No Fault Car Accident - To Claim or Not

Newbie aussie on 07/06/2022 - 17:24

So this is in following to my previous post : https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/701886

Timeline:
1. Someone rear-ended me on 1st May - minor damage- mostly scratches on bumper.
2. The person was being a PIA however finally admitted to fault.
3. Got estimation from repairer shop - roughly ~$500 for bumper re-paint
4. Person suggested out of insurance settlement but requested 2 weeks time for funds
5. 2/2.5 weeks later, they said they will pay $500 even if the final invoice went over. We said we want to go via insurance, they agreed reluctantly and we were told they were with Budget Direct
6. 2 weeks there was no progress as we were involved in some emergency
7. We called Budget direct, who told us that the policy owner should raise a claim and we cannot do so with them.
8. We called WW insurance (our policy) and were told that if we raise a no fault claim, although we dont have to pay the excess, raising a claim means our policy premiums will be impacted during the next renewal.
9. We called the person, they are now saying, they sold the car hence they are not with the insurer anymore and as per insurance claim, we have only 28 days to raise a claim since date of accident. (I googled to check that in VIC its 1 year)
10. We are trying to avoid claiming to our insurance if that means increase in premium (even if we switch insurance in future as claim would still be on record of the driver)
11. Upon confronting, they have finally said, they will pay upto $500 directly to repair shop after we do the repairs. They will not pay for anything over. Also puts me into inconvenience if the car is in the workshop for over a few days.
What Do you guys reckon I should do or am I being misled/misinformed here?
Thanks

Automotive

Comments

  • Unorthodox on 07/06/2022 - 17:36
    +11

    Pain in the ass - claim with your insurer and then look for new quotes at renewal.
    Some insurers ask if you made a claim in the last 3 years and then clarify if you had any excess payable. (That follow up question should be standard and not lead to a non impact on the premium 🙄).

    • Nugs on 07/06/2022 - 17:38
      +8

      And it will probably cost the at fault party more than$500 too…..bonus
      .

  • Ocker on 07/06/2022 - 17:36
    +6

    Just claim on your insurance. Maybe your premium will increase but it would only be small and in any event, you will likely get a better price by shopping around at renewal time

  • kolorijo on 07/06/2022 - 17:49
    +2

    I would pay the extra increase just to teach them a lesson. This could also be avoided by shopping around at renewal time. Claim it through your insurance.

  • Euphemistic on 07/06/2022 - 17:59

    How badly do you want the repairs?

    Lesson: give them only one chance to sort it out then claim on your own insurance.

    Alternative: get them to give you $300 cash now, call it quits and DIY repair for $50 worth of stuff.

    • donga100 on 07/06/2022 - 19:31

      Alternative alternative: get them to give you $300 cash now, claim on your insurance, deny ever receiving any cash.

  • dizzle on 07/06/2022 - 18:11
    +6

    I don't understand people not using thier insurance.

    I understand the premiums will go up, but if you're not using it when you need it (and if it was used at the start of this instance it would have saved a lot of headaches), then you may as well not have it. The raise in premium is normally worth the hassle of you following up on it, them denying it, then saying there's no insurance to cover it. Instead you should have called your insurance, they fix it, and they chase up the other party.

    By the way, it's not the first time that I've heard Woolworths insurance "convincing" the customer not to claim. It's seems a really dodgy tactic to beat the competitors price and then avoid doing any work.

    • Ametric on 07/06/2022 - 21:56

      Had experience claiming through them 5 years ago, no issues and a very smooth process all in all.

  • zonra on 07/06/2022 - 18:27
    +4

    Doesn’t sound like they’re gonna pay regardless.
    What would you do if they agree to pay, only to then refuse once the shop’ve done the repair? They know you can’t be without the car for long so you’ll likely give in and pay it yourself to get the car back.
    Seriously, just claim with your insurance. Don’t entertain any more delays and inform them as such. Dodgy people will stay dodgy.

    • Quantumcat on 07/06/2022 - 18:40
      +2

      Doesn’t sound like they’re gonna pay regardless

      This is exactly what I am thinking. They are going to refuse after it is too late for you to go through your insurance. Just go through your insurance.

  • Pizza Fiend on 07/06/2022 - 18:43
    +3

    Claim on your insurance, then CHANGE your insurance. An insurance company that decides to raise your premium for being not at-fault in an incident is garbage and not worth your money. The same as an insurance company that forces you to pay the excess upfront despite being not at-fault until they recover the costs themselves. Start getting quotes from other insurance companies, you'd be surprised at how much cheaper some of them can be.

    • Stopback on 07/06/2022 - 19:52

      Depends there might be a another factor involved in no fault accidents other than bad luck

    • Euphemistic on 07/06/2022 - 20:36
      +1

      Being insured with Woolworths, others aren’t likely to be much cheaper. It’s already one of the cheaper ones.

      As for raising premiums, they all do it. It’s not much if you aren’t at fault but it all goes to ‘risk rating’. The cheaper ones probably raise it more to help reduce the number of claims they pay out. They point out that you premium will go up to try to stop you from claiming.

  • JoeBogan on 07/06/2022 - 18:50
    +5

    Basically everyone on your first post suggested you should claim with your insurance and that recommendation hasn't changed. Why you being so stubborn not wanting to claim through your insurance, jeez dude.

    The at fault party clearly are trying to squirm away from this, things are not going to end well if you follow the private route.

    • solidussnake on 07/06/2022 - 18:55
      +3

      Why would OP do that when he can create another post and waste everybody's time again and still do nothing lol

  • AndyC1 on 07/06/2022 - 18:54

    I would expect them to not pay or drag it out so that you have to pay to get the car out of the smash repairer as they will not have paid by the time it is finished. As such claim against insurance and when it's time for renewal check out other companies for cheap insurance.

  • SF3 on 07/06/2022 - 19:32
    +1

    Looks like OP applying OzB strategy (looking for best price for at least 2 weeks) to something that should have been dealt with right away.

  • oohaah on 07/06/2022 - 22:57
    +1

    Can’t wait for OPs post next week…How do I collect $500 owed to me from car repair.

  • Fredfloresjr on 08/06/2022 - 06:24
    +1

    I am just here waiting for the OP’s 3rd post

    As per my previous 2 posts. Should I claim a no fault incident under my insurance?

  • MollyJ77 on 07/09/2022 - 15:54

    If you're worried about being without a car for a couple of days while your car is in for repairs, you could try https://www.right2drive.com.au/ and see if they can help you. My friend was able to get a car from them after she'd been in an accident that wasn't her fault.

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