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Courtesy car - REFUSED

Long story cut short:

- 17/12/09 - Friend crashed into a car as somebody pulled out on him
- 17-29 December - repetadly telephoned the insurence only to be told:
  • Ring you back
  • Nobody in office due to snow
  • nobody in office due to xmas
  • nobody in office as it's 9-5
  • Needs to be dealt with by different department etc
A number of excuses made. They refused to give a courtesy car until they recieved his witness statement (done and sent within 24 hours)

They then gave him the number for the car company as they were closing for xmas, who refused to supply a car as it was not a clear cut case of who's fault it was so they didn't know if the insurance company would pay
  • I personally thought the car would be provided regardless of fault, as for most of the time this can take months to investigate and settle
29/12/09 - they eventually picked up car for repair


TODAY - Garage waiting for insurance company to call as to fixing the car

19 days since the initial accident at no point have they allowed him a courtesy car as stated in his policy. they are now telling him as it looks like his car will be written off, they do not have to provide one.
  • I belive because it's so late in the day in the process they are trying to totally get out of giving him a courtesy car. I feel regardless of how long he has the car, it should be provided. full stop
So, is this breach of policy, and what can be done about it. I have never claimed myself but based so am little aware of the process, can anoybody please advise
I get what i want. That isn't because i'm a brat or spoilt. It's because i'm determined, i work hard for it and i achieve my goals!
«13

Comments

  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    does your friend have courtesy car cover in their insurance policy?
    somebody has to pay for the car,its not a freebie
    the company they shunted you onto would have wanted payment from your friend if the insurer didnt pay
  • the at fault party's insurer has to pay

    which insurer is it?

    my car got clouted up the bag a couple of years back and virgin sorted a hire car within 4 days and claimed off him
    things arent the way they were before, you wouldnt even recognise me anymore- not that you knew me back then ;)
    BH is my best mate too, its ok :)

    I trust BH even if he's from Manchester.. ;)

    all your base are belong to us :eek:
  • dogbot
    dogbot Posts: 1,062 Forumite
    edited 5 January 2010 at 4:21PM
    If your friend paid for a guaranteed hire car, then this should have been sorted out and one delivered to him while his was not roadworthy/off the road at the repairers/untill he gets a settlement cheque. Cleal cut case of lodging a complaint in the usual way.

    If no, then all your friend is entitled to is a courtesy car from the repairing garage - and this is usualy only if they use the insurer's authorised/approved repairer. The repairer pays for the car as part of the deal with the insurer. IF THERE ARE NO REPAIRS TO BE DONE - I.E. IT IS TOTAL LOSS, THEY DON'T PROVIDE A COURTESY CAR. This is CLEARLY stated in policy wordings.

    It sounds like he was reffered to a credit hire firm by his insurer who would hire him a vehicle on credit and lodge a claim for the cost against the other party's insurer. As stated above, he would be liable for these costs if they couldn't get them or all of them back. From your own description it appears they were not confident that your friend was not in part to blame and so declined to deal with the case because they wouldn't get all their money back. They only take on cases they think they can win (ok, they SHOULD only... but that is another story).

    If the vehicle is now declared a total loss, then your friend won't be getting a courtesy vehicle unless he has guaranteed hire car add on with his policy. He should try approaching the third party's insurer direct if the case is, in fact, clear cut and the other party is to blame.
  • iamana1ias
    iamana1ias Posts: 3,777 Forumite
    Long story cut short:

    - 17/12/09 - Friend crashed into a car as somebody pulled out on him

    So the claim could go against him

    A number of excuses made. They refused to give a courtesy car until they recieved his witness statement (done and sent within 24 hours)

    Because it could be classed as his fault

    They then gave him the number for the car company as they were closing for xmas, who refused to supply a car as it was not a clear cut case of who's fault it was so they didn't know if the insurance company would pay

    Are you spotting a theme yet?


    I personally thought the car would be provided regardless of fault, as for most of the time this can take months to investigate and settle29/12/09 - they eventually picked up car for repair

    Do you mean they picked the car up for assessment? They can't have known it could be repaired until they'd collected it.


