A Little Advice Please

[Focus_DSL]

Hi guys.

Last night, some idiots decided to plough a stolen car into mine and i`m just wondering what will happen insurance wise.

As you might see from the pictures, its abit of a mess. The engine runs but the car wont drive, probably drive shaft or gearbox.

The courtesy car company that my insurer refered me to has said they wont offer me a car as its damaged from the result of a third party theft, so they cant recover the costs (whats the point of paying insurance again??) and refered me BACK to my insurer, who is closed for the weekend (apparently accidents dont happen at the weekend!).

I`ve never had to do all this kind of thing before and just wondered what happens, am i going to pay through the roof for something and will it be sorted quickly, as i`m screwed without transport.

Any help and advice from people who have been in similar situations would be massively appreciated.

Cheers

[catch]

Well I'll start by saying, sorry for your bad luck, you must be gutted.

Other than that, I cannot offer any advice as you state you only want it from a narrow band of people ie: people who's car has been hit by a stolen car.....good luck on finding plenty of those on the boards. You don't state what insurance cover you hold on the vehicle, nor who the insurer is.

My insurer is Churchill, I'm fully comprehensive, no claims protected, personal death or injury even if at fault, and I pay extra for a "guaranteed" hire car. Getting cheap cover comes second to getting cover that is fit for purpose. That said I have the above with the wife as named driver for £240. I had the two previous years at £205 per annum, but insurance premiums have taken a hike this year.

Guaranteed hire car

[johnH]

sorry to hear what happened atleast, by the sounds of it, no-one was in your vehicle at the time.

To me it looks like a definate write off.

anyways as for the coutesy car...that would be down to the insurance company that holds it's policy over the vehicle that hit yours, stolen or not. you could just get a courtesy car from ANY company, pay them and keep receipts and claim the costs back with a little more from the other partys insurance....its their job...third part or fully comp.

you will have more "power" if you have fully comp as you could go to either company to claim costs...but try and stay away from claiming of your own insurance, but let them know...that will keep your NCB.

you will have even more "power" if you have legal protection, get them involved...even if its just telling them...they will do all the work and recover the costs for yourself.

this info is from personal experiance of dealing with the insurance company when i wrote my vehicle off. one of my mates had a similar experiance to yourself, as where his car was damaged and was claiming from the other party's insurance

hope this helps somehow.

[Focus_DSL]

Many thanks for your replies.

I am fully comp and its with Santander on behalf of equity red star.

Looking at my policy, it seems i do have legal cover, so i might go the route of letting them deal with it, as my head is already minced!

I would like to keep my NCB too, as it stands at 5 years. And seeing as insurance is rediculously high this year, i dont fancy paying full whack without it.

Thanks again chaps

EDIT: Sorry for the dumb question, but with legal cover, who do i get in touch with? Should there be a legal claims dept phone number somewhere, do i need to phone Citizens advice or something else?

[johnH]

now i can help you as i am with Equity Red Star through a military channel. in your paperwork...you should have a legal claims certificate with your customer id and a legal dept number....they are very fast and diligant. they will record your statement over the phone and tell you where you stand etc. do what you can and fight to keep those that NCB.

[catch]

Looking at my policy, it seems i do have legal cover, so i might go the route of letting them deal with it, as my head is already minced!

Bit of a heads up here for you and others who may be interested next time you come to renew your policies. You stump up for legal cover, but they only act for you if it's a "Non Fault" accident. Fact is if it's your fault, you just leave it to your insurance company to argue the other sides claims. Another fact, these legal firms charge the "At Fault" insurers a percentage of your claims, the bigger your claim the bigger their fee. These percentage fee's are agreed within the insurance industry, and it does not come out of your awarded damages.

Now think about it, these firms must be queueing up to sign a contract with an insurance company to handle their "Non Fault" claims. In fact I would hazard a guess they agree to pay the insurer a percentage of the fees they earn from the other side, just to get the work.

So when you come to think about it, it's a bit rich insurance companies have the nerve to charge the likes of you and me upwards of £25 for such a policy. When in fact all they are doing is trousering your hard earned cash.

