Another Car Insurance Claim Thread. Not at Fault but Need to Pay Excess

immrnonamehello on 20/06/2023 - 13:39
Last edited 20/06/2023 - 22:28

Yes, this is another car accident/insurance related thread but I'm hoping you guys could give me some advise.

A few weeks back some d-head did a hit and run on me while I was stopped at a light, the damage was pretty minor and everything was caught on my dashcam including the other party's car/plate number.

Lodged a police case as well as comprehensive insurance claim - all is good and the insurer has agreed to pay for the repair except that I need to pay the excess $1.5k. They say that they'll reimburse if the at fault party can be found, otherwise they won't.

The police has been quite passive so far, so I'm not entirely sure if they'll ever find the at-fault driver.

What would you do?

Poll Options

  • 66
    Pay excess to repair first and hope for the best
  • 10
    Wait until other party found before repair
  • 4
    Cancel claim and do private repair
Automotive Car Insurance Insurance

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Comments

  • Archi on 20/06/2023 - 13:48
    +3
    • better chance for insurer to locate the other party as they would have a vested interest in recovering costs,
    • if car is drivable and only minor cosmetic damage i would wait.
    • i would see what the cost is to fix it without insurance as your excess is $1500 and premium increase as this is still considered an at fault claim.
    • immrnonamehello on 20/06/2023 - 14:04

      How do I get the insurer to do that? They've got all the details from me but they haven't mentioned anything about their ability of finding the other party unfortunately.

      • Archi on 20/06/2023 - 14:26
        +3

        you pay the excess your car cost $5K to repair,

        it will be in their best interest to recover that cost, and when they do, you have to rely on good faith that they will reimburse you for the excess.

  • bobbified on 20/06/2023 - 13:58
    +1

    Did you buy your policy through a shitty budget insurer? The insurer can easily get the owner's details with the plate.

    The police has been quite passive so far,

    Did you tell them that you need information to make an insurance claim. Most will provide the registered owner's details for a claim.

    • immrnonamehello on 20/06/2023 - 14:06

      I did. They transferred the case to another station which covers the incident location and it's been left at that.
      Two weeks after lodging the case I called the police helpline for an update, and they told me to just wait for an update.

      • bobbified on 20/06/2023 - 14:18
        +7

        You can "wait for an update" or physically go to the station and ask at the front desk. Sometimes you have to be persistent.

        • immrnonamehello on 20/06/2023 - 17:47

          I physically went to the cop shop (that the case got forwarded to) 10 mins ago and got the same reply unfortunately - the sergeant will have a look at the case and assign it to someone, we have 6 months to look into it

          • Protractor on 20/06/2023 - 18:36
            -1

            @immrnonamehello: Haha.OMG
            "Sorry sir we have car chase quotas to fulfil"

          • bobbified on 20/06/2023 - 19:31

            @immrnonamehello: As per my earlier comment, sometimes you have to be persistent. If that angle doesnt work, go at your insurance company and try to get them to do something (although you're the one that supposed to provide the name and contact details).

            Unless you really want to pay the excess, don't take no for an answer so easily.

            PS: You haven't told us which insurer you're policy is with. Each insurer operates slightly differently and some are more willing to negotiate than others. But we can't tell if you don't share that information.

      • Protractor on 20/06/2023 - 14:24
        -1

        Photoshop a police hat / Sniper rifle/ naked blonde onto the rear shelf of the offending car and send footage in again to PHQ/?
        Follow the cops?

        You are screwed anyway, if the plates were stolen ones

    • coffeeinmyveins on 20/06/2023 - 14:15
      +1

      . Most will provide the registered owner's details for a claim.

      I'm sure they won't provide that PII data to a random citizen but will give it directly to the insurance company instead.

      • bobbified on 20/06/2023 - 14:20
        +2

        They do if they're "satisfied" with the reason you need it. OP already has a case with them.

        Often it depends on the cop you get.

  • djsweet on 20/06/2023 - 13:59
    +4

    I'm hoping you guys could give me some advise.

    • Classic ozb grammar. Check.

    If you have the license plate on camera, the police can find the at-fault driver no problems.

    • Bruceflix on 20/06/2023 - 14:26
      +6

      The license plate won't prove anything about the at-fault driver. Will likely identify the vehicle owner though. Only being pedantic due to your comment regarding grammar.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 20/06/2023 - 14:06
    +5

    The police has been quite passive so far, so I'm not entirely sure if they'll ever find the at-fault driver.

    everything was caught on my dashcam including the other party's car/plate number.

    Huh? if you have their licence plate on dashcam then they have not only done a hit and run but have evidence of it that can't be refuted, so why aren't the police knocking on the door of the registered vehicle?

