How can I expedite an insurance claim pertaining to an accident I had in France?

We were on holiday in France in July last year when we were bumped in the rear by a French driver. We were stationary at the time, waiting for a car which was two cars in front to complete a turn. It was a straightforward claim, the driver at the time admitted liability. We had all the required comprehensive insurance from a reputable insurance company, we contacted them immediately, and followed their instructions carefully, and we also took photographs of the incident. We provided our insurer with full details of the driver and his insurance details.

It is now nearly a year later and no progress has been made in contacting the third party insurers. Our car still needs repairing and I am refusing to claim on our policy as we are not at fault. I have contacted the insurance company every month for a year, and at no time have they contacted me to update me on any progress. I have given them until the end of the month to make progress and I have told them that I am seeking further advice on the actions that I could take. Please could you advise me on my next move?

Asked on 18 June 2010 by Ann Marsh

Answered by David Ross
This sounds like a very frustrating situation and one that must be costing you time and money. Your best bet is to get some legal advice on where you stand and what your next steps should be. If you post this in the Legal Matters section in the our Backroom Forum here: honestjohn.co.uk/forum/threads.htm?f=12 our legal expert Lucy Bonham-Carter will be able to offer you some free advice and if you want to take this further you can contact her privately.

Usually the threat of legal advice, or a letter from a solicitor is the only way to get insurance companies to sort things out, which sadly says a lot about the poor state of the insurance system overall. Good luck.
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