I was involved in a minor coming together a couple of years ago, when a taxi changed lanes into the side of my car. Damage incurred was limited to a snapped off wing mirror and a kerbed alloy. Fortunately it was all caught on my dash cam, and because of that (and ONLY because of that), the insurance company was confident that the third party was at fault, so it was a relatively stress and cost free incident. I was supplied a hire car, and the repair took about a week. I've had a letter through from the claim management company today, asking me to sign court documents as the third party insurance company still hasn't paid up. I'm assured that in not on the hook for this money, as liability lies with the third party and the claims company manage it on a 'no win no fee' basis anyway. However, I'm absolutely GOBSMACKED at how much a broken wing mirror and kerbed alloy has ended up totalling, even with just over a weeks car hire.
Fancy a guess? See who can get closest...
£15k
Lower - not THAT gobsmacked...
£14,999.99?
£3.50
[the binary chop method of guessing is the most effective]
£8.3m
Seriously? 😆 It was a mirror and a wheel on a golf 😯
It's definitely between the two, 😆
£400 the mirror - £500 the alloy, so about a grand.
([edit]have I taken this too seriously?)
£5680?
2k
claims management you say .....
thatll be 6 grand.
let me guess you got a "nice" hire car as well ....
It's definitely between the two
£7,498.25
Hire car was okay; kind of equivelentish to a golf, but a Kia. Some really close guesses now, so I'll put it to bed;
Hire car - £1747 😯
Collection and delivery - £50
Repair costs - £3361 😯
Recovery and storage - £420
Engineers report -£102
Total - £5680 Trail Rat wins spot the swindle check book and pen. 8)
Interesting that the people who obviously have had experience with claims management companies were the closest. I'm disgusted to be honest; whilst the third party was liable for the repair and a reasonable hire car whilst it was fixed, this is just taking the piss.
I'd have guessed between 1 and 2k too. Goes to show. I had no choice in whether I used a claims management company; it's a lease car.
Go on then, what fancy hire car did they give you?
FWIW I just had a top spec Nissan Qashqai (£30k worth I guess) from Hertz for a week. Cost £126.
No wonder they aren't paying up.
Imagine having the same shunt and you saying can we sort it out without using my insurance mate? OK I'll let you have the bill. You'd knock him the **** out if he came with that!
Not surprised at any of the rest, but I'd be interested to see how the repair cost of £3k breaks down for the reported damage. Is it mostly down to colour matching and respray?
It was either a Kia or a Hyundai; similar size to a qashqai (really? No 'u' after 'q'? Feels all wrong). Was okay, nothing special. Was glad to get the golf back. CERTAINLY wasn't £1700 quids worth. No wonder the third party insurers are fighting it.
I think they put a new wheel on, which at VW oem prices probably accounts for a chunk. The wing mirror is a colour coded motorised jobby, but it was only the bracket that was broken, there actually wasn't any visible damage to the mirror bits itself that I could see. But I suppose they'll have chucked a whole new one on, again at VW prices. Engineers report though? What's all that about?
ime as soon as you mention insurance - every step of the way doubles their prices to account for the hassle of getting their money back from the insurance co's
Engineers report though? What's all that about?
Just a bit of paper saying the car is ok/roadworthy, innit?
I remember when I had a Cat D Focus, and my insurance wanted an engineers report to say it was ok. Local mechanic just printed of the line "This car is ok" on some headed notepaper, and they were fine with that.
credit hire is such an insanely high price element to claims.
(FWIW my company frequently pays out 5 figure weekly payments for hire cars to cover very high value vehicles in for repair, as do most insurers i imagine. it's bonkers.)
[quote=v8ninety ]Engineers report though? What's all that about?
That's the bit which doesn't seem unreasonable to me - about the cost of an AA check on a used car.
I suppose; but it was a wing mirror and a wheel, hardly structural... I suppose it ruled out suspension geometry damage etc.That's the bit which doesn't seem unreasonable to me - about the cost of an AA check on a used car.
I suppose it ruled out suspension geometry damage etc.
....and that's the thing. If they had just replaced wheel and mirror, and while out driving the suspension arms snapped and you ploughed into an orphanage having their annual priceless ming vase exhibition day, then questions would be asked why the car wasn't checked over.
As has been said, it's the repair bill that raises eyebrows. Yes the hire car is ridiculous, but it's an expected ridiculousness.
Interestingly enough the bodyshops don't make much money out of insurance as they're screwed so hard by them. A mate does a lot if insurance work and what they charge the insurance companies to spray a panel is a lot, lot less than you think.
I suspect the insurance companies must make their own margin on the job, plus the profit for the claims handlers.
Actually that price can't be right. A couple of years ago a guy reversed into the side of our 2 year old Golf. Damage to front wing, and both doors on one side - drivers door needed replacing completely. Repair price from my mate was £1000 inc new door and repairing/respraying one side of the car.
Parents insurance company refused to pay up for a similarly ridiculous amount of car hire in that sort of incident (cosmetic damage that would only take a day to fix)
Insurance industry is an industry with license to ransom the public.
In other part of the world the repair shops work very closely with the insurance companies to fleece the public.
You give job to the repair workshop they then charge insurance company "special price" in return insurance company charge pubic. Quids in! Everyone happy.
Then come festive seasons the repair workshops give insurance brokers gifts! 😛
I accidentally rode into the back of a newish BMW 0.5-series (new 'mini'), tiny scuff, needed to be sprayed: cost to BC via insurance, £4k 😯
Tanker tapped into the back of my car on the motorway. Fair scuff and abrasion to my rear bumper. They paid me cash, no insurance involved, £400.
Had it been in Dewsbury, Halifax, Rochdale or Bolton there would almost certainly have been four of your cousins in the car who like yourself would have suffered disabling whiplash injuries.
Oh and the accident managment company would be owned by your uncle.
Then come festive seasons the repair workshops give insurance brokers gifts!
can't speak for other companies, but we raffle all of these off to our staff and give the money to charity. not that that makes it better that premiums are as high as they are (sometimes), but industry pricing is not my area.
I had an issue like this previously. Small bumo, scratch on the wing and alloy. No other damage. If your car went too a dealer they will issue lower arm, hub, alloy, tyre to be checked, suspension, new brake caliper, disc and pads plus more parts.. basically a full corners running gear. I was going too pay cash so I contested the original report and hired a private company too inspect the vehicle. Turns out they can screw you too.. I had a few parts removed from the list but they added a full steering rack! Went from 4k too 7k and I paid for a report too. Needless too say insurance were used in the end. But it made it a much longer process and I was liable for costs of the car the other party used whilst I got there car checked over too.
I actually feel sorry for the third party in this case. It's out of control. Should have been a grand to rectify, absolute MAX. It's bizarre 😕
Hire car - £1747
when a taxi changed lanes
It would have been cheaper for him to drive you round 😀
xherbivorex - Member
Then come festive seasons the repair workshops give insurance brokers gifts!
can't speak for other companies, but we raffle all of these off to our staff and give the money to charity. not that that makes it better that premiums are as high as they are (sometimes), but industry pricing is not my area.
I am referring to 3rd world insurance company in the far east by the way so boxes of chocolate will not do. I am talking about kickbacks! $$$£££ 😆
Is this one of those cold calling accident management companies that seem to know you've had a prang, 15 minutes after you drop the car off at the repairers?
Not in this case. Claim management company nominated by the lease car/insurance company (can't remember quite which; it was a bit of a telephonic merrygoround initially).Is this one of those cold calling accident management companies that seem to know you've had a prang, 15 minutes after you drop the car off at the repairers?