    19 days since the initial accident at no point have they allowed him a courtesy car as stated in his policy. they are now telling him as it looks like his car will be written off, they do not have to provide one.

    They are right. It's a standard clause that courtesy cars are only provided when the car is repairable. Hire cars may be provided if the accident was clearly someone else's fault or if that has been added to the insurance policy, but that isn't the case here.


    I belive because it's so late in the day in the process they are trying to totally get out of giving him a courtesy car. I feel regardless of how long he has the car, it should be provided. full stopSo, is this breach of policy, and what can be done about it. I have never claimed myself but based so am little aware of the process, can anoybody please advise

    It doesn't matter what you feel, regardless of anything.

    Who are the insurers?
    I was born too late, into a world that doesn't care
    Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
  • I don't know the name of the insurers but will ask.

    In detail, my friend was traveling down the road, the car pulled off a slip road in front of him (no indicator) and breaking distance was not enough so he damaged his front passenger side going into the back of him.

    This may sound stupid but,
    1. I don't believe in the policy it say's you have a courtesy car so long as it's not your fault!
    I haven't claimed myself but i would assume that if blame had to be issued before a courtesy car was given there would be no point having this on your policy?

    The car has gone to an approved garage which they took it to. So, without meaning to sound stupid. does it matter even if it was his fault (i know it wasn't)???

    The insurance will pay even if it is your fault, so, what is the use in offering a courtesy car if you:
    1. Have to prove your innocent first
    2. Wait 12 for your car to go to a gararge
    3. Wait a further 5 days and counting for them to assess it and get a responce from the insurers
    by this point the purpose of having a courtesy car is totally out of the window
    I get what i want. That isn't because i'm a brat or spoilt. It's because i'm determined, i work hard for it and i achieve my goals!
  • iamana1ias
    iamana1ias Posts: 3,777 Forumite
    I don't know the name of the insurers but will ask.

    In detail, my friend was traveling down the road, the car pulled off a slip road in front of him (no indicator) and breaking distance was not enough so he damaged his front passenger side going into the back of him.

    Erm, slip roads always feed onto carriageways. You shouldn't stop on a slip road and should use it to get to the same speed as the traffic on the main carriageway. How come your friend couldn't work out what was going to happen when the 3rd party joined the carriageway and either move out of the way or slow down?
    This may sound stupid but,
    1. I don't believe in the policy it say's you have a courtesy car so long as it's not your fault!

    It won't. It will say that you can have a car but only if the car is repairable.
    I haven't claimed myself but i would assume that if blame had to be issued before a courtesy car was given there would be no point having this on your policy?


    ((sigh))

    Okay, I'll take it slow. A courtesy car is provided by the garage doing the repairs. Before incurring the costs of giving someone a car they will

    a) need the vehicle which needs repairing
    b) need to have assessed the vehicle
    c) have approval from someone's insurers that the car is worth repairing and that they will pay (and therefore cover the cost of the courtesy car as well)

    The car has gone to an approved garage which they took it to. So, without meaning to sound stupid. does it matter even if it was his fault (i know it wasn't)???

    It doesn't matter what you think you know. The other driver probably doesn't think it was his/her fault either.

    Actually, from your description, your friend is at least 50% at fault.
    The insurance will pay even if it is your fault, so, what is the use in offering a courtesy car if you:
    1. Have to prove your innocent first
    2. Wait 12 for your car to go to a gararge
    3. Wait a further 5 days and counting for them to assess it and get a responce from the insurers
    by this point the purpose of having a courtesy car is totally out of the window

    If the car is written off there is nothing to repair and no courtesy car would be given. Yes the insurers would pay out for the car (if fully comp) but there would be no courtesy car where the vehicle was a write off.

    I daresay the delays were caused by a) snow and b) christmas. Unfortunate timing and no doubt inconvenient, but not something to get your knickers in a knot about.
    I was born too late, into a world that doesn't care
    Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
  • May i point out i have said i know little about claiming as never needed to do so, and your reply is not toned very nicley.

    A. this car was on the beginning of the slip road and had plenty of time to pull out, he just chose to do rather early which my friend did not have the psychic power to percieve and
    B. had he moved out of the way he would have been driving into oncomming traffic.

