At fault parking accident followed by total write-off by other driver 3 days later - options now.

simple-living-ma

Hi everyone

Just last week I was comparing car insurance as mine was up for renewal next week!

I would have had 6 years no claims, with one non-fault accident in 2019 (another driver reversed into me at speed at a petrol station and I couldn't go anywhere as there was a line of cars behind, their insurance fixed the damage) and my quotes were coming at under 200 for the year.

Sadly, on Thursday, I idiotically dented and scraped my car on a parking pillar.  It's a 2014 Dacia Logan with low mileage and was due to be fixed privately. However I had told my insurer I didn't want to claim anything from them as the damage wasn't worth it and the post was undamaged, but they have still removed my no claims discount (I was just about to achieve my 6th year) in case the Council want to make a claim for the already crooked, old and rusty pillar, they have to leave it open for 12 months and then I will get my no claims back.  I work for this Council and already told the Clerk of Works I scraped the post, who said it wasn't worth mentioning - I might be able to get them to put something in writing confirming they don't want to pursue a claim, would this reinstate my no claims discount?

Anyway, to make it worse, whilst parked on the street yesterday morning, another driver has hit my car, buckled the wheels, damaged the wing, door and underneath making it a write-off.  The driver has admitted fault.  We have the same insurer (First Central).

First Central have offered me 3600 for my car, which I think is fair.  I can't see any for this price online, but I only bought it 2 months ago, for around the same price and I remember at the time there were a few - I'm sure one would come up.

I could also have taken 2500 and take the car back, and had it fixed locally for under 1500 as my friend owns a garage and bodyshop, normally this would have been my preferred option but there seems to be too many complications.  How to transport the car back to my local area for a start (insurance recovered it put it in storage 90 miles away where I was visiting my boyfriend) and how long I would be left with no car at all whilst it needs repairs? Then I would also lose our booked family holiday on Friday (to the Highlands, we need the car, my son is disabled and public transport isn't viable).

I get a hire car for 7 days from accepting settlement, problem being I'm going away on Friday to the Highlands, far away! So won't be able to return the car until Friday 2nd July - this is likely to be over 7 days from settlement so will I have to pay the extra hire days?  When I got a quote myself to hire another estate it was coming up at over £1k per week!  It looks like the insurance have already deemed me to have accepted the first payment of 3600 as they have emailed the details over "as we agreed" and told me to inform DVLA I no longer have the car.  I did tell them I was happy with the valuation they had given for the car.

Also, I've just redone my renewal quotes with the incidents added and they are coming up at almost 200 a year more expensive now and that;s without the breakdown and legal cover etc. I had before  just the bare minimum! How long is this likely to last?  Even reinstating the no claims discount (presuming someone at the council will write a letter to say they dont want to claim) it's still 125 per year more expensive - I'm guessing there's nothing I can do about this?

BOWFER

Well the first part of your post is something I've been saying for years.
If I intended to just sort out damage myself, I would never tell my insurance.

Car_54

BOWFER said:

Well the first part of your post is a lesson for all and something I've been saying for years.
If you intend to just sort out damage yourself, never tell your insurance.

Incitement or encouragement to commit fraud is an offence under the Serious Crimes Act 2007. 10 years ...

BOWFER

[Deleted User] said:

BOWFER said:

Well the first part of your post is a lesson for all and something I've been saying for years.
If you intend to just sort out damage yourself, never tell your insurance.

Incitement or encouragement to commit fraud is an offence under the Serious Crimes Act 2007. 10 years ...

My post has been amended to reflect my opinion and not to encourage others.

prowla

You've been caught by the games insurers play; next time you build up an NCB, you should also pay for it to be protected.

I recently had a repair done to my car for damage done to it whilst it was legally parked and unattended; they've marked it "at fault", which apparently means "third party not identified but we have to blame somebody". (Fortunately, my NCB was protected, but they may still put up the premium anyway on next renewal.)

Jenni_D

Did you pay for the repair or did the insurers pay? If the latter then the "at fault" marker is correct - they've suffered a loss. If you paid then setting an "at fault" marker is disingenuous as they've suffered no loss; it should merely be a "notification" marker.

simple-living-ma

At the moment it's "at fault" until the Council confirm they don't want to claim for repairing the undamaged pole (they won't, but finding someone who isn't working from home to come and look at it and put it in writing that its ok might be a nightmare) when they will move it to just a notification and apparently I get my no claims discount back then?

But with this and another driver writing off my car (it was parked, and their insurance is paying) i've gone from under 200 for renewal with legal cover and courtesy car, to now almost 400 with no legal cover or courtesy car and a doubled excess (that's the cheapest with a different insurer on a comparison website)

Jenni_D

Add your increased premiums for the next 5 years* due to the incident as part of your uninsured losses for the third party to pay? (Same as you'd recover your excess from them if they've accepted liability).

* If it's increased by £200 now, assume you'll pay, say, £500 extra over the next 5 years in increased premiums vs what you'd normally pay.

DB1904

Jenni_D said:

Add your increased premiums for the next 5 years* due to the incident as part of your uninsured losses for the third party to pay? (Same as you'd recover your excess from them if they've accepted liability).

* If it's increased by £200 now, assume you'll pay, say, £500 extra over the next 5 years in increased premiums vs what you'd normally pay.

How would the op know what increase is applicable? They have three accidents to declare one of which they are clearly at fault for. The latest accident isn't the only factor increasing future premiums. 

Sandtree

DB1904 said:

Jenni_D said:

Add your increased premiums for the next 5 years* due to the incident as part of your uninsured losses for the third party to pay? (Same as you'd recover your excess from them if they've accepted liability).

* If it's increased by £200 now, assume you'll pay, say, £500 extra over the next 5 years in increased premiums vs what you'd normally pay.

How would the op know what increase is applicable? They have three accidents to declare one of which they are clearly at fault for. The latest accident isn't the only factor increasing future premiums. 

You don't and thats why as a claims handler I'd be turning down the claim back in my day. This is especially true in this case given they have a fault accident in the same timeframe and that not the non-fault will be the one driving the premium increase compounded by the two close together.

The OP has only played with reinstating their NCD and not with changing what the first incident was... to some insurers it won't matter if its a claim or not its a fault incident so premium load; others don't consider blame so much in unclaimed incidents and so it would have a more neutral impact. Here in lies the problem again that the OP will not be able to disentangle the two incidents for this years renewal let alone a prediction for the renewal in 3-4 years time.