Now for those who are still with me on this, and have not sidled off to watch a bit of !Removed!. :D Stick with it and I'll tell you of a way to save yourself some dosh, yet end up with an even better insurance package.

Right "Free Break down cover" offered within a quote from an insurance company. Forget it, it's pants, it's one hour free roadside assistance, and if they cannot fix in within that hour they tow you to the nearest garage and it's Bye bye from them. Churchill offer it, but I tell them I don't want it.

I use a company for breakdown cover called Rescue myCar

I opted for the Comprehensive Cover So in the event of the car not being fixable at the road side I've got the following options [all paid for within the policy] If it cannot be fixed that day, you and you passengers can opt for a hire car, or overnight hotel accommodation, or long distance recovery back home or to where ever you were going to.

And on top of all that, in the event of a "Non Fault" [its those magic words again] traffic accident you get £25,000 free legal assistance, covering claims of damage to your car, injury or death, or uninsured losses such as travel expenses loss of earnings policy excesses. The £25k is the limit on legal assistance fees, not your claim compensation, that can run into hundreds of thousands, millions if you were a dead brain surgeon I guess.

You get all the above provided you let Rescue myCar appoint your lawyers. You see Rescue myCar want a bit of the action, so they give you that cover free....simples.

What do I pay for all that cover? £28.75 and it's been that for the last three years, no 20/40% hikes like the insurance companies have doled out to us this year. Get you friends to sign up, and they will give you £5 off your premium for every friend that goes with them.

I would like to keep my NCB too, as it stands at 5 years. And seeing as insurance is rediculously high this year, i dont fancy paying full whack without it.

Thanks again chaps

With my NC cover, and I suspect with yours as well [but check the small print on your insurance policy] you are allowed so many claims within a certain period without it affecting your No Claims percentage discount.

Hope the above has alleviated some of your concerns

[jeebowhite]

DSL - Sorry to hear about it, It does look bad enough to be a write off im afraid, But I hope that you can get the car repaired quickly and can get back into your pride and joy soon!

In the meantime, as long as you advise the insurance companies and leave it to them, then that is the best you can do. Unfortunately you have very little ability to do anything yourself. It is down to your insurer to recover the costs, however they may insist they pay until such a time as the costs can be recovered. unfortunately (unless you have protected NCB's) you will suffer (hopefully temporary) loss of NCB and a potential hike in premium. *damn experience*...

You can contact the owner via the police for there insurance policy details. The insurance company may offer some cover, but they may walk away from it!

Keep us updated and I hope that you get it sorted soon!

The courtesy car company that my insurer refered me to has said they wont offer me a car as its damaged from the result of a third party theft, so they cant recover the costs (whats the point of paying insurance again??) and refered me BACK to my insurer, who is closed for the weekend (apparently accidents dont happen at the weekend!).

Accidents dont happen at weekends... The amount of times I have said that to my insurance company after I had my accident last year...

[Focus_DSL]

now i can help you as i am with Equity Red Star through a military channel. in your paperwork...you should have a legal claims certificate with your customer id and a legal dept number....they are very fast and diligant. they will record your statement over the phone and tell you where you stand etc. do what you can and fight to keep those that NCB.

Cheers John. After reading this i went and rang the legal claims department but unfortuantely didnt get much further.

I get the feeling tomorrow is going to be a busy phone call day, but at least things should start moving as everywhere will be open.

Will keep you posted.

[jeebowhite]

Hi DSL - Take a look at this - specifically the second to last bullet point.

I hope that it will be of some comfort as it points out that the MIB may / will likely pay for an uninsured driver hit - albeit, it may cost your excess :( better that I suppose than the full bill...

[Focus_DSL]

Hi DSL - Take a look at this - specifically the second to last bullet point.

I hope that it will be of some comfort as it points out that the MIB may / will likely pay for an uninsured driver hit - albeit, it may cost your excess :( better that I suppose than the full bill...

Yeh, seems my excess is £400 altogether . Oh well , i guess they`ll just take it off the final amount awarded?

Anyway, The approved garage phoned today and arranged to pick up and assess the car on wednesday, along with dropping off a courtesy car. I have to say, that is a massive load off my shoulders.

