Car hit me - my decision where it's repaired?

Atlantic Dawn

Regularly there are threads like this here, in the future I will go straight down the insurance route if I have to get anything repaired, it's just not worth the hassle.

MarkN

Had her insurance company onto me today by email. I asked the girl dealing with it to explain to the person who hit me that I won't tolerate insinuations that I attempted something underhand by providing a quote based on a claim through insurance and a quote for cash. I also said can you please tell your client I will get my car repaired where I like and I won't be given anymore offers of cash towards the damage. Insurance company confirmed they said this to her and she now might offer 350 cash to settle and she would be calling me today. I actually don't want to deal with her in any shape or form, I said I can't accept any offer until the bumper is off the car and a more robust estimate can be provided anyway. Thought it was a bit strange that her insurance were almost acting as mediators for her to pay me cash? She's with ARB underwritten by Triton.

n97 mini

Bizarre that the garage can do it for €350 but are happy to charge the insurance company €600!

I was rear ended a couple of years ago and the garage gave me one price. The insurance company's man came out and inspected the car, agreed with the estimate to the cent and two days later (before the car was repaired) I received the cheque. Similarly the wife was hit from behind, assessor inspected it and knocked €250 odd off the repair quote, again two days later the cheque arrived.

GB FAN GALWAY 30

When they can get out of it for €300 and they ask you for more quotes I would definitely go insurance route. I clipped a lad driving my company car one weekend and left a nasty mark on his front wing. He brought it to a local guy we both knew and I was delighted to get out of it at €270, that I left your man the €30 for a drink. A lot easier then going through insurance and explaining weekend usage to insurance. Some people don't know when they're getting on well....

dev100

Toyotafanboi wrote:

Jaysis, if I rear ended someone and all they wanted was €300 to settle, I wouldn't be asking them to shop around!

I'd be handing over the cash there and then !!!

Eric Cartman

OP, id be going back to a main dealer and insisting on a new bumper with new clips and all painted at wherever the dealer recommends, a rental of the same model or better car for the time and a fancy coffee.

give them that quote too and see how it is.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Eric Cartman

Voodoomelon wrote: »

A week ago, both of the above scenarios would make my blood boil, but you have to understand how the system works, something that was I was only made aware of a few days ago.

A friend was in an accident with a van. He was stopped and the van ploughed into the back of him. Friends car needed a new back door and paint etc, a sizeable job. But he was also injured and is still in pain 3 months later with constant physio bills.

He, like most people (I would still like to believe) only wanted his bills covered. But the other parties insurance has been giving him the run around for MONTHS, offering him a tiny portion of his bills, not to mention any further bills. Essentially, an insulting offer.

He's basically at a deadlock with them and has been forced to go with a solicitor. Now he hasn't said it in as many words, but because he's now on board with a solicitor, the claim is likely going to be way higher and he hasn't pushed for ANY of this.

So now the other party in the van, he feels horrible for as this is going to drag out for another 6 months, the claim is likely to be a multiple of what he wanted originally, all because a solicitor is now involved and the insurance company are acting the arse.

It's not always the victims fault claims are so high.

a good solicitor may not push so hard, but there are a lot of solicitors in offices in very poor areas who do a roaring trade in sore neck claims, its absolutely sick that a certain section of society use claims as an income source.

Nekarsulm

In my case, apart from the annoyance of the whole thing, the hidden consequences only came to light a year or so later.
We bought a campervan, and when I went to insure it, Dolmen refused to quote me at all. (As a payment of over 10,000 was noted against my insurance company.)
If I had the option of making the hassle go away for 300, I would have grabbed it!

Johnmcgee97

Ah lads, 300 euro and hes asking for quotes?

He's lucky he didn't bang into some miserable house wife that does his insurance in for non existent whip lash and some sort of trauma.

If it happened me, I'd give you at least 400

idunno78

Did you ring your own insurance? Surly they should be dealing with it for you?

