Compulsory courtesy car?

colinhauk

In brief, yesterday my car was reversed into when parked.
My insurers, ADMIRAL, offered a no fault no cost service through ALBANY ( whoever they are ).
This included a courtesy car.
Overnight I researched all the risks of having a courtesy car and decided I could do without it.
On informing ALBANY of this, they said that they would not handle the claim if I pulled out of what is in effect car hire.
ADMIRAL then stated that I would be liable for any excess on the policy if I ducked out of the courtesy car.
So the car is virtually compusory.
Seems like a scam to me.
Does anyone have any information or explanation?

custardy

thats an interesting one
I dont know anything about it but I'll be interested to see what others say

scheming_gypsy

colinhauk wrote: »

Seems like a scam to me.

how can you not paying for a courtesy car be a scam?

just take the car and if you don't want to use it, don't drive it. Courtesy cars bills go to the third party insurer; if you have a car it's a daily charge so the longer you have the car the more it's going to cost them in the long run. So having a car will ensure they pull their finger out and get your car back on the road instead of sitting around in a garage doing nothing except collecting dust.

custardy

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

how can you not paying for a courtesy car be a scam?

just take the car and if you don't want to use it, don't drive it. Courtesy cars bills go to the third party insurer; if you have a car it's a daily charge so the longer you have the car the more it's going to cost them in the long run. So having a car will ensure they pull their finger out and get your car back on the road instead of sitting around in a garage doing nothing except collecting dust.

because(from what Ive read) if the claim goes against the OP then they are liable for the car hire costs

daveyjp

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

how can you not paying for a courtesy car be a scam?

just take the car and if you don't want to use it, don't drive it. Courtesy cars bills go to the third party insurer; if you have a car it's a daily charge so the longer you have the car the more it's going to cost them in the long run. So having a car will ensure they pull their finger out and get your car back on the road instead of sitting around in a garage doing nothing except collecting dust.

Except you get the overpriced hire car, they take your car to be repaired, your car gets repaired, YOU have to pay the excess to get your car back, then the fight begins to get the excess and the hire charges back and until this happens you are still at fault for the accident. If they fail to get the hire charges back they could fall back on you (of course they may well sell you another insurnce policy to cover this scenario!).

My wife said no to a vastly overpriced hire car as she wasn't prepared to pay her excess when the other driver was 100% at fault.

Once 100% fault was admitted by the other party we had the car repaired at the body shop we wanted to use and didn't have to pay a penny.

This claims handling and car hire scam is one reason why premiums keep rising. The more people who refuse the offer of claims handling companies the better.

Quentin

colinhauk wrote: »

ADMIRAL then stated that I would be liable for any excess on the policy if I ducked out of the courtesy car.

Your excess is an uninsured item, and would normally be payable when you claim off your own insurer. (You would then have to pursue the third party to reimburse you along with any other uninsured losses).

By instructing Albany to handle your claim, you weren't being asked to pay your excess as Admiral were not going to be involved in repairing your car and reclaiming their outlay from the third party. Albany would be doing all that!

Albany would expect to supply your hire car as well as deal with your claim, and no hire car = no Albany by the sound of things.

There us no "compulsory" car hire scam going on though!

colinhauk

The example that worried me was that of footballer Darren Bent
(easily googled ).
Maybe compulsory is too strong a word, but there I certainly feel
manipulated.
Albany / Admiral must be making a good bit of money on car hire to act like this.

Sally_A

Agree with daveyjp, if you can get hold of the Third Party insurer, and the claim has been reported to them and liability admitted, they will probably thank you for not using an Albany expensive hire car, take your car to their own approved repairer and give you a courtesy car.

You will need to insure this vehicle though, as it won't be in an Admiral approved repairer - if there are inflated premiums due to this, ask the TP Ins Co if they would be happy to pay any Additional Premium you are charged for temporary cover, or else double check if you have full cover under the bodyshops policy.

Albany do have their place - but they are so keen to make their money on a loan car, it doesn't help keep claims costs down. I think it's a bit rich saying you can't have the use of their Uninsured Loss Recovery unless you take a loan car, for all they know you could be away for 2 weeks and have no need.

Well done for showing some morals, and trying to keep costs down for all parties.