lower

Feeling a bit cheesed off this morning.

Set off last night to meet some friends and had gone roughly 500 yards from my house when a taxi drove into the back of me at a junction. I'd stopped at a give way and he pulled out of a side road and braked but went into the back of me just as he stopped.

He didn't hit hard, but has scratched the rear bumper and punctured a small hole in the plastic.

The annoying part about it was that he initally denied hitting me and told me that his passenger didn't think he'd hit me. I had no one in the car with me and therefore no in car witness. I have a witness that just 'happened' to be walking by if required.

Rang the taxi company and they've given me their insurance details. I rang their insurance company, but they won't deal direct with me and will only deal with my insurance company.

I'd rather not claim through my insurance company and would rather claim direct on the basis that i can see this getting messy. If my claim fails, i'd rather pay the cost of repairing the damage myself than lose my no claims bonus. I do have protected no claims, but we all know the reality is that if the insurer fails to get their money back then it won't be considered a non fault claim and my premium will go up.

Any one got any suggestions on how to proceed? I basically want the claim to be agreed before i have any work done on the car to give me the option of paying for it if claiming off the taxi's insurance fails. I suppose the first step is to have a chat with my insurer about it but i was hoping that it wouldn't have to appear on their radar.

Jel

Last taxi claim I dealt with had a

lower

It was a mini cab rather than a black cab. No idea what the excess was.

Jel

edited post, as i was on the phone while typing!

Gaspode

WHy not gut your insurance company involved.

Cut and dried case.

"I have a witness that just 'happened' to be walking by if required. "
Perfect !

Ste_Nova

tell them your not insured

lovegroova

If you have legal expenses cover, your insurer will hand you over to your legal expenses insurer, and they will deal with it on your behalf, with involvement/claim at all.

This especially applies as you were stationary at the time of the incident, and have a witness.

Si2k

Even if you do claim you can keep your no claims by reimbursing the insurance company for the full cost of the claim.

It might take a while though. Im still waiting 10weeks after a minor bump with a Honda Jazz. Currently have 0 NCB, however once the my insurers receive the cost of the claim from the TP insurers they will let me know and I can reimburse them, getting my NCB back and weirdly enough, changing the claim from a 'Fault' claim to a none 'fault'.

They will also reimburse me the difference, for the full 12month period of the renewal, of 3yrs NCB vs 0yr NCB.

As said, you got hit from behind so there it is pretty black and white in terms of insurance claims. Just ring your insurance and tell them what happens, you pay them for situations like this.

lower

I'm probably being over cautious. I'm just concerned if i go ahead and let my insurer arrange and pay for my car to be fixed whilst the claim is made against the taxi firm, then the taxi firm disupute the claim as i epxect them to, my insurer will end up paying and my no claims will be hit.

I'll give my insurer a call.

funster

I think I'm right in saying that if your insurer is unable to recoup funds from a third party - regardless of blame - it counts as a fault claim. Which is what protected NCD serves to help with. Any claim they do get cash for counts as non-fault.