Accident; Claim or quote first?

ynwa

I cleverly reversed my car into the corner of a building yesterday. I've severely dented rear corner of the car and split the bumper panel as well.

I've got a £300 excess on my insurance and I'm fairly certain it'll cost more than that to put it right. Is it worth me just putting a claim in, or should I get a quote first (bearing in mind the insurance company will probably want to specify the repairer anyway)?

Also might sound like a daft question, but if I did put a claim in and the the work ended up costing less than my excess (unlikely I know), will the insurance company cancel it as a claim?

Any help/advice appreciated.

mcjordi

i'd get a qoute first... any damage to the building you reversed into? (your still meant to tell insurance about the accident anyway)

huckster

What I would suggest that you.

1st - Get quotes for the repair. If the costs are less than the excess or only slightly more, no point in claiming.

2nd - If you find out the repair is quite a bit more than the excess, give the Insurers customer service line a call, not to make a claim, but to see how much your premium could increase due a claim, based on current rates. It might be more when you come to renew but it will give you an idea. Don't forget if you lose 2 years NCD, you will incurr extra premiums over the next few years.

3rd - If you find out that you definately need to claim, make sure you do so, within the timescale required by the policy.

4th - If you have had an accident, even though only your car involved and a building, if you caused any damage to the building, you will need to report anyway. What if you were caught on CCTV and were contacted by the buildings owners. You will get answers from some posters to this site that you should report all accidents, however minor they might seem. If you do so, the Insurers will record an accident against you and it will affect your premium. Speak to your Insurers about this and they will explain.