4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[AMS]

Hello

 

I had an accident on the way to work last Thursday - a foreign lorry driver decided that it was OK to turn right at a roundabout whilst in the inside lane and not indicating and drove into the side of my car and spun me off the road - luckily I was OK (more shocked than anything). The police said that he was driving without due care and attention.

 

The approved repairer told me on Friday afternoon that my insurance company had decided to write off my car but Diamond didn't contact me to tell me themselves. When I phoned them this afternoon for an update on my claim I was told that I had to send them my vehicle registration document, service records, insurance certificate, MOT certificate and the receipt from the dealer I purchased the car from before they would tell me how they would payout.

 

I've never had to make a claim before - is this normal? A colleague said that her insurance company has always (she's written off 3 cars ) agreed a settlement over the phone without seeing these documents.

 

Thanks, Alison

 

PS Sorry if you were stuck in traffic on the A1 at Biggleswade roundabout last Thursday!

[furryelephant]

Hello,

 

Hope you're OK after your accident.

 

When my Mum had her car written off by Direct Line last year they assessed the value of the car at the repairer's premises. They may be wanting documents regarding purchase price and service information to give a true valuation of the car... I'm sure some dishonest types (not you obviously!!) will try to claim their fifteen year old Ford Escort cost them £5000 three months ago

 

As for the V5, MOT and insurance documents.. the insurance company takes ownership of the car when they pay out your settlement and therefore these documents either become their property or null and void (in the instance of your insurance certificate) for that car. I would think this is an anti-fraud measure.

 

Someone may be able to shed some official light on this, but this would be my suggestion for them requesting the documents.

 

Hope all is sorted soon

 

Paula x

[katieadams]

I had a claim against me with Diamond and they were terrible - the guy I collided with told them I'd gone into the back of him when I hadn't, I'd gone into the side (long story but totally not my fault). He only had a scratch on his bumper on the side of his car, nothing at the back because I'd almost managed to avoid him. I rang Diamond and informed them and they said they'd send me the paperwork I needed to fill in - which they did, but then the day after I received the paperwork to fill in I received a letter to say they'd settled, me at fault, with it going down that I'd gone into the back of him Needless to say I no longer use Diamond!

[Aunty e]

If I've never told you my favourite insurance story, here it comes.

 

Eirian is pootling along on her bicycle, her tiny 14" wheeled pink sweetpea, with no helmet on because she has princessy hair that day. Her line of sight is partially blocked by a van, but as she is nicely shielded by him, she carries on cycling along and is turning right at a T Junction, still shielded by the nice van on her right hand side, when van brakes sharply to avoid car which has turned into the road too fast and can't wait for him to get out of the way. Eirian breaks sharply, but not sharply enough and files over her handlebars, landing on her head on the wing of the car, bounces off and into the road and leaps to her feet, miraculously unhurt. She goes to check on driver of speeding car to find a little mad old lady driving in her nightie, who asks her to phone the police for her, as she is deaf. Police arrive, take statements, pootle off. Eirian goes home, a bit shocked, but essentially fine.

 

A month later a claim arrives in the post, saying that little old lady has told them that the accident is Eirian's fault and that the repairs to the vehicle (which had a hand-sized dent in it, caused by Eirian's dainty little head) cost over £1000. Apparently she had required, as a result of a small head impacting on her car wing, a complete new wing, new wing mirror, new windscreen, new registration plates, new door and total respray.

 

Eirian calls insurer, and tells them where to stick their letter. They write repeatedly for the next six months. In the end, she sends them a picture of her standing next to her bicycle and asks if they really think that any court is going to agree that her little head, falling off her little bicycle, could cause that much damage. They never write again.

[Space Chick]

I wrote off a car when I was insured with Diamond. Completely my fault, I was young and foolish (over 10 years ago! )

 

In the end, after weeks upon weeks of them delaying payment, I turned up at their head office in Cardiff and refused to leave until I had my cheque.

 

It was the best 3 hours I ever spent

 

Came away with my cheque, and changed my company at the next renewal date.

[AnnieP]

Oh dear. so sorry to hear about your car accident! Its really so upsetting and annoying when it happens and the inconvenience.....

 

Now, call me a cynic, and I assume that the insurance company you are with are a reputable one, but if you send them EVERY document you posess on the car, surely they could say you do not own it any more, or indeed, ever owned it? I think I would be tempted to photocopy everything, and send it recorded delivery, so you have proof at least that you once had the docs.

According to a good friend of mine (the internet ), under a special arrangement between DVLA and the insurance industry, your insurer may ask you for the whole registration document or certificate, which they will complete for you and send to the DVLA. If you decide to do this you should, in order to discharge your liability, write to DVLA Swansea SA99 1BR giving the date you passed the vehicle to the insurance company and details of their name and address.

 

 

Hope this helps?

[redfrock]

poooor you and how frightening - the foreign lorries are a nightmare. I was shoved off the motorway a few years ago by one. He decided he wanted to be in my lane I was and no amount of honking or anything was gonna stop him. I ended with a choice, turn sharply onto grass verge (no hard shoulder left) or end up underneath him. I ended up on the verge (being violently sick with shock) he decided actually he hadn't to be in that lane anyway and moved back over.

 

As for them wanting proof of purchase - if you buy secondhand chances are it was several years ago, chances are you won't have the receipt or you may have bought from John Smith who was selling his car privately so don't have one anyway. They only insure for market value anyway, whether you paid £5 for your 09 plate mini cooper or £50k for your clapped out ancient fiesta, so how much you paid for it is irrelevant.

 

My husband wrote his car off a few years ago and the insurer simply sent an advert of a the same model with similar mileage that was listed on Autotrader as proof that they were paying out market value. Job done.

 

I think they need your MOT docs (to prove it was valid and roadworthy when tested) and V5 as once they write it off you are no longer the registered owner

 

I can check with OH when he gets home tonight if you want - he works for VOSA and knows all about such things

 

Glad you are ok though x

Edited June 3, 2009 by Guest

[chickenanne]

Oh poor you!

 

I can't see how insurers can realistically expect your original receipt: what if you'd bought it privately second hand - you'd only have a scribbled bit of paper. Generally insurers' do seem to want proof of ownership of the insured item, i.e. the receipt, but your reg. docs proove that, surely? Methinks they are asking for something they're confident you won't have in roder to delay.

The rest of it: I would do as suggested above, I think returning spare key and documents is standard really - my OH wrote his car off a few years ago (silly boy!).