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You could also take the view that you were planning to trade the car in for a new EV, taking account of a manufacturer's trade-in scheme which scraps an eligible old car in exchange for purchase of a new one. Before the current shortage of new cars, I think there were deals like £3000 for your old car, any condition as long as it was Euro4 or worse and had a valid MOT, and you'd owned it for at least 6 months
If such deals are still available, then £3000 is the current value for your car if it matches that criteria!
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@Grenache - that's a clever idea but probably not one I'll pursue.
At this stage, we have to let the process take it's course, which is to let the assessor complete their assessment and then receive the report. Then we'll know where we stand.
I'm pretty sure they will look at Parkers and state it's worth £1000 so the payout offer is £1k, however we cannot replace the car like-for-like for £1k - we would need about £2.6k.
As this is a non-fault and the other party has accepted full liability, I feel the car should either been repaired to the condition to before the incident, or provide with £2.6k so we can buy the local like-for-like car. I think all would agree with this.
I feel our insurance company have been less than useful in explaining the process and providing us with industry advice. The insurer won't care for our individual situation so... please can someone suggest a formal/legal process to ensure we get the car repaired or the £2.6k, as we should not be out of pocket due to no fault of our own.
What is the process/protocol/escalation we should pursue if what I think will happen - happens?
Thanks.
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You need to put the work in and provide examples of similar cars for sale as evidence to your insurer that their valuation is too low.
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Yes, that's is something we will do. The evidence will be simple to gather.
My concern is with all the genuine evidence gathered, the insurance world (broker, underwriter, assessor, etc..) will not care and stick with their low offer.
I guess I am wanting to know if I can/should do the following:
1) Refuse their offer if not acceptable, and I won't face any penalty by doing so (the insurer should explain this but I don't have confidence in them).
2) Contact the council (the accepting liability party) to seek the repair or full value, but I've already gone through our insurance to claim?
3) Use 'Motor Legal Protection' to fight my corner (can that be used to fight my corner)?
4) Raise a small claim?
My point of view is I am 100% correct in the right/moral grounding not to be out of pocket due to someone else crashing into our car. I am also hoping that if/when I stand firm the insurance world will have no option but to give and provide us a repaired car or a payout to purchase an equivalent car. I just want to prep for if (which I think it will) arise.
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While I sympathise with the OP, this is a 15 year old car and will have a minimal value. I’m not sure how you can claim it’s worth £2k more in the current climate. Just doesn’t add up - and I know used prices are higher but not that much. Had a family car value rise £1800 but that was worth £5600 to begin with.
Had it been my car, the involvement of Copart would have rang alarm bells and I’d have not let the car been collected as they are salvage agents. I’d argue you’ve been led on, based on the age of the car and guess other ins cos have a similar policy on age. There’s a story on Guardian Money of a reader whose 1997 BMW 740 was scrapped by ins co and offered what he said was a paltry £4150, so age is a factor unless it’s specially insured.
I suspect you will have to keep fighting for a decent value and assessor will claim ‘hidden damage’, supporting their position. They will eventually say that’s the figure, take it or leave it. A game of Ping pong.
Insurance co’s are supposed to put you in a pre-accident situation, but often don’t.
Hope you get a result.
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I can claim it's worth £2k more as if I were to replace the car like-for-like, through looking at online ads, those cars are listed for £2k more.
This is why I am asking for guidance on how to tackle this as it sounds like the insurance parties are just going to screw us over. If they aren't going to fight for me then surely, bearing in my it's a non-fault claim, some legal entity will.
Being left in financial deficit when the other party is accepting liability is just not acceptable.
Once the assessor completes their assessment, who is the negotiating with? The assessor or the insurance company?
What I fail to understand is why isn't (if it becomes the case) my insurer telling (enforcing) the council to to pay up, and if the council don't like it - well tough - they shouldn't drive into peoples cars.
Edited by dac1 on 20/01/2022 at 09:29
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The car is an Auris, 2007, 95k and in vgc condition cosmetically and mechanically. In this current market (Covid times and winter), having looked online, to replace the car like-for-like (Model, Engine, Year, Mileage, etc..) we are looking at £3k.
Looking on Autotrader a 2007 petrol manual (the OP does not mention those) Auris with between 91,000 and 99,000 miles is advertised for between £1585 and £2495. All are traders, go with cash and no PX and those prices would drop.
IMHO there is no way on this planet the insurers are going to offer £3000. £1000 is a bit low and I would expect them to raise this when its discussed.
We all value our own cars higher than is realistic but insurers know what is reasonable, it the simple fact their first offer is always a "see what we can get away with" figure.
