50% liability for incident - or pass to my insurers to sort?

urbancookie1

Recieved a letter through the post last week it reads.........

I can confirm that our client only accepts 50% liability for this incident. If you dispute this decision ( i do ), please kindly give details of you version of events surrounding the incident with photographs, sketch, statements, blagh, blagh, blagh,

In order to consider the matter further please give 2 independent estimates for repairs, etc etc, (which i have got, amounting to about £400 ).

Now this is the part i need your advice on.

Alternatively, you may wish to pass this matter to your own insurers, who will arrange repairs on your behalf and contact us directly to recover the outlay. Providing you have fully comp insurance ( which i do) you will be entitiled to a courtesy car by your own insurers, the claim will not affect your policy premium or you no claims bonus (of which i have 10 yrs) as liability is not in dispute, you will also be entiteled to recover your policy excess from us, providing you can prove us with a copy of the excess receipt.

So what do you think i should do?

Just send them the quotes i have along with a letter disputing the 50% blame,

I have no witness statments.

If the claim is not in dispute why are they only accepting 50% liability

What would be the pro's & con's of passing this on to my own insurers
Claiming the policy excess back from them after providing them with a copy of the excess receipt (why wouldnt i be able to provide a copy of the receipt wouldnt i get this automaticaly from my insurers)

I appreciate any advice you can give me as this will be the 1st time ive ever had to deal with any insurers and not really sure of what to do for the best
Thanks for reading

agaveworm

urbancookie1 wrote: »

If the claim is not in dispute why are they only accepting 50% liability

The letter contradicts itself. I think you have received a 'standard' letter where the person that 'typed' it has ticked wrong boxes when creating it.

Or, they are trying it on by getting you to accept 50%.

Sounds like you need to claim anyway, so go to your own Insurer, get them to repair everything and dispute the claim on your behalf - that's what you pay them for.

urbancookie1 wrote: »

who will arrange repairs on your behalf and contact us directly to recover the outlay. Providing you have fully comp insurance ( which i do) you will be entitiled to a courtesy car by your own insurers, the claim will not affect your policy premium or you no claims bonus (of which i have 10 yrs) as liability is not in dispute, you will also be entiteled to recover your policy excess from us, providing you can prove us with a copy of the excess receipt.

Also, I don't like the way the other Insurer is commenting on your policy cover. For example, I have got some pretty meaty Fleet policies with Lloyds, and where these policies are comprehensive; they don't come with entitlement to a Courtesy Car.

Sounds like this other Insurer is a right outfit.....

urbancookie1

agaveworm,
Thanks for your responce, i think i may as well pass this to my insurers as i can see a lot of to-an-frowing with letter writing,

As i now have 2 quotes do you think i should put these in with my letter to my insurers or just leave it for them to sort out quotes?

As you said "sounds like this insurers is a right outfit" you could be right its a claim agains the local council.

Thanks again

mattymoo

Was the letter written "without prejudice" - usually written at the top of the letter.

If not, then they have admitted liability in the letter and you could theoretically use that to push home your claim. As agaveworm says, looks like an error on your part but that is not your problem.

If it was written "without prejudice" then they can hide behind that and the letter will not carry any weight.

Do you want to go into the accident circumstances here. Can advise whether 50/50 is fair or not (spent 20 yrs in insurance, 8 in claims)