Tesco driver crashed into our garden wall

Beenie

Driver gave us a claim form and said Tesco insurers were very good and prompt with claims. 

Has anyone had dealings with them and can say if driver is correct? In our experience insurance companies can drag their feet and try all sorts of get-outs. Husband took lots of photos of the damage and the damage to his van at rear.

Tony5896

I have had Tesco insurance twice and had to claim twice, first time I was paid out in full on the 6th day from reporting the claim, the second I needed to provide details that no suitable car was available for the price they offered but still all sorted within two weeks.

I would say they are the best insurance I have had so far .

kipperman

Tony5896 said:

I have had Tesco insurance twice and had to claim twice, first time I was paid out in full on the 6th day from reporting the claim, the second I needed to provide details that no suitable car was available for the price they offered but still all sorted within two weeks.

I would say they are the best insurance I have had so far .

Does the OP not mean whatever insurance company Tesco uses for its delivery vans? Years ago had a Sainsbury's van hit my car, and despite being given the same  "this won't be a problem" speel they were no better than any other insurance company at resolving. 

turnitround

I'd question hw the driver would knw how fast the insurance act.

Keep_pedalling

turnitround said:

I'd question hw the driver would knw how fast the insurance act.

Maybe he regular knocks down people’s walls 😆

MorningcoffeeIV

Beenie said:

 In our experience insurance companies can drag their feet and try all sorts of get-outs. 

It sounds like you're suffering from a touch of paranoia.

It'll be fine. Don't worry about things that haven't happened.

Smithcom

Beenie said:

Driver gave us a claim form and said Tesco insurers were very good and prompt with claims. 

Has anyone had dealings with them and can say if driver is correct? In our experience insurance companies can drag their feet and try all sorts of get-outs. Husband took lots of photos of the damage and the damage to his van at rear.

Sorry to hear about this accident.  Hopefully, will be sorted without too much fuss.   Just bear in mind:

1.  Claim should be reported to home insurance, even if for information only.  You are required with most insurers to declare all claims/losses if if no claim being made.

2.  If you claim through Tescos (as opposed to own insurance), you will not have access to complaints process/FOS in the event of a problem.

3.  There can be differences in Tescos financial legal liability for the damage to the wall, compared to the cover that you would receive under your home insurance.   Hopefully, shouldn't become a reality.   But it's possible.

If it's a fairly small claim, personally, I would let Tescos crack on.    If it was larger or more complex, you may need to be careful that you dont encounter a problem, but are beyond the point of involving your own insurer.

Hope you get it sorted

SC

Beenie

Smithcom, what is FOS please? And why do we need to let our home insurance company know? I know you need to do it this with motor insurance even if it's not your fault but this is a commercial company whose employee has damaged a retaining wall whilst reversing carelessly. It's hardly likely to happen again we hope.

Aretnap

Beenie said:

Smithcom, what is FOS please?

FOS = Financial Ombudsman Service. They adjudicate on complaints you make about the way your own insurance company has treated you as a customer, at no cost (to you). However they have no juristiction over disputes you have with a third party's insurance company - so if you try to claim from the Tesco driver's insurance company and can't come to an amicable agreement with them, your only recourse is to take them to court.

Beenie said:

And why do we need to let our home insurance company know? I know you need to do it this with motor insurance even if it's not your fault but this is a commercial company whose employee has damaged a retaining wall whilst reversing carelessly. It's hardly likely to happen again we hope.

The short answer to that is that if your home insurer asks you about something then you have to answer the question truthfully - you're not allowed to leave things out just because you don't personally think that they're relevant. Many insurers require you to declare any incidents which might have led to a claim even if there wasn't an actual claim - it dosn't necessarily mean that they'll adjust your premium as a result, but failing to declare it when asked could land you in trouble next time you make a claim. (In theory this would mean you had to declare every minor breakage or lost item of clothing, obviously nobody actually does that, but a demolished wall and a claim from another insurer is harder to keep secret in future than a broken wine glass.)

