My Car Has Been Written Off In Arson Attack - Is There Any Support?

saajan_12

sperre said:

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My question is, does anyone know where I sit with sourcing compensation for criminal damage? From the police? Motor Insurance Board?

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Surely there must be some financial support in this scenario as I'm struggling to sleep and I'm also out of pocket by about £35,000 with no car and I'm self-employed in an industry where travel is essential.

Gosh sounds very shocking, sorry to hear this. The people responsible for the crime are the arsonists - not the fault of the police or insurance board. You could sue the arsonists for the damages you suffered - namely the value of your car and some interim costs to get around for the initial few days. 

However notwithstanding the valuation difference, it sounds like the insurer is covering most of that. If they do cover a more reasonable valuation and costs, then you are made hole and no longer out of pocket. That £[33]k was depreciation over the last 11 years so it was already lost before the fire. 

elsien

sperre said:

elsien said:

I am struggling to see why you think you’ve got a £40,000 car and the insurance company thinks it’s only worth 6000. 

Where does your £40,000 figure come from?

The car was £40,000 in 2014 when I bought it. There is only one or two similar cars to mine available in the UK at the moment with the same make, model and mileage. They're listed for £7,500 - £9,500.

I've requested a revaluation from my insurance company and contested their figure but my car was in excellent condition and cost me £40,000 (approx).

If I were to buy a similar car brand new again it would cost me £40,000 - £60,000. 

The point here is not necessarily determining the value of my car but the fact that a crime has taken place, the police have been mostly unresponsive and I now I'm at a huge loss with no car due to no fault of my own and I cannot afford to buy a new one.

 Your car may have cost 40,000 but it’s not worth it now. And there are much cheaper secondhand cars on the market if you can’t afford to replace yours with new.

People are referencing the value of the car because you keep saying that you’ve lost 34K when you haven’t - you’ve had 11 years worth of value from your car which depreciated the minure it left the forecourt.

Yes if I were you, I would be extremely miffed that my well looked after car has been written off, but if you are hoping that going to court will give you much more than you’ve been offered, I think you’re clutching at straws. 

vacheron

sperre said:

elsien said:

sperre said:

elsien said:

I am struggling to see why you think you’ve got a £40,000 car and the insurance company thinks it’s only worth 6000. 

Where does your £40,000 figure come from?

The car was £40,000 in 2014 when I bought it. There is only one or two similar cars to mine available in the UK at the moment with the same make, model and mileage. They're listed for £7,500 - £9,500.

I've requested a revaluation from my insurance company and contested their figure but my car was in excellent condition and cost me £40,000 (approx).

If I were to buy a similar car brand new again it would cost me £40,000 - £60,000. 

The point here is not necessarily determining the value of my car but the fact that a crime has taken place, the police have been mostly unresponsive and I now I'm at a huge loss with no car due to no fault of my own and I cannot afford to buy a new one.

 Your car may have cost 40,000 but it’s not worth it now. And there are much cheaper secondhand cars on the market if you can’t afford to replace yours with new.

People are referencing the value of the car because you keep saying that you’ve lost 34K when you haven’t - you’ve had 11 years worth of value from your car which depreciated the minure it left the forecourt.

Yes if I were you, I would be extremely miffed that my well looked after car has been written off, but if you are hoping that going to court will give you much more than you’ve been offered, I think you’re clutching at straws. 

Let me reiterate that I have come here asking for advice on any further support beyond my insurance pay out.

I have no expectation of £40,000 from my insurer. I am aware of depreciation and I am not asking to be unnecessarily criticised by people nit picking moot details.

My question was if there is any additional support, which has mostly been answered as no beyond personally suing the culprit(s) of the crime.

I am quite shocked by forumites attitude and negative, critical and borderline attacking responses. I came here for help, guidance and support. A sign of the social turmoil the UK is currently in, perhaps.

Had your first post been worded slighlty differently then I feel you would have got the answers you were looking for. Many responders read the first post only and post their immediate thoughts based on this.

Your comments of "my £40,000 car is destroyed" and "I am out of pocket by £35,000" are the parts that stand out as needing to be corrected. That was certainly my original take away.

Had these not been included, the replies would not have been so out of keeping with the actual responses you were looking for (which I agree you did repeatedly clarify in your later posts, but not everyone reads the whole thread).

born_again

Would suggest OP has a read of these links. Google is a great tool at getting to the point.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/criminal-injuries-compensation-a-guide

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/what-you-can-do/compensation/

Of course this all depends on catching the people involved & then having the funds to pay the OP.

sperre

born_again said:

Would suggest OP has a read of these links. Google is a great tool at getting to the point.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/criminal-injuries-compensation-a-guide

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/what-you-can-do/compensation/

Of course this all depends on catching the people involved & then having the funds to pay the OP.

Thank you. These are the kind of things I was looking for. Victim support were useless. I asked for help and they told me they can't do anything for the stress, anxiety and potential PTSD from the incident. They told me to speak to my GP.

I will research the criminal compensation guide. Thank you!

Brie

Yes - your GP is the first port of call for anything for stress etc.  Beyond that you could look to local self help groups - you might find something via a local FB group or through NextDoor or simply googling victim support naming your general location.  

Beyond that let me wish you an uneventful time in the future to give you time to recover.  And congratulations on the wedding - it's a lot all at once!

marcia_

sperre said:

born_again said:

Would suggest OP has a read of these links. Google is a great tool at getting to the point.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/criminal-injuries-compensation-a-guide

https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/help-and-support/what-you-can-do/compensation/

Of course this all depends on catching the people involved & then having the funds to pay the OP.

Thank you. These are the kind of things I was looking for. Victim support were useless. I asked for help and they told me they can't do anything for the stress, anxiety and potential PTSD from the incident. They told me to speak to my GP.

I will research the criminal compensation guide. Thank you!

 Criminal injuries wont be an option to you. It is available to individuals who have been victims of crimes that have sustained personal injury. Cars being damaged don't qualify