Shifty Insurance companies

[pauljh74]

I got a message on my mobile to ring QBE with a phone number and a reference number. So the next day I rang them up wondering what it was all about as I don't have any business with them. They said it was about an accident I had in November - which had happened. I was involved in an incident where I had to stop quickly as the traffic stream had stopped suddenly. I came to a full stop, the guy behind me also managed to pull up and I edged forward that little bit more to give him maximum space. Then a couple of seconds later, I got hit by that car. It was due to the 3rd car not being able to stop and hitting the car behind that was then pushed into me. I have an EL Falcon, the guy behind had an AU - both with ABS - the 3rd car was a 98 Laser - probably without ABS and in this situation it would have been close at best. But he locked up and hit hard enough to set the Laser's airbag off. In January my car was repaired at the expense of the at fault party's insurer.

QBE's client was the guy in the middle - their client immediately used their own insurer to get their company car back on the road quickly. So QBE went to recoup their costs from the at fault party's insurer - who told QBE that I was the at fault party and to speak to me. A bit hard to prove since they paid my claim! So I recounted the events to the person at QBE and they'll be giving the other insurer another call soon I'm sure.

I can't imagine how they could possibly have in their records that I am the at fault party. I can only assume they are merely trying their best to avoid paying out this last part of the claim. If I could only manage to find the details ie claim number. I'd fire an e-mail off to them and blast them for their actions. I think I turfed it out as my car is fixed and I considered the matter closed. I'd be reluctant to consider this company for insurance now.

[rdomain]

I don't know the full logistics of insurance but I was under the impression if you go up the rear of someone, it's instantly 'your fault' no matter what. Whether this is true or not, I'm not entirely sure.

Insurance SUCKS!! (but it does come in handy sometimes)

[Yaw]

I would not worry too much about it.
Obviously you got your car fixed due to not being at fault.
The records are kept and the other course of action you can take is to go to the repairer that fixed your car and get the records of who paid for it, if it was paid out by an insurance company they will also have the record.

But
All this could be a simple misuderstanding of the person that read the original claim. You see each car that hit the back of another car would be treated as seperate aceidents, (which technically is correct) until you put the whole claim together. You see the first guys insurance company files a claim agaisnt you, you to the next guy, hence seperate incedents. More than likely as I said its a simple misunderstanding of a message written by an opperator.
Insurance companies do not set out to be shifty, they are goverened by the FSRA (finacial services reform act) and have several things they have to comply with.

I hope this helps explain what has probably happened.

[Feathers]

A friend of mine had an accident like that last week.
While merging onto the M4 she turned to see if it was safe to merge, but forgot there were 2 cars in front of her, and hit the car in front, sending it into the car in front of him.
Her insurance paid out for repairs to all the cars.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by rdomain

I don't know the full logistics of insurance but I was under the impression if you go up the rear of someone, it's instantly 'your fault' no matter what. Whether this is true or not, I'm not entirely sure.

Insurance SUCKS!! (but it does come in handy sometimes)

It usually is the case, but if you're pushed by someone else into someone's **** you're not going to get the blame. It all depends on the situation really.

One Company i refuse to have any dealings with is Swann Insurance - they hounded me, called me and threatened to sue me and my family after i had an accident last year. Absolutely pathetic that a company like that can act the way they did.

[Peuty]

Originally Posted by Feathers

but forgot there were 2 cars in front of her, and hit the car in front, sending it into the car in front of him.

How do you "forget" about cars in front of you?

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by Peuty

How do you "forget" about cars in front of you?

They appear out of nowhere just like those dreaded powerpolls that jump into the middle of the road and were not there before :nutsycuck

[Pik0]

My mate has done that (wrote off his car), and ive almost done it before you have a look and the cars infront have slowed down and your still going fairly fast and while your checking for other cars you run up there backside...

[pauljh74]

Now that someone else has named a company they have a peeve with - I'll name this company - Allianz are the ones that told QBE to see me.

I don't intend to worry about it - I have the driver of the car insured by QBE as a witness for starters and the fact Allianz fixed my car. I would still like to give them a serve for the error - but if I e-mailed them without direct references - they'd certainly just click *delete* as they wouldn't be able to trace it back to the claim easily.

[DRU842]

Originally Posted by Feathers

A friend of mine had an accident like that last week.
While merging onto the M4 she turned to see if it was safe to merge, but forgot there were 2 cars in front of her, and hit the car in front, sending it into the car in front of him.
Her insurance paid out for repairs to all the cars.

Don't want to drag this out but were the cars your friend hit stopped on the on ramp, waiting to merge with 90 / 110kph traffic?

[Yaw]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

Now that someone else has named a company they have a peeve with - I'll name this company - Allianz are the ones that told QBE to see me.

I don't intend to worry about it - I have the driver of the car insured by QBE as a witness for starters and the fact Allianz fixed my car. I would still like to give them a serve for the error - but if I e-mailed them without direct references - they'd certainly just click *delete* as they wouldn't be able to trace it back to the claim easily.

