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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In wanting my car repaired?

73 replies

mssalteena · 08/12/2021 11:40

Last week my parked and unattended car was hit by a bus.

Clearly I am not in any way liable.

Bus driver provided all details when I returned to car. Wheel was damaged so I had to have car recovered (and wait 3 hours in the freezing cold for the truck to turn up).

I now have no car. My insurers have said they can't repair it until I pay my excess (which is £500 and I really can't afford just before Christmas), they also can't provide me with a courtesy car now or possibly even during repair. As matters stand I might not get my car back until the New Year.

According to insurers they 'can't contact' the bus company and it could take 3 months for a response.

Surely given my car was parked they can waive the bloody excess?

OP posts:
gogohm · 08/12/2021 13:01

I have never been asked to pay the excess up front but I did have to agree to pay it if the insurance for the other party fell through - they took a credit card number but didn't swipe it so to speak. I think this is standard for insurance. With the car hire again I had to agree to foot the bill if my claim fell through, it didn't.

I would also suggest that you look at your insurance when you renew, seems very high, my dd pays less and she's 20

gogohm · 08/12/2021 13:01

Do you have legal cover on your insurance, if so they can help

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 08/12/2021 13:03

@santasmuma

Not if the other party or their insurer pays directly for the repairs, no, but you are getting the work done on your policy and then reclaiming the cost you do.

There is no need to do this. The company is liable. The claim is against them. OP need not pay any excess.

But OP's car was recovered to a garage - presumably not the the bus company (or their insurers) request so OP seems to have begun the process of using her own insurer - in which case she will have to pay the excess and reclaim it later.
Original poster
mssalteena · 08/12/2021 13:15

I've told my insurers to get stuffed, they've been rude and unhelpful throughout (EUI group insurer, fyi - don't bother with them).

Got details for the insurers of the bus, have been calling continuously for the last hour, no answer.

Am now waiting on a callback from an accident management company.

OP posts:
Original poster
mssalteena · 08/12/2021 13:18

I don't even know where the car is at the moment, my insurers haven't told me! I had to get it recovered because it wasn't driveable and couldn't be left where it was.

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 08/12/2021 13:26

I've told my insurers to get stuffed

They might be shit but this is a bad move. Escalate a complaint. Don't stop communicating with them.

OberthursGrizzledSkipper · 08/12/2021 13:31

Unfortunately this is how insurance works. DH took my car to the garage for something and while he was booking it in a delivery driver hit and damaged it. They said I had to claim off my own insurance, pay excess plus it contributed to the number of claims on my record. I was furious but they wouldn't budge.

Clymene · 08/12/2021 13:36

This is how insurance works. I had to pay the excess and then they paid for the repair and refunded me the excess.

That's a very high excess.

TheCatterall · 08/12/2021 14:11

You’ve selected that excess? Or agreed to it when you chose this insurance… it’s how excess works.

I honestly can’t believe that you expect them to magically waive it in this particular event. That’s now how this works.

Yes it’s shit. Yes it’s not fair. Yes it’s not your fault.

What’s more important to you - getting a car sorted over Christmas or having a fancy Christmas and all the extras.

PinkAndPurpleClouds · 08/12/2021 14:14

£500! That is a high excess! Shock Mine is £125.

PinkAndPurpleClouds · 08/12/2021 14:16

@mssalteena

As others have said, you would have selected the excess. Why select it if you can't afford it?

Apart from that you have my sympathy, being without a car is shit when you depend on it.

Does your policy not include a courtesy car? Many do.

Original poster
mssalteena · 08/12/2021 14:20

I've made a complaint to my insurers. I don't renew for another few months but I will be looking elsewhere, they have dealt with this really poorly. It's taken a week for them to tell me I needed to pay my excess, I've spent days being told this person or that would call me back.

Even if I paid my excess immediately they've said it'll be weeks before I get my car back or get a replacement. It's really poor service.

OP posts:
ChangeChingyChange · 08/12/2021 14:21

@santasmuma

You don't pay excess when you are claiming on someone else's insurance anyway.
THIS!!

either you haven't explained correctly OP or they've misunderstood. You are claiming on TFLs insurance NOT your policy. You do not need to pay anything and the terms of YOUR policy are irrelevant- you are claiming off them!!

LarryTheLurker · 08/12/2021 14:31

Some very odd advice here.

On the question of a replacement car, you can hire one yourself. You need to what's called 'mitigate your losses' so hire something comparable to your own car, and for as short a time as possible while your car is being repaired, but your loss of use (i.e. of your own car) is a 'consequential loss' following on from the bus driver's negligence. It might be an idea to inform the bus co you are doing so. Downside is that you will have to pay for the hire car yourself and claim the hire charges back from the bus co, upside is liability shouldn't be an issue.

