Enterprise won't give courtesy car

1993j

My car was damaged by 2 cars, one was hit and run and the other I have their details. Put a claim in through the insurance and car has now been taken away for repair. My insurance referred me to enterprise for a courtesy car, I have spoken with enterprise and they have said they tried ringing the third party insurance but can't get hold of them and will try tomorrow.

They told me they need to speak to their insurance company to make sure they have valid insurance and can't give me a courtesy car until then. Is this correct? I'm desperate for a car and I need one asap

paul_c123

What does it say in the T&Cs of your insurance?

dnpark38

If your insurance provider is supposed to supply a courtesy car surely you should speak to them.

elsien

Have they passed you on one of those claims companies?

Mildly_Miffed

1993j said:

My car was damaged by 2 cars, one was hit and run and the other I have their details. Put a claim in through the insurance and car has now been taken away for repair. My insurance referred me to enterprise for a courtesy car, I have spoken with enterprise and they have said they tried ringing the third party insurance but can't get hold of them and will try tomorrow.

They told me they need to speak to their insurance company to make sure they have valid insurance and can't give me a courtesy car until then. Is this correct? I'm desperate for a car and I need one asap

Your car (A) was hit by BOTH cars B and C?

And you're claiming from just C's insurance?
Nah.
Claim from your own. Let them sort it out, because there is no way that C's insurance is going to swallow full liability and pay out in full.

If you're claiming from your own fully comp insurance, then the hire car is being paid for by them, A's insurance. C's insurance do not need to answer the phone to the hirer. A's insurance will claim from C, and cover some of the cost themselves if B can't be traced.

If you're that desperate, hire one yourself until it's sorted, then claim the money back.

facade

Are you claiming under your own comprehensive insurance, and is a guaranteed courtesy car part of your cover?

If both answers are yes, get onto your insurer and find out what is going on, if your insurer is paying then whether the other car(s) are insured is immaterial.

If you are trying to claim through an Ambulance Chaser Claim Management Company who want you in an expensive Credit Hire car, then all bets are off, as they won't do anything unless they are certain that someone will foot the bill, if the other vehicles are uninsured there is no-one to pay, and I doubt if the MIB would stump up for Credit Hire rates, your comprehensive cover won't for sure...

Grey_Critic

Enterprise DO NOT do courtesy cars - The are a car hire company.

You are dealing with a claims management company and it could cost you a lot of money.

Aretnap

Broadly speaking there are three routes to getting a replacement car in these circumstances.

(a) You claim against your own policy; your insurer arranges the repairs and their garage provides a courtesy car as part of their normal customer service. If claiming by this route the  whose fault the accident was and whether they were insured has no bearing on whether you get a courtesy car. However you may find that there are other caveats, such as the fact that the garage will only provide one "subject to availability", or while your car is actually in their care being repaired.

(b) Your insurer guarantees to provide you with a hire car for a certain amount of time if yours is off the road, usually because you paid the extra for an option called something like "guaranteed hire car" when you bought the policy. Again fault or the third party's insurance situation do not affect your right to a hire car - but you do have to have chosen the extra cover when you bought the policy. 

(c) Your insurer refers you on to a separate credit hire company who will hire you a car on credit, then attempt to claim the cost on your behalf from the at fault driver's own insurers. The credit hire company will normally only agree to this if they are confident that they will be able to claim sucessfully from the third party insurer - which means being confident that the at fault driver is traceable, was insured, and that they were indeed at fault.

It sounds like Enterprise are acting as a credit hire company and you are going down route (c), which would probably be best for you if it works, but it sounds like the case is potentially complicated enough that they might not take you on. In which case you can't demand that Enterprise provide you with a hire car if they don't want your business, but you can go back to your own insurer and insist that they handle the claim themselves and go down route (a), or route (b) if you have that option on your policy.

(If you can't afford to be without a car then you should always choose the "guaranteed hire car" add on when you buy insurance, though I realise it's a bit late to say that now)

(A fourth route to getting a hire car is to hire one yourself and claim the costs back yourself from the at fault driver's insurer, but that potentially leaves you out of pocket if the driver you can trace turns out to be uninsured, or if his insurers shift the blame onto the driver who scarpered etc)

Aretnap

Grey_Critic said:

You are dealing with a claims management company and it could cost you a lot of money.

No it won't. Please don't post this sort of nonsense.

MyRealNameToo

1993j said:

My car was damaged by 2 cars, one was hit and run and the other I have their details. Put a claim in through the insurance and car has now been taken away for repair. My insurance referred me to enterprise for a courtesy car, I have spoken with enterprise and they have said they tried ringing the third party insurance but can't get hold of them and will try tomorrow.

They told me they need to speak to their insurance company to make sure they have valid insurance and can't give me a courtesy car until then. Is this correct? I'm desperate for a car and I need one asap

Read the terms of your policy, I agree with others that by the sounds of it you have been sold passed to enterprise on a credit hire basis not under the terms of your policy. 

Presumably your car isnt drivable? 
Is it likely to be a total loss?

A traditional courtesy car is given by the garage doing the repairs, its subject to availablilty and done so at their own expense (in principle insurers give a higher labour rate to those asked to provide a courtesy car). This means you'll only ever get one if the car is repairable and if they happen to have a spare one. 

Many insurers now offer a "guaranteed" courtesy car which actually is a hire car. The plus side is you get one if the car is a total loss or stolen unrecovered but the downside is that its often got a modest maximum number of days so if parts are on back order etc then you may have to hand the hire back before yours is ready.

Did you pay extra for courtesy car on your policy?  

born_again

Mildly_Miffed said:

1993j said:

My car was damaged by 2 cars, one was hit and run and the other I have their details. Put a claim in through the insurance and car has now been taken away for repair. My insurance referred me to enterprise for a courtesy car, I have spoken with enterprise and they have said they tried ringing the third party insurance but can't get hold of them and will try tomorrow.

They told me they need to speak to their insurance company to make sure they have valid insurance and can't give me a courtesy car until then. Is this correct? I'm desperate for a car and I need one asap

Your car (A) was hit by BOTH cars B and C?

And you're claiming from just C's insurance?
Nah.
Claim from your own. Let them sort it out, because there is no way that C's insurance is going to swallow full liability and pay out in full.

If you're claiming from your own fully comp insurance, then the hire car is being paid for by them, A's insurance. C's insurance do not need to answer the phone to the hirer. A's insurance will claim from C, and cover some of the cost themselves if B can't be traced.

If you're that desperate, hire one yourself until it's sorted, then claim the money back.

Many policies not do not provide a temp car while yours is being repaired. It is a add on extra.