“The accident wasn’t my fault” ARE YOU SURE?
Before the process can begin we need to clarify this very important point and obtain as much information about the claim as possible.
Our staff can then discuss the issue of blame and liability with you along with the following various options. We have many years of experience in motor claims and our staff come from various backgrounds within the motor industry.
Option 1 - Credit Repair/Credit Hire
There are a number of specialist companies who operate credit repair or credit hire schemes. They will provide you with a credit facility over a pre-determined length of time to pay for the repairs to your vehicle and a replacement car.
They will have the repairs inspected and authorised by an independent engineer.
Once the car repairs have been completed they will make the claim against the other party’s insurance company with the aim of having the account settled before you are responsible for the costs. Often these companies will have protocols in place with many motor insurers and will seek authority before they proceed, reducing any risk and at no cost to yourself.
Option 1 is now the preferred route of most people and brings many benefits;
• No impact upon your own policy, your no claims bonus is unaffected
• No insurance excess to pay
• Suitable replacement vehicle whilst yours is being repaired on a like-for-like basis
• No risk
At Autocrash, we can advise you which of these specialised companies to speak to and who will then manage the claim on your behalf. These companies will then also deal with any incurred losses or expenses for you.
Option 2 -Claiming direct from the other party's car insurer
Once you have provided us with the other party’s details and liability is established, we can then make the necessary arrangements to deal directly with their insurance company.
This option provides some of the benefits as option 1 but the at-fault insurer will deal with you as if you were one of their own policyholders, their appointed engineer will inspect and authorise the repairs directly with us and you will have nothing to pay.
In most cases you should be provided with a replacement vehicle to use. If you are only insured for third party, fire and theft, all the above benefits will still apply.
Option 3 - Claiming on my own motor insurance policy
If you are insured comprehensively, then you can make the claim through your own motor insurance policy and your insurance company will look to recover all the costs from the other party’s insurer at a later date. In cases where liability is not clear or the other party has not reported the insurance claim, or will not admit fault, this may be the only course of action.
The disadvantages of this process are;
- You will have to pay your policy excess and claim it back
- It may affect your claim history/ no-claims bonus until settled
Your car insurance policy will normally entitle you to a group A courtesy car whilst yours is being repaired, provided by ourselves (not all policies provide courtesy cars as standard). In certain circumstances we will be able to arrange for a more suitable like-for-like replacement vehicle.
Option 4 - The other driver/party has offered to pay a cash settlement
We hear this statement every day of the week. Although this sounds the ideal route, it very rarely works out in practice. Motor accident repairs can be a costly business and it is very difficult to determine the exact costs of the repairs at the outset as further damage may be found during the repair process involving more labour and parts.
We will gladly provide you with an estimate to repair the damage, but before we proceed with the repairs it is very important that we obtain accurate parts’ prices and explain to you how the estimate is built up so that you understand clearly the costs involved.
Also before the repairs begin you must ensure that you have the necessary cleared funds from the other party; never assume that they will pay for the repairs at a later date or that the cheque will clear, our staff can help advise you on this.
LET US HELP YOU
The above is designed to give you a brief overview of the options open to you if you have had a car or any type of motor accident which wasn't your fault and you need to make an insurance claim for repairs.
Our staff will be happy to discuss your individual motor vehicle repair claim in detail with you, to help and guide you through the process. Although complex, the majority of repair insurance claims, if handled correctly, should proceed with the minimum of problems and inconvenience. Contact Autocrash now
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