Car insurance company refuses to let me make a claim! (1 Viewer)

Aug 10, 2012
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cambridge
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hi assembled collective ,I need some divine guidance

Traveling home, we stopped and three cars piled in the back of us, damaging my caravan [yes I have a motorhome too!]

The back of the caravan is damaged, the caravan is not insured as its only worth circa £1500

The car that went in the back of me says he stopped and was then pushed into me, by the cars behind

His insurance company use a claims handling company, they have refused to accept and even entertain my claim as they are 'not at fault' [their car was pushed] and have told me to claim off the car at the back!!!, they won't let me input a claim!!

what is my next step, go to the last car insurance? use a claims company?

help!
 

Jim

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Jul 19, 2007
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I'm not sure. I'd guess your next step is to find and a solicitor to do all the work your insurance company would have done had you been insured. I imagine that will make a policy look cheap. Maybe there is a cheaper option and if there is, a Funster will probably know (y) best of luck. My gut feeling is you'll need it.

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TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
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many many years! since I was a kid
the car that hit you is the one you claim from. they then claim off the next one etc

The fact you stopped and they didnt isn't your fault, nor is the fact they were then shunted into you

insurance ombudsman is a good call, or as the caravan was being towed, your car insurer should claim from them as you are the injured third party with no fault. otherwise start proceedings to claim off the driver that hit you
 

bartiny

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May 23, 2010
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the car that hit you is the one you claim from. they then claim off the next one etc

The fact you stopped and they didnt isn't your fault, nor is the fact they were then shunted into you

insurance ombudsman is a good call, or as the caravan was being towed, your car insurer should claim from them as you are the injured third party with no fault. otherwise start proceedings to claim off the driver that hit you

(y) as above, I have been involved in a similar accident but I was shunted into the car in front, that car claimed off my insurance, then my insurance claimed off the guy that ran into me for the whole ammount.

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grumps147

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Bear in mind all your calls to them are and have been recorded, and anything that smacks of fraud will be bounced on ten times higher and faster than your actual rights.
Go and see a solicitor soonest, unless you can handle the claim yourself, or you want you engage one of the advisors on here and elsewhere who will handle it for you. As has been said by TheBig 1, your claim is against the first in line, they have to claim off the one behind them etc..
As long as you did not cause the accident, you have a good claim.
 
OP
OP
bubble63
Aug 10, 2012
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Ok thanks for all the input
An update

It seems the Towbar is damaged so this triggers a claim thro my insurers
The caravan is only covered third party via the car insurance
I have legal cover thro my car insurance
Because I will claim thro my car ins. It wil establish blame in the sequence of cars
I then use the legal cover to claim for 'out of pocket expenses ' ie the caravan, excess, travel etc from the liable party, which looks like been the last car of three

This may take time as there will be solicitors involved, but at least I hope I have a pathway now!

Complicated or what!
 

bartiny

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May 23, 2010
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Ok thanks for all the input
An update

It seems the Towbar is damaged so this triggers a claim thro my insurers
The caravan is only covered third party via the car insurance
I have legal cover thro my car insurance
Because I will claim thro my car ins. It wil establish blame in the sequence of cars
I then use the legal cover to claim for 'out of pocket expenses ' ie the caravan, excess, travel etc from the liable party, which looks like been the last car of three

This may take time as there will be solicitors involved, but at least I hope I have a pathway now!

Complicated or what!

:Eeek::Eeek: Flippin heck! good luck(y)

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Chris

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May 5, 2010
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The Big 1 is right.

If you suffered whiplash or some other injury then go to a local solicitor and make a claim for it and the damage to the van.

Despite what the Government and the insurance companies say , whiplash really does exist as an injury you get particularly from a rear end shunt.
 

DanielFord

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Jun 1, 2013
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Most insurance now includes legal cover as standard. Read your policy, if you have this, put it in the hands of your insurance and relax!
 
OP
OP
bubble63
Aug 10, 2012
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Most insurance now includes legal cover as standard. Read your policy, if you have this, put it in the hands of your insurance and relax!
I like the relax advice:)
its difficult to relax when your possessions are trashed and no one wants to accept blame
they [other parties] then slam the door in your face even though it plain for all too see that they are at fault.
Insurance companies are not in business to pay out [my observation], but I guess they like the paying in:whistle:

I shouldn't have to reach for a lawyer, I should be able to input a reasonable claim and have it considered:mad:

Only one person getting fat here, and its not me:cool:

Any way thanks for the relax advice, I am trying to do it today:)(y)

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Mar 23, 2012
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Nice if you can sort it out yourself rather than use an ambulance chaser a pity it might be harder to make a reasonable claim yourself rather than use a spivvy claims company to claim for non-existant injuries
 

megsdad

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Aug 15, 2014
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isn,t it a pity we have to jump through hoops when we need to make aclaim.especially when its not our fault.
 

Tom'n'Gill

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Jan 3, 2016
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Some experience.
Happend to us in France, if your caravan is not insured separately your on your own. Our caravan was not insured (low value) and given the amount of damage we just had to shrug our shoulders and put it down to experience.

