Car Insurance Help - Been written off and I'm being done over *Typical 1st Central*

maddude16

Hello guys, I don't know where to start.
At this point I would like to just state I WAS AWARE of 1st Central's reputation after seeing reviews, I was just praying another 6 months until the policy was over so I could never use them again.
Sun 6th of September, my car was parked (legally in a bay on a public road), somebody hit it; I walked outside to find their car in the side of mine. They admitted full liability.
So I contacted my insurance company and fair play to them had a courtesy car with me by Tuesday 8th. However my car took EIGHT days to be collected for an engineers report because the original company that were supposed to do it kept dragging it out. I thought things were ok, until the 15th of September. Since then this entire ordeal has been a nightmare. I've had to worry every day if they're going to get Enterprise to contact me and demand the courtesy car back 3 times now since the 15th (THREE TIMES in 6 working days) they have tried doing this.
On Thursday 17th I contacted them to find out what they are offering to pay, they said they used "Glass" to get their value. The value they have offered me I CANNOT go and buy a like for like vehicle of mine at all. In fact, I'd have to buy an older smaller 3 door version with a smaller engine....why the hell should I have to do that because somebody has smashed my car!?!?!?!?
I tell them the price is not acceptable they tell me to email in why, so I did and on Friday 18th get told a "desktop engineer" (that in itself is a joke) my car value has been RAISED BY 15 POUNDS!
I wasn't happy about this at all so on Monday 23rd I contacted the Ombudsmen. He used "Glass" price checker to reveal I am being underpaid by hundreds. Funnily enough the "Glass" price that I paid a £3.95 premium for said that too! So I thought, "Brilliant, the Ombudsmen will sort this out". He calls them up, and calls me back, and has achieved little. With respect to the gentleman I appreciate that a free service contacted them on my behalf but it seems he may of not put the point across enough that he could see with his own eyes I was being offered a low amount. . Long story short was that my insurance company are claiming for the car costs and courtesy car through the 3rd party insurance company, the Ombudsmen says he cannot do anything until they give a "final notice" which can take up to 8 weeks for them to give!!
So
-My car was written off -They are offering under what the Ombudsmen and I have got on our valuations -Being hassled every other day for the courtesy car back -Ombudsmen supposedly can't help (Can I ask how comes so many people on here have got the Ombudsmen to help them yet they're being a chocolate teapot with me)
-They're assuming I'm accepting the cheque clearly as apparently "It's in the post today"
-They're refusing to discuss any negotiation regarding the price whatsoever
-I have informed them I scoured the web (such as Auto Trader) and got evidence from several motors that are like for like and prices; they do not care.
-They know they're frustrating me immensely, truth is I even got slightly emotional on the phone today...I have a very ill close relative, my own health at the same time is not good (I had Enterprise stalking me when I was in London at the hospital on the 22nd).
-I live in the absolute middle of nowhere with nobody around for a good 10 miles. I NEED a car. But I'm not prepared to go out and buy a lesser vehicle simply because they are apparently going off of the "Glass" guide yet, as I have mentioned before it's hundreds less than the Ombudsmen and myself's quote.
-I love the fact they charge 7p a minute to call them.
-Vehicle payout offer is £1430. Ombudsmen Glass guide stated nearly £1800. Now to be truthful £1800 is under the amount needed but I would be willing to fork out the extra amount for the "new" vehicle.
-Finally, I would really like to express that it is in my best interest to get this resolved ASAP. Not asking for an unrealistic price, just so a vehicle very similar to mine (In model, mileage and age) can be purchased.

Half of 1st central (and the departments working on their behalf!) DO NOT RECORD phone calls, I swear to God half the time the person you're talking to just writes rubbish to try to get you as little as possible, I've been told things I haven't even said or done! For example apparently I said I WILL be buying my written off car back. I said to them I am showing interest in it, I never said I will or won't be, but next time I call them apparently I WON'T be, then it's WILL again.


If somebody In the know can help me I'd be so grateful. I need to get them to pay out my vehicles worth ASAP, it's now affecting my aforementioned ill health on top of causing unnecessary stress, all caused by 1st Central.
Apologies if this is a ramble but thought it would be best to get every detail out I can think of at this time.
Many thanks in advance for any of your assistance. Would love to hear from people who are in the same boat now or got it resolved.

Aretnap

See the guide to how vehicles should be valued here

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html

Note section 8 - adverts for similar vehicles are not generally accepted as good evidence of a car's value, because the advertised price is not necessarily the selling price. I could advertise my ancient rusty Volvo for £5000 if I wanted to - it wouldn't mean that anyone would buy it for £5000, or at all. Trade guides are based on actual selling prices, so carry much more weight.

