False claim after car accident

0722958

Hello everyone,

Desperate for some advice here, this is getting me really upset and really don't know what to do..

On Monday (last) I was in a slight bump (approx 5 mph) into the back of another car. We got out, and exchanged names, phone numbers, addresses (not insurance details as we decided not to go through insurance) and assessed the damage. My car was fine while the other cars bumper had came loose at one end. No police were present.

He called me at the end of last week with a quote for £800. I was happy to pay for a bumper repair but he is now claiming I have buckled the entire rear of the car and the boot doesn't work (which looked fine at the scene of the accident..). So I was expecting to have to pay around £100 (which is still a stretch, as a poor student..) but now face an £800 bill. I even looked up his car online and it's only worth around £1,000. If I was to go through insurance, does anyone know how this would affect my premium? And if I refuse to pay the whole amount or start ignoring his calls where do I stand then? As far as I know, he has my licence plate and the other details mentioned. I asked for him to send photos of the damage and a quote but he has refused. Where do I stand legally with this? Do I have no choice but to pay? Unfortunately the other party lives in Walsall whilst I'm in the NE, so no chance of me inspecting the damage in person. This is becoming a major major worry for me.. I simply don't have that sort of money, and feel I'm being totally ripped off. I have so far refused to hand over my insurance details..

Any advice would be really appreciated!!

McKneff

First of all whether you decide to go through your insurance or not it is in your contract with them that you have to inform them of any

accident with your car, you have no choice, It's in all insurance contracts and all Insurance Companies are on a National Data Base so they check with each other. So just bite the bullet and do it as soon as possible.

Whats more, you could be in trouble in not handing your insurance details over when it was you who caused the bump.

The best thing you can do to be honest is go through your insurance. Let them deal with it. Thats what you pay them for.

They will soon find out whether its a rip off or not, they will ask for legitimate quotes and will not pay if they dont get them. Full stop.

Save yourself a lot of stress and bother. No doubt because you were at fault 100% your premiums will go up because you are more of a risk.

thenudeone

0722958 wrote: »

I have so far refused to hand over my insurance details..

That's not going to help. He can get his insurers to obtain the details from the database anyway.

Looks like this will end up being an insurance company job.

Don't worry about it. That's what the insurance company is paid for.

Just ring your insurer and let them know his details. As you were at fault they will probably contact him straight away and offer to repair the car for him (it reduces their costs). If he contacts you again, just tell him your insurer's details and say that they ware dealing with it.

But next year's insurance premium has just gone up significantly. Sorry.

McKneff

The other party could be ringing his insurance company now with your registration details, they will find your insurance company through that and then you get a call from yours asking why you didnt inform them of the accident. Id get in first if i was you.
The last thing you want is them paying for this bump and cancelling your insurance because of non disclosure - this would have an impact for years

gtcelica6

Go through your insurance and see what they come back with, how many years no claims do you have?

Either that or phone up the person, record the conversation with them and try and get them to admit they are trying to flease you..

I did this about 6 years ago and got the police involved after I had the recording.

Strider590

Sounds like he's taking the !!!! (as he's unwilling to confirm the costs with a quotation, etc), go via insurance, they'll write his car off, they'll offer him £500 for it and for his greed he'll end up out of pocket by a good £500+.

Not only this, but he'd probably make an injuries claim after you settled without the insurance (it'd potentially be worth £2000 to him), which means your premiums would go up anyway.

I would seriously hand it to the insurance and forget about it.....

oldagetraveller

No doubt the other person and their three non existent passengers will develop whiplash too before long? More than likely if they're prone to "big up" existing the damage and cost.
Insurance company definitely.

0722958

Ok thanks for the advice.. I have no NCD that I know of (my Mum is the policyholder but I'm the main driver, so haven't been able to build it up) but have never had an accident before, so my insurance premium is only £340 this year which is pretty good for a 21 y.o. I think my mum's NCD is protected under the policy though (at least I hope so because she has 10 years +).. Anyone any ideas how much it would rise after an £800 claim!? Sticking with the same policy? Definitely not gonna be better borrowing the £800 from my parents? The guy said his boot doesn't close now so repairs are urgent, and the only way I could see a quote (which he doesn't have but said he could get hold of) is by him posting it to me, but he's acting like he's expecting me to send him money today.. And he said the only way he could get photos was if the car was on a lift.. sounds fishy to me! £800 is really a fortune to me.. Would my insurance company just charge me more when it comes up for renewal (in Sep) or will I have to pay more for my cover to continue for the rest of this year? Living basically hand to mouth as it is, might have to sell my car. What would happen if I ignored his calls? His insurers would just contact mine?

Thanks again for the advice guys, starting to feel better!

thenudeone

If you ignore it, he will just to his insurers, they will get your insurance company's name from the database, they will claim from your insurers in due course. Your (Mum's) insurers will pay up, then possibly cancel the insurance because you have failed to notify them of an accident. They won't try to charge more for the current insurance policy. If it's a damage-only accident for under £1k on an otherwise good driving and claim record, the increase in premium for your Mum shouldn't be too dramatic, but keeping you on the policy might be much more expensive, because of your age and accident history.

The insurers are legally liable and will pay out even if you didn't give anyone the details. There is no point trying to stop it. Just give them the details and they will deal with it all.

Does your Mum's insurers know that you are the main driver? (If not, you and your mum are in serious doo doo for fronting).

0722958

Yes the insurance company know that I am the main the driver.. it's on the policy. Think it's just a More Than thing where the policyholder doesn't have to be the main driver. But will I be insured at the price I paid in September until my policy is up for renewal in September? Or will I have to pay extra for my cover to continue?

Strider590

0722958 wrote: »

Yes the insurance company know that I am the main the driver.. it's on the policy. Think it's just a More Than thing where the policyholder doesn't have to be the main driver. But will I be insured at the price I paid in September until my policy is up for renewal in September? Or will I have to pay extra for my cover to continue?

Your insurance will continue, your premium will only rise at the next renewal.... BUT you'd be wise to move insurers at that point, or get a few lower quotes for your current insurer to "price match".

This is not worth stressing over, hand it to the insurer and wipe your hands of it. If the guy keeps demanding money, tell him to speak to the insurance, if he continues then file charges for harassment.

Of course, on the other hand it could be innocent and he's the one being taken for a ride by the garage he went to for a quote...... Can't trust anyone these days!