UK Assistance - Anyone used them?

ianeck

UK Asss (I have to put in the extra s otherwise it turns to !!!) are used by Direct Line and the other members of the RBS clan to control the cost of their claims liability by keeping it all in house. They will also try to grab work in terms of repairing your car for instance when another insurance company is liable and thus fill the RBS coffers. It is no surprise to me that when the UK Asss' assessor (or UK Double Asss' [teehee]) called he flogged new locks and burglar alarm on top of the claim.

Personally I think it unhealthy for an insurance company to be that keen to take on all the work. There is a potential conflict of interest in my view. Some however may be glad to hand it all over and stuff the consequences.

It seems to me to be just another version of the backhanders exchanged between the insurance companies and their Car Hire Provider or PI Claims handler for referrals.

My experience (car only) has been diabolical with UK Asss'. Trouble is if you don't use them with an RBS Company (your legal right) my experience is that they will make it very difficult for you to use someone else.

Currently I have chosen to have my VW repaired at my VW dealer after a shunt bent my towbar. DL have made it a nightmare.

I vowed 10 years ago to avoid DL after UK Asss fixed my car and then I needed the fire brigade. Trouble is they are under every stone now. It seems if its cheap its probably DL and you get what you pay for - as allways.

Ian

MREDD

Hi All

I have just joined MSE to vent my anger at the situaton I now find myself in. I have a policy with Privilege whereby I am the main policy holder & my wife is a named driver.

In March of this year (2013) my wife whom I will add used to work for a Compnay called Ravenstone as a typist writing up reports of suspected fraudulent motor insurance claims had a totally non event bump.

She was in standing trafic at a junction & she was the average seperation of about four feet from the car in front. Her foot slipped off the break & she rolled forwards & lightly touched the bumper of the car in front.

She was going that slowly that the speedo did not register & the driver was not even aware of the coming together & was highlighted of it by a back seat passenger who must have felt the nudge.

Both drivers got out & inspected each car, no damage to ours & absolutely no damage to the other car. My wife did not have her mobile on her to take a photo of the bumper but with her background in the fraud industry she knew it was very important to check the car carefully.

They exchanged details as a formality. When my wife got home she phoned Privilege too bring this to their attention & to say that this is what happened in case this other driver tries it on.

They thanked her for letting them know & we did not hear anymore about it.

I have just had my renewal (10th June 2013) & my premium has jumped from £245.00 to well over £400.00

At first I thought it was the usual hook em in for year on the cheap & then crank up the premium in the hope they stay with them like they all do & think we don't know!

Anyhow upon checking the policy against me it says Accident March 13 partial blame & in the details for my wife it says no accidents.

The first time I called Privilege they said it was an oversight on the part of the claims team, I call it fraud!

Next time I rang they said it appeared under my name because I am the main policy holder but it should have also appeared on my wifes.

Not only was I not driving, I was not even in the car!!!

So onto this bump, after careful inspection the bumper was not cracked, chipped or scuffed in any way, it was totally unmarked.

After contacting Privilege they say that they paid her £449.14 of which £62 was car hire & around £386.00 for repairs to the bumper.

They say that the repair bill is vague & talks of repair to number plate, paint spraying & repair or replacement of plastic bumper parts.

A woman at UK assistance told me that they photograph every vehicle prior to carrying out repairs.

They say that they cannot liase with me under the data protection laws, however they can communicate with Privilege & that as Privileges customer they must act for me.

So far I have contacted Privilege & requested a full break down of the repair bill & asked for copies of the photos showing the damage.

I have also lodged a complaint with the Insurance Fraud Bureau.

The IFB say that it is possible that this woman reversed into a lamp post soon after the non event with my wife & she has used that non event to make a claim on my insurance instead of her own.

The IFB also say that they can run my reg number through a national database of repair centres to see if my car has had any work undertaken for front end damage, which it has not.

I realise that in itself does not vindicate my wife because we all know that sometimes one car can be left without a mark on it & the other car involved can be totalled. Quite how that happens I don't know but I do appreciate that does happen.

I have no reason to doubt my wife of twenty 23 years.

I would like to know from members if they think I have missed any avenues worth exploring & for their thoughts on my story.

Finally does anyone know if all UK insurers have to follow any standard code of practice?

I am very incensed that I only found this paid out claim on my policy, no letters or phone calls in advance from Privilege & neither did they send out any loss assesor etc to view my car to verify that the damage claimed by the third party was in line to any marks/ dings etc on my vehicle.

I suspect that as this was for under £500.00 that they pay these claims without a second thought & if it had been for thousands then they would have been all over my car like a rash!

