Getting back our excess (1 Viewer)

Neckender

Free Member
Oct 15, 2007
3,221
5,921
Neckend or North Wales.
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635
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VW T6.1Kombi day Van
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Since 2004
We had an accident in France with our new motorhome on 14th Oct 2014, the accident was on a narrow country road outside Bonnevalle.
As we drove out of a double S bend at a very slow speed I saw a car driven at speed approaching I managed to pull half on the grass verge and stop, the car hit us on the offside middle and glanced down the side causing £750 damage.

To cut a long story short I paid Auto Sleepers my £450 excess and asked Safeguard for it to be refunded, I was told unless the other driver admitted to being at fault I would not get it back.

In August 2015 I came to insure our car and stated that I'd been in a no fault accident in France the previous year, this put my insurance up and was told if I got my excess back I would be classed as not at fault.

Anyway last year my insurance company enlisted a solicitor to try and get my excess back, but the French driver refused to say they were at fault and said I ran into her car whilst still moving along the road.

The solicitor said that if she didn't admit fault I would lose my excess unless I wanted a lengthy expensive court case.

Anyway to day a cheque as arrived for the full £450 I paid and now my insurance premiums should not go up even though I will have to say that I'd been in an accident in the last 5 years.

John.
 

Diesel

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Oct 7, 2015
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im a newbie
Result ........very lucky in the circumstances, getting you xs back means your insurers can recover their outlay and as you say will now be treaded as non fault. Make sure you let them know your legal protection has recovered the xs.

Happy days (y)(y)

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MotorhomersRus

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Oct 17, 2010
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So you did the lengthy court case or have they just payed up ?
Asking as we got hit on a roundabout in France and there trying to blame us !!!!
 
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Neckender

Neckender

Free Member
Oct 15, 2007
3,221
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Neckend or North Wales.
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635
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Since 2004
So you did the lengthy court case or have they just payed up ?
Asking as we got hit on a roundabout in France and there trying to blame us !!!!

No we didn't go for that, the solicitor said he would have another go this was last October.

I think what went for us was the lady French driver didn't notify her insurance company, she did a totally different drawing of the accident site, she said we pretended not to Speak French.
She said that or motorhome hit her vehicle but in her drawing which was in the wrong place she showed her vehicle Tboned into ours.
She also said that the accident happened at lunch time, it happened at 9-30am we notified our insurance by 10-30am.
She sent a google picture of the road which I was able to pin point where I had pulled up before she hit us.

John.

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Emmit

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Aug 14, 2009
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Jan.2014
We had an accident in France with our new motorhome on 14th Oct 2014, the accident was on a narrow country road outside Bonnevalle.
As we drove out of a double S bend at a very slow speed I saw a car driven at speed approaching I managed to pull half on the grass verge and stop, the car hit us on the offside middle and glanced down the side causing £750 damage.

To cut a long story short I paid Auto Sleepers my £450 excess and asked Safeguard for it to be refunded, I was told unless the other driver admitted to being at fault I would not get it back.

In August 2015 I came to insure our car and stated that I'd been in a no fault accident in France the previous year, this put my insurance up and was told if I got my excess back I would be classed as not at fault.

Anyway last year my insurance company enlisted a solicitor to try and get my excess back, but the French driver refused to say they were at fault and said I ran into her car whilst still moving along the road.

The solicitor said that if she didn't admit fault I would lose my excess unless I wanted a lengthy expensive court case.

Anyway to day a cheque as arrived for the full £450 I paid and now my insurance premiums should not go up even though I will have to say that I'd been in an accident in the last 5 years.

John.

Now to the practicalities.

Scan the cheque for future use and tell your Insurance Co. NOW.

That should get you a reduction/refund of this years Insurance and for the future.

We had a similar case although I had to go to the Ombudsman to get it resolved.
The Insurance Co's will not accept your word that it was a 'Non Fault' accident but the production of correspondence and the cheque should ensure it.
 
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Neckender

Neckender

Free Member
Oct 15, 2007
3,221
5,921
Neckend or North Wales.
Funster No
635
MH
VW T6.1Kombi day Van
Exp
Since 2004
Now to the practicalities.

Scan the cheque for future use and tell your Insurance Co. NOW.

That should get you a reduction/refund of this years Insurance and for the future.

We had a similar case although I had to go to the Ombudsman to get it resolved.
The Insurance Co's will not accept your word that it was a 'Non Fault' accident but the production of correspondence and the cheque should ensure it.

I've just been in touch and they have already been notified and on the system.
Safeguard have been amazing how the claim as gone.

John.
 

TheBig1

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Nov 27, 2011
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many many years! since I was a kid
The best advice I can pass on from a claim made 25 years ago is ALWAYS take pictures of everything at the scene. Show positions of the vehicles, the damage and the driver. pretty much all phones now have digital cameras these days, but for many years I carried a disposable camera in a ziplock bag in the glovebox of all my vehicles.
if the other party tries to get out of a claim, then you have good evidence
 

Abacist

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Oct 15, 2013
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Mostly by the time you stop and get out with your phone they are long gone so you need to have pen and paper handy to write down the reg number, colour and make of vehicle and if you can the sex of driver and number in the vehicle. You can then photo your position, damage, road markings etc. Inform the police if they fail to stop.
 

Puddleduck

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Jan 15, 2014
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On and off for many years.
The best advice I can pass on from a claim made 25 years ago is ALWAYS take pictures of everything at the scene. Show positions of the vehicles, the damage and the driver. pretty much all phones now have digital cameras these days, but for many years I carried a disposable camera in a ziplock bag in the glovebox of all my vehicles.
if the other party tries to get out of a claim, then you have good evidence

As my parents found out 20 years ago when a very well spoken lady admitted her fault at the scene and then left. She then denied ever having been out of her house that day which was backed up by her housekeeper. Luckily there was a witness who gave my parents his details.

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