Conference terri::cars_uk

    Ring 3 Arrows Car Hire - 061 655 3537, they have branches all over and
    should be able to help.  They will loan you a car and recover their
    costs (+ any uninsured loses).  They take the risk is a prang turns out
    to be your fault

    I'm doing exactly the same thing at the moment, as my solicitor advises
    me, I can hire a car for as long as the repair takes, as long as that
    car is about the smallest one you can possibly get.  If you get
    something equivalent to your own car then the third party insurers may
    not cough up for the hire car.

    I quote a letter I was sent by my solicitors:---

    "If you have to hire an alternative vehicle, hire the cheapest
    possible, since the law will not always enable you to recover the cost
    of a similar vehicle to yours"

    Doesn't matter much to me though, even the smallest of hire cars have
    probably got more power than my Mini!

    I have had a Bodywork Repair place in Caversham offer to hire me a Fiat
    Tipo for the time it takes them to repair the car at 8 pounds a day! 
    Which is damn cheap for a hire car.  It's better than almost all other
    hire car companies who just laugh at me when I try and hire a car.  All
    they do is ask whether I'm 23+, and I say "nah, I'm 21", and they
    refuse to hire me anything!!!!  :^(

    Have fun,

    	MattB

>    "If you have to hire an alternative vehicle, hire the cheapest
>    possible, since the law will not always enable you to recover the cost
>    of a similar vehicle to yours"

    Use 3 Arrows as stated in .1, IF you convince them you are not to
    blame, they take the risk and recover the costs.  That's the lst you
    hear of it.
    

    If you want to 'rent-a-wreck', then Kendall can oblige for about �6 per day.
    
    J.R.

    Having been through the same loop a couple of years ago when a silly
    woman wiped me out on the M4, I don't believe any hire company is going
    to be so silly as to let you have a hire car and try and recover ALL
    the costs themselves.
    
    Why?
    
    Well, the guilty party's insurance company WILL NOT pay the full cost.
    My experience and that of other people I know who have had similar
    experiences, is that the insurance company will, at the very least,
    deduct from the hire charges something like 5p per mile that you drive
    in the hire car. They claim that this is because your car would have
    been depreciating by at least this much if you hadn't had the accident.
    
    Brian

>    woman wiped me out on the M4, I don't believe any hire company is going
>    to be so silly as to let you have a hire car and try and recover ALL
>    the costs themselves.
    
    I beg to differ, these guys have solicitors who do nothing but persue
    these cases.  I know several people who've used them, they're
    excellant.  They are specialist debt collection agencies, that happen
    to hire cars out.
    
    Joe Public has no chance of getting so much money out of insurance
    companies.  

    forgot to add, you may even be able to get money for the depreciation
    of your car due to it's accident.

    I've rented a hire car and had the full cost reimbursed by the other
    parties insurance company (after some discussion with me and an AA
    provided solicitor!!).
    
    JK

I've also hired a car and had full costs reimbursed with help from the AA claims
assistance people.

Dave.

    I have hired a car and had full costs imbursed with the help of my
    insurance company.
    
    Laurie.

    Another vote for AA Claims Assistance Service. They recovered all the
    costs of a hire car (Ford Sierra 1.8LX) whilst I was sorting out
    replacement for my car(MG Maestro EFI) which had been written-off by a
    blind lorry driver. I did 5000 miles in 7 weeks in that bloody Sierra,
    I deserved a bonus for tolerance...
    
    Clive 

    Hmmm. It sounds like I ought to go out and join the AA.
    
    Brian

    You dont need to belong to the AA, just pay the premiums. The policies
    are not the cheapest, but you do get a discount voucher for (among
    other things) Hertz car rental, as well as what others have testified
    to as well-toothed support. Me ? I insured through the AA, I'll let you
    know how I get on with recovering my hire car costs from Horseman's
    Hit & Run Coach company after their driver failed to notice his coach
    wouldnt reverse any further.
    
