Driver Assist insurance claim

[redthunder]

Has anybody had a non fault claim and been directed to driver assist who give you a hire car and repair your car on a credit basis. Then claim back from the people who crashed into you? Thoughts?

[JamesF]

I've not had any personal experience, but I'd be very wary indeed. Credit hire is one of the things that comes up in the Telegraph motoring supplement's agony uncle column ("Honest John"), and gets a thorough kicking every time — he blames them (partly) for ever-increasing premiums. With some justification, as far as I can make out.

Warning about Credit Hire | Legal matters | Back Room Forum | Honest John
Credit Hire Outfits Defend Their Right to Make Huge Profits From Insurers | Motoring News | Honest John
Frequently Asked Questions | Honest John

It's not a very balanced set of views in those links, but the last one is a long and detailed discussion of what it is and what the pitfalls might be, depending on your own circumstances.

[thomas]

I'd never let the other party's insurance company arrange the repair, they'll do it for as cheap as possible and use the cheapest parts they can source.

Someone hit my Mrs, the other insurance co any were bending over backwards to do the repair themselves.

[Paul Cannell]

My daughter had this from her insurance, Hastings, despite the fact that she was fully comp and paid for protected NCB & 'uninsured loss', they got told to do the job they are paid for and not expect her to pick up the tab.

[Dry Run]

Originally Posted by redthunder

Has anybody had a non fault claim and been directed to driver assist who give you a hire car and repair your car on a credit basis. Then claim back from the people who crashed into you? Thoughts?

Don't forget to claim for your whiplash injury Oh and don't forget I was in the car with you (I'll settle for about £2k)!

[redthunder]

I know they push so hard to tell me I need to claim for whiplash. What a joke!! They say that as I was at the front of the constantena shunt so will get the claim paid by the other side.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by redthunder

I know they push so hard to tell me I need to claim for whiplash. What a joke!! They say that as I was at the front of the constantena shunt so will get the claim paid by the other side.

It is a joke this whiplash lark, the insurance company's say that the ever increasing costs of motor insurance is down to people making false claims yet they encourage it. My Mrs was involved in a collision some years back and the insurance company was pushing her to claim for whiplash but she wouldn't.

[Dry Run]

Originally Posted by kerny

It is a joke this whiplash lark, the insurance company's say that the ever increasing costs of motor insurance is down to people making false claims yet they encourage it. My Mrs was involved in a collision some years back and the insurance company was pushing her to claim for whiplash but she wouldn't.

I think all decent and honest people should petition the insurance companies to put an end to what everyone knows is a scam.

in the "olden days" when you took you car in for repair, the garage would always ask "is this an insurance job"? and we all knew what that meant!

Now the list of "ambulance chasing bastards" has grown somewhat. Vehicle repairers, lawyers, car hire companies, claims management companies, doctors, etc are all making a fortune out of this stuff!

It's a victimless crime!.................... Oh hang on a minute it's not! We are all paying for it (that's assuming you've bothered to get insurance..... don't get me started)!

Why can't the insurance companies "grow a pair" and take some of these cases to court? Lock a few people up for perverting the course of justice and watch those whiplash claims tumble!!!

Sorry, short rant over and I've used up my weekly allocation of exclamation marks in just one post.

Funny old world though. Back in the day, if you overheard someone talking about whiplash it would probably be something you had to pay for, rather than something you got paid for

[ribsta]

Originally Posted by redthunder

Has anybody had a non fault claim and been directed to driver assist who give you a hire car and repair your car on a credit basis. Then claim back from the people who crashed into you? Thoughts?

I had the same from my insurance company after being rear ended. They said I should go through Drive Assist as it will not then appear as a claim (even if non-fault). I went ahead and all seemed good. I got an equivalent car and when repaired I got mine back. After about 3 months I got a letter from a solicitor firm stating the 3rd party had not admitted liability and they were starting court proceedings. I then had to sign to agree to this and also was forced to agree that if the other party win I am liable for costs and the higher than normal hire car costs charged by Drive Assist. This was very stressful. It is a small risk that the other party was going to win but nether the less £1000's risk on my part and completely outside from my insurance company liability. I will not be doing that again. My recommendation is go through your own insurance, there is no risk then and the potential stress is not worth it. But about the other posts on here, I agree from my experience, it seems the insurance companies and solicitors want maximise claim costs when there is non-fault instead of minimising it and reducing our premiums!

PS: sorry for long reply :-)

[Paul Cannell]

Some of the claims management companies are owned by the Insurance co's or part of the same group.