Auto glass unable to claim full replacement cost from insurer

BossHogg

Daughter had windscreen crack after lorry threw up a stone. Booked into Autoglass (only option within 25 miles) but have told her insurer is only paying £150 towards £850+ cost.

Insurance schedule says fully comp, with windscreen cover, and in t&c says they will repair/replace windscreen… then I found (elsewhere on website) it says you need to book via their approved repairers AutoWindcreens!

Can they refuse to cover what is in the insurance schedule? It makes no mention (I could find) of cover being contingent on using their approved providers?

BEBELUCA2017

Did you consult your insurer prior to arranging the windscreen repair. Surely if you expect them to pay, you’d let them make the arrangements. Much like if you damaged your car and wanted them to repair it, you would go through them and they would arrange repair through one of their approved garages.

BossHogg

I did eventually dig out the policy legal wording doc, and in exclusions for windscreen cover it does indeed say “anything over 150 if our approved repairers not used”.

To me this stinks… yes it’s in the fine print, but all the other documents and search site results make it appear like windscreens are fully covered, less the excess (which happens to be the same as max they will pay)… seems almost designed to confuse.

😫

vacheron

I don't know of any kind of product insurance (or warranty) where you would just go off and arrange your own repairs of the covered product without consulting the company who would be footing the bill first.

You may just have to chalk it up as an expensive lesson. 😕

To me this stinks… yes it’s in the fine print, but all the other documents and search site results make it appear like windscreens are fully covered, less the excess (which happens to be the same as max they will pay)… seems almost designed to confuse.

But you are fully covered…. had you checked your documents and followed their process as you would for any other claim.
As for the detail being "in the small print", that's what the small print is for! Not every bit of detail for every circumstance can be in the large print can it?

Edit, Just searched my Halifax policy (just pressed CTRL+F and typed "windscreen"). It took 5 seconds, and states:

Also searched my wife's (Aviva) policy, which states:

BEBELUCA2017

Windscreens are fully covered. If you use their approved repairer.

MattMattMattUK

This is very much a you issue, not a them issue. No insurance policy let's the customer choose to fix/repair/replace something then just send the insurer the bill.

victor2

Maybe because you did it outside of the insurers, it wasn't their "approved" company, even though they would have told you to use the same.

vacheron

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000757#Comment_82000757

It isn't the same company either though. Policy specified Auto Windscreens and the OP used AutoGlass.

Arctos

Whilst it is not unreasonable for an insurer to want to use their preferred repairers, it is not always good for the insured. I, too, had recent windscreen damage. What I didn't like was that I was given a "choice" of a round trip of either 50 or 100 miles. There was also a delay of almost a month. It took out the best part of a day as I had to wait in a grotty room and the prediction was that would be for around 2 hours - so four hours in the middle of my day. Even as a retired man my time means a lot to me.

As it was the repair was done in 90 minutes. However, I noted that other "victims" had had to take time off work, without pay. So, the real cost to them is their excess [probably £100 or so] plus lost earnings, plus cost of fuel to to designated repairer. This looks like another £100 or so.

Progress? Seemingly having to have a recalibration means the days of the mobile repairer turning up to your home/place of work at a mutually agreed time and date have gone. It is also another example of insurers practices not matching customers wishes [a.k.a the small print wriggle clauses].

BikingBud

Windscreen replacement and calibration can occur as different tasks at different locations and different times.

A windscreen is critical for safe driving, driver's aids are not. So getting the mobile replacement to enable use of the car and then getting the aids reset later at a selected provider should be achievable.

But I suppose you can only argue that you would wish to do something different if you engage and understand what cover they are contracted to provide.

maman

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000738#Comment_82000738

In my experience, there's usually an excess to pay.