Car insurance Hastings direct haven’t collected car!

LisaM1984

If anyone could offer some advice, posting on behalf of a friend so I’ll put as much details as I know. 

Good Friday of this year, my friend was driving on the motorway when his car stopped moving then caught on fire. Being on the Motorway he called AA to help him move the car rather than call his car insurance. AA came out and brought the car back to his home address as this happened early hours of the morning and no garages were open. When he got home he called his insurance company (Hastings direct) he went through the process of making a claim and they told him someone would be in touch, I think a week went past didn’t hear anything so he called they said a company would come out to inspect the car another week went past still nothing called again this time raising a complaint they said they would get in touch with the company they instructed to inspect the car someone finally came out and looked but said they couldn’t do a proper check as they needed to lift the car up.

since then he has heard nothing so he calls back today (Hastings) for them to say they haven’t heard anything from the instructed company and that his complaint was now closed because they sent him £30. 

What can he do? The car is still sitting outside his property unable to move he has fully comprehensive insurance cover but doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere with them and he’s without a car and no idea what  to do. 

[Deleted User]

Ask them for their final statement on the complaint, and then he can escalate it to the FOS. Chances are they will look at it again and do something.

huckster

Mistake for AA to take car to home address ?

Should have been taken to garage, where it could be inspected properly.

Was this really a mechanical issue ? When you say caught on fire ? How much damage ?

 Without more information, difficult to comment further.

LisaM1984

[Deleted User] said:

Ask them for their final statement on the complaint, and then he can escalate it to the FOS. Chances are they will look at it again and do something.

Thank you I will get him to do this. 

LisaM1984

huckster said:

Mistake for AA to take car to home address ?

Should have been taken to garage, where it could be inspected properly.

Was this really a mechanical issue ? When you say caught on fire ? How much damage ?

 Without more information, difficult to comment further.

On AA taking car to the home address, he had no choice it was 6am on Good Friday no garages were open for it to be taken too. 

I’m unsure if it is a mechanical issue as the car hasn’t been inspected the first was underneath the car and without the car being lifted we can’t see how much damage. 

All we know is that he was driving on the M25 when the car started to slow down as in nearly came to a stop pulled over to the hard shoulder and got out when he got out the car underneath was on fire.  

Alderbank

The symptoms you describe sound very much like brake lock-up. The heat produced can be enough to weld the discs onto the calipers. Brake lock-up is almost always the result of driver neglect such as incorrect or insufficient brake fluid or substantially worn or otherwise compromised brake system components.

What sort of policy does he have with Hastings and what is the claim actually for? Has he only recently bought the car and this policy is some kind of warranty?