Car Insurance

[Mups]

Does anyone here know about the legalities of car insurance claims?

Some of you may remember a couple of months ago an idiot driver backed into me in a car park,  and damaged the wing of my car.
My insureres were very good and had my car repaired very quickly, and sent me a hired car free of charge in the meantime.

However,  now it looks like there is a problem brewing, and I am getting myself in a bit of a state about it.
Apparently the bloke that hit me was only insured for business use,  and at the time of the accident he was using it for pleasure.   
This is the excuse for his insurance firm to refuse to pay my insurers back for the cost of repairs on my vehicle.
Now my insurers have called in a solicitor to sort them out.

I don't doubt for one minute that now my insurers have got solicitors on to his insurers, that his insurers will now do the same.

What is worrying me sick,  is as I am fully comprehensive cover plus legal fees,  can any of this lot make me pay  their expenses?    
The solicitors keep sending me emails full of legal talk that I don't understand,  and are pushing me sign that I agree to it,   but I am worried about signing something before I even know what I am agreeing to. 
I really don't like the way this is going, and I don't know what to do.

[JBR]

I'm afraid I can't help here, Mups.  Regardless of any details (which I don't understand) if the other driver was to blame, he should be paying any costs.
Were there any witnesses who can testify that it was he who drove into your car and not vice versa?
There are so many dishonest people about these days.

[klondike]

Your car repairs will be covered by your fully comp policy. It was already determined that the other driver was to blame. There are provisions amongst insurers the handle uninsured drivers but I don't know any details.

What you could lose is your no claims bonus and possibly excess - note it is no claim not no blame. The insured status of the other driver is up to the insurance company as is recovering losses from him although if your own insurer wants the excess from you then it could be down to you to claim from his insurance depending how good your insurers are and it seems they are trying to wriggle out of paying.

No point worrying about it as whether you worry or not the outcome will be the same and there is little you can do other that follow whatever procedures they ask you to.

[Mups]

I'm afraid I can't help here, Mups.  Regardless of any details (which I don't understand) if the other driver was to blame, he should be paying any costs.
Were there any witnesses who can testify that it was he who drove into your car and not vice versa?
There are so many dishonest people about these days.

I seem to remember some people watching from a distance,  but once they saw the man come over to me and give me his details,  they all walked away,  so I have no idea who they were now.


Today at 02:34:58 PM

Your car repairs will be covered by your fully comp policy. It was already determined that the other driver was to blame. There are provisions amongst insurers the handle uninsured drivers but I don't know any details.

What you could lose is your no claims bonus and possibly excess - note it is no claim not no blame. The insured status of the other driver is up to the insurance company as is recovering losses from him although if your own insurer wants the excess from you then it could be down to you to claim from his insurance depending how good your insurers are and it seems they are trying to wriggle out of paying.

No point worrying about it as whether you worry or not the outcome will be the same and there is little you can do other that follow whatever procedures they ask you to.

It worries me the way solictiors phrase things in their legal talk,  so unless you happen to be in the same business as them,  it doesn't make much sense to us ordinary folk.   Then they want me to sign to agreeing.
They even quoted in one part about their charges of between £200 -  £350 an hour!!
How the hell can anyone justify earning  £350 p.h.?   That's over £2500 for one day!!

[Michael Rolls]

They have their victims- sorry, clients - by the short and curlies

[Dextrous63]

I wouldn't sign anything unless you are explicitly advised to by your insurers.  It may be worth giving them a call to hear what they have to say, and while you're on the phone, set up a password for them to use if they ever call you up, which should protect you from any shyster trying it on.

You won't have to pay a penny for a no fault claim.  The other driver has accepted fault.  His insurers are naturally not going to pay out for anything they don't have to.  Your insurers will also look into making a claim against the other driver.

So, don't panic nor worry.  And don't sign anything. 

No idea who the lawyers who want £250 ph for.  Ignore them, unless instructed otherwise.

[klondike]

You won't have to pay a penny for a no fault claim.

You can still lose your NCB unfortunately and could be required to pay any excess regardless of fault although either or both may be recoverable if there is a successful claim from the third party. Hopefully your insurer will turn out to be the good guys and treat you fairly. Not all do as you can easily see from the others wriggling out of paying.

Not worth involving solicitors IMO. Better burnt by one bunch of shysters (the insurance company) than give another bunch (the legal profession) an opportunity to pick your bones