Insurance Repair 10 Months So Far

lukerogersuk

Hi All

I had an accident in my TVR back at the beginning of September 2023 damaging the passenger wing and wheel. 1st Central (my insurer) collected the vehicle which then went into storage until they could find a repairer which took quite a while. The car was finally delivered back to me in March 2024, with more damage than when it was collected from me with cracks in the paintwork where they had obviously tried to crowbar open the bonnet, rubs and scratched to the paintwork where someone had obviously knocked it with tools or rubbed it with straps etc. The wheels came back the wrong colour with centre caps and decals missing, the inside of the passenger footwell had wires and the ECU hanging down and the driver footwell had wires hanging down, basically it was a total mess and I was shocked that someone had destroyed my pride and joy. I refused to accept the repairs and got it transported back to the body shop (one and a half hours drive away). Now it is the middle of June and I still don't have my car, 1st Central do not have a direct phone line to their complaints department and they are not replying to the questions in my emails. I haven't shouted at any of the staff on the phone and have been courteous on every call, so now I am wondering if I am able to request payment for the vehicle instead as I cannot see this being resolved any time soon. Does anyone know what my legal rights are and how straightforward it will be to sue them for the cost of the vehicle? I just want to take the cash now and go and buy another car. Also, one other note: I refused a courtesy car at the very beginning as I thought it would be reasonably quick to repair but subsequently, after the car was returned, said that I still wouldn't need one if the repair took a couple of weeks, that was March! I rang first central a couple of weeks back to request a courtesy car now as I am without use of a vehicle and they said they were unable to provide one even though I have this on my cover. So now I have no car, no idea what is happening, no idea when or if I'll get the car back. I have to say 1st Central are the worst car insurance company I have ever dealt with, a huge disappointment.

DullGreyGuy

You are much better off going to the Ombudsman than litigating, for a start the ombudsman is more consumer leaning given they are tasked with finding fair outcomes whereas the courts only apply the strict letter of the law. To access the ombudsman you must first have complained to the company and either 1) got a final response from them or 2) 8 weeks have passed, which ever happens sooner. 

I would double check the terms of your policy, in most cases courtesy cars are subject to availability and not guaranteed unless you've paid an additional fee for hire car cover and even then that may not apply to remediation work. 

Mildly_Miffed

I definitely wouldn't try and throw a "courtesy" car into it. I'm presuming that a TVR is not your only transport, relied on for day-to-day commuting, with you unable to fund your own alternative...? The usual credit hire bill WILL come back to bite you if you try it.

For something as specialist as that, there's no way I'd be using anything but a specialist insurer.

(I thought wires hanging down everywhere was OE for Blackpool...?)