Hit from behind.

rommy

I need some advice here guys. My car was hit from behind while it was static on road due to traffic ahead. My car bumper is cracked along and the number plate is broken. Also I cannot open the car boot easily due to the impact. It was three of us in the car and all of us were shocked by it. I got a very stiff neck. But hopefully its just something temporary and will go away in a day or two

I do want to make any injury claim as I hate this claim culture as it effects every one in long run. I went to garage and they have quoted me £200 to fix it. But that lady doesnt want to pay this much and insisting to get it done some where cheaper. I dont want to go to a shoddy mechanic or waste time looking for a bargain.

What would you guys advice and if I make this claim what impact it might have on my future insurance premium?

Quentin

Claim directly off the third party insurers. You are entitled to have your car repaired at your choice of garage. And get a replacement car provided whilst the repairs are carried out.

And wait to see how you feel before deciding on the injury claim!

BertTheRaccoon

You are holding all the cards here. Bottom line is she is negligent for the collision and either she pays up the reasonable cost of repairing your vehicle to a commercially acceptable standard out of her own pocket or you have no alternative than to go straight to her motor insurers.

It is in her interests to pay you the money for the repairs as this keeps the whole incident off the radar of insurers and nobody gets fleeced at renewal.

If she is not going to be reasonable then your next step is to either bell your own insurers who will possibly be able to put you in touch with a company they have a relationship with so that a "non-fault" claim can be pursued on your behalf against her insurer.

She is in no position to comment or qualify the cost of repairs to your vehicle. She's probably just thinking there was only a scratch, so why does he need £200 to repair his car? But if you say the boot isn't closing properly there will be some rear panel damage.

Your future premiums could rise slightly as insurers still deem customers who have been involved in a smack, even non-fault ones, to be a higher risk.

Essentially, if you are not bothered with any injury claim (I'd wait to see what you feel like in another 24 hours or so) then try and persuade her to be reasonable here and do a cash deal. Be aware of signing any disclaimer with her though if you do a cash deal for the repairs, such as signing anything saying you accept that "in full & final settlement" as if you do incur difficulties further down the line such as unpaid absence from work if the injuries do deteriorate, you will have no recourse for further action against her or her insurers without a load of legal argument.

rommy

Thank you so much guys. Is there any deadline before I have to report it to my insurer? I am actually trying to help her as she says she is a single mom and even got a quote from another garage and they quoted higher amount @250. But she is insisting that I go to one of her mechanic when he comes back on Monday?

I was wondering if delaying to report the incident to my insurer would negatively effect my claim?

BertTheRaccoon

A couple of days won't do any harm as far as delay in reporting it to your insurers.

You could notify them "for information purposes" just so there is a record of the incident made, but when you call them and tell them what has happened they will get terribly excited about trying to refer you on to a company they have a relationship with, especially as you have mentioned a stiff neck and passengers. My they will be beside themselves with excitement at the prospect of referral fees for those injuries, failing that your data will end up in the hands of the low life that sell this data to the idiots who send out those text messages about compo.

If you're willing to continue indulging her for a short time then make your own assessment of the monkey she wants to use for repairing your car. If your gut instinct is that the car is in good hands, then go for it.

If it appears a shady setup then just tell her she pays one of the other repairers or you'll have to go the insurance route.

Quentin

Don't fall in with this plan to use her mate.

You want the job doing properly! The mate won't want to know if you discover any problem later on, and definitely won't point out any hidden damage that turns up during the repair.
T
It's not your job to go off looking for quotes!

Get in touch with her insurer and tell them the circs and they should be anxious to help sort this to your satisfaction!

Leew1231

I am speaking from experience. Do it through your insurance. If 'her mate' does it, and it is a shoddy job, or in 6 months time paint starts peeling you are probably unlikely to have any where to go back to.

DO IT THROUGH YOUR INSURANCE!

Quentin

Leew1231 wrote: »

I am speaking from experience. Do it through your insurance. If 'her mate' does it, and it is a shoddy job, or in 6 months time paint starts peeling you are probably unlikely to have any where to go back to.

DO IT THROUGH YOUR INSURANCE!

There are lots of disadvantages in using your own insurer when there is no dispute over liability.

But in this case it would be pointless making a claim on your own policy (there will be an excess to pay, and the quote for the job is £200!)

Claiming direct off the third party insurer is the path to follow.

McKneff

Quentin wrote: »

There are lots of disadvantages in using your own insurer when there is no dispute over liability.

But in this case it would be pointless making a claim on your own policy (there will be an excess to pay, and the quote for the job is £200!)

Claiming direct off the third party insurer is the path to follow.

Quentin's advice is spot on and saves a lot of time and hassle.