage, this means it will be a write off. He has had another garage look at it and they have quoted less than half of the original quote for exactly the same work. He has heard many stories about the overpricing of the approved garage and told his insurers and asked why he wasn't told he could choose which garage he could take it to in the begining. His insurance firm are now chargeing him not only for the hire car but for paper work and the whole assessment they did at the first garage.

Can anyone advise me if they are able to do this??? also is he able to take his Jeep and get it fixed at a garage of his choice???

lisyloo

He has been paying for this himself although he is supposed to have one on his fully comp insurance???

Did he pay for the guaranteed hire car option (at additional cost) or was he jsut relying on the standard policy - which is at the discretion of the garage?
Why did he pay for it himself if he was entitled under the policy?

and asked why he wasn't told he could choose which garage he could take it to in the begining

It's not up to the insurer to inform him of his rights and options.
They are in business to make money and do what's easiest for them.
He need to get knowledgeable about his own right and options.
No-one else is going to take care of you in this world. Certainly not profit making businesses so you have to look out for yourself.

His insurance firm are now chargeing him not only for the hire car but for paper work and the whole assessment they did at the first garage.

Hire cars normally come free from a garage getting repair work.
Now he's withdrawn the repair work they feel free to charge him.
Perhaps they don't offer free assesements and only do it on the understanding they'll get business.

also is he able to take his Jeep and get it fixed at a garage of his choice???

Yes he can do that although he may have to pay and then claim back as only the "approved" garages have direct billing already set up.

hil-ster

Thanks lisyloo for your prompt answers.
when my son was supposed to have the courtesy car they were all out due to other accidents in the bad weather, the insurance got him a hire car and passed on his bank details incase of an accident. It took the hire car 4 days to get a car to him then they picked it up after 2 days and another hire car company was called by his insurance and they delivered another car after another 3 day wait. they picked that up after another 2 days. My son phoned the garage and he was told to pick a car up from them then as they had one available. He only noticed he was paying for the hired cars when he looked at his bank statments and has subsequently become overdrawn and has been charged by the bank for that as well.
My son has guaranteed hire car option but the Insurers still say they wont pay. Having spent hours on the phone with them he's pulling his hair out.
The garage have just phoned to say they will release his vehicle if he pays for the courtesy car and their original assessment, which he will now do as you advised it was probable they would do this.
Hopefully the Insurers will let him have his vehicle fixed at his choice of garage now, as there quote is much more reasonable and after all he is saving the insurers money..

Thank you for your help

lisyloo

My son has guaranteed hire car option but the Insurers still say they wont pay

There is clearly something wrong here.
Why are they saying they won't pay for a hire car when it was covered under his policy?
If he can't get straight answers on the phone, he will need to raise a complaint following the companies formal complaints procedure.
I would send it recorded delivery for 75p and keep the receipt to stop it from being lost.

The garage have just phoned to say they will release his vehicle if he pays for the courtesy car and their original assessment

I would also complain about this (keep the receipts).
He followed the insurers instructions and only withdrew the car elsewhere because the cost was too high.

If he can afford to pay short term then that will at least get things moving.