Unresolved claim affecting insurance price

gem_b

Hi

I'm just looking for some advice please. My daughter has been driving for coming up to 3 years now and in June 2022, a lady reversed into her in a supermarket car park. There was very minimal damage and the lady admitted at the time that she was at fault (they were both reversing at the same time but my daughter had seen her and stopped while she carried on going). Anyway, the lady said she didn't want to go through insurance due to the damage being very small - scratches etc. 

Next thing my daughter had a call from her insurance to say the lady had made a claim and wasn't admitting being at fault. She explained her side and I believe had to send in some info etc but never heard anything back, I think the last she heard they were waiting for the lady to get back to the insurance company.

This is coming up to 2 years ago now, my daughter hasn't heard anything since and as far as i'm aware this must mean the lady never responded. However, it is seriously impacting her insurance cost, she should be at 3 years no claims this time but because of this claim her insurance is coming up at ridiculous prices.

Does anyone have any advice as to what she can do? it seems very unfair that the claim was never actioned or resolved but is still impacting her renewal price, but I don't really have much experience or understanding of how it works. She called the insurance company this time last year when she renewed but didn't get anywhere with them.

Thanks in advance

DullGreyGuy

She needs to speak to her insurers at the time, typically insurers will keep a file open for 6 months awaiting further advices from the third party and then close the claim down if there aren't any. They won't have kept it open for almost 2 years with no correspondence 

gem_b

She did that last year but didn't get anywhere with them, maybe this year if she tries again she might get someone more helpful!

cw8825

gem_b said:

She did that last year but didn't get anywhere with them, maybe this year if she tries again she might get someone more helpful!

has she only tried twice?

As above its unlikely that a claim has been left open for this amount of time

sheslookinhot

She may be able to review the claim status if she has on-line access to her insurance policy.

tifo

This has been normal practise in the (vehicle) insurance industry, i.e. a claim is 'at fault' until it's resolved and one of the insurers has received FULL payment from the other. Until then it has to be declared as an open claim and affects premiums. You are then meant to receive the difference when the claim is resolved but in reality this does not happen.

DullGreyGuy

tifo said:
You are then meant to receive the difference when the claim is resolved but in reality this does not happen.

It depends, if you have renewed with a direct insurer or an intermediary with underwriting authority it can happen automatically, we certainly used to do it. If you've switched insurer or cancelled and bought from the same insurer again then there is no automatic mechanism for the old insurer to tell your new insurers of the resolution... remember it would have to be every insurer you are a policyholder of or named driver etc. 

tifo

DullGreyGuy said:

tifo said:
You are then meant to receive the difference when the claim is resolved but in reality this does not happen.

It depends, if you have renewed with a direct insurer or an intermediary with underwriting authority it can happen automatically, we certainly used to do it. If you've switched insurer or cancelled and bought from the same insurer again then there is no automatic mechanism for the old insurer to tell your new insurers of the resolution... remember it would have to be every insurer you are a policyholder of or named driver etc. 

This is the problem and why most people don't bother hence extra money for insurers, and they all know exactly what's going on.