Hi Fellow Jaguar Members,

Think this might be a little bit of a long shot but here goes.

The car has had a minor rear end shunt (damage to boot lid and rear bumper, new ones needed). Unfortunately for me, my driver was only insured Third Party to drive the vehicle, you see, the other driver is not admitting blame or any liability whatsoever ( he claim's my partner put the vehicle into reverse ) he says this even though my car was being driven forward. I have in turn spoken to my insurance company (Churchill) and informed them of the facts and they have told me to use the services of an Accident Management Company but beware of the "No Win No Fee" companies out there. At the time of the incident there were no witnesses to the bump but the other driver called later on the day to say that a witness had come forward !! The incident took place to the entrance of a Tesco car park at approx. 12.45p.m. week last Friday. The reason why I post this is the negative attitude my insurance have taken on it, they have left me to deal with it myself, and just to use the services of this Management Company. Any ideas pointers please???

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Phil

They are under no obligation what so ever as it was third party insurance, they will only cover the damage to the other vehicle involved.  You would think,  as they may be paying out , they would have had some interest in making sure the claim against them is correct. 

It makes you wonder why they arent regulated more heavily 

As Gary says third party cover is limited. However; Having been involved in claims where both insurers have made numerous fundamental errors I would say you're better off doing it all yourself anyway. Also, I would steer clear of any management company for much the same reasons, that is they are generally too incompetent to not make !Removed! ups and don't care enough to correct them. It may be unusual to make a claim personally nowadays but just do it and don't let the other side fob you off, they are obligated to respond to and engage with you personally. Record e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

In a rear end collision the driver of the following car is automatically at fault unless it can be shown otherwise, and so; In your particular case I would suggest getting on to Tescos asap with a Subject Access Request letter to acquire CCTV footage of the scene to ascertain the existence of this last minute witness.  Although actually the person who was driving your car will have to make the request as you can only request information relating to yourself (so don't mention the alleged witness, in fact mention as little as possible). The ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) will give you the information you need for this.

Hi Phil,

Some great advice there from Gary and Laz. I would also add that Tesco's security system may have recorded the bump as well and give you irrefutable proof of fault.

Cheers and Good Luck

Steve

Many Thanks to  those who replied to my dilemma. I have taken everybody's advice on board and decided to repair the vehicle myself ( no insurers, management companies involved etc). I have had reasonable estimates from some local guys who have VERY GOOD reputations. But it still grips me when somebody gets away with blatant lies like this. Ah well, we live and learn. FULLY COMPREHENSIVE from now on.

 

Many thanks.

 

Phil

Hi Phil,

Sorry to hear of the accident damage, but  glad you have found a good repair specialist.

You have had some very good advice already, and I won't repeat it.  I would say that in 60 years of driving I have always had fully comprehensive insurance and I have always been advised by them NEVER to use an accident management company.

Let us know how you get on.

Regards,

Peter.