Need Advice on Messed up Car Insurance Claim

trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 10:23
Last edited 25/12/2020 - 08:05

TLDR - My fault caused damage. Insurance nominated repairer has ordered wrong parts and thrown away my car parts. It's almost 3 weeks and they are still trying to give me the car in the condition that I handed it over.

I need to take it back in January again once the correct parts arrive. What are my options?

I was in a minor collision a few months ago and I was at fault. The car needed repairs to my front bumper and a replacement bullbar.

The insurance nominated repairer assessed the damage and had ordered the required bullbar via a 4WD shop. This took around 8 weeks to arrive.

I handed over the car for what was supposed to be 4 days. The bumper was fixed and sent to the 4WD shop.

A few days later I was informed that they had ordered the wrong bullbar and needed 6 weeks to get another one ordered in. The option given was to use a home brand bar from the 4WD shop.

I refused this option as I wanted like for like. The car was put on a tow truck and sent back to the crash repairer who took a few more days to hammer the old bar back to shape and then realised that the main bracket was missing.

They found that the 4WD shop had thrown out the bracket and they are now waiting for a bracket to be couriered from Brisbane.

I haven't had the car for almost 3 weeks now and will need to give it back again in January.

I don't have the free hire car option on my insurance.

Have you experienced something similar? What are my options please?

Outcome

The insurance company agreed to waive off the excess which is just over $1000.

The car was returned in a drivable state after 4 weeks.

Automotive

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 04/12/2020 - 10:26

    Were you at fault in the accident?

    • trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 10:26

      Yes. Will update the post.

      • Muzeeb on 04/12/2020 - 10:27
        +1

        Dang. I'm out of ideas then.

      • AustriaBargain on 04/12/2020 - 15:19
        +2

        You'd get a lot more responses if you posted an MS Paint diagram of the accident.

    • bobbified on 04/12/2020 - 15:50

      That shouldn't make a difference to the way the repairs are made though - well, except possibly claiming a hire car at the expense of the other person's insurance company. Is that what you had in mind? :p

      • Muzeeb on 04/12/2020 - 16:31

        Yep

  • nubzy on 04/12/2020 - 10:33
    +4

    They stuffed up and have taken your car away for much longer than anticipated, so ask your insurance for a hire car. This is typical with insurance approved repairers, it's not fun dealing with smash repairs and insurance companies these days.

    • pharkurnell on 04/12/2020 - 10:51
      +3

      When has it ever been fun to deal with them ???

      • nubzy on 04/12/2020 - 11:00
        +8

        Never, but right now the industry is a complete mess. I recommend everyone get an independent inspection done after repairs are completed because the things these insurance companies try to get away with are disgraceful. They scrimp and save for every dollar to put out low cost repairs which are not manufacturer-approved and devalue the vehicle, but then put the premiums up by hundreds of dollars every year. It is sickening.

  • Ughhh on 04/12/2020 - 10:55
    +2

    Who are you insured with?

    Last time I had an issue with the repairer, I complained to the insurance, they verified the problem and gave a free hire car (I my policy doesn't include hire car too) . The hire car still had the new car smell.

  • SF3 on 04/12/2020 - 11:00

    Sucks, but wait.

    Maybe goto a repairer that have their own (free) loan cars - probably too late for that now.

  • salmon123 on 04/12/2020 - 11:43
    -2

    Just pay for the hire car yourself. There's lots of cheap options around (at least in the major cities).

    drivemycar.com.au looked interesting, the last time I looked at them - they had a few car dealer on their website, that were renting out cars.

    will need to give it back again in January

    Presumably you've already been through the worst part without a car and will only have to pay for a rental for a few days in January?

    • trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 12:59

      Appreciate your feedback. However, I don't think it is reasonable for me to suffer any further financial consequences if the insurance nominated repairer has failed to do their job.

      I'm already paying insurance including the premium while the car is not available to me, will pay the excess and also will pay a higher premium next year.

