Third party insurer agreed to pay my insurer but not hire car firm

Jmoo

So I'm trapped in a position with Churchill saying the third party insurer is paying them for the accident that wasn't my fault. And the hire car firm they signed me up for asking me to sign up for a solicitor because they won't pay their costs.

I don't understand. I'm being asked to fill in multiple forms under the assumption they don't accept liability. 

Yet the third party insurer has accepted liability. So why am I going through all this? 

My insurer are not helping and say it's for me and them to sort

Aretnap

It's possible for them to accept liability for the accident while still disputing the car hire charges - either in full (eg if they think that you didn't actually need a hire car) or in part (eg if they think the daily rate was excessive or that you had the hire car for longer than you needed it).

Credit hire firms do charge very high fees so it's not uncommon for third party insurers to push back on them. Just do what the car hire company is asking and regards it as a dispute between two companies which you're peripherally involved in.

Jmoo

Aretnap said:

It's possible for them to accept liability for the accident while still disputing the car hire charges - either in full (eg if they think that you didn't actually need a hire car) or in part (eg if they think the daily rate was excessive or that you had the hire car for longer than you needed it).

Credit hire firms do charge very high fees so it's not uncommon for third party insurers to push back on them. Just do what the car hire company is asking and regards it as a dispute between two companies which you're peripherally involved in.

Thank you. That's sensible. I only had it two weeks, I even tried to get it back sooner! It was just so many references in the contract to me needing to pay for stuff. I've also had so many questionnaires I've obliged with and still they keep coming. 

BarelySentientAI

Jmoo said:

Aretnap said:

It's possible for them to accept liability for the accident while still disputing the car hire charges - either in full (eg if they think that you didn't actually need a hire car) or in part (eg if they think the daily rate was excessive or that you had the hire car for longer than you needed it).

Credit hire firms do charge very high fees so it's not uncommon for third party insurers to push back on them. Just do what the car hire company is asking and regards it as a dispute between two companies which you're peripherally involved in.

Thank you. That's sensible. I only had it two weeks, I even tried to get it back sooner! It was just so many references in the contract to me needing to pay for stuff. I've also had so many questionnaires I've obliged with and still they keep coming. 

The references are usually saying "if you don't help us fight this, then you'll have to pay instead".

Fill in the paperwork and let them argue.

DullGreyGuy

Jmoo said:

Aretnap said:

It's possible for them to accept liability for the accident while still disputing the car hire charges - either in full (eg if they think that you didn't actually need a hire car) or in part (eg if they think the daily rate was excessive or that you had the hire car for longer than you needed it).

Credit hire firms do charge very high fees so it's not uncommon for third party insurers to push back on them. Just do what the car hire company is asking and regards it as a dispute between two companies which you're peripherally involved in.

Thank you. That's sensible. I only had it two weeks, I even tried to get it back sooner! It was just so many references in the contract to me needing to pay for stuff. I've also had so many questionnaires I've obliged with and still they keep coming. 

Liability is one thing, quantum (amount) is another. Just because someone accepts they are liable for an accident doesn't mean you can claim millions from them. Not only that but you have a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to mitigate your losses (ie minimise what they have to pay out). 

Insurers generally have inter-company ageements to broadly trust each other on their own claim costs. Credit Hire, which is sounds like you had, does have the ABI GTA but only certain insurers and hire companies are signed up to it and even if both are still some will dispute duration of hire etc. 

You just need to support their recovery attempts, as long as you do then you aren't liable for the costs even if they can't get back the full invoice value. If you refuse then you become liable for the costs.