Got front-ended, at-fault party asking to repair privately...what could go wrong?

devpress on 12/02/2022 - 22:34
Last edited 12/02/2022 - 23:08

Was front-ended by a merc driver (he reversed into me while at an intersection). This was at low speed so the damage isn't severe, but still noticeable (paint scratches etc.)

While we're both comprehensively insured, he has asked that the repairs be done privately (e.g. not involving the insurance companies) as he feel covering my repairs out of his own pocket would be comparable to his excess. Plus he avoids getting a black mark on his insurance record.

While I'm extremely annoyed by the inconvenience at having to privately source quotes for my vehicle, plus not having access to my car while it is being repaired, I was willing to go along in the spirit of being a good person.

But no good deed goes unpunished, as the saying goes. So what can possibly go wrong to have it done privately? Or should I not chance it and just have my insurance company sort this out?

EDIT:
Forgot to mention that:
1) I'm choosing the repairer myself
2) The at-fault party will pay the repair invoice before the repairs begin, to avoid a situation where they decide not to pay up

Poll Options

  • 382
    Via insurance
  • 57
    Repair privately
Automotive

Comments

  • pegaxs on 12/02/2022 - 22:38
    +77

    Give it to your insurance company, let them deal with him. He does not have to claim on his insurance and can just pay the amount nominated by your insurance company.

    What could go wrong? He might decide that he doesn’t want to pay the bill after you get it repaired or will only want to pay is his friend “Habib” gets to do the work, and let’s face it, “Habib” is going to do the cheapest, shittiest job that he can put the least amount of effort into doing.

    • AustriaBargain on 12/02/2022 - 22:46
      +26

      Yeah people forget that insurance isn't just to pay for things, they also handle all the handling of things. They have their own lawyers too.

      • aragornelessar on 13/02/2022 - 00:01
        +1

        they also handle all the handling of things

        Is that the difference between the cheaper ones and the premium ones too? I know when my dad wasn't at fault with NRMA (arguable not always the cheapest) and the other guy started claiming damages and CTP for his injury NRMA pretty much handled everything - and all he had to do was make a statement. That's my only experience with that situation though so I've not got a reference point to compare to

      • virhlpool on 14/02/2022 - 01:12

        If it's not one's fault, does the claim negatively impact future insurance premiums?

        • Munki on 14/02/2022 - 08:24

          It shouldn't. If it does, change insurers.

          • truetypezk on 14/02/2022 - 08:49
            +6

            @Munki: It shouldn't but will. And yes you may have to change insurers.

            • Munki on 14/02/2022 - 09:19
              +2

              @truetypezk: Never had an issue with not at-fault claims with higher premiums. My no claims bonus is still maxxed out.

              • virhlpool on 14/02/2022 - 10:29

                @Munki: Several comments here say contrary to this, hence the confusion.

                • Munki on 14/02/2022 - 10:47

                  @virhlpool: I'd check the PDS, but a shitty insurer if they do. It would be time to move on if that clause existed.

                  • truetypezk on 14/02/2022 - 10:54
                    +3

                    @Munki: Yep if you are with the better ones probably they probably won't, but the shitty/cheap ones definitely do. For example, shitty insurer B has this clearly stated on its website:
                    "your future premiums may be impacted by your claims history, even if you're not at fault.“

        • imurgod on 14/02/2022 - 11:08

          It depends on the insurer. A not at fault claim doesn't affect your risk profile so it shouldn't matter.
          If an insurer asks you, they're a crap insurer and it's a big red flag.

        • EnALup on 14/02/2022 - 12:52

          I remember most insurer asking number of claims including not at fault in last few years. Not sure if it affects the premium

          • windrc on 14/02/2022 - 17:01

            @EnALup: ya, imagine if someone had hundreds of not at fault claims in a year

        • Carmen Sandiego on 14/02/2022 - 17:12

          Agree with everyone saying the shitty ones will fault you for all claims, including windscreen.

          As for the more expensive ones, they weigh up the factors if you're going to have a similar claim. If no, then they don't care too much (e.g. flooding, freak accidents etc). However, if you've added things to factor in the claim (e.g. picked a fight with the third party etc), yeah, they want to know and punish.

          This is why I had to deal with private car insurance when I was working in the SME sector because sometimes, the Insurers pick fights and I know how to rebut and shove them back into their lanes :)

      • Euphemistic on 13/02/2022 - 16:07
        +12

        At least if you do a cash deal you remain in full control.

        If you do a cash deal you are at the mercy of the repairer. If it isn’t done right, you have to fight with them to get it sorted - and a cash job they’ll do as cheap as possible. If you go through insurance, you have the insurer on your side to get it fixed properly, their policy requires quality work.

