Non fault accident write off

robdex1

Someone went in to the back of my car and the bumper is damaged and also minor damage to the boot. Spoke to my insurers and they are saying it is a write off. They gave me two options;

1. Cash for salvage so they give me the market value of the car before the accident which she said is around £2100 but can change but then they take the car.
2. Speak to the 3rd party insurance and ask for cash in lieu for the repair.

 My local garage has said its around £1500 to repair and it's a 57 Honda Jazz 65k miles so they might have undervalued it slightly. I don't want to get rid of the car but how do I go about contacting the 3rd party to get them to pay, not really sure what to ask for and what of they refuse?

TELLIT01

'Minor damage to the boot' may not be as minor as you think.  The boot is a crumple zone designed to absorb the impact.  If the boot floor has been deformed the entire floor may have to be replaced which explains why the insurer has written it off.

robdex1

TELLIT01 said:

'Minor damage to the boot' may not be as minor as you think.  The boot is a crumple zone designed to absorb the impact.  If the boot floor has been deformed the entire floor may have to be replaced which explains why the insurer has written it off.

Yeah I'm not really denying it's a write off, although they just told me from looking at the pictures, nobody has assessed the damage. I'm more looking for advice on why they are telling me to ask the 3rd party insurance for cash in lieu is this a standard thing and if so how do I go about it

DullGreyGuy

robdex1 said:

TELLIT01 said:

'Minor damage to the boot' may not be as minor as you think.  The boot is a crumple zone designed to absorb the impact.  If the boot floor has been deformed the entire floor may have to be replaced which explains why the insurer has written it off.

Yeah I'm not really denying it's a write off, although they just told me from looking at the pictures, nobody has assessed the damage. I'm more looking for advice on why they are telling me to ask the 3rd party insurance for cash in lieu is this a standard thing and if so how do I go about it

You can speak to your insurers about retaining the salvage and so you get the market value but they deduct from that what their scrap merchant would have paid them for the car. You can then repair it and continue to use it if you want. Some insurers dont allow this option because of their commercial arrangement with their salvage agent

Many do decide to claim off the third party insurer but thats normally to avoid paying their excess or because they think it will have less impact on their premiums. The third party should have given you their insurance details so you can find the telephone number online (make sure it is the insurer, some accident management company place ads on search terms for claims) and explain to them you are the third party and wish to claim directly. Assuming the TP has reported the incident and there is no issues with indemnity or liability then most insurers will be happy to deal with you directly. 

downshifted

Can I leap on your thread and ask how long it was for you to get to this stage? Our accident was 6 weeks ago tomorrow and we have heard nothing from the third party insurers yet. 

We were offered the same options as you, decided to stick with going through the insurance rather than involve another third party (the AA had already passed us to AX) and now there’s a deathly silence

our car is also written off, it would just be nice to get an offer. The way insurance works these days is really confusing, you get passed from pillar to post, years ago the insurers just sorted it out between them

DullGreyGuy

downshifted said:

Can I leap on your thread and ask how long it was for you to get to this stage? Our accident was 6 weeks ago tomorrow and we have heard nothing from the third party insurers yet. 

We were offered the same options as you, decided to stick with going through the insurance rather than involve another third party (the AA had already passed us to AX) and now there’s a deathly silence

our car is also written off, it would just be nice to get an offer. The way insurance works these days is really confusing, you get passed from pillar to post, years ago the insurers just sorted it out between them

Its better to start your own thread really as otherwise the two of you will get confused who each response is directed at.

Claims timelines vary massively, it depends a lot who the companies involved are and how long the chain is. The AA for example that you call your "insurer" is a broker not an insurer. They may or may not have delegated authority from the insurer to handle the claim. 

If it was a non-fault accident a broker is more likely to pass you to an accident management company as it generates extra revenue for them, some direct insurers do the same though, particularly Admiral Group. 

How your claim will progress will depend on whos dealing with it. Assuming its being handled under your policy then the AA or your insurer will put an offer to you. I'd have expected it to be much sooner than 6 weeks... our target in my claims days was 1 week... but some run lean to keep costs down. 

If you are dealing with an accident management company they will commission an independent engineer to inspect the vehicle which will value it and that value then is passed to the third party insurer to agree/come up with their own value. Normally you'd be in a credit hire car during this time and so there is no motivation for the accident management company to chase things through because your racking up £100+ per day in hire fees for them. 

scrappycars

Starting your own thread is recommended to avoid confusion regarding which response is directed at whom. The timelines for claims can vary significantly depending on the companies involved and the length of the chain. The AA, which you refer to as your "insurer," is actually a broker and may or may not have the authority to handle the claim on behalf of the insurer.

In the case of a non-fault accident, a broker is more likely to refer you to an accident management company, as it generates additional revenue for them. Some direct insurers, such as the Admiral Group, may also do the same. The progression of your claim will depend on who is handling it. Assuming it is being handled under your policy, the AA or your insurer will make an offer to you. It is typically expected that the offer would be made much sooner than six weeks, as the target in claims is usually one week, but some may run lean to keep costs down.

If you are working with an accident management company, they will commission an independent engineer to inspect the vehicle and provide a valuation. This valuation is then sent to the third-party insurer for agreement or for them to come up with their own value. During this period, you would normally be in a credit hire car, and there would be no motivation for the accident management company to expedite the process, as you would be accumulating high hire fees.