Insurance claim - excessive? Does it matter?

GotToChange

[Backstory]
After too many years accident-free motoring and long-standing membership of the IAM, it just had to happen....
In a hurry and parking nose-in (which I never usually do) at the Dr's surgery, I was not in so much of a hurry that I stopped myself from needing to straighten up the car. A cursory look to either side - but with restricted view past a Range Rover-type, I backed out to neaten the job - and straight into a car driving past.
I am inexperienced in insurance claims, accidents/consequences but knew enough to exchange details. No-body was hurt at all - my bumper was scuffed (VW Passat) and there was a slight scrape along the side of their new Motability car.
I think that may be the reason that they wanted to go through insurance - and I dumb blonde that I am, knew little better and couldn't have argued the point anyway. It was all very civilised. And I was of course late for the Dr appt.
I have now received renewal from my insurance co. I have maintained protected NCD (thank God) which is at 14 years/75% but am now a little more educated in how claims work.
Upshot is a £150 pa (30%) incease in premium - which was one of the more expensive companies anyway but I stayed with out of laziness - and more to the point, the claim is stll outstanding, so tricky to move insurers I think. Incident was 5/7 and so far the value is £826.00 (!!) - which is for car-hire, the repair has so far not been done/billed/chased up, so Lord n=knows what that's going to add.
Does anyone think that this is reasonable? It seems an awful lot to me - and does the fact that the car was Motability mean it takes longer/costs more? (I would have thought the opposite.)
I am please looking for opinions or other experiences or thoughts as this is a minefield for me (due to inexperience and probably ignorance). Help?

JQ.

Nope, that actually sounds quite reaonable. You could be looking at a £400 bodyshop bill to respray a panel and remove any dents/scrapes and a £400 hire car bill probably equates to 1 weeks worth of like for like car hire.

An unreasonable claim would be one including a £5,000 whiplash claim or a £9,000 hire car charge (£150 a day car rented for 2 months). Both of which are quite possible if the 3rd party had engaged the services of an accident management company.

fivetide

Someone just backed into the mrs' motability car. The damage looks minor but at the end of the day it isn't our car so it is having to go through insurance. Amazingly they can't get a hire car out to us until friday... good that they'll be able to bill for the weekend and probably monday too just to cover the inspection.

In other news, it isn't unsurprising. Be happy the driver isn't trying it on.

5t.

GotToChange

JQ. wrote: »

Nope, that actually sounds quite reaonable. You could be looking at a £400 bodyshop bill to respray a panel and remove any dents/scrapes and a £400 hire car bill probably equates to 1 weeks worth of like for like car hire.

An unreasonable claim would be one including a £5,000 whiplash claim or a £9,000 hire car charge (£150 a day car rented for 2 months). Both of which are quite possible if the 3rd party had engaged the services of an accident management company.

Sooo....
what I am wondering is - does the value of the claim* affect the amount by which premiums increase (as here am I thinking that £800 for car hire alone is a lot, let alone what the cost of the repair is going to be)?
Should I be asking my present insurer to query anything?
Am I likely to cause a problem for myself by changing insurers whilst this claim is still unsettled?
(New quote has been based on claim being around £1200* but I don't want to move and then find myself in a bad spot with new co. and also with old co.)
Confuseddotcom doesn't even begin to describe it.
(Although I actually used the opera singer comparison site.)

liam8282

To be honest, I don't think that is too bad, most motor insurance has gone up this year anyway.

I don't see a reason why you wouldn't be able to switch to a different insurance company though, if you find a cheaper deal elsewhere. You just need to tick the correct boxes to show you have had a claim or accident in the last 5 years etc.

Strider590

GotToChange wrote: »

I have now received renewal from my insurance co. I have maintained protected NCD (thank God) which is at 14 years/75% but am now a little more educated in how claims work.
Upshot is a £150 pa (30%) incease in premium - which was one of the more expensive companies anyway but I stayed with out of laziness - and more to the point, the claim is stll outstanding, so tricky to move insurers I think. Incident was 5/7 and so far the value is £826.00 (!!) - which is for car-hire, the repair has so far not been done/billed/chased up, so Lord n=knows what that's going to add.
Does anyone think that this is reasonable? It seems an awful lot to me

Insurance wise, they'll knock your premium through the roof because they know you think you have to stick with them.... You don't and they still have to deal with the claim.

The costs are standard, the insurance companies really milk the cash out of each other and ultimately you and I the customers.

The hire/courtesy cars can be upwards of £100 a day via the insurance, compared to a similar price for a whole week with you local rentals firm.

Repairs are typically actual cost x 3, so £500 damage becomes £1500.

In my accident last year, someone let slip the cost of the 3rd party's repairs (broken wing mirror + courtesy car), the bill came to over £1200!!!!
I'd replaced my own wing mirror not long before that for less than £20, after some scrote stole it!!

The whole car insurance industry needs a good shake up, it's an utter disgrace!

GotToChange

Thank you strider ^.
I have just spoken to present ins. co. and been assured that they will deal with the claim even if I move - which I am feeling inclined to do.
Should I not be made aware of the cost/value of the repair?
The new ins. co. needed it for quote purposes (well the comparison website did, and I could only guess at this stage) and I can't see that they should keep quiet about it but it is indeed scary just how much the costs are inflated - and this is particularly worriesome if the cost/value of the claim impacts renewal/new policies if it does not really reflect what the claim was "worth". Sounds a bit fradulent to me.
Ugh. Headache.
:mad:

pompeyrich

GotToChange wrote: »

Thank you strider ^.
I have just spoken to present ins. co. and been assured that they will deal with the claim even if I move - which I am feeling inclined to do.
Should I not be made aware of the cost/value of the repair?
The new ins. co. needed it for quote purposes (well the comparison website did, and I could only guess at this stage) and I can't see that they should keep quiet about it but it is indeed scary just how much the costs are inflated - and this is particularly worriesome if the cost/value of the claim impacts renewal/new policies if it does not really reflect what the claim was "worth". Sounds a bit fradulent to me.
Ugh. Headache.
:mad:

Best to do dummy quotes and change the amount of the claim against you each time. My son wrote off 2 cars and had a whiplash claim against him pending at renewal. His insurance co. priced themselves out of the running, we went through from £10 to £40k and it didn't change the quotes, once we hit £50k most insurers refused to quote for "that claim history". Actual total claim was around £15k in the end, most of that for the other parties hire car!!

liam8282

My dad had an insurance claim against his insurance for about £26k, his insurance went up from £600 to £1200 at renewal, this is with never having a claim before and he has driven for 30 odd years.

Still an increase of only £600 seems very good to me.

I would just shop around for quotes, putting in an estimate for say £3k for the claim.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Not nit picking OP, but do the IAM not suggest reversing into a parking space if possible, it's good common sense practice and they do use a lot of common sense in their methods, means not having to break the law by reversing into a road too.

The claim seems entirely reasonable so far, but could get nasty if the other party develop some mysterious pains further down the no win no fee vulture road.

I wouldn't be seeking to change insurance companies just yet, maybe stay with them another year to get this episode finished and dusted off.

Wireless_2

I did a Rospa Gold many moons ago, I decided I didn't want to do an IAM because I didn't want to label myself as 'Advanced', I just consider myself a little more aware is all.