        • ripesashimi on 14/02/2022 - 10:32
          +4

          How is that different from repairers from insurance companies?
          Most insurance companies use the cheapest and trashiest repairers they could find. And from a smash repairer's perspective, there is a distinction between your own walk-in customers and insurance work, a lot dismissed and refused any insurance work.

          'Properly' is a huge spectrum. Repairers give their 30% and it is still proper by market standard cus it looks good right, but if my car is expensive, I dont just want propery. I want excellent work. I rather stick to a guy that I know that he is proud of his work.

          • resisting the urge on 14/02/2022 - 12:30
            +5

            @ripesashimi: This is a massive problem. Insurance companies want their cut from every transaction, which starts with your excess and then they want a cut of the repair bill too. They've been screwing every part of the repair industry to the point where no repairer plans to do the job well, anymore. To stay in the game, they plan to do it cheaply, and argue if you call them out on quality.

            Expect one or more of the following: Poor paint type, colour match, finish, (orange peel, crows feet after a short time, sanding marks, contamination on the corners, bare metal on the back, etc.), poor prep, filler, missing and broken trim fasteners, chipped edges, exposed electrical connectors, etc. All things that fail in the long run. The worst (add this to the above) is not preparing plastic parts (like bumper covers) with several stages of undercoat prior to spraying colour and clear on top. Without the base coats to bind the paint to the plastic, the finish can be poor, the paint can chip once exposed to heat from the sun, bending, vibration, and/or pressure.

            Sure most of them offer rubbish like 'lifetime warranty' on all repairs, but this is limited to the lifetime of the entity running the business presently running the shop, yourself, and your car. And if you go back and tell them the paint is no good, you'll be lucky if just touch it up, polish it again. All will tell you they don't offer factory finish, and that's how it is. 'Come back if it rusts' or the paint comes off- at which point they'll say its your fault for not polishing it…

            Of course you can get a poor job even if you pay yourself, but if you have the other party paying (assuming they can be trusted to do so), then you are at least the customer and can deal with it yourself.

            I'd use my nous with the Mere driver, they could be a scammer, but also could just be someone who genuinely would rather pay a paltry amount than pay through their excess, increased premiums, and/or perhaps a fine for neg driving. All that adds up- so if the bill us sub- $3k it may be the simplest path. If they pay direct, maybe don't have to tell the leasing company (unless the damage on the Marc is bad), etc.

            Remember if they dispute the thing at any point remember you could end up paying as it may look like you ran into them. If that's is remotely possible, your insurance company will simply split the bill with the other, and you'll pay your excess and maybe even a black mark and increased premium.

            Insurance companies aren't there for you, they just perpetuate the myth as that is why we used to have them. Now they are there for their cut.

            PS. If you care about your car and do not wish to risk a bad job, go through a premium repairer like Scientific, and/or consider paying extra- in kind, in cash, on the bill,

            If you do accept to go private, beware, a lot of people offer this only to get it solved 'cheaper' and their perception of cheap could be way off what you want out of it to cover a decent repair. If the other party is the kind who just wants cheap and simple, they may ratchet that up as soon as they think you have little power, so don't wait for them to pay a repairer after the fact. In real terms you are accepting to do DIY the repair, yourself or with a repairer, so only do this as a cash settlement up until the point you have your quotes is vital. And be sure you aren't voiding your insurance contract either. If there is a police record of the incident, and the insurer could find out you did a cash, they may try to escape covering you at a later date…

            • Jackson on 16/02/2022 - 11:57
              +1

              @resisting the urge: This, I had someone rear end me, they asked if they could do it without going through insurance, I got a quote for $1300. It's not a big invconvenience and you get to see the repairer, talk to them, make sure they budget for a good job. If you get a bad vibe go somewhere else.

              The person was a young professional who was driving their parents car, and it was the father who asked his daughter to do it off the books. I helped out a local girl and/or her parents. They asked me to get a second quote, and it came in at $1150 and they accepted. No need to blight either of our insurance records.

              I guess it could have gone pear shaped if the person didn't want to pay, but you have all their details, the evidence, and hopefully some messages/emails. If they are driving a decent merc and they are a bit older, it's highly unlikely they can get out of paying you.Then it's also up to you once you have the payment up front if you even want to do the repair. I know some people frown on taking money and not doing it, but it's your perogative if you don't mind driving a car with a cosmetic ding it in.

