Albany Assistance - Steer clear

Savvy-shopper_2

After being involved in an accident where I was hit from behind my insurance company (swiftcover) put me in touch with Albany Assistance for a courtesy car. When I received my own vehicle back after being repaired I contacted my insurance co to let them know the hire car was no longer required.
This was Friday afternoon, I received a voicemail on Monday asking me to phone Albany to arrange collection, I tried over and over to phone them but no one was answering the phone. Tuesday arrives and I try to phone again, no joy. After returning home I find a letter from Albany saying they tried to take the car today but as no one was home they couldn't and if I don't call them ASAP they would have to inform the police. I ring the number on the letter, yes, you've guessed it - no reply.

So I ring the insurance co and tell them I want this car collecting and I am peeved off. The car is collected the next day, Wednesday.

25 days later I receive a letter from Albany informing me they are taking £245 from my bank account within 7 days for hire charges. Fuming I call them, the charges relate to the four days that I had the car while I was trying my hardest to get it collected........not impressed is an under statement!!!! Don't deal with Albany, is my advice to you.

loopdaloop

As someone who had not had the delight of the process following an accident it is highly stressful.

Initially they push a hire car on you (I was told that the 3rd party had admitted liability) Then as you go through their system and ask any questions you are told that you could be considered as 'delaying a claim' and thus they would take the hire car from you.

This was a consistent threat, out of the blue there would be phone calls from randoms, I was not informed about ACORN ASSESSORS who ring up from a mobile number late at night to come around and value your car. If you are not in you are 'delaying your claim'. They totally devalue your car and do not offer 'like for like' at which point you are over a barrel as you need the hire car to get to work yet you are not allowed the time to think about it.

I had enough of the whole scenario so I bought a new car.
Could I get my hire car returned? you can not get through to their telephone numbers. They just ring and ring and ring.

Albany tell you that if the cheque for the car gets sent to them first that they will need the car back instantly.
However, if it gets sent to me I have some days before giving it back. I told them that I want the check sent straight to me.

In the end I told Albany Assistance that I live in a residential parking zone and I have (for almost a week) told them I wanted to give up the car yet they have not done so. Legally I relive myself of responsibility and I will leave it parked on the street. If it gets tickets or towed it is no longer my responsibility.

I then finally get a call from the hire company telling me they will pick it up.

A couple more weeks go by and I don't hear anything from albany, they tell me now that the 3rd party has not accepted blame and they don't know who the 3rd party is.

Funny I tell them, I've been in touch with the 3rd party and they are waiting to be contacted. They've even settled a personal injury claim with me during this time... (we never had the details they say) - Thats funny, as Admiral gave me the same details that they give you. Oh they said, what are they details....

(EXASPERATION!!!!!)

I finally contact them and the cheque has been sent to them. (surprise surprise)

MY ADVICE TO ANYONE IS ALWAYS GET IN TOUCH WITH THE 3rd PARTY INSURER DIRECTLY!!! THEY ARE QUICKER AND EASIER TO DEAL WITH.

ADMIRAL which recommended albany to me told me that (in confidence I think as they have a deal with albany), I rang to complain about albany!

It would have been quicker and more effective to go straight to the 3rd party insurer and deal with it myself.

dacouch

loopdaloop wrote: »

ADMIRAL which recommended albany to me told me that (in confidence I think as they have a deal with albany), I rang to complain about albany!

It would have been quicker and more effective to go straight to the 3rd party insurer and deal with it myself.

Admiral will have received circa £350 in commission from Albany for proving you with a hire car for which the daily hire rate is very much inflated

adamc260

I like how Swiftcover advertise on their website they don't accept referral fees and yet still pass details to Albany to provide hire/pi ... is that out the goodness of their hearts or do they really get something out of it?

londonTiger

adamc260 wrote: »

I like how Swiftcover advertise on their website they don't accept referral fees and yet still pass details to Albany to provide hire/pi ... is that out the goodness of their hearts or do they really get something out of it?

i think they are talking about paying comission to insurance comparison websites.

I am going through with dealwing with a non fault accident. I didn't want the headache and stress of dealing directly with the third party insurer. But now I wish I did because I refused to take out a hire car because of the costs involved (£40 damage waiver + £15 fuel surcharge), I think now they're going to hold onto my car in ther lockup as much as realistically possible in order to rack up storage charges from the third party insurer.