As Smithcom alludes to there are advantages to claiming through your own home insurance policy in any event. An obvious one is that if extensive repairs or a complete rebuild is needed, the third party insurer only has to offer you what is required under liability law and won't necessarily pay the full cost of the rebuilding. If the wall was old or in poor condition already they would be entitled to make a deduction to reflect the fact that you are having your old knackered wall replaced with a brand new wall. Whereas if you claim from your own insurer your rights are defined by what your policy says - which will usually mean that they'll pay the full cost of repairs, even if the wall was old and a bit shabby.

(By a similar token, if the driver had destroyed goods like garden furniture, most home insurance policies would replace them on a new for old basis. However the third party's insurer would only be liable for the second hand valus of the goods - so there would be an obvious advantage to using your own policy).

Obviously this is less of an issue if the damage was only a minor crack, but it's something to consider when deciding how best to proceed.

Smithcom

Aretnap said:

Beenie said:

Smithcom, what is FOS please?

FOS = Financial Ombudsman Service. They adjudicate on complaints you make about the way your own insurance company has treated you as a customer, at no cost (to you). However they have no juristiction over disputes you have with a third party's insurance company - so if you try to claim from the Tesco driver's insurance company and can't come to an amicable agreement with them, your only recourse is to take them to court.

Beenie said:

And why do we need to let our home insurance company know? I know you need to do it this with motor insurance even if it's not your fault but this is a commercial company whose employee has damaged a retaining wall whilst reversing carelessly. It's hardly likely to happen again we hope.

The short answer to that is that if your home insurer asks you about something then you have to answer the question truthfully - you're not allowed to leave things out just because you don't personally think that they're relevant. Many insurers require you to declare any incidents which might have led to a claim even if there wasn't an actual claim - it dosn't necessarily mean that they'll adjust your premium as a result, but failing to declare it when asked could land you in trouble next time you make a claim. (In theory this would mean you had to declare every minor breakage or lost item of clothing, obviously nobody actually does that, but a demolished wall and a claim from another insurer is harder to keep secret in future than a broken wine glass.)

As Smithcom alludes to there are advantages to claiming through your own home insurance policy in any event. An obvious one is that if extensive repairs or a complete rebuild is needed, the third party insurer only has to offer you what is required under liability law and won't necessarily pay the full cost of the rebuilding. If the wall was old or in poor condition already they would be entitled to make a deduction to reflect the fact that you are having your old knackered wall replaced with a brand new wall. Whereas if you claim from your own insurer your rights are defined by what your policy says - which will usually mean that they'll pay the full cost of repairs, even if the wall was old and a bit shabby.

(By a similar token, if the driver had destroyed goods like garden furniture, most home insurance policies would replace them on a new for old basis. However the third party's insurer would only be liable for the second hand valus of the goods - so there would be an obvious advantage to using your own policy).

Obviously this is less of an issue if the damage was only a minor crack, but it's something to consider when deciding how best to proceed.

This is a super summary, and more comprehensive than my post.

SC

Smithcom

Beenie said:

Smithcom, what is FOS please? And why do we need to let our home insurance company know? I know you need to do it this with motor insurance even if it's not your fault but this is a commercial company whose employee has damaged a retaining wall whilst reversing carelessly. It's hardly likely to happen again we hope.

Beenie said:

Smithcom, what is FOS please? And why do we need to let our home insurance company know? I know you need to do it this with motor insurance even if it's not your fault but this is a commercial company whose employee has damaged a retaining wall whilst reversing carelessly. It's hardly likely to happen again we hope.

Aretnap has answered your questions very comprehensively, but just to add:

- You wont need to disclose this loss, if an insurer only wants to know about claims against your policy..
- In reality, almost all insurers ask about claims or losses.  In which case, disclosure will be required.

The reason that insurers ask is because, just because no claim was made, doesn't mean that the (theoretical) risk profile doesn't change following a loss.  

In a very extreme example, if someone with no insurance was burgled on one/ten occasions, insurers would absolutely want to know about if, because they may feel that it affects their underwriting for the future.  Past claims record is not necessarily the correct measure for future claims risk.   Insurers underwrite based not just on record, but on risk also.

Anyway, regardless of one's feelings on this matter, if an insurer asks about losses (as well as claims), they would expect said wall incident to be disclosed.

SC