Experiences claiming from aviva?

Guy:Incognito

On Saturday the Ex gf rang me after she had a single vehicle crash. No injuries or anything just relatively minor damage in the grand scheme of things. The car was perfectly drivable but no back windscreen, so after she rang aviva and was told the claims department would ring her back monday because thy were closed she told them it was drivable so no need for it to be recovered . It was reasonably close to home so I rang someone local I know who met me and opened his garage so I could drop it in. All going grand so far and he obviously deals with insurance companies all the time so left it with him.


Then this morning she gets a call from aviva and is told very in a very snotty way that the garage its in is not one of theirs so she'll have to bring it to their closest approved place ( herself) . She is put through to an equally snotty person in the garage who informs her she is to have it there by half 5 .

She wasn't filled with confidence after any of this and since we've been more than happy with any work we've had done over the years in the garage where it is , coupled with the hassle of having to take time off work and use her sisters borrowed car to arrange to'ing and frowing to get the car where they want it , she wants it where it is.

Aviva are not happy and she was told some rubbish about the work not being covered under warranty unless their place does it and she's being refused a hire car unless she uses the garage they want her to use.


Anyone had anything similar and had a favourable outcome?

ianobrien

You can bring the car to be fixed by whoever you want. The Insurance companies try to get you to use their "preferred" repairer.

I had the same attitude from a different insurance company who insisted that I use a certain repairer and recovery company. I refused as the recovery company they wanted to use wasn't SIMI registered, and I will only allow one body shop to work on my cars. When I told them that "I'm using XXXX for the repair as they do the work on my vintage car, and the car is there now waiting for your assessor", the attitude softened, but not by much. I also had to fight for the hire car, and they only gave it to me for a few days.

Also, don't mention about storage fees. I did that and I was told that the car will be collected and stored at our approved repairer. As the car was taxed and insured I told them not to bother and I'll leave it outside the front door. (It was in the bodyshop at the time. I was chancing my arm...)

As an aside, the car was declared a write off and I would be getting XXX in settlement. That suited me as I had bought the car for the same amount a month previously from a main dealer. I went back to the garage (as a manager there is a family friend) and told him the story and to keep an eye out for a suitable replacement. He rang me two days later to tell me that the insurance company rang him to buy an identical make and model to the one I crashed for less than the settlement amount. He told the insurnace company that I was an odd fellow and that I mightn't want that particular car. He rang me immediatly to warn me. When he saw the hire car I had, he told me to take it back and he would give me a loaner off the lot, to take my pick. I resisted the temptation and used my Night Nav car.

My father had the same when somebody ran into his car a few years ago. The car wasn't 18 months old and he dropped the car off at the same main dealers as above to be fixed. The insurance company were not impressed to hear the car was in the main dealers.....

Hold your ground. The car can be repaired by who ever you want.