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Please help! Insurance issue...
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2 and a half weeks ago I was mugged on a street and my bag was stolen where I had my house keys, car keys, bank cards, driving license, and other personal things. Police was called and informed. Later on that night I called police again as there was a suspicious van driving around my house... like someone was looking for my car. Following day my car was stolen...
I received a call from the police a week later to be told that my car has been found. It was used in a smash and grab... and it's with forensics.
4-5 days after that I had a visit from Motor Insurance Investigator who took the notes of what happened, looked at my car docs and took the copies of everything.
Yesterday I spoke to the police and they told me that my car will be released. I went to see my car and there is hardly any damage, taking into consideration circumstances... It has few scratches across the passenger door and the back door, a small dent on the passenger door and scratches along the boot. I called my insurance and was told that my car will be picked up from the police car pound by them...
This morning I've received a call form the insurance and they told me that my car will be picked up as soon as they receive a call from the police car pound but they want me to send them all original documents for my car. When I asked why, they told me "Please do not ask, that is how we do it"
I don't understand why would insurance need ORIGINAL: V5, MOT cert, service book and insurance docs?
I feel very uncomfortable giving them all of my original docs as that would leave me with no docs for the car, no keys for the car and no car... Why would they want the original documents if the car is not a write off?
I have been told I need to send it all in today as my car may be released today...
Please, if you have any suggestions or advice I would be very eager to hear it
Thanks!
Jass
I received a call from the police a week later to be told that my car has been found. It was used in a smash and grab... and it's with forensics.
4-5 days after that I had a visit from Motor Insurance Investigator who took the notes of what happened, looked at my car docs and took the copies of everything.
Yesterday I spoke to the police and they told me that my car will be released. I went to see my car and there is hardly any damage, taking into consideration circumstances... It has few scratches across the passenger door and the back door, a small dent on the passenger door and scratches along the boot. I called my insurance and was told that my car will be picked up from the police car pound by them...
This morning I've received a call form the insurance and they told me that my car will be picked up as soon as they receive a call from the police car pound but they want me to send them all original documents for my car. When I asked why, they told me "Please do not ask, that is how we do it"
I don't understand why would insurance need ORIGINAL: V5, MOT cert, service book and insurance docs?
I feel very uncomfortable giving them all of my original docs as that would leave me with no docs for the car, no keys for the car and no car... Why would they want the original documents if the car is not a write off?
I have been told I need to send it all in today as my car may be released today...
Please, if you have any suggestions or advice I would be very eager to hear it

Thanks!
Jass
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Comments
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Perhaps they are writing it off?
I would call them again and ask what their intentions are with the car.0 -
....but the car is not write off... so why would they write it off... I don't understand... The insurance has not seen the car yet, how they can know it's a write off?
I have asked them what is going to happen now, but they couldn't say anything before they see my car...0 -
....but the car is not write off... so why would they write it off... I don't understand... The insurance has not seen the car yet, how they can know it's a write off?
I have asked them what is going to happen now, but they couldn't say anything before they see my car...
What is the car? How much roughly would you value it at?
If its an old/not classic car then it can be that any damage will automatically make it a write off when it comes to the rates insurers get charged for recovery/ repairs, replacing all the locks etc
Remember that a write off/ total loss can either be to do with safety or can be because the cost of repairs outweigh the value of the vehicle.0 -
Audi Q7 s line - around £17.0000
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It would be unusual practice to ask for all of these beforehand but ultimately it can be for a combination of indemnity queries (check everything is in order, you are the registered keeper etc) and help them value the vehicle so they can make the repair/ write off decision quickly once they know the repair estimate and if it is a t/l then they can simply do it without then waiting for you to resend the originals0
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I totally understand that, but I had a visit from the Motor Insurance Investigator, who looked at my documents and took the copies together with the statement of what happened... so they have copies of my docs already.
What I know is that insurance would need original documents only if the car is write off.
What is important is that I want my car back and repaired not written off.0 -
Don't send anything on the strength of a phone call, get it in writing.
For now send copies of everything they ask for and state that if it is written off you want to buy the wreck.
Once they have paid you the full value of the car it is theirs and they can do what they want with it, till then it is yours.0 -
There is a good chance it will be written off, if you let them. It appears to be a trend, car is written off, the insurers pay out a very low figure, (which is recovered by increasing insurance premiums all round anyway) The car is sold at a loss as salvage, but then repaired and sold for a profit. In the meantime, you're also given an expensive credit hire car, the cost of which is also recovered by increased premiums. However, what the insurers don't mention is they frequently own the salvage companies, the repair shops, and the credit hire companies as other parts of the business group. Which in part explains the paper loss to insurers, the insurance premium increases, and the fact more keep springing up every day to feed other sister businesses.0
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Thank you, you have just confirmed my thoughts too... as I feel very reluctant to send any original docs to the insurance, I will hold back for now.0
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nobbysn*ts wrote: »There is a good chance it will be written off, if you let them. It appears to be a trend, car is written off, the insurers pay out a very low figure, (which is recovered by increasing insurance premiums all round anyway) The car is sold at a loss as salvage, but then repaired and sold for a profit. In the meantime, you're also given an expensive credit hire car, the cost of which is also recovered by increased premiums. However, what the insurers don't mention is they frequently own the salvage companies, the repair shops, and the credit hire companies as other parts of the business group. Which in part explains the paper loss to insurers, the insurance premium increases, and the fact more keep springing up every day to feed other sister businesses.
Hu?
Low figures = FOS complaint and so back to actual figure + ~£500 for the complaint
Recovered via increased premiums? An earlier poster said their insurance went up £30 for a fault claim as theft would be. OP says their car is £17k. So that is 567 years for the insurer to get the money back via increased premiums
Name one insurer that owns one salvage yard? I know a couple that looked into it around credit crunch years but they didnt proceed
How does credit hire even come in here? Not relevant to a theft claim. And again name names, plenty get kickbacks but name one that is actually owned0
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