    Tony.

> Horseman's Hit & Run Coach company

Brings back memories of Acre Rd and the lunch time bus demolishing cars parked
near the car park entrance...

Dave.

My wife has been shunted this week, she took the car to the body shop, who said
the chassis was twisted and it would be best if she didn't drive it. (Who cares 
if they get the job!!)

She obviously stated that she would be without a car, try these people they said,
proffering a leaflet.

I was dubious, nobody does this for free! Sure enough an ORION 1.6LX Auto. turned
up and they explained to us that they make their money by getting a very switched
on solicitor to run the case. He has a vested interest in getting as much money as
possible, as he gets 25% of the claim. The hire firm get 25%, which more than 
covers their hire charges, wifey gets the rest!

They have assured us that we will not be out of pocket at any time.

I guess the moral is "Get a professional to sort it out!" We would never have 
recovered enough to pay for a hire car.

Stuart

    My wife had a similar experience a few years ago. She was side slammed
    by a guy comming out of his drive in Reading.
    
    We said he did'nt look (cars parked at the side of the road), he said
    my wife was speeding. In all honesty it was probably a bit of both. Our
    car was in the docks for several weeks being put right. We got a hire
    car on one of these schemes from a compnay in Wokingham, a right old
    nail of a 1.3 Escort (20MPG!!!).
    
    The insurrance firms haggled and haggled and eventually the thing was
    due to go to court. I got the distinct feeling that the other parties
    insurrurers dug their heels in more because of the additional cost (to
    them )  of the car hire cost. In the end it was settled out of court
    and did'nt cost us anything but it was all rather messy.
    
    I'd reccomend it but only if you are in no doubt about your being in
    the right. I guess in a rear shunt you would be as it is the driver
    behinds responsibility to leave enough room.
    
    

    I've just been involved in a rear-end shunt, and the AA told me that it
    was getting riskier taking out a hire car as insurance companies are
    getting less likely to pay out. 
    
    The trouble with all this Pay and Claim crap is that you have to pay
    first - and we don't all have gold plated Amexes. In my case as a Temp,
    it is hardly worth my while hiring a car as the costs of said hire are
    a not inconsiderable percentage of my wages. I'd be better off taking a
    weeks unpaid hols.
    
    The company which the AA recomended I went to for a quote have just
    told me that my car won't be fixed until Monday evening. I was
    expecting it today. 
    
    I tried to arrange to borrow an idle Pool car, but Car Fleet clearly
    don't indulge in such staggeringly practical ideas such as lending a
    car to a Temp for a few days. They're being recalled, and will be for
    some quite considerable period of time, apparantly. 
    
    Dougie
    

	Re .17 - if it wasn't your fault, the other driver's insurance
	company *have* to hire you a car if you want one. If they refuse,
	take the matter to the Ombudsman. Insurance companies are trying
	very hard not to pay out these days for obvious reasons; a lot
	of people let them get away with it which is why they do it. I've
	found that just the threat of involving the Ombudsman will usually
	pry their chequebooks open with remarkable rapidity, however.

	JJ.

    Although this is an old note I'd like some advice, comments please.
    
    My friend had a collision with an on coming car. The other driver
    admitted fault and in teh police traffic accident report it clearly
    states this.
    
    The car has been written off and so she is now left with no car.  Her
    insurance company in it's policy states she is entitled to a hire car
    while her's is being repaired.  However, the other driver, now says it
    is 50/50 even though the police report has her down as saying she is
    100% responsible.  Consequently the insurance company will not give out
    a hire car as the claim is being disputed by the other driver.
    
    What happens if your car is written off?  are you normally entitled to
    a hire car until the company pays up?  Friend now has no car, no money,
    whiplash and is out of pocket while having to take taxis everywhere.
    
    Unfortunately not a member of the AA so can't use their legal services
    as I have done successfully in the past......
    