This hasn`t been great timing for me as the missus has been in and out of hospital for the last 2 months and was in when all this happened. Its not easy ferrying 2 kids around without a car when you`ve been so used to one.

How did they cope in the olden days?? lol

[jeebowhite]

Hi DSL,

I can see the problem its causing you, at least they will be given you a courtest car, albeit you have to wait another day! I hope that they sort it out quickly for you.

As for the excess, all you need to do is on collection, pay them £400 by any means necessary and thats it! unfortunately you still have to pay them :P

Hope that the Mrs doesnt need to disappear again to the local hospital as im sure you could both do without the added stress!

[Focus_DSL]

Thanks for all your help, but i have one more question lol (theres always one)

My policy runs out on 1st May and the renewal came a few days before the incident and was nearly £300 dearer than last years, even though nothing had changed and with 5 years NCB.

If i cancelled my policy now and switched, would it affect my claim? Or are they obliged to handle my claim as normal?

If i cancelled would they continue as normal until 1st May and then give up? I`m at a loss here because i cant afford the new policy at all, specially with all this going on.

[johnH]

when i made a claim with equity red star, my excess was £400 also...they deducted this from their final value...so they offered £1500 for my 307, my finance company got £1100 (the gap paid up to £250 for excess, so i paid £150 and they paid the rest).

if you claim falls in the dates of the insurance period stated on your certificate, your policy is upto date on payments etc...they have to honour the claim.

[jeebowhite]

Thanks for all your help, but i have one more question lol (theres always one)

My policy runs out on 1st May and the renewal came a few days before the incident and was nearly £300 dearer than last years, even though nothing had changed and with 5 years NCB.

If i cancelled my policy now and switched, would it affect my claim? Or are they obliged to handle my claim as normal?

If i cancelled would they continue as normal until 1st May and then give up? I`m at a loss here because i cant afford the new policy at all, specially with all this going on.

There are risks with this. First of all, if you cancelled your policy you would lose the additional NCB you (would have) built up.

Secondly, you could switch but then no one would "have to" honour your claim. the insurance company you are with, unless they start the actual claim procedure, then they are no more liable for this than the next company you go to, so in fact you could make things worse. Plus if you ferry details about, you could be mistakenly accused of commiting fraud (due to the reasons that you are potentially jumping between insurance companies, and with or without the intention of trying to get someone else to pay for the damage!)

[p.s. you would be surprised what the insurance companies would class as fraud, when I had my accident last year, the fact that the car in front of me stopped before I went into the back of him, was enough for them to think it was fraudulent!]

If you cancel now, then you would still have to insure your car (Thank you wonderful clever government who think even cars declared SORN now require full insurance!) - unfortunately you seem to be in a lose lose situation right now :(

How is the damage to be repaired? has anyone advised that the stolen cars insurer will pay the damage, or has your insurer advised this? Unfortunately, until your current insurer resolves this for you, you have to keep paying them until they resolve it! meaning that you cant jump ship just yet. my insurance company were advising me that if they had not got the issue resolved by the time I was due renewal I would have to renew with them or another company WHATEVER the cost, and then ammend the policy after, of course they were trying to tell me that I must stay with them (mainly because they dont want to work on your behalf without you paying them for the privelage) so make sure that if they are going to handle the claim, and if you do need to exchange policies to a different company, make sure there are no hidden admininstration fee's once your policy expires!

Check with your current insurer, and also if you are thinking of changing policies, speak with your potential new insurer. They are unlikely to want to take you on knowing they may have to take on a claim. Unfortunately you may be stuck with your current insurer, and unfortunately as an innocent motorist hit by an uninsured idiot.

If you have protected NCB you may be ok, but unfortunately this is probably not going to go in your favour im afraid. I really hope I end up being wrong, and you dont lose out too much, and I'm sorry to seem like I am so negative about it, I have learned from experience, and unfortunately its not very good!

Sorry again :(

EDIT: Just read JohnH's response on the certificate dates, and they have to honour the claim, I hope that he is right and I am wrong in this!

