need advice about car insurance write off offer

cidergirl

my 21 year old son was on a driving lesson nearly 4 weeks ago with his dad
, he had bought a renault clio campus sport 4 days before for £3400 all his savings i had saved since he was born, and insured it fully comp with hastings to pay in install ments , out of nowhere a white astra turned straight in front of him causing a collision.
the police came the american tourist who caused it admitted liability my sons car was taken away and 2 weeks later we were told it was a write off . today he gets an offer £3000 they take £345 out for excess and £999 for the years insurance . he isnt gonna get a car anyway near what he had through no fault of his own any ideas ?

Sgt_Pepper_2

If its not his fault there is no excess to pay.

cidergirl

hi they said he has to pay it and claim it back through the solicitors they have appointed is this not right then ?

phill99

The excess has to be claimed off the third party as an uninsured loss along with other losses such as time taken off work to deal with it, out of pocket expenses etc.

hareng

Dare say you havent got the policy yet but if you have have a look in fine detail where it may state replacing a car on a like for like basis or what they call market value - not.
Must admit thats a good offer they work on current market values (Parkers etc) and generally halve it.

Brace yourself have known people with no replacement or money for over 12 months. Law to themselves.

cidergirl

yes they said he has to pay the whole years insurance because he has had a claim fault or no fault . he payed 3400 4 days before surely as they are going to claim off 3rd party they would give him what he payed back ? it was a 07 clio campus with 31,00 on the clock full history perfect condition lovely example its heartbreaking x

Lovelyjoolz

cidergirl wrote: »

he payed 3400 4 days before surely as they are going to claim off 3rd party they would give him what he payed back ?

No, your insurance company is paying you and dealing with all the legwork involved in making the claim. That's what you pay them for. They will recover costs from the third party's insurance later on. That is the service you pay for. Their fee of £999 for 1 years insurance is still payable because you've made a total loss claim. Regardless of when in the year the claim happens the premimum stands. You pay them to insure the vehicle for a claim. You've now made that claim. They need to be paid.

The excess and any other out-of-pocket expenses can be claimed back through your uninsured loss insurance, if you took it out as part of the policy.

Lacemaker

Hi,
We have recently had a similar situation ourselves when my son wrote off my car in freak weather conditions.The settlement that I was initially offered was on par with a model two or three years older and with almost double the mileage.I appealed this and was instantly offered £700 more over the phone. As my renewal had been only two weeks earlier and I had clearly been asked to confirm the car's value and had done so I argued that I had not merely pulled a figure out of thin air and that I would need time to consider.This coincided with me being away for a long weekend.I was flabbergasted and more than a little miffed when I got home to find a settlement cheque when a settlement had not been agreed as far as I was concerned. The insurance company told me that I could happily bank the cheque without acceptance which all sounded very fishy to me. In yet another phone call with the Claims department I was told that I had been offered "market value" and if I was dis-satisfied I should look for a similar car of the same make and model and send them the ad.Quite frustrated I suggested that if they had already found a car on which they had based there offer then direct me to it as I would buy it.They emailed me within ten minutes with a car £550 more than their second offer and said that if I accepted they would send a cheque for the difference that day.Which they did. Basically, I was firm and came out with a fair resolution.Re the insurance, my belief is that the policy must be paid in full in order to benefit from it, but that the policy will stand as a paid for policy for your son's replacement vehicle. Best of luck and I hope it all turns out well for you,xx

cidergirl

thanks very much great advice lace maker am awaiting to hear from them after ive sent them similar car pictures and prices