When should I be getting a courtesy car?

PopeSock

Someone hit my car so I've claimed on insurance (the airbags saved me from injury) and it's been taken in for assessment/repair. The insurance company seems to think it's a repair job but their guys haven't confirmed that officially as yet. The garage has, yesterday, sent their assessment to the company.

However, I don't have a courtesy car as yet. I work from home a lot so I've been able to get away without one but I could do with being able to travel. My insurance says I'll get a courtesy car but when I last spoke to the garage they said they wouldn't issue one till the repair had been authorised.

I spoke to the insurance company who have apparently given the garage a nudge - I'll chase the garage later today - and to let them know if I still don't have a car. It's been a while since I had an accident, but am I right thinking I should have had a courtesy car more or less the same day or two mine was picked up? Or is it normal for garages to make customers wait till they've got the nod?

EDIT: Never mind, it's a write-off. Dammit. Please delete this.

DullGreyGuy

PopeSock said:

However, I don't have a courtesy car as yet. I work from home a lot so I've been able to get away without one but I could do with being able to travel. My insurance says I'll get a courtesy car but when I last spoke to the garage they said they wouldn't issue one till the repair had been authorised.

I spoke to the insurance company who have apparently given the garage a nudge - I'll chase the garage later today - and to let them know if I still don't have a car. It's been a while since I had an accident, but am I right thinking I should have had a courtesy car more or less the same day or two mine was picked up? Or is it normal for garages to make customers wait till they've got the nod?

A traditional Courtesy Car is provided by the garage at their expense and only if one is available. They are therefore correct that one is only given if repairs are authorised as if the vehicle is a total loss or stolen/unrecovered there is no car as there is nothing in it for the garage as they dont get paid anything for quoting on the car or storing it etc

Some insurers give you the option to upgrade from a traditional courtesy car to what is basically a hire car (marketing names vary greatly) this means you will always get one but the new downside is that most are capped for how long and if you have a big repair with parts on backorder etc it can mean it has to go back before the repairs are complete.

If it was a non-fault accident you do have two other options... 1) contact the third party insurers and ask them to provide a hire car, if liability isnt an issue and the claims been registered they'll be keen to do so or 2) you could go down the credit hire route by contacting an accident management company but the small minority have horror stories from using these companies.

35har1old

DullGreyGuy said:

PopeSock said:

However, I don't have a courtesy car as yet. I work from home a lot so I've been able to get away without one but I could do with being able to travel. My insurance says I'll get a courtesy car but when I last spoke to the garage they said they wouldn't issue one till the repair had been authorised.

I spoke to the insurance company who have apparently given the garage a nudge - I'll chase the garage later today - and to let them know if I still don't have a car. It's been a while since I had an accident, but am I right thinking I should have had a courtesy car more or less the same day or two mine was picked up? Or is it normal for garages to make customers wait till they've got the nod?

A traditional Courtesy Car is provided by the garage at their expense and only if one is available. They are therefore correct that one is only given if repairs are authorised as if the vehicle is a total loss or stolen/unrecovered there is no car as there is nothing in it for the garage as they dont get paid anything for quoting on the car or storing it etc

Some insurers give you the option to upgrade from a traditional courtesy car to what is basically a hire car (marketing names vary greatly) this means you will always get one but the new downside is that most are capped for how long and if you have a big repair with parts on backorder etc it can mean it has to go back before the repairs are complete.

If it was a non-fault accident you do have two other options... 1) contact the third party insurers and ask them to provide a hire car, if liability isnt an issue and the claims been registered they'll be keen to do so or 2) you could go down the credit hire route by contacting an accident management company but the small minority have horror stories from using these companies.

Some policies State Guaranteed hire car 

DullGreyGuy

35har1old said:

DullGreyGuy said:

PopeSock said:

However, I don't have a courtesy car as yet. I work from home a lot so I've been able to get away without one but I could do with being able to travel. My insurance says I'll get a courtesy car but when I last spoke to the garage they said they wouldn't issue one till the repair had been authorised.

I spoke to the insurance company who have apparently given the garage a nudge - I'll chase the garage later today - and to let them know if I still don't have a car. It's been a while since I had an accident, but am I right thinking I should have had a courtesy car more or less the same day or two mine was picked up? Or is it normal for garages to make customers wait till they've got the nod?

A traditional Courtesy Car is provided by the garage at their expense and only if one is available. They are therefore correct that one is only given if repairs are authorised as if the vehicle is a total loss or stolen/unrecovered there is no car as there is nothing in it for the garage as they dont get paid anything for quoting on the car or storing it etc

Some insurers give you the option to upgrade from a traditional courtesy car to what is basically a hire car (marketing names vary greatly) this means you will always get one but the new downside is that most are capped for how long and if you have a big repair with parts on backorder etc it can mean it has to go back before the repairs are complete.

If it was a non-fault accident you do have two other options... 1) contact the third party insurers and ask them to provide a hire car, if liability isnt an issue and the claims been registered they'll be keen to do so or 2) you could go down the credit hire route by contacting an accident management company but the small minority have horror stories from using these companies.

Some policies State Guaranteed hire car 

Thats a hire car not a traditional courtesy car