My car was recently damaged outside my home by vandalism and I decided to claim against my comprehensive insurance policy. My insurance company informed me that as the car was not broken into nor stolen and I could not tell them who had done it, it would be treated as accidental damage (despite me being able to provide a police crime reference number). As I am under 25, they charge an extra £250 excess for accidental damage in addition to the standard excess of £200 - however, this was clearly not accidental and could have happened to any driver, regardless of their age. The small print on my insurance policy does not mention criminal damage except where theft of belongings or the car itself is concerned. Should I be covered and where do I stand legally if I try to fight my case against the additional excess?
Greg Rose, Hitchin, UK
Greg,
I have some advice for you. It is not very satisfying, but it is pragmatic.
Even if your car had been broken into and the radio and CDs had been stolen, you wouldn’t be any happier. When that happened to me, the small print limited the claim on belongings and required me to pay excess that made the claim (and insurance) pointless.
For legal advice, you need a lawyer. But I would be surprised if you have any comeback. Even if you do, it will be such a hassle, it probably isn’t worth it.
Play the insurance companies at their own game. Use every legitimate angle to get the premium down (see http://www.usedcarexpert.co.uk/page.aspx?numPage=47 for ten tips).
When claiming, explore all the angles. Can you insist they pay you in cash for the repair? Can you then find a better value repairer?
In my case, the insurance company didn’t know (or care) what stereo I had, so I requested the top of the range replacement. They provided it but I stopped the fitter putting it in. I sold it on Ebay to pay for the lost CDs, excess and a cheaper stereo (more like the one stolen). Not ideal, but I broke even.