Car

4 July: I had a bad day last Wednesday.  Was driving up to Derby to see the family and stopped off at a service area to have a quick bite.  As it was fairly early in the morning, there was little traffic about and lots of spaces nearby.

When I started driving forward out of my parking space I suddenly realised that an orange car parked front of me and one space to the right was starting to back out, so stopped.  

He stopped too, luckily.  But then, horror! he started moving again. No time to act, so I banged repetitively on the horn, and still he kept coming, bashing into my left hand front bumper, luckily not damaging my headlights.

Not my bump, but it's not much bigger!

There was an enormous dent, complete with orange paint!  The other car had a much smaller bump, and none of my car's black paint had transferred to his.

My car was completely drivable so motored up to Derby, spent a few days there, and then drove all the way back again.

I understood that such accidents had to be reported to my insurer within 24 hours, so did accordingly and was told that we were both liable as it happened in a car park and we were both manoeuvring.  Well, I said I wasn't moving, I had stopped!  But the operative on the end of the line said that, nevertheless, it was still both our faults!  As you can imagine, I'm not at all happy about this.

If that's the case then would it be worth not claiming, shelling out for my excess and then probably having an insurance hike on renewal?  Or would it be more economic to not claim and arrange repairs privately?


Difficult to say.

I have had a quotation for a new bumper £467!  It's only a dent, so that seems excessive.

The insurance company have arranged to take the car away for assessment, offering me a car in the interim.  
This seems rather like a rather large hammer to crack a walnut.

So I've been looking up information on the internet, and found the following:
http://www.churchill.com/car-insurance/claims/what-happens-next.htm

According to moneyadvice service this is what to do after an accident: 

1. Report it
2. Check your policy
3. Find the documentation
4. Get your facts straight
5. Call the insurance company's helpline
6. Give the details clearly
7. Don't exaggerate
8. Document the damage
9. Document the claims process

(https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/making-an-insurance-claim):

If your claim's rejected, here's what to do next: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/what-to-do-if-your-insurance-claim-is-rejected

7 July: I persuaded the insurance company that the car didn't need to be removed for assessment, so a mobile assessment's been arranged.

19 July: No contact has been received from either the insurance company or the repairer.  So I rung the insurance company today and the car's been assessed for repairs at a cost of nearly £800! - no wonder our insurance premiums just go up and up!
I was pleased to find out that the other insurance company has accepted liability. Whew!, so glad about that!

23 July: Having heard nothing from the proposed car mender, I rung the insurance company to suggest that I'd rather the work was carried out by the garage which gave the first quote.  They said that this was quite in order, so long as the quotation was approved by their people.  So I have emailed them a copy of quote and await approval.

7 August:  The car's now been repaired and looks as good - if not better - than new!  Many thanks to Paignton Body Repair Centre, (Tel: 01803 556527) and it just goes to prove that so often repair garages must inflate prices for 'insurance jobs'!