Car insurance - NorwichJE

I was involved in a minor collision 6 months ago, my fault. My wife and her mother were with me at the time, the other driver was alone. My car was written off and I received payment for its value. That appeared to be the end of the matter. Until today.

My insurers, or rather the underwriters, called to say they have had to reopen the claim as the other driver had claimed for £2000+ for aches and pains (or whatever term was used). They said that they had to set aside £6000 for personal injuries and said that if the full amount was not allocated the other driver would be likely to claim against the whole pot.

Basically, they are encouraging my wife and her mother to claim for similar personal injuries so they, the insurers, do not have to pay out to the other party.

Is this a scam? My wife really does not want to take part, but is there a disadvantage in not doing so?

The person on the phone said it had to be dealt with today, I wonder why they left it so long, it seems like it was deliberate to encourage me/my wife to make a quick decision.

Car insurance - khcomp

Now you know why car insurance can be so expensive! It's the way insurers work nowadays, I'm afraid. Your wife & mother in law claiming for non existent injuries won't prevent your insurer paying the other party, and as you were at fault, their claims will actually add to the value of the claim against you.

Technically, it's not a scam, it's just the 'where there's blame there's a claim' culture - everyone is encouraged to claim for minor or non existant injuries, safe in the knowledge that we as motorists will foot the bill.

My car was written off two years ago whilst parked - although there was nobody inside it, after settlement of the claim, I was bombarded by phone calls encouraging me to claim for personal injury, including one from a young lady who couldn't understand why I refused to do so despite confirming that she knew the car was parked & empty at the time!

In my case, when I contacted my insurer following the initial incident, they subsequently notified thirteen different companies, all of whom were obviously keen to get a piece of the action, ranging from car hire companies, claims management companies, the underwriter of my insurer, personal accident lawyers, etc. - it was stated at the time to me that they would notify 'other agencies', and if I didn't want them to do so, it could affect my claim.

Car insurance - NorwichJE

I was trying to work out what was in it for the insurers, given they are my insurers. So potentially it puts up my premium and they make more money out of me in the long run??

Car insurance - khcomp

That's a possibility: They're also selling your details on to these third party ambulance chasers, and may have some stake in their claim too. If you look into a lot of these companies, a lot of them are related to each other, or subsidiaries of the insurers: Your insurer is only paying out money that they've collected in on inflated premiums anyway...

Car insurance - FP

One thing occurs to me - was this phone call really from your insurers/underwriters and not from some third party?

Either way, it is a detestable situation.

Car insurance - Peter D

Speak to your insurance company legal department.

The under writers are suggesting your mother and wife commit fraud.

All very dodgy. Regards Peter

Car insurance - SLO76
I'm 99% certain this call didn't come from your insurer. No insurance firm would ask you to exaggerate an injury and fraudulently claim. This will be a sneaky 3rd party injury claims firm trying it on. Call your firm using the number on your documents and inform them plus give them any details from the other mob that called you if you have any. Don't speak to or agree to anything when the other firm calls again.

Edited by SLO76 on 13/01/2017 at 15:27

Car insurance - Cris_on_the_gas

From what has been posted above this looks like your Insurance company has received correspondance from the third party or the third party's solicitor. I would think the call was genuine from your insurance company. You can prove this by ringing your insurance company and quoting your claim number ask if an additional third party claim has been made.

Assume yes, the likely scenario is the TP got a call from an ambulance chaser, sorry solicitor. Then put a claim in for personal injury to your insurance Co. They have then contacted you regarding the same.

Do you know the TP, and what claim is being made ? There will be a medical report comissioned by the TP solicitor. What does this state ? If it says for example the TP cannot run for a bus and they are seen doing a local 10k fun run for example, well you can work the rest out !

Edited by Cris_on_the_gas on 13/01/2017 at 15:59

Car insurance - RT

Let your insurers get on with this revised claim - it's their problem, not yours. It doesn't affect you as the "damage" to you NCD is already done.

Car insurance - Bromptonaut

Lets look at this from perspective of OP's insurer/underwriter and assume it's true that 3rd party in that accident is claiming for personal injury.

They will want to minimise their payout. Third party will probably get what some sort of spreadsheet says is appropriate for his injuries. Even that may be too much. There is no 'pot' from which, lottery fashion, the winner takes all.

Your caller was no more in underwriter's office than guy who called me last year about my 'accident' worked for, as he stated, the Ministry of Justice. He rang off smartly when I asked him if Ursula Brennan was still the Perm Sec.

Call your insurer on the number on your policy and let them know what's going on.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 13/01/2017 at 21:00

Car insurance - Avant

"The person on the phone said it had to be dealt with today,"

That's what gives it away: it's not as urgent as that. If you get a call like that, the best thing to do is to ask them to put it in writing. That sorts out genuine from scam.

Car insurance - gordonbennet

Dear me, will the last honest person to leave the country please turn the lights out, these low life's deserve nothing other then cold darkness and hunger.

I doubt any claim has come in from the third party at all, this sounds like something has crawled out from under it's rock and hopes they can con your passengers into making a claim against you, using the rip of mob on the phone of course, to grab that pot before someone else who doesn't exist does, its a must buy today or quickly sales con, nothing else.

I used to get just the same vague lies when certain mobile phone sales bods would ring me around the time my mobile contract was up for renewal, they tried to make out it was Orange themselves on the line, i would play them along giving me the standard deal, then asked them specifics about the extra thousands of minutes i had on my far from standard contract (cos i've been with Orange virtually since they started up), of course they couldn't answer this because it wasn't Orange calling at all and they would finally have to admit it, yes silly i know but if i was on a 3 hour drive it was quite enjoyable wasting half an hour of their day and phone costs.

The calls no longer happens, presumably my mobile number is listed in the don't bother with this idiot category.

OP if they do call back it might be amusing, if you have nothing better to do, than to string them along for as long as possible wasting as much of their time paperwork and admin as you can manage, if you act eager to be in on the £6k cash going begging, helpfully enlisting your wife acting the right part if she's with you during the call, i bet you can get an hour of their day and possibly one or more return calls before they twig it.

Edited by gordonbennet on 14/01/2017 at 08:41