Well look,
By all means you have the right to say what you think to them. Maybe I just did not explain the situation cclearly enough though. but before I do that one thing you said worries me that your unaware of. You said they would probably just click delete since they can't trace it back easily. The Finacial Services Reform Act does infact address many issues and that is one of them.
They cannot just click delete or they are in breach of the act and risk losing thier licence to sell insurance (that is just how serious the act is).
You obviously were given a referernece number to call someone back about it. Another thing that the act addresses is that each insurance company has an internal disupute resolustion service (amoung other things a complaints department). They address issues such as yours and 90% of the time will solve the dispute or explain it further as I am about to.
In no Bias as to either company as I work for neither.

As I stated already each one is treated as a seperate claim. You see the first guy in the pile up cannot leagally go to the last guy in the pile up for compensation. The last guy did not hit him, it was the second guy. So a claim is put in by the first guy and as far as records would show if you did not look at the whole claim (possbily because you called and he just read the first few lines that you run into the back of someone) automatically the second guy is at fault. Now enter a 3rd and 4th and 5th perhaps. the second guy claims against the 3rd guy as he says well it was because the third guy hit me that I went into the back of the car in front of me. again listed if not looked at in its entirety an opperator could see the type of acciedent rear ender you went into someones backside, not look at the whole picture and blurt out no he was at fault. (I assume this is the sort of mistake that was inadvertenly made) anyway it goes so on until you get to the very last guy who will be "at fault" for the whole lot making his comapny liable for all the cars in front. Most times lol...... you can get the situation that you rear end someone and then a few minutes later someone rear ends you as your sitting there. That IS two claims. one for the first accident which the guy in the middle is at fault for the guy in front and not at fault withn the guy at the back. that would be solved by 2 different sets of repairs being paid for (the front of his car which he would pay an excess for) and the back of his car which he would not have to pay an excess for.

Hopefully I have made things clear as Mud after reading that back through, but I'm sure you will get the idea and see just how easily the mistake/incorrect info was given. Not to mention of course a claimant may have lied.
Cheers

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by back2thefutura

It usually is the case, but if you're pushed by someone else into someone's **** you're not going to get the blame. It all depends on the situation really.

Not neccessarily (unless something had changed since I was in an accdident sandwich).

The 1st question both the police and the insurance company had asked was, had I come to a complete stop. I had. I asked what would be the outcome if I hadn't, I would have been charged and I would have been liable for the repairs to the car infront even though the car behind me hit me doing about 70kph and if I had have been moving it would have been at less than 10kph since it was in heavy traffic.

I guess it goes back to the do you have insurance thread. If I was moving, I would have been up for repairs on the car infront even though it was the clown that hit me at 70kph that caused me to hit the car infront of me.

[TIKFD6]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

Now that someone else has named a company they have a peeve with - I'll name this company - Allianz are the ones that told QBE to see me.

Its funny you mention both of those companies.
I have had insurance with both over the years, and had suss problems with both.

Dodgee alright,

[Feathers]

Originally Posted by Peuty

How do you "forget" about cars in front of you?

She's a bimbo.

[Feathers]

Originally Posted by DRU842

Don't want to drag this out but were the cars your friend hit stopped on the on ramp, waiting to merge with 90 / 110kph traffic?

Yep. They were further down the lane, waiting to merge. About 20-30m in front of her. She either thought they were moving, or didn't see they hadn't merged.
As usual she was more concerned about herself than anyone else around her.

[SpoolMan]

Some times insurance company’s bluff, they have huge cash resources to push you around, even if you are right.
You may need to get the law checked on ''who's at fault'' and take it from there...

[pauljh74]

My circumstance is very clear - My car and another car had stopped rapidly and not hit anything. The 3rd car came along and crashed into car 2, which was pushed into my car as a direct result of car 3 hitting him. Car 3 is clearly at fault. Allianz insured car 3. I claimed against Allianz. My insurer is AAMI - I didn't see a need to use them as I am not at fault. Car 2 kept it simple for themselves and let their insurer QBE sort it out. QBE contacted Allianz who told them to see me and claimed I was at fault. Once I explained what happened, QBE will now go back to Allianz. If QBE wasn't messing with me, then Allianz either told a straight out lie to make a financial gain, or the facts in their records made a 180 degree reversal.

As I may have disposed of the relevant claim numbers after my car was repaired and I considered the matter closed, if I fired an e-mail off to Allianz without claim numbers, the insured party's name or car rego, then it would make it difficult for them to refer back to the claim and it would just go into the too hard basket. If I find that information, then I will be sending them an e-mail.

[LTDHO]

pauljh74, I don't see your problem.

You were hit in the rear and pushed into the vehicle in front. Yes?

The insurance company was told by there client that they were hit by you. They natuarlly act on this. All you have to do is a) tell them you were pushed b) give them your insurance details. Easy!

XRFPV8, I don't know where you got your info from? It is not the case at all!!

[rag top]

LTDHO, he was the car in front, as mentioned in the first post... :voldar02: