Car Insurance - Help Please!

Quentin

DJS1988 wrote: »

I guess I must be seriously naive to think they I pay insurance premiums to ensure my insurance company will be there in my hour of need (have never made a claim before). Does anyone have advice on how I can use my legal expenses cover to help here?

The £400 excess was your choice, so this is truly "spilt milk" and needs to be moved on from.

Your insurer has offered to do what you paid for (pay for the repair of your car, with the exception of your excess which you and they never agreed to cover).

Your legal expenses people have looked at the circs and don't think you will win, so correctly are declining to spend any money over this.

(It would be in your insurers interest to fund the legal team pursue a claim were they confident of winning - if they won the excess claim, then your insurer would automatically get the rest of their costs paid by the third party insurer - the fact that they won't means they agree you won't win).

lisyloo

I'm unsure as to why Elephant asked me for contact details, all correspondance and said they would get the cogs in motion, back in October if they were not going to do anything?

You need to ask them that.
I'm glad to see you've started your formal complaint.

which they sent to the person much of my complaint was about, and had him respond!

Do you not think he is the best placed to comment on what happened? What did he say?

Think the main lesson here is never use one of these bloody carwashes!

err yes. I get mine done by hand for £7.50.
Isn't there somewhere you can get it done by hand if you don't want to do it yourself?

It just stings to think I may go ahead with this, lose £400,

Get a smaller excess next time ?

vaio

lisyloo wrote: »

You need to ask them that.
I'm glad to see you've started your formal complaint.......

I'd guess the Elephant cogs started to turn and then stopped because the OP wasn’t willing to proceed with the claim in line with the policy T&Cs.

On what has been posted I’m struggling to see any grounds for a complaint against Elephant.

The OP has had lots of good advice, now spread across three threads, and needs to stop whining about it (7 months?) and either claim on their insurance or start a CC claim against the garage (or just !!!!!!)

DJS1988

If I was complained about in my job, the complaint would not be passed to me to deal with? I find it very strange.

On the car wash front - this is the first time I've ever used one, always go to a hand wash one locally. Unfortunately, as it was a Friday evening and my best friends wedding was the next day, I had little choice.

Quentin thanks for your help on the legal expenses front. I was unsure how this side of things work so your help is appreciated. Thanks for taking the time Lisyloo to reply.

Vaio - I find your comment very rude. I am only asking for advice. I asked for my thread to be moved over which was not done hence the number of threads. I hope no one ever damages your property through no fault of your own - as I'm sure then you would be "whining" and trying to find a way out of it costing you anything!

DJS1988

vaio wrote: »

I'd guess the Elephant cogs started to turn and then stopped because the OP wasn’t willing to proceed with the claim in line with the policy T&Cs.

No this is not the case at all. As far as I aware they were talking with AXA, that's how my correspondance with them was left. When I finally got hold of the guy dealing with my case he was extremely sheepish when I made him aware I knew he had not been in contact with them.

Quentin

DJS1988 wrote: »

What I don't understand is how they can force me to pay my excess, otherwise say they will not follow up my claim any further?

Maybe there has been a misunderstanding.

Your insurer wouldn't want the £400 up front.

What they (reasonably) are saying is you need to make a claim, get them to repair your car, (you would then pay the garage your excess), then if they feel a third party is liable, they would pursue them.

But they cannot simply fund your case so that you can claim directly off the third party to save you forking out your excess. You have to do that yourself!

DJS1988

Quentin thank you. I have either been entirely thick - or my insurance company have really talked me around in circles.

I guess that as they will be taking a £2100 + hit they won't roll over and will fight my case. If they get admission of liabilty from TP, I still lose my NCB - however would I be able to claim from TP any money I lose due to premiums rocketing through this? Could do without them going up, being 22 they are already pretty pricey!

I am going to take my car to a few garages at the weekend to get repair quotes, incase Vauxhall exaggerated the damage - I was on my own when I went in so as a young female they probably saw me coming! Looks like whichever way I turn I will be losing some money.

Quentin

DJS1988 wrote: »

If they get admission of liabilty from TP, I still lose my NCB - however would I be able to claim from TP any money I lose due to premiums rocketing through this? Could do without them going up, being 22 they are already pretty pricey!

If your insurer gets full reimbursement of their costs, then your NCB will be reinstated, and you would have no difficulty in getting your excess reimbursed either.

But from what you have posted, haven't you been advised by your insurer's legal dept that you won't win???

If your premiums increase because of this, then no, you cannot reclaim these and would have to swallow that expense yourself.

vaio

DJS1988 wrote: »

......Vaio - I find your comment very rude. I am only asking for advice. I asked for my thread to be moved over which was not done hence the number of threads. I hope no one ever damages your property through no fault of your own - as I'm sure then you would be "whining" and trying to find a way out of it costing you anything!

Sorry if you thought it was rude but this has been going on for ages, you had pretty much perfect advice from Crabman back in April last year (post 11 & 16 in the first thread) which has been repeated multiple times by multiple people since yet, for some reason, you seem unwilling to act on it.

Nothing is going to happen unless you instigate and follow through whether that’s a claim via your own insurance company or a county court action. These might well cost you some money but if you are right you will get it all back.

I’d suggest you re-read the thread(s), assess the pro & cons of the options, pick one and pursue it. I’d be concerned that having started a claim which is still unresolved if you get to renewal time it could well still be down as unresolved on your record which might well result in £££ by way of increased premiums and loss of NCB

Probably kindest not to go bothering any local garages for quotes, time is money for them and on a nearly new car the only one you need is the one you already have from the dealer (although it might be worth checking it hasn’t gone out of date by now)