Help with not at fault car claim

darthling

Hi everyone, sorry but I'm a lurker and I need some help.

I'm currently making a claim for my car which was damaged in an accident yesterday, we're not at fault and I'm going through my insurance company. it's with their repairers who have assessed it and say it will be repaired.

yesterday everyone who saw it (the recovering garage and the fiat garage they took it to) said it should be a write off. I asked my insurance company who's responsilbe for deciding that and they told me the garage would submit a report to their engineers who would confirm it.

now this seems odd to me that their preferred garage says its repairable and so do their engineers - well not odd but obvious, there's no impartiality, they both stand to gain.

Where do I stand with asking someone else to assess the damage and would it be a likely different outcome. I would rather have the car written off as its so small, I have 2 children in the back and the car that hit it's back wheels came off the road it was going so fast.

Also does anyone know about using other companies to claim?

Fiat asked me to use their accident cover plan thing which is free and they make sure your repair is done by fiat and you get a fiat car etc. in the leaflet it says they will excersie my legal right to choose your repairer or something?

How does that work? I thought that I can only claim through my insurer or is that irrelevant if I'm claiming off her insurance? Sorry for all the questions but I really feel I'm being screwed over this and I've done nothing wrong.

And once the claim is started with my insurer can I change to this fiat thing so long as the work hasn't started??

Thanks all

emmell

I think you can go to any bodyshop, it probably isn't going to be your insurer who pays so I don't know why you would have to use their approved repairer.
ML.

crazyterrier2000

darthling wrote: »

Hi everyone, sorry but I'm a lurker and I need some help.

I'm currently making a claim for my car which was damaged in an accident yesterday, we're not at fault and I'm going through my insurance company. it's with their repairers who have assessed it and say it will be repaired.

yesterday everyone who saw it (the recovering garage and the fiat garage they took it to) said it should be a write off. I asked my insurance company who's responsilbe for deciding that and they told me the garage would submit a report to their engineers who would confirm it.

now this seems odd to me that their preferred garage says its repairable and so do their engineers - well not odd but obvious, there's no impartiality, they both stand to gain.

Where do I stand with asking someone else to assess the damage and would it be a likely different outcome. I would rather have the car written off as its so small, I have 2 children in the back and the car that hit it's back wheels came off the road it was going so fast.

Also does anyone know about using other companies to claim?

Fiat asked me to use their accident cover plan thing which is free and they make sure your repair is done by fiat and you get a fiat car etc. in the leaflet it says they will excersie my legal right to choose your repairer or something?

How does that work? I thought that I can only claim through my insurer or is that irrelevant if I'm claiming off her insurance? Sorry for all the questions but I really feel I'm being screwed over this and I've done nothing wrong.

And once the claim is started with my insurer can I change to this fiat thing so long as the work hasn't started??

Thanks all

Just had my car fixed after someone hit the rear of the car at a junction, stick with your insurers, and only deal with your insurers not theirs, refer them to your insurer, if your insurer says your not at fault ask them about a hire car, and make sure you dont have to pay for it, as its the other parties fault. Your insurer will contact you to inform you of the decision to repair or scrap.

bouncydog1

Leave all of the repairs to your insurers as it sounds as if you have a Fiat insurance policy so the repairs will be undertaken by a Fiat approved repairer.

You say you would like the car written off because it's so small - sorry but that option is not yours - if the vehicle is beyond economical repair it will be written off and either replaced depending on age and policy terms (usually if less than 12 months old) or a financial settlement will be agreed between you.

Someti

dacouch

bouncyd!!! wrote: »

Leave all of the repairs to your insurers as it sounds as if you have a Fiat insurance policy so the repairs will be undertaken by a Fiat approved repairer.

You say you would like the car written off because it's so small - sorry but that option is not yours - if the vehicle is beyond economical repair it will be written off and either replaced depending on age and policy terms (usually if less than 12 months old) or a financial settlement will be agreed between you.

Someti

The free Fiat Accident Plan the garage have mentioned to the OP sounds to me like a credit repair and credit hire.