Anyway rant over, do I feel any better? not really just very angry at how fellow human beings can behave like this towards one another.

Your thought please.....

Mct

I had an accident on the Gallagher trade park in Longwell Green in Bristol on the 7th Feb. Uk Assistance, a part of the Direct Line,Churchill,RBS etc company, took my vehicle away for repair. They have still not fixed it nearly 7 weeks later.
I have just realised today that i had the accident on the same trade park where Uk Assitance trades.
Oh that is why my insurance company Direct Line refused to make a claim against the retail park owner.
Silly me. I thought that the extra fee that I paid for legal representation would cover me to at least do something.
I have now had to go to a "NO WIN No Fee" solicitor but as the companies involved are so big and seem to me to be looking after each other rather than me then I have no choice or much hope.
Have a look at the companies pages to see for yourself.
DO NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT ON ONE OF THE SITES THAT THEY BUILD AND MANAGE OR YOU WILL BE IN THE P..... LIKE ME

dacouch

Mct wrote: »

I had an accident on the Gallagher trade park in Longwell Green in Bristol on the 7th Feb. Uk Assistance, a part of the Direct Line,Churchill,RBS etc company, took my vehicle away for repair. They have still not fixed it nearly 7 weeks later.
I have just realised today that i had the accident on the same trade park where Uk Assitance trades.
Oh that is why my insurance company Direct Line refused to make a claim against the retail park owner.
Silly me. I thought that the extra fee that I paid for legal representation would cover me to at least do something.
I have now had to go to a "NO WIN No Fee" solicitor but as the companies involved are so big and seem to me to be looking after each other rather than me then I have no choice or much hope.
Have a look at the companies pages to see for yourself.
DO NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT ON ONE OF THE SITES THAT THEY BUILD AND MANAGE OR YOU WILL BE IN THE P..... LIKE ME

It's normally very difficult to prove a property owner is liable for a motor accident.

What are the circumstances of your accident?

Doog123

UK Assistance is used by several companies. I bought a buy to let property and took out Home Insurance with Simple Landlord Insurance including emergecy cover for the boiler etc.. Whilst we were refurbishing the house the boiler had a problem and we called UK !!! as directed. Because the tennant had not moved in there was no cover. Later another problem occurred and we phoned UK !!!. A local heating engineer attended but did not have the spare part on his van. As there was a young child in the property he bypassed the control unit so that they had hot water and heating with the intention of fitting the new control the next day. However when he reported in to UK !!! he was told that the heating was now working and that was sufficient to complete the contract. I now have a heating boiler that won't shut off. I have spoken on several heated occasions with both UK !!! and "Simple" To start with "Simple" Insurance said they would sort this out but then were over ruled by UK !!!. I am now dealing with the ombudsman as UK !!! maintain that they are right to do this and "Simple" Landlord Insurance take their word on this.

jonesMUFCforever

This thread started in 2006!


Time perhaps for the mods to lock this and for new posters to start their own thread on this?

dacouch

Doog123 wrote: »

UK Assistance is used by several companies. I bought a buy to let property and took out Home Insurance with Simple Landlord Insurance including emergecy cover for the boiler etc.. Whilst we were refurbishing the house the boiler had a problem and we called UK !!! as directed. Because the tennant had not moved in there was no cover. Later another problem occurred and we phoned UK !!!. A local heating engineer attended but did not have the spare part on his van. As there was a young child in the property he bypassed the control unit so that they had hot water and heating with the intention of fitting the new control the next day. However when he reported in to UK !!! he was told that the heating was now working and that was sufficient to complete the contract. I now have a heating boiler that won't shut off. I have spoken on several heated occasions with both UK !!! and "Simple" To start with "Simple" Insurance said they would sort this out but then were over ruled by UK !!!. I am now dealing with the ombudsman as UK !!! maintain that they are right to do this and "Simple" Landlord Insurance take their word on this.

It's Home Emergency cover, not having hot water can be deemed an emergency under these policies. The engineer fixed the boiler so the tenants had hot water again so the policy performed it's function as emergency cover.

These types of policies are not maintainence contracts, they are simply there to cover certain emergencies.

Doog123

I cannot believe that any person with a brain agrees that bypassing the boiler control panel is a legitimate repair.

dacouch

Doog123 wrote: »

I cannot believe that any person with a brain agrees that bypassing the boiler control panel is a legitimate repair.

Like I said, the policy is not to cover your maintainence of the boiler but to cover emergencies as defined in their policy which would generally be being without hot water or heating.

