Nice curtesy car

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Discussion

cen

Original Poster:

593 posts

241 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
A colleague at work had the misfortune to have someone run up his back end of his XKR on a roundabout. Needless to say his vehicle had to go in for repair so his insurance company gave him a curtesy car.

We all know about curtesy cars a little Matiz or Smart Car appears to be todays norm.

Shock, horror they have given him a Porshe Carrera on a 09 plate with no miles on the clock for a week or so.

Word of warning, if you note me driving around roundabouts in my daily ride hoping someone comes into the back of me be warned. :-)

WWESTY

2,690 posts

244 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
Very nice for your mate, but sadly this is another reason insurance premiums are so high...... banghead

Deva Link

26,934 posts

251 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
...he'll probably get hit with the bill himself when the other driver's insurance refuses to pay it.

LuS1fer

41,572 posts

251 months

Monday 1st June 2009
quotequote all
Similar thing happened to a Mustang owner. He got a Cayman for a courtesy car. Didn't like it so took it back and was given a Mercedes but he was glad to get his Mustang back.

sean19

672 posts

206 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2009
quotequote all
I got handed a peachy 0.8 Daewoo Matiz when I had one, hated every minute of the thing.
It was brand new with about 15miles, and was falling apart with every mile.

effkay

737 posts

195 months

Tuesday 2nd June 2009
quotequote all
sean19 said:
was falling apart with every mile.
Good to see you havn't lost your magic touch tongue out

sean19

672 posts

206 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
effkay said:
sean19 said:
was falling apart with every mile.
Good to see you havn't lost your magic touch tongue out
That was down to the build quality or should I say the total lack of.

Try5t

722 posts

214 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
cen said:
A colleague at work had the misfortune to have someone run up his back end of his XKR on a roundabout. Needless to say his vehicle had to go in for repair so his insurance company gave him a curtesy car.

We all know about curtesy cars a little Matiz or Smart Car appears to be todays norm.

Shock, horror they have given him a Porshe Carrera on a 09 plate with no miles on the clock for a week or so.

Word of warning, if you note me driving around roundabouts in my daily ride hoping someone comes into the back of me be warned. :-)
That's very unlikely to be a coutesy vehicle and may be a credit hire car - hope your mate a can justify why he needs to hire a Porsche on a credit hire basis - he`ll have a £6k bill otherwise for failing to assist mitigating his loss.

taaffy

1,120 posts

245 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
Try5t said:
cen said:
A colleague at work had the misfortune to have someone run up his back end of his XKR on a roundabout. Needless to say his vehicle had to go in for repair so his insurance company gave him a curtesy car.

We all know about curtesy cars a little Matiz or Smart Car appears to be todays norm.

Shock, horror they have given him a Porshe Carrera on a 09 plate with no miles on the clock for a week or so.

Word of warning, if you note me driving around roundabouts in my daily ride hoping someone comes into the back of me be warned. :-)
That's very unlikely to be a coutesy vehicle and may be a credit hire car - hope your mate a can justify why he needs to hire a Porsche on a credit hire basis - he`ll have a £6k bill otherwise for failing to assist mitigating his loss.
He can quite rightly ask for a vehicle of a similar standard to the one he drives as his main vehicle.

When the rear of my 911 was damaged I wanted a car of similar standing whilst mine was being repaired....I was given an S class merc and there was no haggling from the ins co .....if their client was at fault then why should the aggrieved party have to drive an entry level coutesy car when they are used to far more salubrious transport....

Deva Link

26,934 posts

251 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
taaffy said:
Try5t said:
cen said:
A colleague at work had the misfortune to have someone run up his back end of his XKR on a roundabout. Needless to say his vehicle had to go in for repair so his insurance company gave him a curtesy car.

We all know about curtesy cars a little Matiz or Smart Car appears to be todays norm.

Shock, horror they have given him a Porshe Carrera on a 09 plate with no miles on the clock for a week or so.

Word of warning, if you note me driving around roundabouts in my daily ride hoping someone comes into the back of me be warned. :-)
That's very unlikely to be a coutesy vehicle and may be a credit hire car - hope your mate a can justify why he needs to hire a Porsche on a credit hire basis - he`ll have a £6k bill otherwise for failing to assist mitigating his loss.
He can quite rightly ask for a vehicle of a similar standard to the one he drives as his main vehicle.

When the rear of my 911 was damaged I wanted a car of similar standing whilst mine was being repaired....I was given an S class merc and there was no haggling from the ins co .....if their client was at fault then why should the aggrieved party have to drive an entry level coutesy car when they are used to far more salubrious transport....
These cases have ended up in court when insurance companies have refused to cough up and if you told the Judge you're "used to far more salubrious transport" then you'd be paying the bill.

taaffy

1,120 posts

245 months

Wednesday 3rd June 2009
quotequote all
Deva Link said:
taaffy said:
Try5t said:
cen said:
A colleague at work had the misfortune to have someone run up his back end of his XKR on a roundabout. Needless to say his vehicle had to go in for repair so his insurance company gave him a curtesy car.

We all know about curtesy cars a little Matiz or Smart Car appears to be todays norm.