[johnH]

yeah if you cancel your policy before the end and move to a different company than jee will be right.

but i am assuming you are coming to the "natural" end of your policy, in question. ive heard of people making claims against others for say 2 years ago, but now they are with a different insurer. the original insurer (at the time in debate) has to uphold the claim...not sure how true this is but like i say what i have been told

[catch]

Simple answer is:

if you where accepted as an insured risk, and you have paid any and all fees in relation to said insurance. Then you and your insurer have entered into a legal and binding contract. And as such they have to honour their side of that contract. You honoured your side of the contract by paying your premiums. Of course either party can terminate the contract at any time as long as it is in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the contract [that's the bit most people don't read, they just scroll and tick the box]

So if neither party to the contract had served notice to the other side that they wished to either withdraw /cease cover. And said cessation of contract was to become effective at a date and time prior to the date and time of the incident, then they have to honour your claim. So you see cancelling cover after the "event" will not invalidate your claim.

The insurer sending you a quote for a new one year contract to commence at the expiration of you existing contract is to be expected. It is entirely your decision to either accept their new quote or take your business elsewhere. Either way it will not affect their obligations to settle your claim that was relative to your existing and in force contract.

Hope that's clear for you.

[Focus_DSL]

It's all one big ball ache to be honest.

It is much clearer now though. I may just continue with Equity red star just to make 100% sure they see my claim through, after that maybe i`ll change.

I`ve been told by my insurers that it will only come off the stolen cars insurance IF they catch the <expletives> who crashed into my car. So i guess it will come off my insurance.

I dont think i have protected NCB either and its getting to the point where i`m deciding if we really need a car or if we can do without.

For all the trouble the thieves have caused, its never them that has to deal with the aftermath and that is what is really bugging me.

Even if they are caught, what then? A £50 fine and a slap on the wrist? Yeh, thats going to stop them doing it again.

Anyway, rant over lol

Cheers everyone for your help.

[catch]

It's all one big ball ache to be honest.

Unfortunately it's your first claim, and it's a bit messy, so it's understandable you feel this way. But once you have a few claims under your belt......

Our last claim back in December 2008 was a write off by a third party, I was not in the car. My wife was taking her 82 year old mother to the supermarket. Third party failed to take a bend, crossed over onto the wife's side of the road and hit her head on. Both my wife and her mother were injured, her mother ended up with a hand worth not a lot to her, and that was after undergoing an operation on her wrist [pinning it] under local anaesthetic, as she could not have a general anaesthetic because of her weak heart. My wife suffered physical and psychological injuries, including total memory loss of Christmas,having children or grandchildren, how to do her job. All that's since come back to her, but resulted in the latter meaning driving for my wife is not a pleasure.

I don't include the above, to trump your experience, no merely to highlight when you think you have been dumped on big style from above. Well hearing about other peoples accidents it helps you get your problems in to prospective.

For instance where that accident of my wife's happened, there now is a crash barrier. Because nine months earlier and as a result of another car failing to take that exact same bend in the road. Two young girls drowned trapped upside down in their car in the canal. And less than a year after my wife's accident took place, two more young people drown as a result of being trapped in their car, again because of a failure to take that bend properly. So you see it would have been another two deaths, the two young lads in the BMW Mini Cooper that hit my wife's car. She and her mother were the "crash barrier" in that instance. Funny thing is we just walked past that very spot this Sunday gone [it's a canal side walk]I asked the wife if she would be all right about it, as her mother insisted we never take her on that bit of road again [she passed away this December] But as the wife still cannot remember a thing about the actual impact [only what she has been told] she was fine about it.

So could it have been worse? Yes I could have lost both my wife and her mother

It is much clearer now though. I may just continue with Equity red star just to make 100% sure they see my claim through, after that maybe i`ll change.

That's up to you, but like I say it will not affect your claim.

I`ve been told by my insurers that it will only come off the stolen cars insurance IF they catch the <expletives> who crashed into my car. So i guess it will come off my insurance.

