Claimfast dispute with reclaiming hire car costs

ocurly1

Hi all,
I've tried searching for other people's experiences with claimfast and find that others have experienced the same as me of being threatened with going to court to help claimfast recover hire car costs that apparently are incredibly high.
I've read several reviews and it feels its a massive con that i also felt pushed into but without being told all the information- especially in terms of how they operate.
I would really appreciate hearing some outcome stories from others that have gone through a similar thing - i understand if i comply with going to court etc i won't be liable for costs but this is all a big ask on an innocent party etc.
Any stories about how cases were finally resolved would be great.

Segag44

[FONT=&quot]My advice is AVOID CLAIMFAST AT ALL COSTS.
I’m in the middle of trying to sort out a mess made by Claimfast. They have been incompetent to say the least. They are, however, very adept at avoiding any comeback or complaints by ignoring them. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Claimfast is a car hire credit broker masquerading as a claims management company. Be warned: do not be tempted by getting a nice replacement hire car as part of your claim. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Their tactic seems to be to write [FONT=&quot]your[/FONT] car off, secure the smallest settlement and then close the case as quickly as possible so they can claim their fee. (Note: Claimfast make a mark up on the hire car they secure for you. Their fee is paid by the at-fault insurer so there is a huge conflict of interest here.)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I was directed to Claimfast by my insurance broker who I feel have completely mis-sold me the service. It’s a huge insurance business con that needs looking at seriously.[/FONT]

Saga_plc

Hi, I would like to help you with your complaint. Please message me your contact details. Kind regards, David.

halibut2209

What does "Saga" have to do with it? Or are Saga using a spambot which got confused with the username "Segag44"?

Saga_plc

ClaimFast are a part of Saga Group.

InsideInsurance

http://apps.abi.org.uk/tphire/

The above link will tell you how much ClaimFast and other credit hire providers can charge for their vehicles.

Credit hire is fairly simple, the company gives you a car on credit with a view that it will recover the money from the third party insurer. There are rules in terms of how they must operate (eg not charge for delivery/ collection, no charge for additional drivers etc)

Obviously they take on a certain amount of risk; the third party may turn out to be uninsured, liability may end up not going the way it was thought it would, they could be providing credit for months, they have to have claims staff to deal with recovery of outlay etc and all these reasons are used to justify the level of hire they charge

The problem is that most people dont read what they sign and so they dont spot the fact they are signing a credit agreement so even if the company that refers them on to the like of ClaimsFast arent totally open about what it is the alarm bells should ring when you realise what you are signing!

The contract also says you will assist them in recovering their outlay otherwise may become liable for the debt hence the letter about maybe needing to go to court to assist them.

akkers

A friend of mine also had a similar experience after an accident. He was 'duped' into accepting a hire replacement car and then things went bad. They demanded payments from him amounting to a few hundred pounds. He argued and eventually they told him that it was all a mistake and wrote off the debt (that on a phone).

A few months later he received a demand from a debt collection agency asking for around £2k (the original amount had been inflated with costs etc). He telephoned them and argued etc and was told that the debt would be written off - it was a clerical error. Again my friend did not get it in writing.

A few months later he got a letter again from the debt collection agency demanding £4k and informing him that they would visit his home and removed his property to recover the amount.

He contacted his solicitor and they are now trying to fight the company.

But how can they escalate the costs so fast? How can they mislead people?
And how can they send somebody to remove property without first going to court and getting a judgement?

Saga_plc

akkers wrote: »

A friend of mine also had a similar experience after an accident. He was 'duped' into accepting a hire replacement car and then things went bad. They demanded payments from him amounting to a few hundred pounds. He argued and eventually they told him that it was all a mistake and wrote off the debt (that on a phone).

A few months later he received a demand from a debt collection agency asking for around £2k (the original amount had been inflated with costs etc). He telephoned them and argued etc and was told that the debt would be written off - it was a clerical error. Again my friend did not get it in writing.

A few months later he got a letter again from the debt collection agency demanding £4k and informing him that they would visit his home and removed his property to recover the amount.

He contacted his solicitor and they are now trying to fight the company.

But how can they escalate the costs so fast? How can they mislead people?
And how can they send somebody to remove property without first going to court and getting a judgement?

Hi Akkers,

I would like to help your friend.

Can you ask them to email david.knockton@saga.co.uk so I can get this looked in to?

Kind regards, David Knockton.

bod1467

akkers wrote: »

And how can they send somebody to remove property without first going to court and getting a judgement?

Simple answer - they can't.