    I personally have third part so never looked into a coutesy car, and yes it is worth getting my knickers in a knot about.

    My friend lives in the middle of knowhere and is one of 2 drivers in a household of four. all four members need to go to work mon-fri and their local shop is 15 miles away, so a car is fairly vital, as well as the fact this also restricted outings during christmas.

    Although some delays were caused weather and xmas i believe there were delays with the insurers being generally slack at what they do.

    so, in general, what your saying (sigh) is that, regardless of how long they take to get your claim started, how long it takes to get your car into the gararge, the time the garage waits for the insurance people to argue over who is going to pay, they will only start providing a car once they get the nod to fix it?

    if so, what bloody use is that lol they will only be providing a car for 20% of the time the car is out of action. how stupid.
    I get what i want. That isn't because i'm a brat or spoilt. It's because i'm determined, i work hard for it and i achieve my goals!
  • iamana1ias
    iamana1ias Posts: 3,777 Forumite
    May i point out i have said i know little about claiming as never needed to do so, and your reply is not toned very nicley.

    If you drive it's probably worth understanding a bit more ;)
    A. this car was on the beginning of the slip road and had plenty of time to pull out, he just chose to do rather early which my friend did not have the psychic power to percieve and
    B. had he moved out of the way he would have been driving into oncomming traffic.

    He could have slowed down though ;) That's why there is fault on both sides ;)

    As you haven't said where the accident occurred, we can't make allowances for the road layout ;)


    I personally have third part so never looked into a coutesy car, and yes it is worth getting my knickers in a knot about.

    My friend lives in the middle of knowhere and is one of 2 drivers in a household of four. all four members need to go to work mon-fri and their local shop is 15 miles away, so a car is fairly vital, as well as the fact this also restricted outings during christmas.

    If a replacement car was so important, your friend should have added hire car cover to his policy ;)

    You see now why understanding what is and isn't covered before you need to claim is an advantage? ;)



    Although some delays were caused weather and xmas i believe there were delays with the insurers being generally slack at what they do.

    That's why I asked who the insurers are. This is why it doesn't often pay to get the cheapest cover. You only find out how good your insurers/approved repairers are when you need to claim.
    so, in general, what your saying (sigh) is that, regardless of how long they take to get your claim started, how long it takes to get your car into the gararge, the time the garage waits for the insurance people to argue over who is going to pay, they will only start providing a car once they get the nod to fix it?

    Yes.
    if so, what bloody use is that lol they will only be providing a car for 20% of the time the car is out of action. how stupid.

    I doubt this happens in every case.
    I was born too late, into a world that doesn't care
    Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
  • flea72
    flea72 Posts: 5,392 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    until the car has been assessed, no insurance company will authorise a courtesy car, nor if there is any dispute on who was liable for the accident - tbh i think you will prob find that your friends insurance company is the same as the person they crashed into, which is why they arent happy to provide a courtesy car, as they have no-one to claim the costs back from - prob one reason why they have dragged their heels abit

    however, why wasnt the car recovered to the approved repairer from the scene of the accident, so the process could be sped uo? if it was driveable, why didnt they drive it in the meantime, whilst this was being sorted? unfortunately, what with the weather and the christmas shutdown, your friend just picked the wrong time of year to have an accident. Now the car has been deemed a write-off (which the insurer prob had decided long ago), then there is no reason for your friend to have had a courtesty car - these are only provided whilst a car is in for repair, not whilst you sort out your claim, unless its a clearcut case the other driver was at fault, and then you just charge it to their insurer (one reason to never be the cause of an accident, it never works in your favour)

    F
  • keith1950
    keith1950 Posts: 2,597 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Hi, I think you are getting confused between a 'courtesy car' and a 'guaranteed hire car'. The advise you have been given on this forum regards courtesy cars is correct. However if your friend had also paid for a guaranteed hire car in the policy they would probably have been provided with one within a couple of hours. This is usually only 'free' for about 14 days and after that would be 'charged ' to the faulty party so there is a risk that they might be judged to be partially at fault. One policy I had provided either depending on your needs, other policies only provide a courtesy car . You decide when you purchase insurance what cover you need, its not the insurance companies fault if you don't do enough research to find out what you are actually entitled to.
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