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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Ambulance chasers AIBU

20 replies

AwakeCantSleep · 02/02/2016 14:44

March last year I was involved in an accident. (Someone reversed into my car. No injuries.) It took aaaaaages to sort out but I got my car repaired and a free hire car for the duration. Other party accepted liability. All good.

Then last week these calls started. Apparently I am entitled to compensation for being "inconvenienced". The company hassling me call themselves First Assist. AIBU in thinking that

a) they are a bit late to the party;
b) "Do not call me again" is a clear instruction to not call me again;
c) 7 unsolicited calls in two days is taking the biscuit.

To top it off, the telephone agent I spoke to earlier called me "ignorant" before hanging up on me.

Now, unsolicited calls annoy me in any case but I really cannot stand ambulance chasers. This kind of crap is why our car insurance premiums increase all the time. I am dead against the principle.

The culprit here is probably my car insurance (Aviva) for selling on my details. How can I get these calls to stop?? I'm thinking of charging them for my time, has anyone tried that strategy? I am really losing my patience here.

(They use different area codes & numbers by the way, so not easy to block.)

OP posts:

SecretSpy · 02/02/2016 14:47

They are often random - not always due to details being sold on. I've had lots of these calls too. I haven't had an accident.

But YY they should stop when asked.

Original poster

AwakeCantSleep · 02/02/2016 14:49

Thanks Secret. The callers know the details of the incident (the date at least), and that everything has been settled by the other side, so I suspect they are not random. I might complain to my insurance company.

OP posts:

EatShitDerek · 02/02/2016 14:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MyFavouriteClintonisGeorge · 02/02/2016 14:50

I told the company hassling me that I had not had an accident at all, and because I was a police officer I wasn't going to pretend I'd had one. That worked.

goodnightdarthvader1 · 02/02/2016 14:53

I had one yesterday. I talked over her ("Oh, I had an accident, did I? Funny, I don't remember that!") and hung up. Twats.

Original poster

AwakeCantSleep · 02/02/2016 14:56

Taking notes.... (and practising practising pretend cry/wail)

OP posts:

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 02/02/2016 14:57

EatShitDerek - I did similar just recently. Lots of "Oh God - am I alright - How badly was I hurt?".

The person on the end of the phone then said "Were you in an accident recently?"
I answered - "Well, you tell me - you seem to know more about it than I do".

They hung up!

x2boys · 02/02/2016 16:24

i got one this morning from someone calling himself Daniel with a very strong what appeared to be indian accent i,ve not had an accident recently

Slowlygettingthehangofthings · 02/02/2016 16:29

A simple "this is a tps registered phone" usually works, even if you aren't registered.

MissLanaBanana · 02/02/2016 16:43

I'm still getting them 6 years after I had an accident!

JolseBaby · 02/02/2016 16:44

Simply say 'do not call me again' and put the phone down. Don't engage, don't stop to listen, just do it.

I had this after someone went into the back of me a few years ago. Police, garages, insurers, courtesy/hire car firms - various people can (and do) sell details on in exchange for a referral fee.

HighwayDragon1 · 02/02/2016 16:47

I say "oh my gosh, yes I did, last year" they get all excited when they ask for details I tell them it was that bad I actually died

Pidapie · 02/02/2016 16:47

I'm getting these calls too, and I don't even have a car! I just put it down to be scam calls. No idea where they got my number.

Original poster

AwakeCantSleep · 02/02/2016 16:57

They just called again. Withheld number. I was preparing to cry/wail uncontrollably, and then it was a silent call

The thing is, I am TPS registered and have been for a long time.

I wish I could just block all calls from withheld numbers on the iPhone. That would go a long way towards solving the problem.

OP posts:

CarbonEmittingPenguin · 02/02/2016 17:03

I had calls like this happen to me also and I read a good tip, not sure if here or elsewhere but when they were asking me about my injuries and how badly I'd been hurt I told them that I'd died so wouldn't really be able to comment until I'd read the autopsy report. They didn't know what to say next so hung up on me

Gingefringe · 02/02/2016 17:10

I've been getting these calls regularly for about 3 years now ever since someone drove into the back of my parked car. I spoke to my insurers and also the other Parties' insurers about the ambulance chaser calls but they assured me that they had not sold my details.
I think that probably my accident details were sold by a price comparison website after I had made enquiries about changing my insurance (as I had to disclose the details of the accident to the price comparison site in order to get a quote).

I don't know how long these calls will carry on - I've had to change my mobile phone number as I was getting about 3 or 4 calls a day at one point - even when I was on holiday abroad and it used up all my credit!!
I don't answer the phone to an unknown number any more.
Being TPS registered is of no use in my experience. They are a complete PIA and I regret to say I am just very rude to them on the phone now - there must be hundreds of these companies out there.

DextersMistress · 02/02/2016 17:11

Last year my DM was hit by a car. She was taken to hospital and I met her there. We'd been there about 2 hours and we're waiting for X-ray results when her phone started ringing....you guessed it. I not so politely told them to do one.

After the results came back clear, mum was given a leaflet on managing her back pain and the bloody vultures had an advert on the back of the leaflet!

DM made a full recovery btw.

SuperCee7 · 02/02/2016 17:12

I get these a lot. I've never been in an accident.

Sometimesithinkimbonkers · 02/02/2016 17:45

I get these call because DH's mate hit a deer on the way to work DH was in the car and his mate only knew my number.
When they call they are really cocky. I explain it was my DH and that he works ... They ask can he call back . No!!!
I say we are not interested close the case.... They say they can't!
Now when they phone I pretend to go and get him and just leave them hanging on the phone!!!! Or I shout DH name down the phone repeatedly!!! Silly but makes me giggle . Same with they problem with Microsoft... I go through it all with them on my pretend computer and when they ask about the Windows flag I always say I can't see it!!! I get full instructions and have to tell them the brand ... It's always A Bingbongboo computer... They get so pissed off with me

Tippytappytoes · 02/02/2016 17:48

I've been getting these since my accident last year (woman drove into me). Nothing I did stopped them. They change company name and numbers frequently too - so blocking only slows them down. It was almost harassment. Recently though I've been telling them it's all been sorted, and slowly they've been tapering off. I've just gone a whole week without being bothered!

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