The workmanship is probably going to be crap, I should have just dealt with the third party insurer and bill them for the bodywork from a reputable garage.

Quentin

londonTiger wrote: »

I didn't want the headache and stress of dealing directly with the third party insurer......The workmanship is probably going to be crap.....

If a third party insurer has an "innocent third party claims department" and you are truly "innocent", then they are usually bending over to save you any stress/headache, as they don't want you going off to put your claim into the hands of a claim handler with credit hire/credit repairs on their minds!

As far as the quality of workmanship goes, you are always entitled to have it done at your choice of garage (whether using your own or the third party insurer)

BertTheRaccoon

adamc260 wrote: »

I like how Swiftcover advertise on their website they don't accept referral fees and yet still pass details to Albany to provide hire/pi ... is that out the goodness of their hearts or do they really get something out of it?

Swiftcover are owned by AXA.

AXA took a stance last year to state they will no longer accept personal injury referral fees. Whether they still take referral fees from credit hire operators like Albany/Helphire I don't know. I would suspect they do.

Our friends at Admiral certainly like a referral fee. They collected in over £24m of referral fees in the last financial year. Their share price took a dive when the announcement from the Jackson report and the LASPO Act was granted (banning personal injury referral fees from April 2013).

londonTiger

Quentin wrote: »

If a third party insurer has an "innocent third party claims department" and you are truly "innocent", then they are usually bending over to save you any stress/headache, as they don't want you going off to put your claim into the hands of a claim handler with credit hire/credit repairs on their minds!

As far as the quality of workmanship goes, you are always entitled to have it done at your choice of garage (whether using your own or the third party insurer)

Not in the case with Admiral where they got ~£300 referalls for handing you over to their preferred claims handler. who then has a nod and a wink relationship with a garage who will rack up charges.

go through my post history I wrote about a claim that's going through right now. So how much they are charging the 3rd party insurer for a fix that costs £300 to fix.

The insurance comapnies are smart, they know what they're doing. Someone like me whose unaware of his these claims are handled are left to the behest of the insurers and claims companies. I put a claim through and I was given these choices.

1) I pay my voluntary excess of £400 to my insurance and they process the claim and settle it, and if I'm found not at fault I will get my £400 back.
2) I pay £0 and albany take care of everything for me.

I'm asked to pick one, doesn't give me a 3rd choice which is I don't fix the car immediadately and wait for a resolution before I decide on how to fix it. Which I can then be in a better position to decide.

Unknowingly I just went for the 2nd option. With beneift of hindsight I would have told them I want to do neither and wait for the resolution.

Parking_Trouble

Lee_Jones wrote: »

Swiftcover are owned by AXA.

AXA took a stance last year to state they will no longer accept personal injury referral fees. Whether they still take referral fees from credit hire operators like Albany/Helphire I don't know. I would suspect they do.

Our friends at Admiral certainly like a referral fee. They collected in over £24m of referral fees in the last financial year. Their share price took a dive when the announcement from the Jackson report and the LASPO Act was granted (banning personal injury referral fees from April 2013).

Got any links to the news?

Always interested in anything that puts the squeeze on my friends at Admiral Group.

Quentin

londonTiger wrote: »

1) I pay my voluntary excess of £400 to my insurance and they process the claim and settle it, and if I'm found not at fault I will get my £400 back.
2) I pay £0 and albany take care of everything for me.

I'm asked to pick one, doesn't give me a 3rd choice which is I don't fix the car immediadately and wait for a resolution before I decide on how to fix it. Which I can then be in a better position to decide.

Unknowingly I just went for the 2nd option. With beneift of hindsight I would have told them I want to do neither and wait for the resolution.

You got a "bonus" when they offered to let you off paying your excess. This was never covered by your insurance - you agreed to pay it when making a claim - and was your "reward" for allowing them to refer you to a claim handler!

You always did have a third option, (claim direct off the third party, or use your own claim handler/solicitor to do so), but said you didn't want the stress!

You cannot expect your insurer to go to the expense of pursuing the third party for a "resolution" without first actually making a claim. They have nothing to pursue for!

BertTheRaccoon

Parking_Trouble wrote: »

Got any links to the news?

Always interested in anything that puts the squeeze on my friends at Admiral Group.

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/admiral-reveals-referral-income

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2036344/Car-insurance-referral-fees-crackdown-force-premiums-higher.html