Shock, horror they have given him a Porshe Carrera on a 09 plate with no miles on the clock for a week or so.

Word of warning, if you note me driving around roundabouts in my daily ride hoping someone comes into the back of me be warned. :-)
That's very unlikely to be a coutesy vehicle and may be a credit hire car - hope your mate a can justify why he needs to hire a Porsche on a credit hire basis - he`ll have a £6k bill otherwise for failing to assist mitigating his loss.
He can quite rightly ask for a vehicle of a similar standard to the one he drives as his main vehicle.

When the rear of my 911 was damaged I wanted a car of similar standing whilst mine was being repaired....I was given an S class merc and there was no haggling from the ins co .....if their client was at fault then why should the aggrieved party have to drive an entry level coutesy car when they are used to far more salubrious transport....
These cases have ended up in court when insurance companies have refused to cough up and if you told the Judge you're "used to far more salubrious transport" then you'd be paying the bill.
And I'm sure the judge would willingly swop his Jag XJ for a fiesta should he have the misfortune for his car be damaged......me thinks not ....

I had no probs securing similar transport .....fairs fair.

Try5t

722 posts

214 months

Thursday 4th June 2009
quotequote all


You are both quite right and you are entitled to like for like - and I have argued cases on both sides in the past - however, the law on the issue is by no meaans clear cut and most cases can go on the merits.

I had a case where a client did the same thing when his 4 year old BMW was written off, he credit hired a Merecdes at a cost of nearly £4000 while his claim was dealt with - the claim was refused on the basis of failing to mitigate - the reasons he gave was that he thought (had been told by the company) that he was "entitled" to it; he had not been advised about mitigating his loss.

Judge asked him:

"Did you actually need to use a vehicle of that nature?" - and he replied "yes",

"Could you have done your job in a Focus instead?" - he replied "yes"

"Would you have hired this car at these rates, or opted for something cheaper if you had to fund it yourself?" he replied, "cheaper probably".

The judge found he had failed to mitigate and therefore not all of the charges were recoverable.

So just careful, the OP's mate and anyone else should be fully aware on what basis they are hiring this vehicle and their own reasons for doing so.

Some repairers, dealers and Management Co's have a very "bullish" understanding of the law; often to their customers loss. So just be careful and read everything you sign and question what you have been given.

sorrento205

2,875 posts

242 months

Thursday 4th June 2009
quotequote all
when my 205 was written off, i was given a passat 2.0 tdi (140bhp) as the rental company (helphire, instructed through my insurance) said they always try to match up with a car of similar engine size, which seems fair enough to me. I'd have been mightily pizzed off if i had been given a crappy matiz or corsa with a sewing machine under the bonnet to use for several months.

Also iirc there was a pistonheads scheme which claimed to offer something along the lines of a like for like rental car

Deva Link

26,934 posts

251 months

Thursday 4th June 2009
quotequote all
sorrento205 said:
when my 205 was written off,

....

several months.
You wouldn't normally need a hire car for several months if yours was written off; although there's recent thread on HonestJohn from a guy whose daughter is being sued for £14,000 for the hire of a base level Golf while the write off value of her car was disputed.
Seems she'd been told to hang on to it by a solicitor, possibly in order to apply pressure to the other parties insurer to settle. That didn't seem to work and they rejected the hire bill out of hand.

LuS1fer

41,572 posts

251 months

Thursday 4th June 2009
quotequote all
As soon as your car is written-off, you are no longer entitled to a hire car, you have to mitigate your loss by replacing it. How it's settled is irrelevant.

sorrento205

2,875 posts

242 months

Thursday 4th June 2009
quotequote all
maybe i shouldn't have posted, don't want to start a ruckus! My case is settled now thank gawd!

Deva Link

26,934 posts

251 months

Thursday 4th June 2009
quotequote all
sorrento205 said:
maybe i shouldn't have posted, don't want to start a ruckus! My case is settled now thank gawd!
What baffles me is that insurance companies apparantly hate the credit hire firms, yet, as in your case, they often seem to refer non-fault claims to them.

Presumeably they get a cut of the payment from the 3rd parties insurer as a kick-back. It's a very odd relationship.

sorrento205

2,875 posts

242 months

Friday 5th June 2009
quotequote all
well my case ended up going to a proper solicitor as the helphire/angel assistance thing were bloody useless when it came to writing a well worded accusational letter as far as i could gather. I suppose it keeps things simple for both me and them, assuming it works.

sean19

672 posts

206 months

Friday 5th June 2009
quotequote all
I wasn't entitled to a hire car through my insurance company I was given one by the RAC through a simular scheme PH offers.
They were very crafty with the wording over the phone, reading the print after agreeing to it, if the case was agreed as my fault I would have had to pay the hire car at a cost of £1200 for 5 weeks in a Matiz!

I wouldn't do it again just incase!

taffyracer

2,093 posts

249 months

Friday 5th June 2009
quotequote all
Interesting, i've just been smashed into from behind and car is going off the road for 10days-2 weeks or so, I have asked for similar cars and it's been suggested that i'll get an X5 or Merc Eclass, will make sure i check out the small print 1st!