          • Tech5 on 16/02/2022 - 14:43

            @ripesashimi: Quite different- I’m with shannons

            Had a door repaired- had issues and called shannons. They said, no worries drop it back, heres a hire car. If you still have issues , we can pick another repairer.

            I was given the option of picking my repair shop initially but I went with their recommendations and I didn’t care

          • HeWhoKnows on 19/02/2022 - 10:45

            @ripesashimi: Exactly!
            Thank you

        • HeWhoKnows on 19/02/2022 - 10:42

          @Euphemistic
          I disagree 100%

          Insurers always squeeze the price down as much as possible
          And OP has the option to choose their own repairer as well so obviously would choose a local guy they can trust.
          Hence if there was any issues the repairer would be more than happy to rectify, especially as they were free to charge the price they are content with.

          And I have not had any insurer check any repair job.
          Normally you just go and pick up your car and that's the end of it.

      • THL on 14/02/2022 - 00:41
        +29

        Looks like we just found the Merc driver :P

      • Zondor on 14/02/2022 - 09:58
        +4

        You only get a black mark if you are at fault m8. Don't "Poor merc driver" he reversed into someone lol

      • imurgod on 14/02/2022 - 11:15
        +2

        Sorry, but you're wrong.

        There are many reasons the OP is better off going through his insurer for repairs.

        By accepting the 3rd party offer, the OP would likely be jeopardising his insurance cover.

        Read your PDS people!!

      • chickentaste on 15/02/2022 - 23:50

        "the poor Merc driver"

        No. No such thing.

        • HeWhoKnows on 20/02/2022 - 20:34
          -2

          Discriminating against Merc drivers.
          What do you have against them?
          Mercs are amongst the safest and best made cars in the world my friends.
          There are plenty around and starting at prices below Holdens and Fords

    • TEER3X on 14/02/2022 - 17:31
      +3

      You assume insurance companies don't do the same thing, they often find the shittiest repairers and encourage them to use cheap/used parts

      Best thing to do is take it to a repairer you know or have been recommended to

      • Jackson on 16/02/2022 - 12:01

        I once had an insurance assessor tell me that the dent on the roof was old and wasn't from a bonnet flying up after a bad repair and wouldn't be covered. I argued, but said I won't be taking it to the same repairer and will pick my own which they agreed (it was another approved repairer I used before). As soon as I pulled up the bloke said "wow, you can even see the dent on the roof where the bonnet hit". Can't trust insurers or their assessors, they all have KPIs to meet/beat

    • Jaspa7 on 14/02/2022 - 20:26
      +1

      hey screw you! Habib does excellent repairs when he's not running the kebab shop..

  • John Kimble on 12/02/2022 - 22:39
    +16

    Depends on how much of a dick he was (Merc driver…hmmm 🤔), what car you drive, if you think there is structural damage under the bumper.

    Eg same thing happened to my wife's Yaris many years ago, the red P plater offered us $500 and we took it, didn't bother repairing it.

    Also some insurance companies don't care whether you're at fault or not, asking you how many claims you've made in the last 3 or 5 years regardless, so it is possible it can impact your future premiums also.

    • devpress on 12/02/2022 - 23:10
      +1

      One panel beater that inspected said that they could not see structural damage, so would be just a repair and paint job

      • Mechz on 13/02/2022 - 00:20
        +7

        Did they take the bumper off for a proper look? Get your insurance to deal with it IMO.

        Risky if they pay upfront but the repairs end up costing more.

      • ankor on 13/02/2022 - 20:58
        -1

        you have to take the bumper off to see if there is any damage underneath. e..g. there are clips/brackets that keep the bumper to the front of your car. If those are damaged/warped, then you might see the bumper slip a few cm in about 1m or about 12m time.. That's why everyone says go through insurance.

        • dazeller on 13/02/2022 - 21:08
          +3

          So you reckon some cheap AAMI (or similar shit insurance) contractor is doing a more thorough job than a solid panel beater of your choice doing essentially a blank cheque job ? Insurance and their contractors are definitely preferring a cheap and quick one over a thorough.

          • Vote for Pedro on 13/02/2022 - 21:51
            +4

            @dazeller: Lifetime guarantee on repair.

            • ankor on 14/02/2022 - 08:56

              @Vote for Pedro: well, yes they say that but in reality, it's a pain to prove unless it's straightforward just a shit job done by the repairer. Better to have the lifetime guarantee than not tho.

            • cloudy on 14/02/2022 - 09:04
              +1

              @Vote for Pedro: Is that conditional on staying with the same insurer? I hop and skip nearly every year to avoid the loyalty tax.

