Motor Insurance Claim - This can't be right !!!

SAVNICOTRA

Reason for the premium to have increased by 100% was due to the level of repairs , I've just been informed by a well known motorist group and apparently there is a task force in place fighting this ...  It's appalling that this is being allowed and accepted !! 

Nasqueron

SAVNICOTRA said:

Really do appreciate the responses , thank you.  However, I know for a fact that it was just a small knock and really no damage at all . I understand the bumper situation and also hidden damage , but in this case there really wasn't any.  What I don't understand is why I was not informed of the conclusion which has ended with my premium increasing by 100% and losing a NCB. I would have immediately disputed the repair costs and also if this is all correct management and repairs are £6k on average for a scratch on a car , should his not be looked into as Car Insurance overall is becoming deliberately expensive ... is there really no recourse for this type of behaviour ?  

Let this one go as an expensive mistake. You can't "dispute" the insurance company choosing to make a payment when presented with evidence of damage you caused. How would you even do that? Find the owner, find what garage they used etc?

A hire car of similar spec, lost time from the owner collecting the car, damage to parking sensors etc - none of which you would be able to argue 

Mildly_Miffed

SAVNICOTRA said:

You're missing the point -  how can a scratch cost £6k

Well, not having seen the "scratch" in the flesh...

But let's say that the door needed spraying.
And, of course, it needed to be blended in across the other door and wing.
And maybe the rubbing strip needed to be replaced, along with fixing clips.
And a hire car for a week or more while the work's done.

Either way, it makes no difference to YOUR CLAIM. You have an at-fault claim on your record, from when you drove into a stationary vehicle and caused no damage (except for the damage that you caused).

Whether it was a £6k claim or not is not your problem. It's down to the bodyshops to quote appropriately, and the insurers to check on whether they're doing so.

SAVNICOTRA

Very simple question and then I will focus on the task force who seem to be more aware ...  Is it acceptable for an insurance company to settle a dispute without your concept or even knowledge , irrespective of who's to blame ?  So as it's your fault ,you pay what ever the cost is in the form of increased premiums and not just for you but for everyone generally because insurance company's pay the premium amounts for repairs and car hire without question (which is what has happened in my case)   ... Is this all acceptable ?  Or just a given that no one can do anything about ? 

SAVNICOTRA

And by the way , I am so appreciative of the comments I have received , thank you for taking the time ... 

Arunmor

Similar happened to me 20 years ago cracked someone's tail light.  Next thing there is a claim for whiplash of £1,995.   Spoke to my insurer who told me any claims for injury below £2k were were just paid and that was the way it was.  What also infuriated me the woman was driving her mother's mobility car (no mother present).  Complete scam artist.

Mildly_Miffed

SAVNICOTRA said:

Very simple question and then I will focus on the task force who seem to be more aware ...  Is it acceptable for an insurance company to settle a dispute without your concept or even knowledge , 

Yes, absolutely.

You agreed to them doing so, if you read your policy.

Think about it - if every policyholder had to agree to any claim being settled, there would be massive backlogs in settling claims, huge extra costs, premiums would rocket, and unresolvable claims would be rife - simply because of the number of drivers who refuse to accept they could possibly be at fault, even though they drove into a stationary object that could have been trivially easily avoided.

irrespective of who's to blame ?

Again, you agreed to that via the Ts & Cs. But "blame" for insurance is simply which insurer ended up paying.

In this instance, yours did, because... well, who else would? You drove into a stationary car.

SAVNICOTRA

Thank you Mildly Miffed ... Totally understand and thank you.  My point is and has been all the way through this chat , how was £6k agreed !!  Totally understand what you were suggesting but if I thought for a minute there was that level of damage to the car then I wouldn't be so incensed .  I think there needs to be an adjudicator with claims and in particular those that have been disputed because my other point is that insurance companies keep you in the dark with any claims , and probably deliberately.  

MyRealNameToo

SAVNICOTRA said:

"Whether there is a cosy cartel of insurance companies and car repairers driving up the costs that are ultimately passed on to policyholders is, of course, another worthy discussion. "  --  This is the exact point I'm trying to make ..  where does one start ? 

Generally not, though of cause were there to be one that would be another revenue stream which the insurer could use to reduce their premiums and therefore gain more market share by undercutting the competition. 

Some insurers do own some of their own repairers, but its a small percentage of all claims as understandably no other insurer is going to pay their competitors so it can only be where they can guarantee enough work to keep them fully busy based on their own claimants. As such they tend to be near major cities and limited to the larger insurers with the mass required. 

Also remember that insurers buy reinsurance too, reinsurers arent going to be too happy if an insurer is payout £6k, the reinsurer has to give them £2k for their 33% quota share, if the insurer is getting a £3k backhander 

Mildly_Miffed

SAVNICOTRA said:

Thank you Mildly Miffed ... Totally understand and thank you.  My point is and has been all the way through this chat , how was £6k agreed !!

By the bodyshop sending a quote, the insurer either accepting it at face value or sending an assessor to confirm, then for the cost of the hire car etc while the work was done..

I think there needs to be an adjudicator with claims and in particular those that have been disputed because my other point is that insurance companies keep you in the dark with any claims , and probably deliberately.

You do realise that insurers do not actually enjoy paying inflated claims, right...?

But, again, it's all irrelevant as far as YOU are concerned.

You drove into a stationary vehicle. You now have to declare an at-fault claim.
It is the existence of that claim, not the amount of it, that affects your premium.
If you don't want to have to declare at-fault claims, don't drive into stationary vehicles.

Insurers prefer to provide cover to people without a history of driving into things, because drivers that drive into things cost them more money than those that don't.

Whether a claim is a £1k bill or a £10k+ bill can just be down to what was driven into.
Hit a tatty shed, insurance will just shrug and write it off. £1k bill.
Hit an expensive car, insurance will pay for expensive repairs and an expensive hire car. £10k+ bill.