It sounds like the type of cover that would have suited your claim would have been some type of maintainence cover from British Gas etc but these tend to cost a lot more

melisa1981

MREDD wrote: »

Hi All

I have just joined MSE to vent my anger at the situaton I now find myself in. I have a policy with Privilege whereby I am the main policy holder & my wife is a named driver.

In March of this year (2013) my wife whom I will add used to work for a Compnay called Ravenstone as a typist writing up reports of suspected fraudulent motor insurance claims had a totally non event bump.

She was in standing trafic at a junction & she was the average seperation of about four feet from the car in front. Her foot slipped off the break & she rolled forwards & lightly touched the bumper of the car in front.

She was going that slowly that the speedo did not register & the driver was not even aware of the coming together & was highlighted of it by a back seat passenger who must have felt the nudge.

Both drivers got out & inspected each car, no damage to ours & absolutely no damage to the other car. My wife did not have her mobile on her to take a photo of the bumper but with her background in the fraud industry she knew it was very important to check the car carefully.

They exchanged details as a formality. When my wife got home she phoned Privilege too bring this to their attention & to say that this is what happened in case this other driver tries it on.

They thanked her for letting them know & we did not hear anymore about it.

I have just had my renewal (10th June 2013) & my premium has jumped from £245.00 to well over £400.00

At first I thought it was the usual hook em in for year on the cheap & then crank up the premium in the hope they stay with them like they all do & think we don't know!

Anyhow upon checking the policy against me it says Accident March 13 partial blame & in the details for my wife it says no accidents.

The first time I called Privilege they said it was an oversight on the part of the claims team, I call it fraud!

Next time I rang they said it appeared under my name because I am the main policy holder but it should have also appeared on my wifes.

Not only was I not driving, I was not even in the car!!!

So onto this bump, after careful inspection the bumper was not cracked, chipped or scuffed in any way, it was totally unmarked.

After contacting Privilege they say that they paid her £449.14 of which £62 was car hire & around £386.00 for repairs to the bumper.

They say that the repair bill is vague & talks of repair to number plate, paint spraying & repair or replacement of plastic bumper parts.

A woman at UK assistance told me that they photograph every vehicle prior to carrying out repairs.

They say that they cannot liase with me under the data protection laws, however they can communicate with Privilege & that as Privileges customer they must act for me.

So far I have contacted Privilege & requested a full break down of the repair bill & asked for copies of the photos showing the damage.

I have also lodged a complaint with the Insurance Fraud Bureau.

The IFB say that it is possible that this woman reversed into a lamp post soon after the non event with my wife & she has used that non event to make a claim on my insurance instead of her own.

The IFB also say that they can run my reg number through a national database of repair centres to see if my car has had any work undertaken for front end damage, which it has not.

I realise that in itself does not vindicate my wife because we all know that sometimes one car can be left without a mark on it & the other car involved can be totalled. Quite how that happens I don't know but I do appreciate that does happen.

I have no reason to doubt my wife of twenty 23 years.

I would like to know from members if they think I have missed any avenues worth exploring & for their thoughts on my story.

Finally does anyone know if all UK insurers have to follow any standard code of practice?

I am very incensed that I only found this paid out claim on my policy, no letters or phone calls in advance from Privilege & neither did they send out any loss assesor etc to view my car to verify that the damage claimed by the third party was in line to any marks/ dings etc on my vehicle.

I suspect that as this was for under £500.00 that they pay these claims without a second thought & if it had been for thousands then they would have been all over my car like a rash!

Anyway rant over, do I feel any better? not really just very angry at how fellow human beings can behave like this towards one another.

Your thought please.....

Dear friend!
I am amazed to find someone who went through the exact same situation as me and my partner going through at the moment!

My partner is at your wife's position, I am the main policy holder and today i received the renewal letter..only to find out that i will have to pay from around 500 pounds that i was paying..up to 1100!
Similarly, my partner had the exactly same incident that your wife had, no damage was there on any of the cars..but apparently Privilege insurance had paid to that person repairs up to 1400 pounds!
I've been arguing with them the whole day over the phone , as we have never been notified about the situation! we requested the photos from the car the repaired..and we been told ..(accidentally i would say) that the privilege insurance owns the repair center that the car was assessed!)
We are thinking to take the case to the court, as I do believe my partner when he says that there was no damage at none of the cars! we will wait to see the photos that the will provide to us first!!i am curious to see!!!
What's more annoying is that i lost all of my no claims bonus years!!

Please, I would be interested to hear whether there was any update to your case!

Thanks!