Car accident advice - minor

parahandy

Someone reversed into me today at a Tesco garage. The damage to my car is minor, just a few scrapes, and a small chunk out my bumper. The other guy's car was worse.

My excess is 150, so would I better just to forget it and try and get it fixed myself? Someone else told me to claim on their insurance, but I don't have the guts to approach that scenario.

jd87

parahandy wrote: »

Someone else told me to claim on their insurance, but I don't have the guts to approach that scenario.

Pathetic.

If it was their fault then you are 100% entitled to claim from their insurer. All you need to do is contact your own insurance company, give the details of the other driver, and they will sort it out.

If you don't have the guts to do that then I feel very sorry for you. You must really like being walked over.

Quentin

If you claim off the third party's insurance, and they don't dispute liability, then you will have nothing to pay at all, and they will provide you with a hire car whilst yours is being repaired. (If you use your own insurer as advised above then you may have to pay your excess and pursue the third party to refund you)

If you were driven into, then why even consider paying for the repairs (if you need a new bumper, then that won't be cheap unless you go for a scrapyard one! Still expensive if it will need spraying. And respraying scrapes is expensive!

parahandy

jd87 wrote: »

Pathetic.

If it was their fault then you are 100% entitled to claim from their insurer. All you need to do is contact your own insurance company, give the details of the other driver, and they will sort it out.

If you don't have the guts to do that then I feel very sorry for you. You must really like being walked over.

yeah, thanks for that vote of confidence. What I hadn't realised is that I could do this through my own insurance company, I thought I had to contact theirs - or the other party.

All I meant was, if I'm going to end up having to pay the excess, yet the repair might be less, then perhaps I'm going to end up paying more by claiming.

But like I said, thanks for the kind words.

jd87

You won't pay any excess if it wasn't your fault. Sorry if I came across as a bit harsh but you sounded like you needed the tough love.

Toddy

Be very careful here. Even if it wasn't your fault and you make a claim against the other insurer you will be down as having made a claim. I am having to deal with this right now. See my post yesterday. I wouldn't bother making a claim. Try and get cash out of them, doesn't sound like you would try that though.

I am having to prove I didn't make a claim now and that it was only a 'notification'.

bouncydog1

If you submit a claim under your own policy, you will have to pay the excess. Your insurers may try and recover this for you or they may not. If you have legal expenses cover you will have to use this option or try and do it yourself.

If the third party refuse to admit to the accident - which is not improbable if there were no witnesses - then you are likely to end up with a claim on your policy, which even if it doesn't affect your bonus, may result in a loading.

Do you have the details of the third party including their insurance company? I would also get a quote for the cost of your own damage for starters.

Did you tell the other person the name of your insurance co, because if they are dishonest there is always a chance they will say you reversed into them and try and claim off your policy.