      • salmon123 on 04/12/2020 - 13:51

        I think the alternatives of raising it with your insurer have already been pointed out above. You're welcome to do that, but you're probably haggling over $200 at this point.

        The insurer isn't going to give you an equivalent rental until January.

        • trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 14:00
          +1

          Yes but this is OzBargain. $200 Can be stretched a long way here.

          • salmon123 on 04/12/2020 - 16:36
            -3

            @trev likes bargains: I think you're nit-picking over the $200. You didn't pay the extra premium for the rental car, but now want the insurance company to give you a rental car. They call that entitlement (you can google it, if you're unfamiliar with the term).

            You could've just as easily been in a car accident that takes months to repair or the parts turn up damaged/incorrect or a pandemic breaks out and parts take longer than expected to arrive. The insurer would be under no obligation to cover a rental car in those cases, but somehow because the wrong part was ordered, you're expecting a free rental.

            I don't know how you managed without a car for the first we rounds of repairs, but you clearly did, so your need to a rental is probably greatly overstated here.

            Grow up dude.

            • trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 17:07
              +2

              @salmon123: I see your point. However, it is now the fault of the insurance company as their nominated repairer stuffed up. Lookup AFCA

              I doubt that it is entitlement to get a rental car for when the insurance company stuffed up.

              The car was perfectly drivable before they binned a critical part thus making it not road worthy

  • toniyellow on 04/12/2020 - 13:17
    +2

    I'd talk to the internal complaints team at your insurer,
    https://www.afca.org.au/make-a-complaint/complain/internal-d…
    and mention to them that if you are unhappy with their response you will escalate to AFCA
    https://www.afca.org.au/make-a-complaint/insurance
    Then do that if needed.

    • trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 13:58

      Thank you. I have written to the internal dispute team. I got an automated response that they will get back in 3 business days.

      I'll wait to hear back from them.

  • 87percent on 04/12/2020 - 13:50
    +1

    about 2 years ago, got rear-ended. Insurance company took it to their preferred repairer but they did a crap job twice (parts not lining up, interior trim messed up. They even tried to tell me that the additional cabin noise was normal and NOT because the boot wasn't closing properly because their shoddy work). I complained to my insurance provider, who sent out an independent assessor to my house and agreed with everything i told them.

    They agreed that i could send it to whatever repairer i wanted, and they would get me a hire car

  • bobbified on 04/12/2020 - 15:57

    The option given was to use a home brand bar from the 4WD shop.

    This may not be a coincidence that this option has appeared. The smash repairer tried something similar on me before with a wheel cover. They actually had the cheap wheel cover fitted instead of the colour-coded one that cost more than triple. I bet they would've invoiced the insurance company the more expensive one too! I reported them to my insurer at the time (AAMI) and they got a new one in real quick!

    • trev likes bargains on 04/12/2020 - 21:06

      Haha looks like this might be just a trick. Ordered wrong bar, now we can offer you our own brand.

      • kiitos on 05/12/2020 - 09:52

        Maybe play them at their own game, agree to have the home brand one installed for now, on the written proviso that they change it over to the brand name one later?

  • OzHunterNSW on 05/12/2020 - 10:03
    +2

    Sounds more like you are a dangerous risk upon the roads. Maybe the delays are doing us all a favour.

    • trev likes bargains on 05/12/2020 - 11:05

      Agreed. If we take all drivers off the roads, guess what the road facility number is too going to be…

  • Hirolol on 05/12/2020 - 13:21
    +1

    I heard nothing but bad things about youi
    Personally would avoid them at all costs

    • Roney on 05/12/2020 - 17:41

      Fully agreed!

  • Zachary on 08/12/2020 - 18:07
    -3

    should have gotten a second beater car as a backup….but noooo, these people who reckon one car is enough for one person but dont think what would happen if that one car gets into a crash or breaks down…. [smh]

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