Does the amount the insurer has offered take into account your excess? Normally your excess would be deducted from the settlement figure and you would have to reclaim it separately from the at fault driver's insurer as an uninsured loss. This is usually a straightforward process assuming liability is not disputed.

(For future reference where liability is not in dispute you are usually better not making a claim through your own insurer at all and going direct to the third party's insurer instead - it avoids the need to pay your excess and claim it back, and means that your NCD isn't temporarily reduced while the claim is settled. But it's probably a bit late to do that now.)

If you're right about the Glass's guide price and the offer is low even after taking your excess into account then the Ombudsman will likely side with you, but it's not a quick process - you must first make a complaint through the insurer's own complaints process, which they must respond to within 8 weeks (I assume this is where the 8 weeks you talk about comes from) - and you're not happy with the response or if they don't respond within that timescale only then can you formally escalate your complaint to the Ombudsman.

In the meantime there's not a lot you can do to force them to pay more, other than to keep hassling them and make clear that you'll escalate to the ombudsman if they don;t improve their offer. If that doesn't work you may have to take what's on offer for the moment, replace the car as best you can, and hope to get the balance back through the ombudsman.

folly

Hi, not sure I can offer much help, but I'm in a similar situation since an accident in June, non fault , parked off road and hit by third party. we are dealing direct with their insurance though.
We eventually had to commission our own engineer's report ( not as expensive as it sounds )
They want to stall as much as possible to bully you into a low settlement.
You could either send the cheque back or write to tell them you will accept it as an interim payment only and continue to fight them.
Check out motor claim guru website or honest john. We found it helpful.
Good Luck

dacouch

Your problem is that it sounds like !st Central have farmed you out to a claims management company. They provide a "Credit Hire" vehicle which is a hire car at a very inflated rate which they attempt to claim from the third party.

They will also try to recover payment for your own car from the third parties Insurer.

Their involvement can delay you receiving your money.

As you're not claiming from your own Insurer, the Ombudsman have no sway over them.

Enterprise will have paid 1st Central circa £350 commission for passing you to them.

If you keep the hire car longer than is necessary, you may be liable for the costs of the hire car for the period deemed unnecessary.

I recommend you look at the CREDIT AGREEMENT you signed for the hire vehicle and the contract which will specify the daily charge for the hire car. Prepare to be shocked at the cost of it

maddude16

Thankyou for your replies.
Aretnap I have no excess and protected NCB. I didn't know about that link thankyou for showing it. Problem is even if we go off the Glass guide we can just about buy the most basic model that fits our needs. Our exact model vehicle is actually going for £900+ MORE on the internet everywhere. I cannot find a single one that is the guides price range and this really gets to me.
Folly we have already stated we are accepting this as interim payment.What's really got to me today is that they stated one of the reasons my car value was lower was because the inside was DIRTY! Just because the car only gets vacuumed once a month I wouldn't say is exactly "dirty", but furthermore that contributed to less somehow, lol.
Dacouch yes they are using a company called IM Solutions, I have been told the cheque has already been sent, and they are stating it will be here no later than 24/09 and I have been informed that the courtesy car MUST be returned Monday. I was also informed the complained has been closed, they can do no more until final notice is given and they will not be corresponding with me any further on this case.
I end up getting irate at the end of calls now simply because every time any request is asked for it's a "No" and that is that. The Ombudsmen refuses to do anything until the final notice arrives. I can't remember if I mentioned it in my earlier post but he did actually confess I am "legally being screwed". When I first made a claim the 3rd party's provider called me and actually said she recommends I use them directly.
A few hundred quid is a few hundred quid. I have now been reduced to having to find the best car on the market for what I've been given within the next few days and I must say I am having to travel 170 miles (each way) to find one within my price range that suits the needs we have. The basic version of my written off vehicle literally starts at the price the Ombudsmen's guide said I should of received.
Thanks again for your replies I might not be able to come on for a couple of days due to the immense amount of travelling I must do to get a car.

dacouch

You need to realise that the Ombudsman and everyone else regards the prices in the adverts to be the starting price for negotiation. So they don't represent the final selling price of the vehicle.

maddude16

Well I am down £530 plus £100 for travel and accommodation.

Had to drive a total of 413 miles (round trip) to get a car that
-2 years older
-30k more
-needs a good few hundred spent on it to fix the issues it has