1 hour after RTA Insurer offers to pay all our costs (but liability hasn’t been decided) Im baffled

Aubrey_Thicket

Hi all
I am baffled...

Yesterday, a vehicle from a famous National company hit
One of our work vans whilst it was parked up. Our driver and the other driver exchanged details and I was planning on waiting until today to contact our fleet insurer. However, within an hour of the accident yesterday we were contacted by a company by phone. The lady told me she represented a MAJOR insurance company (who were the insurer of the other van). She offered “We will pay all your out of pocket expenses and repair your vehicle”. I replied and said “Wow. That was quick. Has your driver admitted liability already. This was only 2 hours ago”. She said “No. we don’t know of any liability yet but we will pick up all your costs”. I was as baffled as one would imagine and smelled a Rat. Therefore, I said “OK. Please Email me everything you just told me”. Rightly so, within 10 minutes the Email came through. Here it is, with some bits edited out for privacy.

We would ike to offer our services on behalf of XXXXXX Third Party, in order to ensure your claim is dealt with as quickly as possible with minimum inconvenience and no cost to you.
Should we collectively agree to provide our service we can confirm the following service will be provided:
1. No paperwork, simply call our helpline on xxxxxxxxxx and we will do the rest.
2. No charges, no policy excess to pay and the repair cost will be billed direct to XXX.
3. At least 3 year workmanship quality guarantee.
4. Free replacement vehicle whilst your own is off the road. The cost of the replacement vehicle will be billed directly to us which includes insurance cover to match your own whilst you have use of the vehicle. Our daily hire rates are significantly less than the charges that you would personally be liable to pay if you hired from a credit hire company. Our daily rate for a replacement vehicle of a similar make and model as your own would be £26.15. We stress that this is the cost to us – the vehicle will be provided to you free of charge.
5. Free collection and re-delivery of your own vehicle (Except for mobile repairs).
6. No loss of No Claims Discount
7. In the event your vehicle is deemed a Total Loss, our dedicated Total Loss Team will manage the claim, keeping you updated with all developments.
Please note if you do not wish to utilise our repair service we can still provide a replacement like for like vehicle whilst your own is being repaired - that vehicle will be provided on the terms above.
If you have already made other repair / hire arrangements, please pass this letter to your insurers /
representatives as they will need to know that we have made this offer to you. We would also like to
take this opportunity to remind you of your duty to keep your losses at a reasonable level.
If you were injured in the accident please contact us immediately and we will endeavour to assist you.
Please note our offer can be withdrawn at any time, for any reason.
Please contact our Third Party claims helpline on XXXXXXXXX if you have any further queries, or to take us up on our offer to assist you following this unfortunate incident.
When contacting us, please quote our reference number.

Again, the company rang us again this morning and the guy said (amongst other things) “You cannot lose. We will sort everything out at no cost to you”.

So, being a little bit suspicious I spoke to my insurers this morning and they told me “Don’t accept this. We are sending you all the necessary forms”.

So, what I don’t understand is...
Why would this company agree to pay all our costs etc? They don’t even know who’s liable yet. For all they know our vehicle may be a Bentley. It may have no damage. There may be serious casualties (which of course there is not).

Now, I know it’s Christmas and I am fully aware that nothing is free and there is obviously a reasoning behind their offer but I am genuinely baffled at their offer. What does this company get out of this? Who pays them back? What if they fix my van and then it’s decided we were at fault? How did they find out about the accident so quick?

Come on guys... what’s your thoughts? I am obviously missing something really obvious.

gollum007

They likely have dashcam and traker data from the vehicle which hit yours. Many large national fleets will have this sort of thing, and which will auto-upload in the event of an accident. (Our distribution certainly do)


With this in mind, they'll probably already know (most of) the details, and can make a pretty good off the bat call as to whether they'll be paying out.


Letting them handle it is likely to be fine, but there are never any absolute guarantees in this world.


N.B.
Secondary thought-
In a relatively low-ish value claim, arguing over hire costs, fault etc. can quite easily add up to silly money.
Quicker and cheaper in some cases just to payout.

DoaM

If the people calling you were actually the TP's insurer, then they want to do things direct because it minimises their costs. Your insurer wants to handle your side of the claim so they can maximise the claim value and hence increase their profits.

phill99

This is a claims management company, NOT The 3rd party insurers.

