Motor Insurers' Bureau wants £4,760 from me in personal injury claim - help!

nerion

Hi folks, I was involved in a car accident a year ago, which admitedly was my fault. As luck would(n't) have it, my insurance had expired a couple of weeks earlier - the payment hadn't gone through because my debit card number had changed.

All of which meant I hadn't got a leg to stand on - I had to pay out over £5,000 for the woman's car and other expenses.

The woman wasn't injured at all but (you know what's coming, right?) she's now doing me for personal injury. I met a chap from the Motor Insurers' Bureau a few months ago and explained to him that I hadn't much money and that I asked the woman three times if she was OK (which she was).

But I guess anyone can later go to a doctor and complain of a bad neck/back or whatever and get him/her to fill in the forms to say they're injured. Maybe the symptoms did occur later after the crash - but I remain skeptical.

So I now have this £4,760 bill to pay. However, after speaking to the MIB's solicitor just now, he says they may be willing to accept a smaller amount - a "settlement offer". I just wondered what the best offer is to make. Should I offer 50%, or £3,000, or £4,000, or what?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Cheers,

Andie

csgohan4

up to what ever you can afford, very expensive lesson not to be insured and something you have to declare as it is an offence driving without insurance

nerion

Yeah, tell me about it. I did speak to the police but they didn't charge me as it was an honest mistake. I thought I was insured and would have been had my card number not changed. My insurers didn't write to let me know the payment hadn't gone through.

In terms of the amount, I could just about afford the full figure, but that would completely wipe me out financially. I'd rather pay a lesser amount (obviously) but am unsure as to how much to offer. If anyone could help, that would be great.

agrinnall

You have the option of paying nothing and hoping that the other party doesn't take it to court. But if you don't want to take that risk, then maybe start at a 50% offer and hope that the bargaining will stop before it gets back up to the full amount.

PS I don't think a change of card number should have meant that the transaction wouldn't go through unless you had also changed your account number as well, so I would have been querying my bank why they didn't allow it in the first place.

nerion

Hi there, thanks for the reply - that's really useful. I shall start at 50% then.

As for the bank thing, no, my account number is exactly the same. I did change my title, though, from Mr to Mx. Would that have affected things?

I guess it's still ultimately my fault, though, as I should have checked my statement to make sure my premium payment had come out.

agrinnall

nerion wrote: »

As for the bank thing, no, my account number is exactly the same. I did change my title, though, from Mr to Mx. Would that have affected things?

I guess it's still ultimately my fault, though, as I should have checked my statement to make sure my premium payment had come out.

No,change of title would have no impact. If the card was reissued with a new number but for the same sortcode and account number then a Continuous Payment Authority (which it sounds like you had, and is very common for car insurance) then the payment should have been allowed by your bank. It may be too late to do anything about it now but I'd still be inclined to make a query to your bank, and follow that up with a complaint if their explanation doesn't satisfy you.

Your last point is right, but doesn't absolve the bank of their responsibility.

stator

Have the MIB already paid out? and they are trying to recoup their costs from your?
Or is it still at the 'threats' stage?

nerion

Thanks both. Agrinnall, OK, I shall take this up with my bank. You never know your luck in a raffle!

Stator, the MIB's solicitor said they have already paid out, yep.

Enough17

I am in a similar situation to this. Shall I start a new thread?

huckster

Yes you need to start your own thread

Amst

nerion wrote: »

As for the bank thing, no, my account number is exactly the same. I did change my title, though, from Mr to Mx.

Lol, and my sympathy disappears. :A