Who to call immediately after an accident - insurer or "assist service" or breakdown cover?

Bikeboy

I'm trying to figure out the relative merits of calling various places after an accident, and I mean immediately after, at the roadside?

Who should I call?

(a) my insurer - Direct Line (comprehensive insurance with 21 days replacement vehicle provision).
(b) Arnold Clark assist (I bought the car from them and I drive mostly in Scotland).
(c) Hyundai Assist (the car is a Hyundai i20, seven years old, so it isn't under warranty.)
(d) my bank who provide breakdown cover (and say they will recover the car if my insurer won't). 

Mostly I would just want things to go smoothly with the minimum hassle, cost and stress. 

Gut feeling is that the assist options would be out to make a buck. But then the insurer could be trying to do it all on the cheap and perhaps get me to pay for things which I might not have to. 

Has anyone had experience of using an Assist-style company? 

Rolandtheroadie

I'd go with your insurer. 
 You would have to look at your T&C's, but my guess is the other 3 will bill your insurer for the recovery any way, as it's an accident, not a breakdown.
 

Sandtree

Bikeboy said:

I'm trying to figure out the relative merits of calling various places after an accident, and I mean immediately after, at the roadside?

Who should I call?

(a) my insurer - Direct Line (comprehensive insurance with 21 days replacement vehicle provision).
(b) Arnold Clark assist (I bought the car from them and I drive mostly in Scotland).
(c) Hyundai Assist (the car is a Hyundai i20, seven years old, so it isn't under warranty.)
(d) my bank who provide breakdown cover (and say they will recover the car if my insurer won't). 

Mostly I would just want things to go smoothly with the minimum hassle, cost and stress. 

Gut feeling is that the assist options would be out to make a buck. But then the insurer could be trying to do it all on the cheap and perhaps get me to pay for things which I might not have to. 

Has anyone had experience of using an Assist-style company? 

You have forgotten to state who is at fault for the accident

a) You are required to call your insurers to inform them of the incident
b) Will be a credit hire company rebadged under the AC brand
c) Will be a credit hire company rebadged under the Hyundai brand
d) Will point out that breakdown after an accident is excluded from a breakdown policy but may be willing to pass sell you to a credit hire company

Credit hire are only interested in non-fault accidents. They will provide a car and repairs on credit with you signing an agreement saying you have to support their attempts to recover their outlay from the third party else become personally liable for the costs. Back in my claims days they typically charged about 3-5 times the cost for hire than we were able to provide ourselves. If you search credit hire you'll find stories of people getting £20,000 hire bills on a Ford Fiesta etc

You are however missing option E which would be to call the third party insurer, again assuming a non-fault accident, and deal with them directly. Can be the least painful option if the third party have informed their insurer of the incident.

All require that you do A as well.

Bigphil1474

OP, I've had 2 non-fault accidents in the last 10 years. Both times I rang my insurers first. The first time (with Zurich I think), they arranged recovery, got me home, the car was written off, and I got the cheque. Didn't hire a car as my brother was a car dealer at the time and lent me a car.
Second time I was with Kwik Fit. They gave the number of a claim handling company, who sorted everything out. Didn't hire a car as we had 2 at the time, (my brother was now a motorbike dealer). Car was also written off. Didn't notice any difference from either route, although the CHC was trying to push me into hiring a car.
Both accidents were rear enders whilst I was stationary, in broad daylight.
I only ring RAC through my bank if I break down.

AdrianC

Bikeboy said:

I'm trying to figure out the relative merits of calling various places after an accident, and I mean immediately after, at the roadside?

Who should I call?

(a) my insurer - Direct Line (comprehensive insurance with 21 days replacement vehicle provision).
(b) Arnold Clark assist (I bought the car from them and I drive mostly in Scotland).
(c) Hyundai Assist (the car is a Hyundai i20, seven years old, so it isn't under warranty.)
(d) my bank who provide breakdown cover (and say they will recover the car if my insurer won't). 

Mostly I would just want things to go smoothly with the minimum hassle, cost and stress. 

Gut feeling is that the assist options would be out to make a buck. But then the insurer could be trying to do it all on the cheap and perhaps get me to pay for things which I might not have to. 

This is a hypothetical scenario, and you aren't actively stood on the verge next to your bent car?

Then I'd personally focus on not bending it in the first place.

Everybody will charge to recover a bent car. You pass that bill to insurance.
The claim ends up costing you nothing or your excess, depending on who's at fault.

The chances are they'll all use the same local subcontractors, who will be there as soon as they can.

Whoever drags the car out of the ditch, you'll get a car funded by your insurer soon enough.

elsien

Having been the person standing at the roadside with a bent car, I now don’t recall how the tow truck to remove the wreck was sorted. I was too shocked to be thinking through your hypothetical scenarios. 

I do recall being stranded at the roadside with my belongings after my car was towed away and had to call a relative to get me home. The police had offered to drop me at work (which was quite a long way from home) but I needed time to retrieve my belongings as the car was a bit of a shed storage wise. 

I think I called the breakdown rather than the insurer, then the insurer when I got home. Either way, it didn’t occur to me to ask how I was meant to get home, and no-one made the offer. 

daveyjp

When my car was hit while parked the Police attended and advised me to call my breakdown service, if I didn't have one they would arrange recovery.

The bill formed part of my claim.

Sandtree

daveyjp said:

When my car was hit while parked the Police attended and advised me to call my breakdown service, if I didn't have one they would arrange recovery.

The bill formed part of my claim.

Whereas most insurers would have done it as part of the claim to avoid you paying and recovering it if the vehicle was undriveable. 

daveyjp

I didn't pay.  I just sent the bill to my insurance company.

foxy-stoat

Just call your insurers, they will arrange it all.  

EssexExile

If Hyundai Assist is anything like Volvo Assist they spout wonderful things in their brochures then when you phone them they offer nothing that you can't get better from your insurer.