smallish scrape allianze want to write it off

dacouch

maninthestreet wrote: »

If the car is written-off, and the insurance company pay the owner the value of the car, then the car becomes the property of the insurance company, doesn't it?

When you're claiming off the other Insurer, they tend to allow you to keep the car / scrap it. The payment they make allows a deduction for the salvage value.

mojito

maninthestreet wrote: »

...and the insurance company pay the owner the value of the car

The issue is the value of the car is never what the real value is for example I highlighted that in my case I just paid out insurance I wont get much back on and the service and MOT also. So a cars value to an individual isn't what book price says it is. Also I have heard (yes one of those) that valuations dont even match Glass's guide.
I should know later today more but thanks all for the replies it will be helpful when I chat to them which was the point of the post so thanks to the site also.

colino

It's very, very unlikely they will, "write off" the car, they will more than likeley offer you a cash settlement and that will be that. (It would cost them more to haul the car away and dispose of as well as the admin. involved).

Hintza

colino wrote: »

It's very, very unlikely they will, "write off" the car, they will more than likeley offer you a cash settlement and that will be that. (It would cost them more to haul the car away and dispose of as well as the admin. involved).

My thoughts exactly.

mojito

cost them or cost us - just like whiplash costs us not them ! It always just gets passed on nature of business.

skivenov

It's not their car to write off, so refuse anything they say along the lines of taking the car away, etc, etc. Ask them to put any offer they're making in writing. Tell them you're recording the phone call (do it if you can, most mobile's will).

Get a price from a garage of your choice for repair. Then ask the insurer for that much.

InsideInsurance

mojito wrote: »

Thanks rs And redux makes me feel a bit better if this is the case.I was curious why they were pressing a replacement car over and over multiple calls! Different people ?

Because they give you a hire car on credit and then claim it back from the Third Party Insurer turning a large profit in the process. They also hope to convince you to claim for an injury which they then sell to a solicitor for a few of ton.


The important thing to do is let the insurer know that you want to retain the vehicle. Getting a cash in lieu settlement will be preferable to you than having it declared a total loss due to it being beyond economical repair. Different insurers have different practices both in how likely they will do this and secondly on how easy it is to insurer it if it is total lossed

dacouch

skivenov wrote: »

It's not their car to write off, so refuse anything they say along the lines of taking the car away, etc, etc. Ask them to put any offer they're making in writing. Tell them you're recording the phone call (do it if you can, most mobile's will).

Get a price from a garage of your choice for repair. Then ask the insurer for that much.

The OP has an obligation to mitigate (Keep to a reasonable minimum) her losses. If it's cheaper to write the car off (They will normally allow her to retain it) then that's what they will do and are entitled to do. They could also offer a cash settlement in lieu.

What they do not have to do is repair the car irrespective of the cost if it would be cheaper just to write the car off.

You've been reading Honest Johns advice which he has now accepted was incorrect.

mojito

They are not entitled to write off something they don't own surely how does that work with uk law ? They could use the argument as to why they would not spend past x on repair and I understand that to a point.

InsideInsurance

mojito wrote: »

They are not entitled to write off something they don't own surely how does that work with uk law ?

How many cars do you think insurance companies own given there are about 1000 write offs every day?

Yes, an insurer can and normally do write off any vehicle that they had to deal with and consider either unsafe to repair or where it is simply a matter of economics that the repairs will probably cost more than the vehicles worth.