Car Insurance Accident Claim Advice Required

pebzarolla_2

Hi All MSEs,
Could somebody possibly advise me on the following situation:

A car accident occured outside my house and wrote off 3 of my familys cars (Mothers, Fathers, & Girlfriend)
Note I live next door to my parents with my girlfriend.
At the time of the accident all vehicles belonging to my family were parked up (stationary) as it was 12:30am - We were all awoken by the crash.
The driver in question in my opinion was speeding due to the number of vehicles he hit (7 in total).
At the moment my other half is in the process of trying to agree settlement figure and today was told the following:

1. The settlement figure they are prepared to pay is £600.00 (We have to pay £250.00 excess) even though the vehicle was insured for £1000 (Fully Comprehensive)
2. They have stated that this figure is because the vehicle had sustained damage as a result of a previous accident - This is news to us as the vehicle was spotless in terms of body work etc, when purchased.
3. We have also been informed that the driver who was caused the accident is now refusing liability.
4. In terms of the excess we have been told that we might as well forget about trying to claim for this as this will take forever and rareley pays out!

On my mothers side - Her insurance company are in dispute saying that she had not declared a speeding fine she recieved 4 years ago.

Any guidance on how to pursue any of the above or advice on what course of action to take would be well received.

Pebz

jackie_w

Hi There,

With regards to the value of your car, im afraid the insurance companies will only pay out the market value of a car at the time of the incident. Check the Parkers Guide (available in newsagents), that will give you a rough idea of the value of your car.

With regards to the Third Party not admitting liability, this will be a hard one to deny as the other cars were all parked. He may just be trying his luck.

With regards to the excess, if you have legal cover on your policy, get them to recover the excess for you, thats what you have paid them for.

With regards to your Mothers undisclosed speeding fine, You have to disclose all endorsements which are on your licence. Normally though, a Speeding fine from 4 years ago is ignored, but, every company are different. Was it an SP30 endorsment? I would think its very rare for an Insurance Company NOT to pay out on a claim just because of the one minor endorsement, but, it can happen.


Jackie

iceicebaby

The insureres will only pay the market value of the car, despite what it is insured for.

As regards to your mother, she is under an obligation to disclose ALL material facts to her insurance co. They can refuse to pay her claim based on this, and void her policy. For an SP30 tho this is unlikely although I have seen cases where they have.