    Did you give this information to your insurance company? Sounds pretty open and shut to be honest.

    • immrnonamehello on 20/06/2023 - 14:09

      Yep everything was given to the insurer, they even wanted me to draw a diagram of the incident which I did, along with the dashcam footage.

      • coffeeinmyveins on 20/06/2023 - 14:14
        +4

        Seems a bit tongue in cheek to ask for a diagram when they have the literal footage.

        • DashCam AKA Rolts on 20/06/2023 - 15:44
          +6

          The insurance company wanted that mandatory MS Paint diagram.

      • djsweet on 20/06/2023 - 14:28
        +3

        Gosh remind me not to go with your insurer. Please tell me its YOUI or Budget Direct and not one of the more premium ones.

        • coffeeinmyveins on 20/06/2023 - 15:45

          The only thing premium about premium insurance companies is the price you pay to them

          • djsweet on 20/06/2023 - 15:49
            +1

            @coffeeinmyveins: I really hope that isn't the case :'(
            I expect my insurer to take care of all this **** the op is dealing with. Isn't that part of the point of having insurance.

            • coffeeinmyveins on 20/06/2023 - 15:57
              +2

              @djsweet: The thing to remember with insurance companies is they only make money when a claim isn't made . If a claim is paid out then that can be the lifetime value of that customer. They don't want to pay a claim. That's a loss for them

              More expensive insurance companies can have better benefits and less restrictions but it comes down to what's in the PDS. Read it, you'll be surprised at what is excluded and you won't be as protected as you may think you are

              Insurance is one of the biggest scams IMO but that may be because I know how the sausage is made

              • Protractor on 20/06/2023 - 18:30
                +1

                @coffeeinmyveins: You know there's big money in insurance when a SAfrican company snaffles Comminsure

        • immrnonamehello on 20/06/2023 - 20:22

          I'm with Huddle, I think it's not premium nor budget (?)

  • apple2016 on 20/06/2023 - 14:22
    +2

    The police has been quite passive so far, so I'm not entirely sure if they'll ever find the at-fault driver.

    The police does have the ability to look up the registered owner. You can request this info from police.
    for vic : https://www.police.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-04/VP…
    Since you are paying and have a comprehensive insurance , its the job of insurance company to do this work for you.
    The insurance company is just being lazy.

    Unless the car was reported stolen, you should not need to pay excess.

    • Euphemistic on 20/06/2023 - 14:47
      +7

      Unless the car was reported stolen, you should not need to pay excess.

      There lies the problem. Budget insurers will require an excess payment up front ‘just in case’ then pay you back 4-5months later IF they find the driver. They will only accept not having to pay the excess if you can identify the DRIVER of the vehicle.

      The rego plate does not indicate who was driving. If the owner reports the car stolen you’re out of luck.

      • payless69 on 20/06/2023 - 15:30

        And on top of it you will be a claimer like you caused the accident in the first place.
        Watch all future premiums climb!

      • coffeeinmyveins on 20/06/2023 - 15:46
        +1

        Isn't the onus on the vehicle owner to know who was in the vehicle?

        If my vehicle was used in an offence then I'm responsible for it unless I can prove I wasn't capable of being in the vehicle or fess up who was

        • Protractor on 20/06/2023 - 18:28

          Play the corrupt ( redundant word ) politician card. "I don't recall"

        • Euphemistic on 20/06/2023 - 18:49
          +2

          The owner should know who was in charge of the vehicle, but it’s quite possible they might willingly not say who was, or if the do say, they will delay and delay and hope it goes away.

  • Seraphin7 on 20/06/2023 - 16:05

    Beyond the general uselessness of the police and insurers in these sorts of scenarios, it seems you have three options …

    1. Pay the excess, get your car fixed, and hopefully get the excess back somewhere down the road.
    2. Don't pay the excess, don't get your car fixed, hope that the other party gets identified, but if they don't then … ???
    3. Fix privately (and presumably be out of pocket more than the excess) and if the other party gets identified chase them through legal avenues.
    • Protractor on 20/06/2023 - 17:19

      You forgot bikies and/or calling talk back radio and spilling your guts including the name of the cop shop/s involved.
      Of course both have serious downsides going fwd

  • Euphemistic on 20/06/2023 - 18:53

    the damage was pretty minor

    How minor are we talking? What’s the estimate for repairs? It may not be worth chasing up.

    I had someone back into my car before Christmas. The ‘minor’ damage, damage to front bumper only, was estimated at $1600 at insurance rates. Had I not known who damaged it, it probably could have been repaired a lot cheaper. I chose insurance as the car is fairly new and was otherwise in near perfect condition. An older car I might have accepted a few hundred just to paint the bar and be done with it.

