Advice Needed to Determine if I Should Lodge an Accident Claim or Not (VIC)

Austin 316 on 14/08/2015 - 09:49
Last edited 14/08/2015 - 09:49

My car was parked at a shopping centre yesterday when I went for my grocery shopping. Because my kids were sleeping at the time, we decided that my wife would wait in the car and I would quickly finish the groceries. While I was shopping, my wife called me to inform that someone has bumped into the front of my car while reverse parking in front of us.

The dilemma for me now is that the other party is asking if I could get it fixed outside and he pays for it, rather than going through with his insurance. I have all of his details that I need to lodge the claim, but I also admit that fixing the car probably won't cost $500 (yet to be officially confirmed by a repairer), and I also don't want to increase his premium, if I can help it, as long as I get my car fixed.

I am just a little bit worried as I won't be able to get my car assessed today due to being at work. If I delay it until tomorrow, and the costs ends up being higher, can I lodge a claim tomorrow? Would my insurance company come back to me and say why I didn't claim on the same day? Also, what if tomorrow he says he doesn't want to pay for the damages and even my insurance company says its too late now?

Please help me decide what I should do

  1. Lodge a not at fault claim with my insurance and not worry about things.
  2. Get the car assessed outside tomorrow and risk getting the money from the other party/or from insurance.
  3. Lodge a claim today, get the car assessed tomorrow, if it gets fixed, cancel the claim. Don't know if this is allowed and if it would have any impact on anyone's claims history.
  4. Let me know of any other options.

Thanks.

Automotive

Comments

  • Malarkey on 14/08/2015 - 09:56

    You don't need to submit a claim the same day as an accident. If the guy seems genuine enough, go get a quote tomorrow and let him know how much. If he agrees then I'd leave the insurance out of it but if you have any issues you already have all his details and can easily submit a claim.

    Edit: If it was a larger accident with costs in the thousands then it would be a different story. But most people are pretty reasonable over a few hundred bucks.

  • Hellfire on 14/08/2015 - 09:58

    You have plenty of time to lodge the claim so don't worry about that.

    If he doesn't want to go through his insurance you can still go through yours. They will just bill him and he'll have the option of paying it himself or raising a claim with his insurance. Bear in mind that you'll need to abide with the conditions of your insurance so you may not have choice of repairer, etc. This won't have any impact on his no claim bonus if he pays it himself.

  • Randxyz123 on 14/08/2015 - 10:04

    You have I think up to 12 months to lodge a claim. So chill.

    Personally I'd lodge a claim with your insurance that means they'll chase the at fault driver for the cost of repairs and you won't need to worry. Then book your car in for repairs but try and go somewhere that provides free loaner cars.

    All that will happen is that he'll get a bill which he can either pass onto his insurance or pay himself. If he pays himself his premiums shouldn't be affected.

  • Paul Atreides on 14/08/2015 - 10:19
    +1

    OP, dont stress too much, you dont have to lodge a claim straight away, esp if your car is driveable.

    id get a quote from 2 places, and forward that to him, and give him a timeframe to pay you.

    after you get paid, its up to you if you actually want to get the repair or not.

  • the-mal on 14/08/2015 - 10:56
    +1

    As others have said, you have ages to lodge the claim so don't stress. But try to do everything you can NOT to lodge a claim for something small…it will end up costing you more in the long run.

    Do your best to work this out outside of insurance. Your premiums will also go up if you put through a 'not at fault claim'. They won't go up as much as the other party, but they'll still go up.

    Car insurance claims need to be worth thousands of dollars to be worthwhile typically, otherwise the extra sting in increased premiums makes you worse off in the long run.

    Go get a quote when you can, ring the "at fault" party and let him know what the quote is, let the smash repairers know the circumstances so they bill him and not you, get your car fixed. Everyone is happy.

  • Scorpiogirl on 14/08/2015 - 11:49

    Without reading other responses. I was nice once and that person then tried to get money out of me and harassed me. You pay insurance to not have to deal with the issues and drama.

    If you hand it over to them you will have less stress seriously. Sometimes trying to help someone comes back to bite you in the butt. Talk to your insurer, tell them what you are thinking. Weigh up the pros and cons. What if this other persons good nature changes down the track?

    • Austin 316 on 14/08/2015 - 13:49

      Yes, that is what is worrying me. But as others have said, I can lodge my claim later as well. I will lodge a claim today and have booked an appointment with an individual repairer tomorrow morning. Depending on how it goes, I can decide whether to continue or cancel my claim.

  • Austin 316 on 14/08/2015 - 13:49

    Thanks all for the advice.

  • sagrules on 16/08/2015 - 19:31

    Look up compass claims - "it wasnt my fault". In case the claim turns out to be more than $500 and the guy changes his mind about covering the cost.

  • DarkOz on 17/08/2015 - 09:28

    If the damage is minor(less than the excess fee) try getting 2 or 3 quotes and have the other party to pay you cash. After getting the payment you can elect to repair your car or not. If the other party doesn't want to pay up then file a claim to your insurance company.

    Ultimately you are trying to help the other driver out by not losing out.

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