Insurance claim/hire car

[stealthwolf]

Need some advice please.

Insured with Brentacre at the moment. Been in my first accident today (pics will follow once I've sent them to insurance company). Apart from the gutwrenching feeling of it, am just about coping okay. The biggest issue I have is work and commuting. Workplace is out in the sticks and public transport isn't really feasible.

I don't think I have hire car on my policy though will have to double check (do have one with RAC breakdown cover).

The options the insurer gave me were:
- they could pass my details to to Enterprise rent-a-car, who can get in touch.
- the insurance repair company can give me a hire car

The concern I have is basically avoiding being screwed over by having to pay the charge for myself. I've heard of problems where the hire company can't claim costs from the other side, so I would end up paying them.

Any recommendations?

[tony_danza]

Was it your fault?

If not, then you're perfectly within your rights to accept a hire car off the people repairing yours and it'll be charged back to the other person's insurance. I assume it's going into VW too? They will be more trustworthy, so to speak, than one of these dodgy insurance approved Haward B'stard places.

I know this is a big money making racket and they'll stuff the other person extortionately for lending you a Micra or something, but if you need a car, you need a car.

I'd go through the paperwork with a fine toothed comb, don't accept any liability for it and give them no card details etc.

[stealthwolf]

No not my fault. I was driving fairly slow maybe 15-20mph and he pulled out of a side road. Admitted liability. I'm still undecided about what to do with respect to repairs. They've just picked the closest insurance repair company. My insurance excess is around £300.

Pics:






Complete gayness as there's damage to the Monza alloy. I was planning to take them off on Tuesday and stick the standard Pescaras back on.

[sub39h]

sorry to see mate. as you need your car for work (home visits and the like) i do not think you're out of order to demand a hire car from the 3rd party's insurer, tho as above if you take it to a VW approved garage (which again I feel you're within your rights to request) then you normally get a courtesy car anyways.

[Poverty]

Courtesy car tab is picked up by third party

[tony_danza]

It won't cost you your excess, it's a 3rd party claim.

Personally I'd take it to VW or A.N.Other trusted bodyshop, the other person has absolutely no say in where you choose to have your car repaired. Pick the best.

Ensure they check the alignment too, a little knock can easily bend a wishbone, trackrod etc.

[garrardrj]

Get the phone number of the other drivers insurance company and ring them direct . Tell them the situation and tell them that you don't want to rip them off but you are entitled to hire a car of equivalent quality to yours and bill them direct . I have done this twice before and they are only too pleased to deal direct as they caqn then use their car hire people , which costs them less .

[tony_danza]

Bingo ^

Maybe also point out you're not being a scutter and putting in an injury claim too, they may lend something from the posh range 

[stealthwolf]

The repair company is one that Greeners knows and the hire car company is Enterprise rentacar. Asked them about what happens if the other side's insurance doesn't cough up and they said they just take the car off me and won't charge me.

[doylebros]

Well that's a result in anyone's book!

[berg]

i could probably write a reply here which would take many pages, so please PM me if have specific questions.

be careful though as its not legally as simple as some of the advice offered above my members would make it sound. the advice from garrard makes sense, if the third party insurer will supply the hire car this leaves you in a much better position that getting a credit hire car from ERAC through your own insurer.

[stealthwolf]

So when I rang my insurers yesterday, they told me the car was insured. When I rang today, they told me the name of third party's insurers. When I rang the third party's insurers, they state that the vehicle is not insured by them. 
So either he's not insured, or I have the wrong third party insurance company.

[Scottymon]

Check here mate: http://ownvehicle.askmid.com/

[stealthwolf]

It's on there and it's the right car. I suspected it was just a cock up from my own insurers.

[berg]

The MIDIS is fairly accurate but is not a 100% true picture of whether insurance in in place or not because sometimjes the insurer may have cancelled the policy and not yet had themselves removed from the database.