  • ihfree on 20/06/2023 - 19:02
    +1

    I had a similar situation. I was rear ended by a drunk driver at lights with reasonably minor damage. I asked him to pull over after lights and he sped off.

    I went into the police station the next morning and they took a statement. I didn't expect much to to come of it, but i eventually got an SMS, maybe a month later, with the drivers details.

  • thatonethere on 20/06/2023 - 21:30

    One option you could try if you have a decent track record and not using bottom of barrel insurer is to ask for a guesture of good will to waive the excess. I try this and 30% successful on random things with businesses. If you do get it try to find a way to gice the operator a good review.

  • Tee Rex Arms on 20/06/2023 - 22:25
    +1

    The phvck is Huddle?

  • ozbaragan on 21/06/2023 - 07:20
    +1

    Since you already reported the incident to the police you should get an E number. Give your insurance the E number so they can get the incident report from the police. In the report it should have the other party details. This way you don't have to pay excess.

    If the insurance came back and said there's no details for the other party ring the police back to complaint and ask for the other party details. I had the same experience years ago.

  • baragins on 21/06/2023 - 07:42

    Sorry to ask but what possessed you to take a policy with $1500 excess…unless we are talking ferrari/new Merc/used Rolls!? you can cancel the claim but your insurer now knows you have a car with flaws…how much was the damage worth?

    • thatonethere on 21/06/2023 - 08:44
      +2

      People do it to try to reduce the premium cost. Obviously that is all forgotten once you are fronted up against paying the excess!

    • Euphemistic on 21/06/2023 - 11:16
      +1

      I have a $1500 excess. Saves money come premium time. If you don’t make many claims you get in front. Had it for years, one claim required excess.

  • Waltervp on 21/06/2023 - 09:49
    +1

    I had that issue with RACT in Tasmania. I waited for 6 weeks till they found the driver. Told everybody it was my RACT dent. What a load of nonsense. I changed insurer after that. Hit and runs are not our fault! And you have proof! Once you pay the excess they don't bother chasing anything any more.

    Most Insurance companies are fraudulent imho. They do everything to avoid paying, including routine delays in responding.

    • Ferretface26 on 21/06/2023 - 10:49
      +2

      Same issue with RACV in Vic. Guy ran a red light and t-boned me. Got his details, his son's details, and the details of a witness who stopped to help. Police refused to attend because no one was hurt. RACV told me they tried and couldn't get in contact with any of the three men, and because I was turning right at the intersection, they were going to hold me at fault. I messaged the witness to let him know RACV had been trying to contact him and he told me he had no missed calls or messages. It was only when he went out of his way to call THEM that they admitted I wasn't at fault and waived the excess.
      Also changed insurers after that.

  • wildbill on 21/06/2023 - 11:17
    +1

    Had a similar incident last year.
    Bloke backed into me at a service station while getting fuel and drove off
    I didn't even know it had happened (toilet)
    Anyway 2 witnesses police report etc had to pay excess.
    Chased up insurer a couple of times - we have written to him we are doing our best he hasn't answered blah blah.
    Rang again and got told what bank do you want the excess refunded to.
    Took about 6 months all up - about all you can do is wait.

    • ihfree on 21/06/2023 - 16:38

      OOI, do you know if there were any consequences for the other driver?

      • Euphemistic on 21/06/2023 - 19:27

        They’ll have an insurance company chasing them until they sell off the debt to collection agents.

        • ihfree on 21/06/2023 - 21:10

          Do you know if there are any legal consequences for drivers the police have to track down?

          • Euphemistic on 21/06/2023 - 22:15

            @ihfree: I think the police just give them a medal.

            • ihfree on 21/06/2023 - 22:52

              @Euphemistic: Haha - I am honestly just curious. I would have expected a certificate more so than a medal. Maybe with a small fee to make it official - about three fiddy with a few points. I wonder if the police actually take action against the driver at that point.

              I had a similar situation and just got a text message with the driver's details a month or so later. I handed details to insurance, got the car repaired and that was that. I have wondered if the driver did face any consequences - they were clearly intoxicated at the time and when I called the police afterwards while following them, they just said they didn't have the resources to do anything at the time.

  • wildbill on 21/06/2023 - 17:29

    No have heard

  • wildbill on 21/06/2023 - 18:01

    Sorry have not heard anything from the insurance company (Shannon's).
    I'll be checking my renewal policy closely though 😁

  • Roney on 21/06/2023 - 23:26

    It's about time home/car/travel/health insurances should be regulated and monitored by a govt agency that is above watchdog level.

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