Insurance tip.. been bumped? Not your fault?

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MrJC

Well-Known Member
Unless you have had to make a claim I thought I would share my recent experience with you.
I have fully comp and protected no claims bonus with a well known company who cater for old fookers. I have my Landy and my VW Passat insured with them. My excess is £200.
2 weeks ago I parked the VW in Asda and as I walked away heard a bang and saw some daft sod had run into the wing. No probs... exchanged details and I contacted my insurance. 20 minutes on the phone.. job sorted. Or so I thought.
Later I got a call re a replacement vehicle (as per my policy). I was asked if I had another car and said yes. Well you don't need a hire car then do you... I said I wasn't bothered, I just wanted my £200 excess sorting and the car fixed in due course. You dont have 'legal protection' but we can sort it for you. Fine I said.....
I then got a call off Direct Line (the other guys insurance) they asked if I was okay and said they admitted liability. They asked if I wanted them to sort it out. I said the ball was rolling now and I would leave it thanks.
A couple of days later I get a letter with a big questionare from solicitors to fill in from my Insurance Co. I am not impressed.....
I then get a call off my Insurance saying once I had completed the form they can claim my excess back..... okay, thats all I want. Then they said.....'that will be £41 as you have to buy the legal protection'.
I rang the other guys insurance, Direct Line and asked if the offer was still open.
They told me to save costs and keep premiums down this is what they do. They offered to collect my car within a week and have it repaired at an approved garage, no cost to me.
So I rang my Insurance and cancelled my claim... what a fuss and I wasn't even in my car!

So.... If someone bumps you it is well worth contacting the other parties Insurance and see if they want to sort it.
When I apply for Insurance to another company I HAVE NOT MADE ANY CLAIMS in the last 5-25 years.
Legal protection is worth considering.
I was told that all my Ins had to do was attach my proof of payment of £200 and they would have paid it out. No need for solicitors.
Seems some ins companies are selling off claims like mine to solicitors who make lots of money out of a 'nothing' claim.

My car was collected yesterday and will be returned early next week... job sorted, no claims in the last 25 years is kept, no £200 paid out to claim back later. Worth bearing in mind if you get bumped.
 
When somebody pull out and 'bumped' into the side of my Defender, it smashed his entire front light cluster.... and chipped the paint off my running strip. :mad:

I pulled into a side road and he drove off. Thats the best way to deal with insurance... not at all!!
 
If like me you choose not to buy the Legal Expense Insurance (LEI) on your car policy... you may still be able to use your household policy or the vehicle LEI from a family member living at the same address...

Insurance companies are imho legalised thieves.

If you buy LEI on your car and on your house... you can only use the 1st one purchased... ie. buy house insurance in Jan and car insurance in March, have accident in July and the LEI on your house policy would be the one that would be used as it was the 1st one purchased (assuming it covers the accident type eg RTC). Therefore you have paid £25 for a LEI policy on your car insurance that rarely gets used... and they know it!...

Also if you don't buy any LEI (house or car) and have an accident and want to claim personal injury for example, your solicitor is duty bound to ensure you are covered for any losses due to legal expense, they will buy After the Event insurance and claim the cost of this from the other side if you win or from the policy itself if you loose!
 
i always get legal protection, I luckily had it some years ago when a nice old chap decided to walk in front of my motorcycle.

Even though the police deemed it to be his fault entirely, and there was very little i could do to avoid hitting him, he managed to claim several thousand of my insurance while I had to pay up for the bike (3pf+t unfortunately) which cost £500 to repair luckily.

I then found out that if i had not have legal protection, I could have been facing a bill of several thousand...

I agree these companies are legalised thieves in every sense, but take out the legal protection always.. Especially with this stupid compensation crap culture we seem to have.
 
i always get legal protection, I luckily had it some years ago when a nice old chap decided to walk in front of my motorcycle.

Even though the police deemed it to be his fault entirely, and there was very little i could do to avoid hitting him, he managed to claim several thousand of my insurance while I had to pay up for the bike (3pf+t unfortunately) which cost £500 to repair luckily.

I then found out that if i had not have legal protection, I could have been facing a bill of several thousand...

I agree these companies are legalised thieves in every sense, but take out the legal protection always.. Especially with this stupid compensation crap culture we seem to have.

You as an individual are not worth chasing for large amounts of cash. Even if a claim against you wuz successful and the person making the claim got awarded stupid money (say £25k). The courts know that the everage person is not likely to have that sat in a bank account. You would probably have to make a payment of £10 a week for the rest of your life. This means the solicitors would not get their money. This means they are unlikely to claim.

Same goes for business insurance. If you are say a tattooist. If you have insurance and feck up a claim will made against you. If you don't then it wont. To put you out of work by making you sell up is not an option as it comes back down to the government having to foot the bill. The claim simply will not be made.
 
Unfortuately "no fault" claims are becoming money spinners for Ins Co's. They tend to ask for any accident in the last x yrs whether your fault or not and adjust their quote/premium accordingly.
 
no he hasnt claimed thats the point cos the old boys ins co sorted it so he didnt have to claim off his own insurance

No you're missing the point.

He's claimed...It doesn't matter who's insurance it was.

Just ring any of em and they'll tell you.
 
Depends on vehicle, driver and location etc... try one of the comparison sites... no! try more than one comparison site... they tend to have better deals with different ins co's...

case in point... my renewal with swiftcover was £264... money supermarket best quote was 1st Central at £193... confused was Hastings (without windscreen) £183 or (with windscreen) £193.

Based on poor feedback re- 1st Central, I'm going with Hastings.... swiftcover was £345 on confused... £80 more than my renewal!
 
Update....... Direct Line Ins (the other guys ins) approved garage collected my car after the bump on a low loader last Thursday evening and brought it back today.
Perfect job and a full valet.
So it worked out much better than if I had let my insurance deal. No £200 excess to try and recover and no claim registered on my part to declare when I renew. Well worth seeing if the other parties insurance want to sort it if you are 100% faultless and its damage only.

Re cheap insurance.... have you tried specialist Land Rover companies that advertise in Landy mags? Eg Lancaster, Adrian Flux, Sureterm Direct, MCE, Footman James? Some offer agreed value, green laning and off road cover as well... even cherished policies on vehicles as little as 5 yrs old. No idea how they compare but for a free phone call you could save even more.
 
Update....... Direct Line Ins (the other guys ins) approved garage collected my car after the bump on a low loader last Thursday evening and brought it back today.
Perfect job and a full valet.
So it worked out much better than if I had let my insurance deal. No £200 excess to try and recover and no claim registered on my part to declare when I renew. Well worth seeing if the other parties insurance want to sort it if you are 100% faultless and its damage only.

Re cheap insurance.... have you tried specialist Land Rover companies that advertise in Landy mags? Eg Lancaster, Adrian Flux, Sureterm Direct, MCE, Footman James? Some offer agreed value, green laning and off road cover as well... even cherished policies on vehicles as little as 5 yrs old. No idea how they compare but for a free phone call you could save even more.
Mine was £170 fully comp for a 90 300tdi... but I am an old fooker :)
 
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