How do I recover costs from 3rd Party Insurance after claim settles?

aogra

Hi all,

A few months ago I was involved in a small incident - was waiting at the lights, they turned green and the car behind me accelerated straight into the back of my car (apparently they hit the pedal too hard...), result was a cracked bumper. Claim was settled in my favour, and as I do not have legal cover/assistance my insurance company (eSure) gave me a general customer service email address of the 3rd party insurance company (Highway Insurance) and asked me to claim my costs directly from them. My only costs were the excess that I had to pay upfront to repair my car (£300). Any general rule of thumb on what to say/not to say when contacting the 3rd party insurers? what should I expect from them in terms of response / time frame?

[Deleted User]

If the claim was settled in your favour, why have they not paid out yet? Did you say you were claiming for the excess?

aogra

Yes, the way eSure explained it to me was that at the time of repairs, as fault had not been agreed yet I had to pay the excess myself with the hope of claiming it back later on. It is now 'later on' and eSure have recovered all their costs from the 3rd party insurers but as I do not have legal cover with eSure they told me that they do not automatically recover my costs and it's up to me to approach and claim my costs directly from the 3rd party insurers, they would not do it for me - my only costs was the excess I paid. 

DullGreyGuy

Deleted_User said:

If the claim was settled in your favour, why have they not paid out yet? Did you say you were claiming for the excess?

The OP states they didnt have legal expenses cover therefore their insurer recovers their outlay but the OP is on their own in terms of uninsured losses (eg excess). 

Your insurers should be able to give you Highway's claim reference number. In the first instance I would call Highway, explain the situation and ask for them for the best email address to use. You then need to send an email/letter explaining you are the third party and you are reclaiming your uninsured losses in the form of your excess and attach an image or photocopy of your receipt for paying the excess (or insurer's letter showing the excess deducted if it was a total loss). 

Timescales depends very much on the size of backlog... I'd give it 2 weeks before chasing but realistically some insurers have months of backlog. 

aogra

Many thanks, that is great info, will start the ball rolling.