Well I would not take what your told by some office bod over the phone as being gospel. In fact I suspect what they told you is total bollacks. In what way would the thieves being caught affect the claim as it stands! Does the simpleton you spoke to reckon the thieves will have insurance they can claim against! Like I say total bollacks. I would consult a third party legal expert on insurance law.

I say that because, lets look at an example of a multiple pile up. Car A crosses the road into oncoming traffic, hits car B car C behind B hits car B.... car C is hit from behind by car D...get the picture. Car A was the cause of the multiple pile up but car A's insurer is not liable for all the damage to all the cars. As car B was hit by car A and car C The insurers of cars A and C are joint liable for damage to car B as their insured vehicles hit car B. Car D's insurer is liable for damage caused by their insured vehicle hitting car C .... and so liability goes down the line defined by what hit what.

You see it is the insurer of the car that is deemed to be responsible for hitting the other car involved in a two car collision, that is liable compensation wise. Like I say, though car A was technically responsible for the multiple pile up, it's insurer does not in fact cough up for all the damage to all the other cars. It's a case of which car hits which car that defines liability. I suspect in your case, the other parties insurer cannot use the argument. That as their client was not driving the car at the time, they are not liable for the damage to your car. Their clients car hit your stationary and legally parked car period.

Not happy with that example of liability, try this one for size. Your car is parked on a hill when it is hit by that stolen car. The stolen car comes to a halt, but your cars rolls down the hill gathering momentum, hits a house on it's corner wall, taking it out. the house falls down ....who is liable for the rebuilding cost of that house ? I bet the home owners insurance reckons the liability falls on you insurer, wither or not you where driving the car at the time. Of course your guy would no doubt tell the house insurer, they will have to catch the thieves that stole the car that hit your car first, as they caused it all to happen in the first place.

I dont think i have protected NCB either and its getting to the point where i`m deciding if we really need a car or if we can do without.

Right now I bet public transport is looking less complicated, until it's peeing down and it does not turn up any way.

For all the trouble the thieves have caused, its never them that has to deal with the aftermath and that is what is really bugging me.

Even if they are caught, what then? A £50 fine and a slap on the wrist? Yeh, thats going to stop them doing it again.

tell me about it.

[jeebowhite]

Sorry to hear about your experiences Catch, its not pleasant to ever experience anything such as these. As you said, things could be a lot worse. And after my recent accident (also my first, which was only a bump and a new bonnet / bumper (for me) / write off to the other car (Rover 600 N reg!). Even that was a pain in the ar$e and was not as bad as the issue that DSL is having [hopefully I wont have any more...](also catch thanks for the explanation on the insurance issues, I had some idea, but didnt quite understand till now!)

DSL, your more than welcome to stick with them or move away from them, but dont feel obliged if its going to put you into a more financially difficult position! do whatever you need to, to keep the family, yourself (and of course the bank manager!) happy :) - as Catch said, I dont think its a feasible argument your insurance company offered.

What difference does it make? Short of the insurers taking him to court and suing him for the amount they lost from your claim? baring in mind the little expletive did in fact steal the car in the first place, he is either a sad expletive who joyrides for fun (and owns enough money to compensate you for your loss of car, and stress to all the family) or hes a little tyrant who needed to steal a car to get money in the first place?

So why do they need to catch him?? Mainly because they rely on the failure of the police... The 3rd party insurer will use the acknowledgement of "well it may have been our car that hit yours, but we dont know who is responsible until someone is brought to justice" - Common sense to all who have a human brain indicates the car was involved, the vehicle details match up (VIN and Reg) with what is allocated to the insurance companies care, not only that but your car was parked stationary and no doubt legally at the time - so its clearly not your fault... So they wait, until the police bring the expletive to justice then there is not enough "evidence" (in their eyes) to warrant them taking liability [its good to know people who have worked in this industry :))

So the moral of the story is, if you own a car and want to insure it, you are signing up for a lifetime of headaches and more excuses than a secondary school pupil caught smoking behind the bike shed! (in fact probably more excuses than the pupils can come up with between them!)

The worst DSL is currently looking at is a hike in premium and likely a loss of 2 years NCB (hopefully thats max not min).

