Help needed. Car stolen from my drive- Insurance procedure tips!?!

stanmoresaver

Hi,

Had a good look around this section for tips to make the process i am going through at the moment as painless as possible but doesn't seem to be much when the car has been stolen rather than written off.

My house was burgled and my two year old Volvo S60 D5 car stolen from the drive using the keys that were in my kitchen- didn't realise that I wouldn't get a courtousy car.

I have to wait until 28 days from its theft until they will process it as a claim, then I guess it will involve a debate about its value and the personal effects that were in it. Meanwhile I need a car- car hire seems a very expensive option (given its at least three weeks until they start the process)- buying a run-around and then selling it on when I buy the car 1 want seems very complicated. Of course with the fact that my phone could ring at anytime saying my car has been found.

Has anyone been through this, or have any tips as how to make the process as painless as possible.

telly-addict

I'm surprised that your insurer insists on 30 days days elapsing before processing your claim. That's a new one on me! Have you checked the policy wording?

Who are your insurers? Why do they insist on this 30 day period? Can't they confirm with the police that the car is stolen?

If the policy wording backs up this stance, then get all your data to back up your valuation of the vehicle - local press ads, internet prices, etc. Then try to start the negotiations now. If they won't release the money for 28 days, at least you can try to get the ball rolling.

But the first thing to do is to check the policy conditions.

elaine373

who are you insured with?

aromaannie

It might be worth checking with your insurers if they will reimburse you for any cab fares you have to pay in the mean time. A friend of mine did this years ago and her dad was a cabbie so she got loads of recepits

bernardh_2

I could be wrong here,but I was told that the insurance co will be regarding your car as "taken without the owners permission" and not stolen yet.
The pc who said this said that the thief will also claim this as the sentence is less.If the car is then written off and the thief says that he was only borrowing it (honest officer) and you only have tpft,then you don`t get paid as the car was not "stolen".

jockettuk

yrs ago my cousin had the same problem.. the reason for the 30 day rule is so that the car might have been abandoned and therefore be returned. it also supose to stop all the people who make false claims.. but as usual it hits the people who are honest the most.. his car was found on the 29th day and as it wasnt damaged it was returned to him.. not that he was happy abt that as he didnt want the car back after it been stolen..

stanmoresaver

Thanks to all the above- haven't checked policy wording because guess where the booklet was!! :mad:

My insurance company is HSBC Corinthiuns(?). I'll phone them and ask them to send me a copy of the policy summary. It is Fully Comp BTW.

Any further tips appreciated!!!!


:T


S/S

telly-addict

stanmoresaver wrote:

My insurance company is HSBC Corinthiuns(?). I'll phone them and ask them to send me a copy of the policy summary. It is Fully Comp BTW.

Sounds like the insurance is through HSBC, but the policy is actually underwritten (and the claims administered) by Corinthian Motor Policies. Here's the link to the relevant HSBC site, but there's no on-line policy summary available:
http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/insurance//car-hsbc/w-se

I'm still interested to hear what the policy wording says. Unless there is specific mention of a requirement for 30 days to elapse before a car can be considered stolen, I would have thought that the insurers are on a sticky wicket.

The legal definition of theft is simply: "a person is guilty of theft if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it." There is no mention of a 30 day delay.

stanmoresaver

Haven't yet received the policy wording but they have written saying-

"The police authorities have advised us to wait for twenty eight days to elapse where vehicles are stolen".. Guess I will have to then.

Two questions-

1/any suggestions as to best car hire- Found car for £185 for two weeks- (easycar!)

2/ as I paid my premium insurance premium annually- do I get a pro-rata refund of the premium??

Thanks in advance.

:beer:

telly-addict

stanmoresaver wrote:

Haven't yet received the policy wording but they have written saying-

"The police authorities have advised us to wait for twenty eight days to elapse where vehicles are stolen".. Guess I will have to then.

I'm not convinced that the fact that what the police are saying means that they can't process your claim. Wait for the policy wording to arrive (I'm surprised that thye never sent you a copy in the first place!) and then check what that says.

stanmoresaver wrote:

2/ as I paid my premium insurance premium annually- do I get a pro-rata refund of the premium??

The policy will probably say something along the lines that you are not entitled to any pro rata refund of premium upon cancellation if you have made a claim during the policy year. You can't really expect to have the claim paid out and then get your premium back!

stanmoresaver

telly-addict wrote:

The policy will probably say something along the lines that you are not entitled to any pro rata refund of premium upon cancellation if you have made a claim during the policy year. You can't really expect to have the claim paid out and then get your premium back!

I can understand that-however, the enquiring mind/tight wad in me asks that if i had paid the policy in monthly instalments, would they have asked me for the remaining premiums due????



They still haven't sent me the policy wording yet!