Advice after van accident please

confused.com2

A little update to this story, been a stressful nightmare!
I did inform my insurance and spent an hour explaining the details and answering questions. They then said I can either take it through them or can be passed to another company as I wasn't at fault and my insurance wouldn't be affected and nothing to pay. 

So I took the second option and was put through to somebody else with more explaining! Turns out my insurance company have passed me to a claims managers company! Then they said I shouldn't have told my insurance! Ehhh? This point I'm confused, never had any sort of accident before never dealt with insurance.
So more questions, sent photographs and maps and they were satisfied the other driver will take liability. After seeing the photos they said they weren't happy me driving the van and they'd organise a hire van. My van was fine to drive, locked, no sharpe parts etc. Yet they said my van would be taken to be checked so a hire van seemed essential. Van turns up same day, nobody comes to take my van so I've got 2 now! They seemed very keen to get me in a hire van. Talked to me twice about injuries, told them
twice I'm fine! At this point I just want my van fixing, that seems too cheap and easy though! No idea how this claim company make money and feel uneasy about the whole situation!

Aretnap

confused.com2 said:

A little update to this story, been a stressful nightmare!
I did inform my insurance and spent an hour explaining the details and answering questions. They then said I can either take it through them or can be passed to another company as I wasn't at fault and my insurance wouldn't be affected and nothing to pay. 

So I took the second option and was put through to somebody else with more explaining! Turns out my insurance company have passed me to a claims managers company! Then they said I shouldn't have told my insurance! Ehhh? This point I'm confused, never had any sort of accident before never dealt with insurance.
So more questions, sent photographs and maps and they were satisfied the other driver will take liability. After seeing the photos they said they weren't happy me driving the van and they'd organise a hire van. My van was fine to drive, locked, no sharpe parts etc. Yet they said my van would be taken to be checked so a hire van seemed essential. Van turns up same day, nobody comes to take my van so I've got 2 now! They seemed very keen to get me in a hire van. Talked to me twice about injuries, told them
twice I'm fine! At this point I just want my van fixing, that seems too cheap and easy though! No idea how this claim company make money and feel uneasy about the whole situation!

The claim company make money by offering you a hire van at a rate which most people would class as somewhere between "expensive" and "outrageous", then claiming the hire fees on your behalf from the third party insurer. That's why they are so keen to get you into a hire van, and also why they are not breaking their necks to repair yours (the longer it takes to repair yours, within reason, the more they can claim from the third party insurer).

From your point of view there is little risk. You may read internet horror stories of people being billed themselves for the hire costs - they are mostly rubbish as the hire company takes on the risk that they will not be able to make full recovery from the third party insurer. However do be aware that you may have to assist then with the process of claiming their costs, which may include things like signing court papers, giving evidence of your financial circumstances to show that you could not have afforded to pay the hire costs up front yourself, or if necessary appearing in court to give evidence about the accident (unusual but not unknown).

confused.com2

Aretnap said:

confused.com2 said:

A little update to this story, been a stressful nightmare!
I did inform my insurance and spent an hour explaining the details and answering questions. They then said I can either take it through them or can be passed to another company as I wasn't at fault and my insurance wouldn't be affected and nothing to pay. 

So I took the second option and was put through to somebody else with more explaining! Turns out my insurance company have passed me to a claims managers company! Then they said I shouldn't have told my insurance! Ehhh? This point I'm confused, never had any sort of accident before never dealt with insurance.
So more questions, sent photographs and maps and they were satisfied the other driver will take liability. After seeing the photos they said they weren't happy me driving the van and they'd organise a hire van. My van was fine to drive, locked, no sharpe parts etc. Yet they said my van would be taken to be checked so a hire van seemed essential. Van turns up same day, nobody comes to take my van so I've got 2 now! They seemed very keen to get me in a hire van. Talked to me twice about injuries, told them
twice I'm fine! At this point I just want my van fixing, that seems too cheap and easy though! No idea how this claim company make money and feel uneasy about the whole situation!

The claim company make money by offering you a hire van at a rate which most people would class as somewhere between "expensive" and "outrageous", then claiming the hire fees on your behalf from the third party insurer. That's why they are so keen to get you into a hire van, and also why they are not breaking their necks to repair yours (the longer it takes to repair yours, within reason, the more they can claim from the third party insurer).

From your point of view there is little risk. You may read internet horror stories of people being billed themselves for the hire costs - they are mostly rubbish as the hire company takes on the risk that they will not be able to make full recovery from the third party insurer. However do be aware that you may have to assist then with the process of claiming their costs, which may include things like signing court papers, giving evidence of your financial circumstances to show that you could not have afforded to pay the hire costs up front yourself, or if necessary appearing in court to give evidence about the accident (unusual but not unknown).

Blimey, thank you very much.
They certainly didn't explain me possibly going to court or showing any financial circumstances! I could have afforded a hire van, that wasn't something I was asked, just whether I needed one and yes I do to do my job. I'm half tempted to call tomorrow to cancel the hire van, seems excessive when mine is perfectly drivable, they really were very keen to get me in a hire van. I've a strong feeling they won't take my van and will just say it's financially not viable to fix it from the pictures I've sent and then hopefully I'll buy it back. But as you say how long will they want me to keep this hire van, drag their feet on making a decision on mine if that's how they make money! No wonder insurance is so expensive!

Aretnap

If you've already got the hire van then you're probably committed to going down the credit hire route tbh. If you turn around and say "actually I don't need it after all" that makes it harder for them to claim the hire costs on your behalf (because you can only claim for a replacement vehicle if you actually need one), and if you make it more difficult to reclaim their costs that's one of the few scenarios where you can end up with the bill yourself (at least for the time you've already had it).

confused.com2

Aretnap said:

If you've already got the hire van then you're probably committed to going down the credit hire route tbh. If you turn around and say "actually I don't need it after all" that makes it harder for them to claim the hire costs on your behalf (because you can only claim for a replacement vehicle if you actually need one), and if you make it more difficult to reclaim their costs that's one of the few scenarios where you can end up with the bill yourself (at least for the time you've already had it).

Thanks. Best keep it then! Does say there is a 14 day cancellation, I'm just thinking about costs and currently having 2 vans sat outside seems excessive.