9935452

idunno78 wrote: »

Did you ring your own insurance? Surly they should be dealing with it for you?

In most cases unless you are claiming off your own insurance, they dont want to know.
They will tell you to deal with the other persons insurance

Voodoomelon

Here's a scenario, which would be common, much like the OPs:

What happens if you get someone like above, who hits your bumper. She admits liability at the side of the road, word of mouth, Gardai don't attend as no injuries.

You get a quick quote as above from a bodyshop or two, €400 or so from both, and present it to her. They accept.

You then take it to the body shop, bumper comes off, subframe damage, quote is then €1800. Other person refuses to pay. You initiate a claim, they don't accept liability.

You now have a car in for a repair, up on a ramp eating up everyone's time and money and no one wants to pay. That's you pretty much screwed.

idunno78

He should still be telling his insurance tho incase the woman tries to claim of him or something! Just so they are aware!

MarkN

Rang my own insurance company yes, they were helpful enough, gave me a case number and a mobile of a handler but yes they said unless you want to activate your full NCB protection and pay the excess (which I don't) then they said I've to go off and deal with her company. If I run into trouble they would help out then, she said. I went to garda station in person etc so all is well in that regard. She can't claim anything as it was a straightforward rear end impact.

I know plenty of people in BMW where I can get a full on quote alright, again I had steered clear of that to do her a favour but it actually might be worthwhile to do it just to show her and her insurance company what good value 600 quid is never mind 350!

Leonard Hofstadter

Some people are unreal. If I hit someone and the other person said we'll do this outside of insurance if I give that person €300 to fix the bumper I'd be saying thanks a million for saving me on my NCD! That is NOT expensive by any measure of means (speaking from experience of a car having had a rear-end shunt).

MarkN

Quote by BMW being done up in the morning now, just sent the details onto a contact in one of the dealers in Dublin.

robtri

happened to me a few years ago. excpet i was the other driver.... slight tap on the rear bumper, minor damage, as i was behind my fault so was expecting a big claim...
guy was a taxi driver.. gave me a cash price a day later 300.... i nearly climbed down the phone to accept.. paid him within two hours i was so happy and got a bit of paper saying all settled in full and final ......

if that went to insurance... would still be paying it off to this date....

mickdw

off topic a little but is it a case that the insurers have tightened up alot on the pricing?
My brother got a quote a local guy for minor damage to newish audi. It came to 4600. New wing, bumper, headlight, front fog, headlight washer, various grilles and minor door repair.
The job.eventually went to the main dealer who repaired in in house body shop through insurance for 2700.
The bodyshop manager said that they use pretty much locked down system for pricing works and there is little room for adding fat to the quote.
I don't know how true that is but the price was pretty reasonable.

the_syco

n97 mini wrote: »

Bizarre that the garage can do it for €350 but are happy to charge the insurance company €600!

I think it comes down to labour costs. If it'll take the garage Y hours to fix it, the insurance will give them X amount per hour.

Voodoomelon

More to do with cash being king, no VAT and no tax. I've rarely dealt with any bodyshop and ended up with a detailed printed invoice other than a scrap of paper with a few scribbles on it.

MarkN

Car being repaired tomorrow through insurance. An expensive lesson for her no doubt!

bazz26

Glad to hear it, enough going on at this time of year without having this sort of thing hanging over you and dragging it's heals through no fault of your own. Unfortunately for some people out there, a lesson earned is the only way a lesson is learned.

Seth Brundle

MarkN wrote: »

Car being repaired tomorrow through insurance. An expensive lesson for her no doubt!

Dunno. Some people are just stupid and no amount of teaching will make them learn!

mickdw

No doubt this story will be spun to all who will listen ..... the guy who robbed her with the car repair doubling the cost for no reason and there wasn't even a mark on it.

Very very silly not to pay up day one and put it to bed.
I think people listen to all around them when these things happen and it's without fail cute hoor advice that is given.
Basically when at fault, pay nothing - they will go away.
When not at fault - put on a collar and take 6 months off work.