Jumblebumble

Aubrey_Thicket wrote: »

Hi all
I am baffled...

Yesterday, a vehicle from a famous National company hit
One of our work vans whilst it was parked up. Our driver and the other driver exchanged details and I was planning on waiting until today to contact our fleet insurer. However, within an hour of the accident yesterday we were contacted by a company by phone. The lady told me she represented a MAJOR insurance company (who were the insurer of the other van). She offered “We will pay all your out of pocket expenses and repair your vehicle”. I replied and said “Wow. That was quick. Has your driver admitted liability already. This was only 2 hours ago”. She said “No. we don’t know of any liability yet but we will pick up all your costs”. I was as baffled as one would imagine and smelled a Rat. Therefore, I said “OK. Please Email me everything you just told me”. Rightly so, within 10 minutes the Email came through. Here it is, with some bits edited out for privacy.

We would ike to offer our services on behalf of XXXXXX Third Party, in order to ensure your claim is dealt with as quickly as possible with minimum inconvenience and no cost to you.
Should we collectively agree to provide our service we can confirm the following service will be provided:
1. No paperwork, simply call our helpline on xxxxxxxxxx and we will do the rest.
2. No charges, no policy excess to pay and the repair cost will be billed direct to XXX.
3. At least 3 year workmanship quality guarantee.
4. Free replacement vehicle whilst your own is off the road. The cost of the replacement vehicle will be billed directly to us which includes insurance cover to match your own whilst you have use of the vehicle. Our daily hire rates are significantly less than the charges that you would personally be liable to pay if you hired from a credit hire company. Our daily rate for a replacement vehicle of a similar make and model as your own would be £26.15. We stress that this is the cost to us – the vehicle will be provided to you free of charge.
5. Free collection and re-delivery of your own vehicle (Except for mobile repairs).
6. No loss of No Claims Discount
7. In the event your vehicle is deemed a Total Loss, our dedicated Total Loss Team will manage the claim, keeping you updated with all developments.
Please note if you do not wish to utilise our repair service we can still provide a replacement like for like vehicle whilst your own is being repaired - that vehicle will be provided on the terms above.
If you have already made other repair / hire arrangements, please pass this letter to your insurers /
representatives as they will need to know that we have made this offer to you. We would also like to
take this opportunity to remind you of your duty to keep your losses at a reasonable level.
If you were injured in the accident please contact us immediately and we will endeavour to assist you.
Please note our offer can be withdrawn at any time, for any reason.
Please contact our Third Party claims helpline on XXXXXXXXX if you have any further queries, or to take us up on our offer to assist you following this unfortunate incident.
When contacting us, please quote our reference number.

Again, the company rang us again this morning and the guy said (amongst other things) “You cannot lose. We will sort everything out at no cost to you”.

So, being a little bit suspicious I spoke to my insurers this morning and they told me “Don’t accept this. We are sending you all the necessary forms”.

So, what I don’t understand is...
Why would this company agree to pay all our costs etc? They don’t even know who’s liable yet. For all they know our vehicle may be a Bentley. It may have no damage. There may be serious casualties (which of course there is not).

Now, I know it’s Christmas and I am fully aware that nothing is free and there is obviously a reasoning behind their offer but I am genuinely baffled at their offer. What does this company get out of this? Who pays them back? What if they fix my van and then it’s decided we were at fault? How did they find out about the accident so quick?

Come on guys... what’s your thoughts? I am obviously missing something really obvious.

Follow you own insurers advice. It is absurd to pay someone and then use someone else
remember you have no contract with someone elses insurance and will not be able to complain to the ombudsman if it goes pear shaped

DoaM

Jumblebumble wrote: »

remember you have no contract with someone elses insurance and will not be able to complain to the ombudsman if it goes pear shaped

Are you sure? I'm sure I've read that here before ... and it was debunked.

Car_54

DoaM wrote: »

Are you sure? I'm sure I've read that here before ... and it was debunked.

I agree with Jumblebumble's interpretation. The FCA Rules (here https://www.handbook.fca.org.uk/handbook/DISP/2/7.html) section 2.7.6(5) say that a complainant must be "a person for whose benefit a contract of insurance was taken out or was intended to be taken out with or through the respondent".

The OP's only contract would be with his own insurer, who would not be the respondent.