HELP - Car write off...no fault claim

athomz21

Hiya....

I'm really starting to get very stressed. my car was written off (cat c) last week after a van went into the back of it. i was given the first value by albany assistances independent valuators...acorn assessors of £450!!

I was told to not accept the first offer..so i didn't and was asked by albany to provide evidence of cars with the same spec going for a higher amount. which i did...i had two letters from dealers who had seen my car pre-accident and had about 5 cars being sold on autotrader and so on. the evidence supplied showed the cars being sold between £750 and £995!!!

They have since got back to me and told me they won't change the value as acorn assessors believe i can find a like for like car for £450!! I have asked them for evidence of these cars..reply stated that they cannot provide evidence as acorn use glasses guide...isn't that changing their previous statement?!!

There are NO cars roadworyhy in my area for that price.

They have given me 2 options...
1) reject the offer and get the third party to value it...lose my hire car
2) accept the offer and albany will ask the third party to consider upping the offer a bit.

Erm...won't the third party be out to offer the lowest price they can? So it's lose/lose?!!

I have since been told that i could get an independent assessor at my own cost to value the car (cost may be returned to me if the assessors find it to be higher)

Albany seem to be working against me instead of backing me up. Please help...not sure who else to turn to.

mikey72

Put in a written complaint to your insurer, quote
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html

and include an extra £50 for you time and the cost to write the complaint.

If they don't pay, refer it to the FOS as a complaint.


edit- what is the glasses guide for the retail, forecourt, not trade price of your car?

vax2002

You should have claimed off the insurance of the person that hit your car, by billing the other driver direct.

dacouch

mikey72 wrote: »

Put in a written complaint to your insurer, quote
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html

and include an extra £50 for you time and the cost to write the complaint.

If they don't pay, refer it to the FOS as a complaint.


edit- what is the glasses guide for the retail, forecourt, not trade price of your car?

Looks like his own Insurers are not dealing with the claim but a claims management company are

vax2002

If this is a claims company, the OP must find out what charge per day is been made for the hire car and what contract they signed to indemnify the charges if the insurance refuse.
There is a bit of a scam going on at the moment where they charge insurance companies £200+ a day or more for your hire car, they refuse and offer £100 and you are left with the bill for the rest as per contract.
All the insurance company has to do is prove you could have hired a similar car for less.

athomz21

Thanks all for replying.

The hire car is not an issue...i am quite sure i have coveredyself well with that.

My feelings are that the price they have offered is too low...and i have proved that. But they aren't proving differently. i may be completely wrong and that the car is worth this little....but that can't be if others are selling higher no?

I have called the financial ombudsman who have logged my call...do i need to complain to albany formally before the FO?

I am obviously too late to claim from third party...and anyway...they have made no effort to contact me...so i presumed that following what admiral suggested was the best route ;o(

fish out of water here......

athomz21

P.s. at the moment i have not accepted any amount...is this the best route to take before placing a complaint with FO?

Thanks again so much!

Weather had to change now i have to catch a bus to work....hmmmmph!

dacouch

You have to understand that adverts for cars are the prices the seller is willing to start negotiation from, so the actual value will be a little lower.

Have a good read of the link Mikey provided to find out how to value your car

thefishdude

i would deff stick yo your guns even to geta little more. as for pying for excessive hire car costs you will not hav to do this. you sign a contract at start with albany about that very fact. how ever you do have to provide all the asstance they need in recovering costs. myself i am having to go to small claims court to help em lol

richard734

read this

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.u...valuation.html

from this post

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/51198661#Comment_51198661