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You mention Parker's, but that will give several figures ranging from 'average part-ex' to 'good dealer sale'. You should get average dealer sale if the insurer is being fair. But whatever happens you should always have the option of having it repaired yourself - which of course means you may need to spend money, depending on the quality of your chosen bodyshop.
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Would you like to name your insurance company so others might avoid. Is their any chance of getting your car back. Have they categorised it yet. do you have any photos?
What these insurance companies do is they pay out as low as they can and get a salvage company in your case Copart to auction what is now their car for as much as they can get which offsets what they pay you. My thoughts, as before, because of your cars age they made a decision without even looking? I have mentioned the hire car costs, they will rack up a lot more than your cars worth,another nice earner for someone
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What these insurance companies do is they pay out as low as they can and get a salvage company in your case Copart to auction what is now their car for as much as they can get which offsets what they pay you.
It isn't their car until the paltry sum has been accepted and handed over to complete the transaction. You have to get the car returned or at least put on hold - before it gets dismantled, or even crushed :-(
The problem is that you are effectively dealing with someone else's insurer, not yours, who should be working on your behalf.
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Just a quick update as you've taken time to respond.
As for providing the insurer's name - I'd rather not in case it gets me into unnecessary hassle. However, now the initial confusion and frustration has subsided I feel better placed.
I've had the assessor's valuation. It's a write off but write off offer is not the absurd amount I was anticipating, however it has been rightly challenged.
If we put aside my efforts (multiple phone calls) to understand the process and seek an update, then the process has been smooth. Claim was made, courtesy car dropped off, car collected for assessment, and valuation offer received. All smooth and quick. I feel it was the opening phone call/claim where I wasn't provided the full options with transparency. This led to not understanding that the car could be written off and not seen again, once collected. This then prompted the multiple phone calls to the insurer and all other parties (9 calls). It is these calls where my complaint lays. I was passed around the houses, given misinformation by various agents within the single insurer. Quite frankly, the staff are not trained properly or just can't be bothered.
So if I never sought to understand the process then all has gone well but due to wishing to understand the process has opened my eyes to chaos, lack of confidence if their advice.
Edited by dac1 on 25/01/2022 at 11:59
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Pleased that you are on the right track. Incompetence is everywhere you have to deal with!. Lack of training, lack of education or simply cannot be bothered to do a good job
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Pleased that you are on the right track. Incompetence is everywhere you have to deal with!. Lack of training, lack of education or simply cannot be bothered to do a good job
People expect to pay as little as possible for their insurance...yet still expect quality customer service...something has to give for companies to cut costs.
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Pleased that you are on the right track. Incompetence is everywhere you have to deal with!. Lack of training, lack of education or simply cannot be bothered to do a good job
People expect to pay as little as possible for their insurance...yet still expect quality customer service...something has to give for companies to cut costs.
Failing to provide the service advertised in order to cut costs is fraud.
If they can not fulfil their side of the contract because it would cost too much they need to sack whoever calculates their premiums. Insurers have gone bust in the past for this very reason, equally, buyers should accept that most of the time you get what you pay for and check T and Cs carefully.
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What these insurance companies do is they pay out as low as they can and get a salvage company in your case Copart to auction what is now their car for as much as they can get which offsets what they pay you.
It isn't their car until the paltry sum has been accepted and handed over to complete the transaction. You have to get the car returned or at least put on hold - before it gets dismantled, or even crushed :-(
The problem is that you are effectively dealing with someone else's insurer, not yours, who should be working on your behalf. "
This is true. Unless you have accepted the money it is your car and the insurers should return it to you in the condition in which it was collected , if you complain enough.... . I have had dealings with both Copart and IMS and have been disappointed each time
Even a bumper at insurance approved bodyshop would write it off so you have the choice of a) withdraw the clam and repair it your self . or b) claim and then argue about the value for some time to come .
There is no easy way out of these and the staff of insurers, whether yours, or the third parties' , really couldn't care less as long as they get it off their desk.
This is where paying a little extra for the services of a decent insurance broker pays dividends.Proper advice at the right time would have saved the car being taken away/. If you could get the parts secondhand ( and as a popular taxi this is unlikely) then an estimate from a local garage to repair at a cheap contract price and persued only against the councils insurers may have worked.
Sometime even though you may not be a fault it is simply not worth claiming on old cheap cars that are worth more to you. Copart will soon flog this to someone who will repair it and put it back on the road in no time . To avoid the next issue make sure YOU send off the V5C slip transferring ownership to your insurers with name and address from date taken away no matter what they say about sending whole V5C in
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