              • Vote for Pedro on 14/02/2022 - 10:34

                @cloudy: Nrma has been loyal to me and has always been better value so it hasn’t been an issue

            • resisting the urge on 14/02/2022 - 12:42

              @Vote for Pedro: AAMI did that on someone I knew with a 10yo Toyota. Crap repair, crap paint, nothing big or complicated, easy $500 job at the time. The shop wouldn't redo the paint as that was the standard they aimed at.

          • gromit on 14/02/2022 - 07:42
            +2

            @dazeller: No, but when they take the panel/bumper off for repairs they will happily charge the insurance company for that and you are usually covered with a guarentee. What happens when the prepaid repairer finds extra damage he didn't include in his quote? The Merc driver sounds reasonable, but I bet that would change quickly if the bill increases significantly.

            • resisting the urge on 14/02/2022 - 12:40
              -1

              @gromit: Take the bumper cover off yourself to check. Not exactly difficult, and certainly not costly if you get someone qualified to assess the damage.

    • HeWhoKnows on 13/02/2022 - 14:08

      I have noted the same regarding claims
      Best to have a clear NO CLAIMS history

  • Brucet on 12/02/2022 - 23:03
    +7

    Let your insurance company sort this out.
    don't be kind.

    • p1 ama on 12/02/2022 - 23:15
      +7

      Yep, and when you go to renew, don't be surprised if it's 15% more.

      • Empharand on 13/02/2022 - 21:32
        +3

        I was under the impression that if you're not at fault and the other party pays the excess then your ongoing insurance cost is unaffected?

      • Vote for Pedro on 13/02/2022 - 21:58
        +8

        Provided your car is insured with an NRMA Comprehensive Insurance policy, we agree you weren't at fault in a collision with another vehicle, and you can give us the name and address of the at fault driver, then:

        - We'll arrange a hire car for you if you need one
        - If you use our Partner Repairer, we can manage the repairs for you
        - There will be no impact to your No Claim Bonus discount

        You won't need to pay an excess on your claim.

        All you need to do is start a claim and we'll do the rest for you.

        • dannyboi on 14/02/2022 - 12:57
          +3

          Your NCB discount doesn’t get affected but your overall risk premium goes up depending on their calculations.

          I guess they assume that even though you’re not driving at fault, you are still more likely to make a claim.

          As an example, these guys do check for not-at-fault:
          https://www.club4x4.com.au/truth-not-fault-claims/

        • resisting the urge on 14/02/2022 - 13:09

          @Vote for Pedro: Agreed.

          But the last clause doesn't say that your calculation of your premium will not increase due to the incident.

          Instead, they chose to use weasel words: "no impact to your No Claim Bonus discount"

          Uh, yea… to me, that says they can still increase your premium if their calculations, or even someone else's,. Many now outsource such things to data harvesters like Experian who abuse AI in ways they themselves do not understand).

          • Vote for Pedro on 14/02/2022 - 13:10

            @resisting the urge: See my comment below regarding my personal experience with nrma. Not sure how to link to another comment.

            Ymmv

            • resisting the urge on 14/02/2022 - 13:12

              @Vote for Pedro: Indeed. But insurance companies exist for shareholders not customers.

              And they don't make money unless they reduce risk, claims, increase revenue, etc. Their KPIs, EBITDA, and share prices depend on it.

              Everything changes everyday in the Financial Industry. It just doesn't look that way to consumers :)

              • Vote for Pedro on 14/02/2022 - 16:14
                +1

                @resisting the urge: Little confused with what you’re trying to say. Are you saying my experience was bad?

              • Carmen Sandiego on 14/02/2022 - 17:17

                @resisting the urge: Insurance companies are also not stupid so, even if they're cost driven, they know it's not in their best interests to piss off the person taking up insurance with them.

                And as someone very firmly in the Insurance/Financial industry, yeah, there are changes but, if motor is changing that much on a daily basis, you've got much bigger issues than your insurance premium going up.

                However, if a motor PDS gets changed every year, that company has issues and you need to exit ASAP.

                • resisting the urge on 15/02/2022 - 07:33

                  @Carmen Sandiego: Sure they know not to piss people off too much or too often. But the PDS doesn't have to be updated for them to recalculate the premium on a policy or group of policies.

                  After all, costs go up regularly, so it's not stopping them making changes to existing and new policies. In fact, they are very good at it.

                  FYI The risk calculation on each policy is often outsourced to a data harvester that simply returns a value on each policy, or policy feature or variable, which is determined by its AI, based on all the info it can find and relate to the customer and their policy.

