Insurance help, please.

dacouch

Ilona wrote: »

And another reply.

You have three choices:
1) Wait it out and let the two insurances companies argue it out.
2) Get your own insurance company to pay for the damage and down time on the understanding that they persue payment from the other party.
3) Get a quote and pro former invoice for the work, Then claim directly from the other parties insurance company.
However, If you go down the route of number 3, Read your policy thoroughly, You could breach your conditions. I'm not saying you will, But it's got to be looked at.

The OP's own Insurers will not pay for "Down time" unless it's included in the policy which I doubt

Ilona

Fifth reply from Trucknet. I hope the op comes back and reads these posts.

i did 3k of damage to my own truck, claimed on my own insurance, as stated above i paid £350 excess and the Vat but i had protected NCB so my premium didnt change next year {well actually it went down by £210}

feelingblue

Can't thank you all enough for the clear advise/explanations....especially to Ilona for posting on truckers forum for me. Unfortunately the damage is door, panel x 2 (I think), wing mirror...was really quite extensive.I am not really sure but two quotes were around £2500. We just don't have the money to pay vat as well as excess. Like most owner drivers my hubby kept his truck really well - he lives in it 5 days a week so is his home.

Could someone clarify the 'insurance claims company' that has been mentioned? I take it this is the insurance equivalent of 'no win no fee solicitor' type thing? Again, no money to pay out in advance if required. My hubby is entitled to a hired lorry through own insurance but he told them he would play fair and stick with his own (really it's because his truck is his home and has everything he needs in situ...microwave, tv etc). Of course they thanked him and said it would be sorted very quickly as was a clear case but now they don't seem too interested in chasing DHL...or if they are chasing DHL, DHL don't care. I suggested to hubby to park lorry up and start using hire lorry as his insurance probably would chase it up quicker as costs mount. Prob is, if DHL keep this up for any period of time and hubby has to pay VAT etc it could finish us....there is simply no extra money in the pot.

This whole saga gets me so down....it's always the 'little man' who ends up paying even when the big companies are clearly at fault. Thanks again for all the replies....I will read them to hubby tomorrow.

Ilona

Thank you for coming back op, I feel for you, knowing how hard it is to make a living as an owner driver.

Another from Trucknet

Harry Monk wrote:If it's only the door skin that has been damaged then I might be tempted to pay for the repairs myself and then send DHL a bill for costs of the repairs and my own costs, say £1,000, giving them 30 days to pay up, then I'd issue a Small Claims Court action against them. It would cost them more to defend it than to pay up.

I think I'd favour this route and probably get the door from a breakers and do it as cheaply as possible in case it didn't pan out.

Ilona

And another.

Did you get photos of the incident? If you have, and as you say that you were parked legally and prove that with the tacho and photos, put it through your insurance straight away and let their solictors fight it because that's what you pay them for. If you didn't take photos then you've made a basic mistake that we've all done at some point

I'll leave it with you op. Keep checking Trucknet for more replies. I hope you can get it sorted.

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=97339&p=1428208#p1428208

feelingblue

Thanks Ilona - I will keep checking on link. My hubby took pics and of course tacho shows he was parked for some time (he was actually asleep when DHL hit him). DHL driver filled out incident report and admitted his fault but hubby didn't get copy or anything in writing. It worries me that such an 'incident report' could go missing or re-written? I am not very trusting of large companies, I am afraid! To them a couple of grand is a drop in the ocean.....to us it's the difference between scratching a living or going under. Sorry - slipped into rant mode!!

Thanks again to everyone. Will keep checking back x

Ilona

Good morning. More replies have been added on the Trucknet forum. Could be something usefull there.

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=97339

Keep on at them, shout, stamp your feet, ring, email, and write to them. Your insurance company should be working on your behalf, rattle their cage, can you go to their office and give them a rollicking. You pay enough in insurance, threaten to leave them if they don't act now.

Going out now. Good luck.
Ilona

feelingblue

Hi Ilona - just wanted to let you know am still checking the thread on trucknet and to ask you to thank everyone for me. When last spoke to hubby he was going to tell insurance to arrange hire truck and park his up hoping that rising costs would speed things up a bit. He does have a copy of the incident report that the DHL driver wrote so there shouldn't be any problem and so excess and VAT should be refunded.

Please post thanks for me on truck net x