My Poor Ls460

[Bluesman]

I am well aware that there are many people who just automatically claim for whiplash injuries regardless and everyone jumps on those that do claim as being cheats however there is an even bigger amount paid out that no one seems to mind and that is the cost of a rental car for you while your claim is being sorted out.

Why is it insurance companies are more than happy to shell out many thousands of pounds on rental cars while when it comes to paying what they feel is a fair price for your car do they then start arguing over a few hundred pounds?

Car rental can easily overtake any amount paid for whiplash injuries especially when it comes to "Like for Like" policies but no one seems to mind that. The Alpha Romeo that I was given in a "Like for Like" insurance claim which I was not at fault had I have kept it for the period of the claim would have come to just under £11,000. As a disabled driver the car was useless to me and I had another car to use.

The other people to point the finger at are these damn ambulance chasers who hound you day & night to claim. My son is still being persuade over 2 years after his car was damaged. It was parked at the time and he was not in it but still we get sometimes up to 2 dozen calls a week, it doesn't matter what you tell them they still keep calling so lets give those companies and all those that work in them including good old Nev from "The Call Center" a good bashing first. Time for bed I'm worn out. Mike

[steve2006]

You're quite right MIke, also there were all those "referal fees" paid between insurers and 3rd party claims companies which I understand are being/have been banned now.

I think I've mentioned it before but last time I claimed against a 3rd party insurer I dealt direct after they contacted me in the old fashioned way, the claim was settled within a week and as I didn't want "a loan car" they paid me a little extra in the settlement.

Far too many people involved nowdays in what should be just 2 insurance companies representing their clients.

[cruisermark]

You're quite right MIke, also there were all those "referal fees" paid between insurers and 3rd party claims companies which I understand are being/have been banned now.

I think I've mentioned it before but last time I claimed against a 3rd party insurer I dealt direct after they contacted me in the old fashioned way, the claim was settled within a week and as I didn't want "a loan car" they paid me a little extra in the settlement.

Far too many people involved nowdays in what should be just 2 insurance companies representing their clients.

car accident is a no win situation

your fault - premium goes up

no your fault - premium still goes up

and steve i have a feeling that in your situation your insurance company maybe a bit miffed becuase they missed out on potential funds coming their way had you gone through them!

[LexIS200Sport]

Suman, sorry to read about your accident :(

I wish you a speedy recovery.

[Cotswold Pete]

And my last point which we all will agree on is this ......

I would hate to be in your situation right now (car-less) because public transport is just awful

Trains are never on time and over crowded.

I get claustrophobic on a train because of the space I have in my LS400 !!!

I once spent a week in Europe and everything is like clockwork there and come back here to be greeted with the plane being late, bus to the train station being late and then the train didn't turn up !!

So when the train didn't turn up I was a bit peeved, I asked the lady where it was to which she replied "I don't know, we have lost it !!!"

HOW THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU LOSE A TRAIN (sorry for the caps) I mean, it goes from here to there, and can't take a wrong turn as its nailed to tracks !!!!

That is why I would be lost without my car !!

I had a mate once many years ago who was a signalman and he managed to lose a train in a tunnel, I was a bit surprised, but the signal that said the train was in the tunnel had forgot to tell the main system it was in the tunnel.

So the signal to let the train in the station sat there no knowing a train was in there.

Now this was 35 years ago, but it sounds like nothing much changed with losing ruddy great bits of technology.

Mind you I keep losing my glasses, which is why I keep a spare driving set in the LS

[Titch LS]

Mel, tell us , what's the difference between 'whiplash spongers' and 'benefit spongers' then? I'll tell you,----None. They're both as bad as each other. Work is for sheep? Its us sheep that pay for your benefits.

[aviator888]

Did i say im on benefits? Suman has most likely been on dole his whole miserable life.. and now he thinks he's won the lottery :D

[scythe]

Hi Suman, just a word of support. I'd just like you to know that I've read your comments on here for several years, and watched your postings on youtube. I've always enjoyed reading them because you've been so open about your life, and have recorded both the good bits and the bad.

I hope your experiences with some of the comments that you've had recently, that seem to come either from simple folk who don't think things through before they type, or from those from Scandanavian mythology, will not put you off continuing to record your life on here down through the years.

Though it's obviously part of the wild internet, the people who are attracted to post on this site do seem to be particularly decent and likeable, the sort you could have a chat with in a pub, and mild skirmishes are no more than that. However, as in life, unpleasant solids sometimes float through, but if left alone they generally tend to just disappear! Failing that, just complain to the site moderators!

All the best.

: o )

[aviator888]

Making a false wiplash claim is a criminal offence. Anyone trying to pull this off should rot in jail.

[LexIS200Sport]

Making a false wiplash claim is a criminal offence. Anyone trying to pull this off should rot in jail.

I hurt my neck and back and called the Police and Ambulance

I think this one is pretty real, dude. One wouldn't call the ambulance just for kicks.

[Maduggo]

Lets get this straight.

A forum member has an accident that they are not to blame for, the culprit even drove off without any information exchange, the driver suffer's injury and rightly get's medical treatment, then looks to put in a claim to get the car repaired to it's former glory and compensation for the whole incident.

