Advice needed! Car accident, disputed liablity and feeling conned!

EdGasket

OK so we know what happens when you ring up to report a non-fault accident. (in my case I wasn't given a choice; just told I HAD to use Albany) so how does one get the 'legal cover' which in Admiral's own words says it helps recover costs for damage to your car? Seems like they don't help in either scenario??

OnanTheBarbarian

Sounds like you just got bad service from the off by Admiral. You would have had the "cover" as an additional part of your basic motor policy, but seems it was not utilised.

They will have told you that you have to use Albany as that is their preferred provider who pays them a kickback.

Admiral have used Albany for as long as I can recall, there was a brief foray with a company called Drive Assist some years ago for the Diamond work, but then they went back to Albany, who used to be ULR service, but Help Hire bought them for about £40m around 8 years ago.

Admiral throw the legal cover in as part of the basic package, because they don't (or didn't) pay the provider of the LEI policy anything for it and it helps to ensure as much non-fault capture as possible of their customers so they can throw you at Albany for hire and whatever law firm they own for personal injury for commissions or profit shares.

EdGasket

OK I understand that much Onan, but if, as in my case, the TP didn't report the accident and showed no inclination to do so who should be providing the legal help to sort out the TP; Admiral or Albany? Admiral led me to believe it was Albany who would be 'Assisting' me in this but they didn't do much and Quentin says it is not them. So what I'd like to know is if faced with a similar situation again, who should I ask to provide my legal services, as per the policy, to take whatever steps are necessary to get my car repaired and paid for plus recover any other costs so that I don't have to do it all myself?

Quentin

EdGasket wrote: »

so how does one get the 'legal cover' which in Admiral's own words says it helps recover costs for damage to your car? .....

Unsuprisingly you make a claim.

(As previously posted you can only claim for this if the damage is uninsured - you cannot use your legal cover if you have comprehensive cover. Your damage excess is an uninsured loss and you can therefore use your legal cover to recover that)

Hope you understand now

How to do claim is all set out on page 11 of the policy document you selectively quoted in your post #34.

EdGasket

Ha, page 11 is blank, very appropriate but I think you mean page 9.

No I don't understand. Legal cover should and according to the referenced document (post 34) under section 2A does say it will help to recover costs of damage to my vehicle:

"Section 2: What your policy covers
you for
A. Uninsured loss recovery and
personal injury
We will pay legal costs if you or the
insured vehicle are involved in an accident
caused by a third party to recover from
the person(s) responsible:
i) Compensation for personal injury or
death.
ii) Financial losses such as your
associated motor policy excess,
travelling expenses, or loss or damage
to the insured vehicle and any
personal belongings.

So when I try to make a claim, I am told as it is non-fault, I have to use Albany (un)Assistance to handle the claim with the TP's insurers. As they have 'Assistance' in the name, I naively believe they will live up to that name and actually assist me with claiming from the third party. In practice they don't and their rep and Quentin deny that they provide legal cover. So I ask, once again, who should provide this legal cover to pursue a non-fault claim on my behalf if not Albany Assistance as appointed by Admiral?

rs65

EdGasket wrote: »

H

So when I try to make a claim, I am told as it is non-fault, I have to use Albany (un)Assistance to handle the claim with the TP's insurers.

......

So I ask, once again, who should provide this legal cover to pursue a non-fault claim on my behalf if not Albany Assistance as appointed by Admiral?

I believe you didn't have to use Albany, but by doing so you didn't use your policy.

According to the policy you linked to it is Amtrust that provide the legal protection cover. They wouldn't pursue the non-fault claim, as such, they would seek to recover your uninsured losses for you.

EdGasket

rs65 you are talking gobbledeegook. Admiral themselves say that the legal expenses covers:

"Financial losses such as your
associated motor policy excess,
travelling expenses, or loss or damage
to the insured vehicle and any
personal belongings."

However whn you ring up with a non-fault claim, they direct you to Albany. So how should I get help via this legal cover with a difficult TP who doesn't report the incident and needs a legal kick up the rear? Admiral led me to believe Albany would handle my claim for me but they didn't and they say they dont provide legal cover. Therefore they are not really properly equipped to deal with the claim are they? The slightest difficulty that needs a solicitor and they are helpless!

I got so sick of calling Admiral and Albany and getting the run-around, it was simpler just to sort it out myself. But the point is I shouldn't have had to; Admiral should have dealt with this on my behalf under the legal cover as per the cover referred to above.

rs65

On page 1 - Significant features and benefits
as a result of an accident involving the insured vehicle. We will pursue any uninsured losses and any legal costs incurred by you in bringing a claim against the responsible third party.
We may agree to appoint solicitors to do this on your behalf


I assume you had comprehensive cover therefore damage to your car was an insured loss. If someone has TPF&T cover, then damage to the vehicle would be an uninsured loss.

On your last point, I completely agree.

Quentin

EdGasket wrote: »

... Admiral themselves say that the legal expenses covers:

"Financial losses such as your
associated motor policy excess,
travelling expenses, or loss or damage
to the insured vehicle and any
personal belongings."

So how should I get help via this legal cover with a difficult TP who doesn't report the incident and needs a legal kick up the rear.

Again you quote selectively.


Legal expenses cover uninsured losses only!!


They can include damage to your vehicle but only if you have third party insurance!


You now have read how you should have claimed off the legal expenses to recover uninsured losses


But you first needed to put in a claim and it looks like you didn't do so.


How many times before it sinks in? Legal expenses is for your uninsured losses, (not for chasing the third party to admit liability prior to you making a claim)

EdGasket

Quentin wrote: »

Again you quote selectively.


Legal expenses cover uninsured losses only!!


They can include damage to your vehicle but only if you have third party insurance!


You now have read how you should have claimed off the legal expenses to recover uninsured losses


But you first needed to put in a claim and it looks like you didn't do so.


How many times before it sinks in?

I am just quoting the relevant cover.
I made a claim for my damaged car to Admiral and was referred to Albany !!!. I was led to believe they handled the claims procedure for non-fault accidents including taking whatever steps necessary to recover what I'm due. This turns out to be false but I don't see what else I could have done? Does Albany only handle the hire car then? They did at first make some enquiries of the TP and their insurer and appeared to be handling the legal side though after months, nothing came of it. They never once told me to make a legal expenses claim somewhere else so I could get Admiral to get a solicitor on the case. I thought Albany was their legal cover!

Please explain what I should have done when the claim against the TP was going nowhere with Albany and Admiral were telling me Albany are handling the claim, I must deal with them?