Help! M & S Car Insurance

Tobs

Can anyone suggest anything - we're with M & S ('Premium') car insurance. Someone drove into the back of us and did a lot of damage to the rear bumper, which is no longer fully attached. The number plate is stoved in also, but lights/locks are ok. When you drive the car it makes a scraping noise if the road is even slightly uneven. They have told us that the car is driveable and that their repairer won't even pick the car up for another 18 days! They haven't even asked for photographs of the damage.
In addition to this, we've been asked to sign a credit agreement making us liable for all repair costs (amount unknown) if they can't recover the costs from the other driver's insurance - they have told us this is "standard practice".
HELP!?

McKneff

Forget your own insurance, just let them know that you wil now be dealing directly with the other parties insurance directly.


I am assuming that they have admitted liability.


It should be normally straightforward doing it that way.

Quentin

They look to have sold you on to a credit hire accident management company rather than deal with the claim themselves

(The advantage to you is that you have no excess to pay and reclaim)

If this is unacceptable to you then get on to m&s and tell them you want them to deal with your claim not an accident management company.

You are entitled to have the repairs done at your choice of repairer and if that is more convenient for you tell them!

Tobs

Quentin wrote: »

They look to have sold you on to a credit hire accident management company rather than deal with the claim themselves

(The advantage to you is that you have no excess to pay and reclaim)

If this is unacceptable to you then get on to m&s and tell them you want them to deal with your claim not an accident management company.

You are entitled to have the repairs done at your choice of repairer and if that is more convenient for you tell them!

M & S put us onto their 'claims dept' - They told us they're not an accident management company, that they're a "firm of solicitors that deal with personal injury' and that we just have to get the details of the underwriters and then deal with them direct!!

Quentin

M+S car insurance is really BISL (Aka Budget). (Say no more - look them up here or on the net!)


Do you have personal injuries? If so they wouldn't be covered by your M+S policy, though if you have taken their legal cover and requested help over an injury claim then it would be correct for them to be dealing with that aspect of your claim (ie your injury compensation).


Otherwise how did you get referred to a credit hire company??


M+S boast that you get a "personal" claims manager in the event of a claim - find out who this is and speak to him to get this sorted out!

Tobs

Quentin wrote: »

M+S car insurance is really BISL (Aka Budget). (Say no more - look them up here or on the net!)


Do you have personal injuries? If so they wouldn't be covered by your M+S policy, though if you have taken their legal cover and requested help over an injury claim then it would be correct for them to be dealing with that aspect of your claim (ie your injury compensation).


Otherwise how did you get referred to a credit hire company??


M+S boast that you get a "personal" claims manager in the event of a claim - find out who this is and speak to him to get this sorted out!

Thanks Quentin, we've tried to do this, but m & s said they now couldn't help at all and we'd have to contact the underwriters direct. Their so-called 'claims' department (which m & s put us through to), when pushed, admitted they were a "legal firm that specialised in personal injury claims" but denied they were an accident management company but at no point had we been asked or gave permission. No one was hurt though possible query on whiplash (hope not though!!) we won't really know about the latter for another 12 hrs or so. We've gone direct to the underwriters and so far they seem much better. We shall see....

Quentin

If nothing has been done and no expense incurred you may be better following the advice in #2.


Contact the third party insurer and see if they have an innocent third party claims dept. and see if they will deal with your claim rather than you use a credit hire company etc.


If so, they will provide you a replacement car if necessary and repair your car (at your own choice of repairer if you prefer), no excess to pay and no temporary loss of NCD etc.

Brooker_Dave

When someone ran into the back of me, my own insurance company told me to ring their claims dept who turned out to be an accident management company up north somewhere.

I blew them out and dealt with the other parties insurance company who were really good, they arranged everything and even gave me £800 for an injury I didn't have (and I told them I was fine).

The accident management company who my insurance put me on to were gutted when they found out I'd settled with the other company, the bloke said he missed out on 5 grand by me doing that...

Makes you wonder who all this compensation really benefits, despite being older and not bumping into anyone my insurance has more than trebled over the last 10 years or so.

OnanTheBarbarian

M&S is administered by Budget Insurance.

When you rang your "insurers" to report the claim, you will have spoken with Minster Law (who Budget also own) they will be hell bent on referring you for credit hire & repairs and will harass you with numerous call backs about injuries, even asking you to move your neck about etc on the call to see if they can get your neck to hurt and prompt a claim.

If you are not happy, the do continue with the actual underwriters of your policy, but this would incur an excess which Minster would then need to recover for you, or ask the third party insurers to take you under their wing and deal with you directly.

Tobs

OnanTheBarbarian wrote: »

M&S is administered by Budget Insurance.

When you rang your "insurers" to report the claim, you will have spoken with Minster Law (who Budget also own) they will be hell bent on referring you for credit hire & repairs and will harass you with numerous call backs about injuries, even asking you to move your neck about etc on the call to see if they can get your neck to hurt and prompt a claim.

If you are not happy, the do continue with the actual underwriters of your policy, but this would incur an excess which Minster would then need to recover for you, or ask the third party insurers to take you under their wing and deal with you directly.

Thanks, we are dealing with the underwriters direct now, which has been far more straightforward. Minster Law have been hassling us, saying we agreed to pursue a personal injury claim, which simply isn't true! M & S seem to be using their name simply to pass people on to these claims companies, once they've done this, they don't want to know. I can feel an ombudsman complaint coming up once this has been sorted!