    I would be interested in any comments...
    
    josie

    
    If the accident was the other persons fault, then your friend's
    insurance Co wouldn't be paying for the hire car anyway, the other
    party would. If it says in the policy that you get a hire car then
    they should provide one and where necessary recover the cost from the
    other persons insurance afterwards. I've had this on a couple of
    occasions - there is sometimes a limit of 2 weeks on the initial hire -
    and I kept the hire car until mine was repaired (12 weeks in one
    case!).
    
    I'd contact my broker in the first instance - it's what they get
    commission for after all - the Insurance company second.
    
    Graham

    There are now companies that 'specialise' in providing hire cars to
    people in this situation and do all the work of recovering the money
    themselves.
    
    My wife's car was recently written off in an accident that was
    undoubtedly the other guy's fault, and we actually had a company come
    to us (goodness knows how they got her name and phone no.) called CLAIMS
    DIRECT. They offered her a hire car until the claim was sorted and were
    working in conjunction with a firm of solicitors to get the money from
    the other insurance. They make a packet out of it because they charge
    the insurance co. a standard hire car rate of �lots-per-day but they
    themselves get the hire cars fairly cheaply, and pocket the difference.
    The accident victim (ie my wife) is in a fairly safe no-lose situation
    as you pay nothing out of your own pocket. The only document you have
    to sign is something saying that you authorize the company to make a
    claim on your behalf. The solicitors they work with also take up your
    claims for other damages and again get their fee straight from the
    other insurance.
    
    The only catch with all this is that you must be in an undoubtedly
    "other persons fault" situation, so if the other insurance is
    contesting the case they may not want to know. On the other hand, once
    you explain your case their solicitors may decide it is watertight and
    so may be happy to proceed anyway, knowing they will get their money.
    
    However, another thing that really pi$$ed me off about the experience
    of having a car written off is that once you have been offered a
    settlement the insurance company only has to pay for a hire car for a
    further 7 days. You are expected to be able to find and purchase a
    suitable replacement vehicle within this time (using the money they
    give you which is probably at least a grand short of what you need to
    replace what you lost).
    
    Your friend has my sympathies.
    
    Tony I
                             

    ... oh, and another thing...
                                    
    tell her to get down the doctors and complain about the whiplash. Get
    the doctor to write up a claim for damages for personal injury. I know
    a number of people who have done this and have ended up with
    settlements ranging from �500-�4000. The doctor will add -any-
    inconvenience caused by the injury and this all adds to the amount of
    money you can claim. My wife is claiming for whiplash and back problems
    which have made her have time off work, not be able to carry heavy bags
    and not be able to do aerobics.
    
    ... of course again it all hangs on you being able to win the case,
    but with a police statement in your favour it's worth trying. 
    
    cheers, 
    
    Tony I

    
    ditto -1  record all your injuries IN FULL and get as much info written
    down by the "quack" as you can.  Whiplash can/does last for years. 
    
    My wife still suffers (+5 yrs) neck/back pains alot and occasionally my 
    sister (+10 yrs).  Both of their accidents were 100% NOT there fault.
    
    Regards,
    
    - MARK -
    

    Thanks for the replies...
    
    she did go to hospital straight after the accident and did have a neck
    collar on for a day.  I guess there is a report from there which should
    go to her doctors anyway.
    
    I think they were going through the broker who seems next to useless. 
    I am keen to get her going in the right direction as she is my nanny
    and so needs the car for work etc.  The inconvenience from a work point
    of view is ridiculous - ie getting taxis to work, being late, etc etc. 
    Meanwhile the other driver gets their car repaired and is happily
    driving around.
    
    Getting your car written off is no joke.  Apparently the insurance
    assessor has officially written it off so I guess it's just a case of
    waiting for the money.  Meanwhile she has to find money she hasn't got
    to get around.  
    
    I'll bear in mind the comments about the whiplash....
    
    thanks
    
    josie