My example:

Ford Focus £6000 value, 1.6 TDCI - hits back of N Reg Rover 600. Im to blame (even though the fool in front moved off, slammed his anchors on and left me nowhere to go (and I wasnt exactly tailgating either).

Damage to my car - New Bonnet, Bumper, Undersill, Mountings and Windscreen. - Total cost circa £2100

Damage to write off - £595 (even though on the roadside he was saying he wouldnt mind settling out of insurance if I gave him a grand for it!)

Insurance damage - 3 years NCB reduced to 1 - hike in insurance premiums.

Before accident -

current policy costing £895 10 months cover

renewal cost - £750 10 months cover

After accident -

renewal cost - £1026 10 months cover - with only 1 year NCB

Some of the hike was due to the insurance company being greedy so and sos and increasing costs anyway, but about £200 was due to the accident.

DSL, I hope that the above lets you into an incling of what it may well cost to get things sorted (no doubt yours will be more expensive for the overall repair, as none of my components under the bodywork where damaged), but hopefully the resulting factors after the accident are more helpful to you.

I would suggest speak to your insurer, and ask them worst case scanrio, whats the loss of NCB and likely as not the renewal cost if they dont catch the little ******, hopefully it will help you decide what the best course of action is.

[Focus_DSL]

It would seem that any worse case senario available, i have been hit with it.

As its been explained, regarding the law etc. repairs to my car (or the payout) will have to come from my policy unless they can pin the blame on the other party. Now, seeing as the owner was not at fault, it cant be blamed on them and blame can only be given to the thieves if they are caught and convicted.

So very annoying that it all is, this now means my premium has gone from £750 last year, to innitially £980. Now they have ammended it to reflect the claim and the loss of NCB it has gone up to £1500.

I`m sorry but, WTF??!?

So basically, for something that i had no say in, or control over, i`m being punished by losing 3 years NCB AND having to pay a premium that has doubled?? Where is the justice in that??

If i ever find out who these people are, me and my friend Mr. Baseball Bat will be paying them a visit, because this whole situation has left me full of anger and resentment to the point it is affecting my work and personal life.

[jeebowhite]

It would seem that any worse case senario available, i have been hit with it.

As its been explained, regarding the law etc. repairs to my car (or the payout) will have to come from my policy unless they can pin the blame on the other party. Now, seeing as the owner was not at fault, it cant be blamed on them and blame can only be given to the thieves if they are caught and convicted.

So very annoying that it all is, this now means my premium has gone from £750 last year, to innitially £980. Now they have ammended it to reflect the claim and the loss of NCB it has gone up to £1500.

I`m sorry but, WTF??!?

So basically, for something that i had no say in, or control over, i`m being punished by losing 3 years NCB AND having to pay a premium that has doubled?? Where is the justice in that??

If i ever find out who these people are, me and my friend Mr. Baseball Bat will be paying them a visit, because this whole situation has left me full of anger and resentment to the point it is affecting my work and personal life.

DSL, im sorry to hear that, and I am sure that many others would be too. The insurance companies are a fraud overall - the behaviour, the aparent "rules" that make up the minds of wether or not you are charged for it... Start searching around, and get through some more insurance companies. Also consider the 10 month "accelerator" policies. They can save you a few pounds and help out.

I cant blame you for wanting to sort them out yourself, I hope that you can help yourself to save some of this anger, and resentment, and I really hope that you are able to sort things out soon. I am one of these people who gets really affected even by the smallest of things, so I can only imagine the stress and pressure that you are facing.

If you dont mind the asking, what was the cost of the claim so far?

[Focus_DSL]

If you dont mind the asking, what was the cost of the claim so far?

I have no idea so far. My only involvment has been to inform them of all i can.

Everything else has been sorted by them (which is good i guess).

I`m still waiting to hear from the garage (which the insurers picked and informed) or the insurers to hear of whether my car will be repaired or considered a loss.

I got in touch with Motor Insurers Bureau about where i stand in regards to the law and being able to claim from the stolen cars insurers, and it`s worse case scenario confirmed.

It seems that the blame has to be 'pinned' on somebody, and seeing as the stolen cars owner wasn`t driving, it can only be pinned on the thieves if they are caught and convicted.