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Vlad The Impaler

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Apr 22, 2012
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Happend to us in France, if your caravan is not insured separately your on your own. Our caravan was not insured (low value) and given the amount of damage we just had to shrug our shoulders and put it down to experience.


I have to agree ,if you don't think it's worth paying insurance on ,
Why cry if you loose it.
If an uninsured caravan came off its hitch on its way up a steep hill and rolled back into your Mh would you blame an insurance company or the child without a father who never insured it ?
Ok so someone ran into the back of it so you want someone to blame but had it come loose and killed someone ,would you happily sit in jail

Vlad
 

Badknee

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Put the claim in for damage to your car (tow bar) which you are perfectly entitled to do and see what else comes out of it.
 
Jan 28, 2008
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I have to agree ,if you don't think it's worth paying insurance on ,
Why cry if you loose it.
If an uninsured caravan came off its hitch on its way up a steep hill and rolled back into your Mh would you blame an insurance company or the child without a father who never insured it ?
Ok so someone ran into the back of it so you want someone to blame but had it come loose and killed someone ,would you happily sit in jail

Vlad
op does say the van was covered for third party damage via the tow vehicle insurance

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Derbyshire wanderer

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I would leave it to a claims company to sort as they get paid when you do.

Legal liability insurance is the same as any other insurance in that they ONLY guarantee an argument in the event of a claim!

I once used my liability insurance and when it came down to it they said they would only pursue the other party IF they had a greater than 50% chance of winning in court! That was the end of that. I then had the misfortune to have another issue where a car hit me head on but using a claims company I was fully paid out in 9 months and absolutely NO hassle getting it sorted.
 

Puddleduck

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I also had to go through a solicitor to get out of pocket expenses from the person who wrote off my car. I had legal protection via my motor insurance. The money for the car came through very quickly but the out of pocket expenses took longer. Using the insurance company's legal firm was good and although it took a while there was a full payout.
 

Vlad The Impaler

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Apr 22, 2012
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op does say the van was covered for third party damage via the tow vehicle insurance

Sorry missed that bit !
However I think it's a farce that trailers ,caravans etc don't have a mot type test as some of the things you see towed are far from safe if legal ,anything towed should be tested to a standard then insurance companies would know its fit for purpose.


Vlad

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Puddleduck

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So in answer to the question do I understand correctly that @bubble63 should use the legal protection on their policy to pursue the person who bashed into them?
 

Spanishsteve

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I was under the impression that originally (in olden days) you would make a claim against the car that went into you, however this changed a few years ago and now you must all make a claim against the driver which caused the accident. So if 3 vehicles are nose to tail and the last driver caused the rest to shunt into the vehicle in front,then both front cars would claim on the 3rd vehicle.
 
OP
OP
bubble63
Aug 10, 2012
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OK an update

My car insurance covers the caravan third party only as the caravan in not independently insured
I triggered the car insurance process off by claiming for a damaged tow bar, this then triggers the chain of responsibility i.e. the car at the rear of the pile up who pushed all the cars into us at the front.
The legal protection people then claimed for the written off caravan from the rear car, they make the money claim and give the insurance a limited time to pay up or go to court
Last week the insurance comp. of the rear car coughed up the whole amount to compensate for the caravan loss, result

Take out legal cover(y)
 
OP
OP
bubble63
Aug 10, 2012
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I was under the impression that originally (in olden days) you would make a claim against the car that went into you, however this changed a few years ago and now you must all make a claim against the driver which caused the accident. So if 3 vehicles are nose to tail and the last driver caused the rest to shunt into the vehicle in front,then both front cars would claim on the 3rd vehicle.
correct

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sedge

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The actual situation would not be covered by your motor insurance, not even for third party.

The situation quoted was 'If your van came loose and careered off down the hill, killing somebody' - that would NOT be covered by the tow car's cover, because that is only effective when the wan is attached to the tow car. Once it's off the hitch - no cover.

However - if it became detached by the actions of another vehicle being in collision with it/the tow car - then the insurer of the car that caused it would pay up.

If it isn't anyone else's fault - just you haven't hitched it up right or the actual hitch on the van or the car wasn't up to it - then THAT would be YOUR problem.
 
OP
OP
bubble63
Aug 10, 2012
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The actual situation would not be covered by your motor insurance, not even for third party.

The situation quoted was 'If your van came loose and careered off down the hill, killing somebody' - that would NOT be covered by the tow car's cover, because that is only effective when the wan is attached to the tow car. Once it's off the hitch - no cover.

A very brave quote
you might have to test that scenario in court
 
Aug 18, 2014
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. I then had the misfortune to have another issue where a car hit me head on but using a claims company I was fully paid out in 9 months and absolutely NO hassle getting it sorted.

9 months !:eek: I'd be looking for payment for loss of use for each & every day without the vehicle in addition . Here , the company has 40 days in which to settle in full.

Take out legal cover(y)

Comes with the insurance policy here. as does the recovery & "fines" defence.

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