Negotiating with Insurers

[foxile5]

Someone has written off my car overnight. Admitted liability totally.

 

My insurers are trying to write off for less than the insured amount which is less than the vehicle would sell for anyway. Particularly frustrating as they're not even going to stand the costs!

 

Have any members successfully negotiated write off pay outs upwards?

[Milo]

I refused the insurers first payout offer for my car when it was stolen. 
 

A bit of back and forth but they upped the amount to an acceptable point. 
 

From memory, I went through my insurance's (AA) complaints procedure. 
 

You’ve always got the ombudsman to go to (or at least to threaten your insurance company with).

 

Good luck! 

 

 

[foxile5]

11 minutes ago, Milo said:

I refused the insurers first payout offer for my car when it was stolen. 
 

A bit of back and forth but they upped the amount to an acceptable point. 
 

From memory, I went through my insurance's (AA) complaints procedure. 
 

You’ve always got the ombudsman to go to (or at least to threaten your insurance company with).

 

Good luck! 

 

 

I've made the point to them that he's admitted liability AND it's his insurance.

 

They've sent the 'interim payment' accepting that I'll challenge it. That's annoying as I don't want that to appear as agreement.

[Crinklyfox]

17 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

Someone has written off my car overnight. Admitted liability totally.

 

My insurers are trying to write off for less than the insured amount which is less than the vehicle would sell for anyway. Particularly frustrating as they're not even going to stand the costs!

 

Have any members successfully negotiated write off pay outs upwards?

I don't have any recent experience with insurers but some years ago I ran into one insurance company that had a habit of turning down claims or offering below what the customer thought they were entitled to.  They only revised their offers upwards if the customer didn't accept their first offer.

 

Again I'm not recent with this but some insurance companies used to use Glass' Guide for car values rather than the insured cost or a publication like Parkers.

 

Hopefully there are some on here that have more recent experience than myself.

[Bellend Sebastian]

10 minutes ago, Milo said:

I refused the insurers first payout offer for my car when it was stolen. 
 

A bit of back and forth but they upped the amount to an acceptable point. 
 

From memory, I went through my insurance's (AA) complaints procedure. 
 

You’ve always got the ombudsman to go to (or at least to threaten your insurance company with).

 

Good luck! 

 

 

I'd view the Ombudsman as a weapon of last resort. It varies from case to case but it takes them forever to deal with, so although they will make a judgement eventually anyone wanting a speedy resolution is much better off arguing/negotiating with the institution. This in itself costs them time and money and is an incentive to get it sorted.

 

We get threatened with the Ombudsman occasionally and I think, great that means I don't have to think about it for about 8 months

[VLC86]

Keep challenging it until it’s very clear you have reached their limit. Find other cars on websites with the same or worse spec as yours and show that what they have offered is not acceptable. As others have said about the Ombudsman, this will take you a while to resolve through them 

[Daggers]

6 hours ago, foxile5 said:

Someone has written off my car overnight. Admitted liability totally.

 

My insurers are trying to write off for less than the insured amount which is less than the vehicle would sell for anyway. Particularly frustrating as they're not even going to stand the costs!

 

Have any members successfully negotiated write off pay outs upwards?

Never accepted a first offer ever.

 

Your’s is a simple case, you are due what a similar car of similar condition and mileage would cost you. Accept nothing less.

[foxile5]

14 hours ago, Daggers said:

Never accepted a first offer ever.

 

Your’s is a simple case, you are due what a similar car of similar condition and mileage would cost you. Accept nothing less.

My car is insured for a valuation lower than market value owing to price rises.

 

I wonder if they'll settle above the value in the insurance forms given that market value seems to have risen.

[dsr-burnley]

36 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

My car is insured for a valuation lower than market value owing to price rises.

 

I wonder if they'll settle above the value in the insurance forms given that market value seems to have risen.

In law, if not in practice, the other bloke has wrecked your car and he has to compensate you (presumably via his insurance).  That's what happened with my brother's repair (not write-off) when an empty car, whose owner had forgotten both brakes and gears, parked it at the top of a hill.  How much you insured your car for, and what your insurance company thinks about the accident, is (in law but often not in practice) irrelevant.

 

Insurance companies go knock for knock even when it's stupid.  You could always try dealing with the other party's insurance, if you know who they are.  I did that once with my mother's insurance - I even had to send confirmation from one to the other that the other driver had admitted liability, because her insurance couldn't be bothered even to speak to the other party.

[Zear0]

I had a tree fall on my car at work about a decade ago.  Insurers offered a miserly sum that wouldn't even get close to a like for like replacement.  Fortunatly a few words with my General Manager at the time and the company made a contribution to make it more reasonable seeing as it was their rotting tree that collapsed on it.  Sadly write-off valuations never reflect the market rate and it's absolutely criminal.

[Daggers]

1 hour ago, foxile5 said:

My car is insured for a valuation lower than market value owing to price rises.

 

I wonder if they'll settle above the value in the insurance forms given that market value seems to have risen.

You’re not claiming on your insurance, you’re claiming on his. And the valuation you give your vehicle is as a non-professional and does not reflect market value at point of claim. Go get what you’re owed. 

[foxile5]

1 hour ago, Daggers said:

You’re not claiming on your insurance, you’re claiming on his. And the valuation you give your vehicle is as a non-professional and does not reflect market value at point of claim. Go get what you’re owed. 

I might be being thick but I'm having to deal with my insurance company - I presume that's standard practice and they'll be seeking recompense from his?

 

 

[dsr-burnley]

14 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

I might be being thick but I'm having to deal with my insurance company - I presume that's standard practice and they'll be seeking recompense from his?

 

 

Unless you work really hard at them, your insurers will register the claim as a claim on your insurance and you will lose no claims.

[foxile5]

10 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Unless you work really hard at them, your insurers will register the claim as a claim on your insurance and you will lose no claims.

I think they've said I'll retain the 'no claims' bonus. For what that's worth.

[Spudulike]

16 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Unless you work really hard at them, your insurers will register the claim as a claim on your insurance and you will lose no claims.

I was rear ended on the M5 whilst in a stationary queue some years ago. The other party admitted liability but somehow my premium increased at renewal time despite having full no claims history. Apparently it made me a greater risk as I had been involved in an RTA even if it wasn't my fault. 

[st albans fox]

my daughters car was written off a couple months ago 

we queried their offer and were informed that they take an average of second hand sales of same car (with mileage adjustments) over the past month

[BKLFox]

44 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

I was rear ended on the M5 whilst in a stationary queue some years ago. The other party admitted liability but somehow my premium increased at renewal time despite having full no claims history. Apparently it made me a greater risk as I had been involved in an RTA even if it wasn't my fault. 

My premiums went up for sitting in my front room & have my neighbour reverse into my car whilst it was all tucked up for bed on my driveway, despite claiming on the neighbours insurance, having protected NC & nobody sat in the car i still took a hit & have to declare that for the next 5yrs   the insurance game is all BS.

[dsr-burnley]

1 hour ago, foxile5 said:

I think they've said I'll retain the 'no claims' bonus. For what that's worth.

Get it in writing.  They will still put up your premium, but you won't get the double whammy.

[foxile5]

Just for an update - they upped the price to something approaching the cost. It wasn't exact but not terrible.

 

I've now got the headache of navigating new car purchasing.