As cr4p as that is, thats fact and, now i know it for sure, i have to deal with that.

The MIB (Men In Black?? lol) also confirmed that i can indeed shop around for other insurance quotes with no affect to my current claim, which is &#33;Removed&#33; good news, as that £1500 is nowhere near what i can afford.

It never rains but it pours eh...... although, whether i get my Focus back or not, if i can afford to get another car, i can almost certainly say it will be another Focus.

I never knew it before, but it seems i`m something of a Ford Fanboy

Anyway, incase anybody is following this and it relates to others` situation, i`ll keep posting as to the progress of the claim.

Many thanks to all :)

[jeebowhite]

Insurance is a sod, just before getting rid of the focus, some female dog of a driver, drove her car straight into my wingmirror and destroyed it (bare in mind, I was parked on a wide part of a one way street, with only one side of parking, car parked on the kerb, and mirror folded in!!) she still demolished my wingmirror.

Popped to the police station, they took a few things, and advised I should contact mr Insurance... Off I trot, pick up the phone

"I would like to make a notification only claim please, popped to the police, they advise I need to let you know"

"OK Sir, but if you tell us this, and we make a note it will affect your insurance, you will gain an increase in premium"

"No, no I am not claiming I am just advising, in case the dishonest so and so comes forward to the police"

"I appreciate that Sir, you are advising us just for reference, but if we make a note of this as a claim, even notification only - it will still affect your premiums"

"in that case, you can keep your premium, and I will sort it myself, thanks for nothing :)"

So, even for minor damage, that would cost £100 for parts and labour to sort, The insurance company will insert into you a premium rocket, because if you dont tell them, they refuse to pay out later, and if you do tell them, and the other party (as is in your case) decides to fob off and leave no trace nor evidence), then your stuffed!

At least you have the positive news that the MIB will pay for the damage if they do catch them, but now we have to rely on PC Plod finding them! and I dont know if people are aware, but in case you are not...

On renewing Insurance, if you make a quote with no accident - of course your premium stays the same - however if you have a minor accident i.e. driving along, swerve to avoid a hedgehog, and bump a wingmirror. - Total damage £50 - your excess - 0 - you lose your NCB of 2 years because a third party makes a claim, you fork out an extra £300 for your renewal.

Now in a parallel universe, this time your driving along, swerve to avoid the hedgehog again (you really should realise that this hedgehog has already lost the fight to another car and there is no point swerving) but this time, you drive into the side of a merc - total damage - £4500 - you would still lose your 2 years NCB and your premium will still increase probably to the same amount, with not much of a significant difference.

Problem is the insurance company use damage brackets.

Fire and/or Theft

3rd Party Repair Only

Multiple Party Repair

3rd Party writeoff

Multiple Party writeoff

The issue is that those brackets have sub brackets - for example (£) 0 - 5000, 5000 - 10000, 10000>, by the looks of it they have assuemd that its going to cost around £X000 and have quoted you for that!

At the end of the day, if your going to damage something - make sure you damage a nice car, because it sounds better saying "I smashed up an SLK" than "I wrote off a Rover 600..."

[Focus_DSL]

Weel, it's official.

I`ve been priced out of owning a car through no fault of my own.

Its seems £1500 is now the absolutely cheapest quote around for someone with a claim over his head, only 2 years NCB and a speeding conviction from 2007 (on motorobike).

So bye bye 4 wheels and hello 2 again.

I can live without a car easily, its the missus i`ve had trouble convincing. She`s been too used to me taxiing her around for the last 7 years. Well tough boo-boo lol.

Wish you all the best with you Fords of various kinds :)

I hope to be back one day, once i`ve ecrued more NCB with a scooter and saved some cash.

[jeebowhite]

Its a true shame to hear that, are you selling the remainder of the focus to the insurance company?

Sorry to hear that you have had to give up with it. It is an absolute p*ss take when through no fault of your own, you have to face consequences like these. so once again it seems the police who are their to protect you and your property, and the insurance who are their to look after you, are both proving that they dont live up to their responsiblities in this instance. It is a real shame!