You can claim for repairs under your own policy but repairs will not be authorised by your insurers until the excess is paid. This excess, like your loss of use (hire car charges) claim is what's called an uninsured loss, so you have to claim it from the third party (= bus co) yourself. Claims cos are all well and good, but double check what they will charge you before you instruct them - 25% of the recovered monies is not uncommon.

NB your claim is not 'against the bus co's insurance'. It is against the bus co, whose employee caused your loss and damage. Only the bus co can claim under their own policy, which they do to get them to pay your claim.

Original poster
mssalteena · 08/12/2021 14:34

I've just spoken to the bus insurers. They don't have any details from my insurers and apparently haven't been contacted by them.

OP posts:
Original poster
mssalteena · 08/12/2021 14:35

I can't afford to pay an excess or hire charges upfront right now. I shouldn't have to considering my car was parked and I wasn't even in it, there is no way I could possibly be at fault.

OP posts:
gersteddybears · 08/12/2021 14:46

I had a few accidents in a short period of time a few yrs ago and both were the other persons fault. I was never asked to pay my excess. I was surprised as I thought they'd want to hear both sides of the story but took my word for it. I would see if u can call the bus company and find out who their insurers are then contact them direct to see if they can do anything for u.

Claim 1, I told my insurers what happened and they said it was a not at fault claim (driver pulled out infront of me at a roundabout) and they wld be looking to recover all costs from the other party. I was put in contact with a firm that wld provide a courtesy car etc and seek the repayment against the other insurer. I had a car quickly delivered and mine was taken away.

Second time was the exact same circumstance as u. My car was parked outside my house and someone reversed in to it. My insurers again said same thing and put me in contact with that company again. However I later received a text msg from the insurers of the guy who hit me saying if I need a courtesy car to contact them direct. I then did so and his insurers dealt with everything took my car away to be fixed and brought a courtesy car within 24hrs. It was so straight forward.

Original poster
mssalteena · 08/12/2021 14:50

Yes it should be that straightforward. My car was parked, I wasn't there. The driver admitted liability.

The bus company have said as their processes take weeks, it should be my insurers dealing.

Honestly this is going round in circles. The accident management co I called said they couldn't take the case because it takes too long to get the money back from bus companies! But apparently it's fine for me to be out of pocket for months. Lovely.

OP posts:
gersteddybears · 08/12/2021 14:53

Go bk to insurer and ask to spk to a mgr. u were not in the car, u shld not have to pay the excess. Of course they might tell u well that's what ur saying and they might say something different. That's the only reason I can imagine them saying u must pay up first.

In that case I wld go bk to bud company and get the name of the insurer and contact them. U shldnt have to as the insurer shld be doing this. U shld maybe I then again when h call and say that u got through to the bus company so saying the phone is ringing out is a poor excuse.

mogsrus · 08/12/2021 14:53

It took one year to the day for a gigantic company to pay for my vehicle repair,so sympathy to you,but what really 1st cos out in your script is that you can't afford it as Christmas is round the corner, presumably it would not be a problem last month? why do people always say something is in the way?Christmas has nothing whatsoever to do with your financial status it's a cop out

ChangeChingyChange · 08/12/2021 14:55

@mssalteena

I've just spoken to the bus insurers. They don't have any details from my insurers and apparently haven't been contacted by them.
Because I don't think you've made it clear you want to claim on their insurance. Or they're too inept to understand!! Get back onto them.
drpet49 · 08/12/2021 14:57

** santasmuma
You don't pay excess when you are claiming on someone else's insurance anyway.
THIS!!

either you haven't explained correctly OP or they've misunderstood. You are claiming on TFLs insurance NOT your policy. You do not need to pay anything and the terms of YOUR policy are irrelevant- you are claiming off them!!**

^This is correct

LouiseLaChain · 08/12/2021 14:58

@mssalteena

I'm in London/ it was a London bus - so apparently it has to go through TfL, and (according to my insurers) no one answers the phone.
I'm wondering if this is what my son witnessed! Was it a road sort of opposite to the side of a church and pond?
FreeBritnee · 08/12/2021 14:58

My car was hit while parked and I never got paid out. Had to absorb the excess and subsequent penalties on my yearly renewal. It was a well known haulage company too but there were no witnesses to the impact, just the aftermath. So I hope you have witnesses or camera footage. The haulage company just refused to deal with the insurance company in the end and my insurance company gave up.

FreeBritnee · 08/12/2021 15:00

The driver isn’t in a position to accept liability. It’s down to the insurers unfortunately.