| Sure, I got a good-value quote for my old Volvo estate via the AA — so good, it didn't seem worthwhile to opt for 3rd-party only.
Trouble is, I wrecked the rear lights of a parked car, putting a small dent in my rear door, smashing a rear passenger window (which was wound down) and nudging the interior door trim off a clip.
When something happens after you've built-up twenty-odd years of no claims, you can tend to go into panic. I did what I thought I had to do: gave my insurance details and reported the incident within the hour to my brokers (the AA). Now begins the sad, sad saga. In the panic, I couldn't find my policy nor remember the status of my No Claims Protection. I was very concerned that I shouldn't jeapordise this, but had to inform the insurers before the third
party did.
My AA Policy Booklet said I had to call a number "as soon as possible to report the loss or damage and to ask for a claim form. They will tell you what to do next. When you receive the claim form, please fill it in and return it as soon as possible..."
I was asked a series of questions about the third party, any injuries and the damage to my own vehicle, which I answered. Because of the concerns I had re. no claims, I did not ask for a claim form. I was told to expect a call from the insurer's approved garage. Having comprehensive cover and knowing I've got to start somewhere, I thought there was no harm in going along with that — if it was less than my £200 excess, I would just pay that myself without jeapordising
my No Claims.
What a naive idiot I was! LEARN FROM MY STUPIDITY!
I received an appointment to drive some 12 miles to the approved repairers. From the moment they took photos (general, mileage, tax disc, and — only when pointed out — the interior door trim) my car's fate was sealed. When the assessor re-appeared after 5 minutes and announced that it was probably a write-off, I went white with shock. Then I assumed he was only talking about the door, but no, he meant it. I departed in anger, determined to
have nothing more to do with such ecological idiocy and to get the minor damage fixed myself. I had a well-maintained, sturdy, roadworthy vehicle with only 54,000 on the clock, automatic, power-assisted brakes and steering plus dog's room in the rear. I wasn't going to get anywhere near this again with an expected valuation of around £400 minus £200 excess.
At first, the letter from the insurers (GroupAMA in Portsmouth) was convivial enough; they would have a cost valuation soon and then I was to empty-out the car and prepare to pay my £200 excess upon collection. Oh, and to please return the claim form (which I did not have). That didn't sound as bad as I first thought, so I hesitated.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! You see, in today's paper-free world, just reporting the incident sets in-train a set of events over which you have no control (unless, as I later found out from the insurers' legal team — after I phoned about the lack of response to my letter of complaint — that I should have used the legal phrase "this is for information purposes only and does not constitute a claim" And on which page
of the 32-page policy booklet did I miss that? None, actually. This stupid idiot (and any other stupid idiots out there) should already know that. Just because it says that to claim you must ask for a claim form, fill it in, sign it and return it does't mean that's what you have to do to make a claim. The broker sends a fax of the reported details to the insurer, who assumes it is a claim unless advised otherwise.
Now, this would not necessarily be a disaster if you had a valuable car. But if your vehicle is of modest value, think carefully. In hind-sight, it is obvious to me now that with a car worth £400 and a policy excess of £200, you must target all damage precisely, else you either pay for it all yourself (equivalent to third-party) or they round-it-up and declare it uneconomical.
And if you're thinking: So what, just accept the write-off value and get it fixed yourself, they've got that covered too!
An insurance company is omipotent here: they declared my car a Category-C (severe damage) write-off, despite the fact that my "severe damage" was fixed (with a second-hand window) plus other minor things done plus fully serviced for £230 at the local garage. I was shocked, and my ulcer agitated, but not in despair at this stage, because as I have explained before, I am a naive, stupid idiot. I thought that since
I had not submitted a claim form, had not even asked for a claim form, had not received payment for the vehicle and still had the registration documents, this was all a ghastly administrative mistake (or perhaps a bluff to stop me submitting a claim?). I reasoned that if they did not legally own the vehicle, they could not possibly put my car on the write-off register, at least not without my agreement.
So, there is my car, all fixed-up and serviced, running well, well-maintained and roadworthy (but still, admitedly, with a 2mm dent some 9 inches under a door-handle, which I can live with), but the insurance company now says that because this car is a Category-C (probably severely damaged) write-off, it is potentially so dangerous that I need another MOT. However, they will give me 30 days cover (3rd-party only)! Can you believe
that ? Either this car is road-worthy or it is not. How can they grant me, out of the goodness of their hearts, 30 day's honorary road-worthyness? Next, since they have put my car on the MIAFTA register available to other insurers, the police and HIP, I now have only two options. Accept the £250 (which by now has already been spent on the vehicle) and they will perform environmental vandalism and scrap it. Else, send them the V5C, MOT and my
policy which I can then have back (likely story!) and I can salvage the vehicle by applying for a Vehicle Inspection form, sending it off with £36, then driving 25 miles to make sure that the identity of this scrapped-and-reclaimed vehicle has not been transferred onto a stolen vehicle. In addition, they will no longer insure this potentially dangerous and/or stolen vehicle, and imply that I will have difficulty getting insurance
elsewhere.
Oh, but if I care to drop the claim, they will insure me third-party without the vehicle identity check (VIC).
Well, if they care to send back my signed claim form (which doesn't exist), I will gladly strike it through and initial it and return it to them! This is a little allegorous to the innocent prisoner who has to show remorse for the crime he didn't commit before he can get parole. By renouncing the claim I haven't made, it absolves them of any responsibilty in this almighty farce.
My one saving grace is that I have the V5 registration document, so I will be able to tax the vehicle (I hope), until such time as I move or otherwise need to return it. (Since I will not get tax disc reminders, and my memory is poor, I am in immininent danger of prosecution here).
And all because I didn't elect for third-party cover and got an estimate from the wrong garage!
Trevor Skeggs
25th August 2006
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