Since then, it has changed to a personal dig at the driver and the disabled, claims of false whiplash, benefit scrounging, slanging matches between members.

Come on people, we are supposed to be a discerning group of people that own a slice of luxury motoring.

I fear we are starting to see people's TRUE COLOURS coming out, what's next i wonder.

If you have an issue with the original poster then PM them, please don't reduce this forum to the crap that is acceptable on lesser forums.

Please think before you post, both as the post starter and any replies.

Personally i think the claim amounts are a bit high, you will be hard pushed to get close, but good luck getting your car sorted, and good luck on getting your injury healed.

[arfur45]

I would just like to wish Tees ls430 the best of luck in a speedy resolution to returning his life to the way it was before he was the unfortunate victim of yet more careless motoring on our roads -" there but for the grace of God"as they say.

And just as a side while there are no doubt some outrageous lead swingers who attempt to deceive insurance companies and cost us all more money,not every "whiplash" claim is a inflated con.

In my professional capacity as a power development coach I have spent the last two years working with a sportswoman of national champion standing who suffered "whiplash" related injuries after being rear ended by a van, sadly she was not lucky enough to have been driving a lexus. Her injuries and continuing problems are beyond belief and I have never seen anyone suffering such lasting problems even including my days as an international full contact fighter and coach.

I would wish you all a safe time behind the wheel and at least we have a fighting chance in our "luxury tanks"

[Malc]

just a thought ........ i really ( personally ) wouldn't go down the " going to court route " ...... it really will take over your life, make you sad and unhappy ( unless you're a masochist ) and if you do eventually win, or after years the other insurers settle " out of court " you will be so relieved and really, really wish that you had settled amicably at the outset, possibly some years earlier !!!

Courts are for giving the lawyers loads of dosh ..... to be avoided for your own peace of mind and sanity !

Chill out, de-stress and reflect ......... before you go hammer and tongs and headlong into that dark abyss.

Malc

[Bluesman]

just a thought ........ i really ( personally ) wouldn't go down the " going to court route " ...... it really will take over your life, make you sad and unhappy ( unless you're a masochist ) and if you do eventually win, or after years the other insurers settle " out of court " you will be so relieved and really, really wish that you had settled amicably at the outset, possibly some years earlier !!!

Courts are for giving the lawyers loads of dosh ..... to be avoided for your own peace of mind and sanity !

Chill out, de-stress and reflect ......... before you go hammer and tongs and headlong into that dark abyss.

Malc

Extremely wise words. Mike

[steve2006]

Given the damage to Suman's LS which includes rear panel buckling the impact must have been more than a simple knock from the rear which on these cars normally results in cosmetic bumper damage as happened to mine a few years ago.

The other thing is how many of us adjust our head restraints to the correct position to provide maximum protection in a rear shunt accident, I find if I try to I end up looking at the sun visor and not the road ahead,they seem to position your head in an un-natural position when set correctly so become unconfortable.

[Scribe]

1) If members can't make a serious point without being aggressive and antagonistic they're best ignored. That kind of attention-seeking says much more about them than it does about the issue itself. So Suman, good luck with your claim, and ignore members who are unsympathetic and/or downright rude. They're not the reason why the rest of us belong to this Forum.

2) A long time ago I handled third-party motor claims for a big insurer, and although a lot has changed in the car insurance business since then, I imagine that the principles of dealing with claims are similar. Needless to say, my company wanted to minimise their payouts as much as possible, but there was a general sense that they gave people the benefit of the doubt rather than finding any excuse to wriggle out of paying, like some of the old Lloyds companies did in those days. Nevertheless, the basis on which we negotiated claims was that the third party is always under a common law duty to minimise their claim.

For example, if someone was having their Escort repaired and hired a Granada to get them around, they'd be paid only the cost of hiring an Escort or smaller car - on the basis that they only needed to get to work (or whatever), not be paid to drive around in more style than they were used to. What's more, a mileage charge would be deducted to cover the wear and tear that their own car wasn't clocking up while it was off the road. The point is that no one is supposed to benefit - make a profit - from claiming. This discourages fraudulent claims.

The situation is simpler now that repairers supply loan vehicles, but Suman's claim will still be gone through with a fine toothcomb. I think the minibus insurers will argue that they won't pay for a Lexus loan vehicle if he can get in and out of a cheaper alternative. It's only his basic mobility that they'll be concerned with. Equally, I doubt they'll negotiate much over the value of his car, and probably won't pay for anything else except his injury claim. Insurers are wise to false whiplash claims these days and are very suspicious of rear-end impact histories, but if Suman has records of being taken to hospital he should be okay. In general (I think), they'll only pay for things that can be quantified, which is why they probably won't offer more than a token £50 for distress or anxiety etc. resulting from the accident. And this might be only because he hasn't insisted on claiming for other things.

I don't want to sound negative or discouraging, but the fact is that we're not legally entitled to much compensation for the annoyance and inconvenience and distress of being involved in an accident like Suman's. And although the market value of our cars is much less than they're worth to us, insurers will argue that it's the only 'official' guide to what they're legally required to pay out. But maybe there are other members who have more up-to-date experience of how claims are handled?