Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:34 pm  

Thanks for the advice.

It has now been suggested that I approach the 3rd party Insurance directly, and enquire about a 'cash in lieu' settlement. "They'll know what you mean!"
This is apparently where they pay you a compensation figure rather than arrange to have the car repaired, and it works out cheaper for them than the 'write-off' - as effectively there was no accident, so no need for the category A/B/C/D stuff - assuming I withdraw my claim from my insurers.

It sounds like my best shot for coming out of the experience relatively financially 'unscathed'!!

We'll see!!

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Fri Jun 14, 2013 4:08 pm  

Walt Mooney Fan Club wrote:

Thanks for the advice.

It has now been suggested that I approach the 3rd party Insurance directly, and enquire about a 'cash in lieu' settlement. "They'll know what you mean!"
This is apparently where they pay you a compensation figure rather than arrange to have the car repaired, and it works out cheaper for them than the 'write-off' - as effectively there was no accident, so no need for the category A/B/C/D stuff - assuming I withdraw my claim from my insurers.

It sounds like my best shot for coming out of the experience relatively financially 'unscathed'!!

We'll see!!

It is cash in the place of paying for repairs. Insurers are happy to pay it if it saves them money. It usually saves them money because if your estimate for repairs is (for example) £1,000 plus VAT, that's £1200; whereas if they pay cash in lieu, they only pay £1000, as you have not incurred any VAT, so you haven't "lost" the VAT, so you have no VAT to claim..

In reality in that scenario most insurers would actually offer somewhat less than £1000, as they reckon you might be making money, and that you might be tempted by, say, £800. Most people are, or can't be bothered with the hassle of an argument.

I wouldn't withdraw the claim from your insurers. What if the other driver suddenly puts in a carload of whiplash claims against you? What you would do is simply tell them that you've been paid out in full by the TP insurance, so you won't be making any cash claim off them. However that might be complicated in your case by the "courtesy car" - unless somebody recoups that money from the other insurer, then that's a claim on your policy. For those reasons you shouldn't do any final deal with the other insurance company unless you have confirmation that such other claims have been taken care of, and that you were in the clear to do so.

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Fri Jun 14, 2013 7:25 pm  

Had a bump myself recently ( my fault). Made the mistake of getting the insurance company to get the car repaired. Got car back 5 weeks later for work that should have taken no more than 1 day! Apparently this is a common timescale, another scam, where the repair centre keep hold of the car for as long as possible, to get more storage money. Eventually got car back. Repairs cost £1200 ( think of a figure and double it at least), then came the next scam, had to pay excess to garage before I could have my car back, another scam. Subsequent result being that I lost 13 years no claims and insurance has now pretty much doubled.

Lesson to be learned in future is to buy a car with 12 month tax and mot and don't bother with insurance, and hope for the best like the other 33pc of road users. The whole insurance game is one hell of a con.

Ps, could be wrong, but didn't they change the rules regarding whiplash, and anything under 30mph would not cause it? Thus they wouldn't pay out.

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Fri Jun 14, 2013 8:17 pm  

toast wrote:

Lesson to be learned in future is to buy a car with 12 month tax and mot and don't bother with insurance, and hope for the best like the other 33pc of road users. The whole insurance game is one hell of a con.

So the rest of us suckers who pay our insurance can contnue subsidising your criminal activity? I realise that driving uninsured may not be a criminal offence but it should be, just like drink-driving. As I've said previously: get caught driving uninsured, then your car should be seied and scrapped or sold and never mind 6 points, it should be a minimum 12 month ban.

Get caught driving while disqualified? Amputate your right foot.

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Fri Jun 14, 2013 8:48 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

So the rest of us suckers who pay our insurance can contnue subsidising your criminal activity? I realise that driving uninsured may not be a criminal offence but it should be, just like drink-driving. As I've said previously: get caught driving uninsured, then your car should be seied and scrapped or sold and never mind 6 points, it should be a minimum 12 month ban.

Get caught driving while disqualified? Amputate your right foot.

It always amuses and infuriates me when you hear of cases where someone is convicted of either driving while disqualified or driving without a licence and the punishment is a paltry fine and a ban from driving.

The driving without insurance punishments aren't enough either, you're right. The car should be seized and made available to unemployed who have to turn down or not apply for certain jobs because they can't afford to run a car.

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Fri Jun 14, 2013 9:15 pm  

When you run a small fleet of cars and vans which are doing relatively high mileage each year then you get used to handling the odd knock and dent here and there - its when you take a car thats got a few scrapes on it to a main dealer bodyshop and ask for a quote to knock a few of them out and respray other bits and the VERY first question they ask EVERY time is "Is it an insurance claim ?" THATS when you know what scamming insurance companies is all about.

The dynamics of business work differently when it comes to car repairs - the ones with the highest volume of work to pass their way get the highest quotes while Joe Public with one dent and a panel respray once every five years gets the best possible price, especially if he's willing to pay in cash.

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:04 am  

toast wrote:

...

Lesson to be learned in future is to buy a car with 12 month tax and mot and don't bother with insurance, and hope for the best like the other 33pc of road users. The whole insurance game is one hell of a con.

The motor insurers are supreme conmen, it's true, but now they also have the government in their back pocket so can do absolutely what they like.

That said, uninsured motorists should be strung up.

toast wrote:

Ps, could be wrong, but didn't they change the rules regarding whiplash, and anything under 30mph would not cause it? Thus they wouldn't pay out.

No, they didn't. And the reason they wouldn't pay out was not the speed, but because you don't get paid for whiplash when it was your own bleedin fault

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Sun Jun 16, 2013 2:13 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

So the rest of us suckers who pay our insurance can contnue subsidising your criminal activity? I realise that driving uninsured may not be a criminal offence but it should be, just like drink-driving. As I've said previously: get caught driving uninsured, then your car should be seied and scrapped or sold and never mind 6 points, it should be a minimum 12 month ban.

Get caught driving while disqualified? Amputate your right foot.

Driving without insurance is a criminal offence. S.143 Road Traffic Act.

You can be taken to court and, if convicted, fined up to £5,000. Not that anyone would ever get fined anywhere near that.

Re: Car Insurance - Advice required. : Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:06 am  

I agree there is seeming inconsistency between what an uninsured motorist pays by way of fine and what he would pay for A YEAR's insurance.

BUT.

a) you don't need to have paid for a full year's insurance to be driving legally
b) the car will be seized, if he doesn't get it insured he won't get it back
c) you get at least 6 points on your licence which means
..(i) if you do it again, you will be banned as well as other penalties
..(ii) you therefore quickly get into the realm of driving whilst disqualified, which is a fairly short route to a prison sentence.

Whilst I would agree generally that the deterrent to driving uninsured doesn't seem to be big enough to do its job properly, I don't think the escalator of punishments is perhaps as toothless as people often think it is.