                  So if the AI thinks your skin colour, or the number of floors in your apartment block, or something about your banking/credit financials, health-related data sucked out of MyHealthRecord, or a social media feed, or lack thereof, makes you a higher risk, you will pay at your next renewal.

                  • Carmen Sandiego on 15/02/2022 - 09:06

                    @resisting the urge: The calculations are done on a global scale so, unless you're in the industry and reading all the news everyday, it's hard to know what the actuaries are going to calculate into the computer.

                    Thanks for the FYI but, that smacks as condescending to me since this is literally my career.

                    • resisting the urge on 16/02/2022 - 17:24
                      +1

                      @Carmen Sandiego: I didn't mean to be mean, sorry.

                      That is true.

                      I too have worked in a few insurance companies, but each introduced AI-driven third-party services to verify and/or augment their own math, esp. on premiums, and always when assessing claims for fraudulent potential and to flag for investigation.

                      Once worked with someone who wrote the stored procedures that calculated their risk across each segment using all the common fintech/gov data sources, and then some. They had just begun sending each policy through an AI-driven third-party service, and even he didn't know what it actually did to return the value it did. I asked how they outsourced the calc to someone else without knowing what it did… and he just said the Execs decided the claims looked good and had organised the project to do it. Long after they put it in, no-one in the back-office knew it was being done, except for their team manager.

                      I asked the third party service how their algo worked and they couldn't explain it in any detail. It ended up that they had outsourced the ML code to a Korean dev 'team' (one guy, and a mate who handled their comms). It was nothing like it was sold in as. But it took the board years to figure out that it the responses were often way off, so replaced it. However again no-one made the time to interrogate the design of that service's algo either. IIRC the response from the service varied the final premium by about 2-6%.

                      Today they're still in the same hole, except that the third party is offering to do their entire back office operation from the Philippines. I don't think they will though, employing someone else's bots they might do, but I'm pretty sure that sending the data there is a risk they will at least evaluate (not that that really stops execs outsourcing when they are looking to reduce ops costs).

                      • Carmen Sandiego on 17/02/2022 - 09:44

                        @resisting the urge: Apology accepted. I can understand your frustration towards the everyday person who only argues the outcome and not how the outcome was achieved. It's a daily struggle.

                        It is true that they are automating underwriting/actuarial information via tech. Your responses are definitely very good examples of how tech even surpasses us with the amount of data needed to even calculate risk analysis. I know one direct insurer had bought out the back end of a small underwriting company, and as a result, their premiums shot up at least 40%. There was one which went up by 230% just because of this change. Obviously, they got a very harsh reality when all the brokers, including me, snapped at them that this change would mean their bottom line would drop massively. Unfortunately, they didn't care, and that hardened my resolve to move out of the SME space.

                        Execs will always try to automate and "streamline" systems. Heck, they're trying very hard in the broking space to do it because even me, as a junior, is getting paid $35/hr to do all tasks given to me. But, as my entire company is very quickly finding out, the time taken to check what the back office is doing takes much more time than what we could have done ourselves. Also, there is also a risk that confidentiality isn't as tightly regulated like they are here.

                        Happy to chat further :)

      • imurgod on 14/02/2022 - 11:16

        You should be surprised if a not at fault claim that was recovered in full affects your renewal at all.

  • photonbuddy on 12/02/2022 - 23:09
    +24

    If you are considering doing this, go get a quote on repairs from a smash repairer of your choosing. Send them the quote.

    Any pushback at all, immediately go through insurance.

    Go from there. Have them pay the quote up-front to the smash repairer. Again, any pushback on this, straight to your insurer.

    Having said all that, you pay your insurance - and probably whinge about the cost, like the rest of us - so might as well get some return on your money.

    • devpress on 12/02/2022 - 23:11

      Yes I agree; if I was going to go down this road then I am picking my own insurer, making them pay upfront etc. (have updated the post)

      • Kangal on 14/02/2022 - 19:55
        +3

        Just imagine how bad things will get in the future.

        All BEVs/Tesla's have 360' dashcams, they all have a 5G/SIM card embedded, and they track everything from your speed, acceleration, cornering, braking, and amount of times you play with the entertainment console while not-parked.

        Insurance companies are going to have deals done with the Auto-makers, and your premiums will be done "more accurately". Say goodbye to privacy. Except we're not talking about cheaper prices, but higher prices for everyone, and those risky drivers will get ridiculous quotes. For the wealthy, a 500% increase in their insurance will still be under 1% of their earnings. For the middle-class they will get ripped off. The poor will not be able to afford it.

        The scary part is they might force this into the legislature. And it might be a requirement to have Comprehensive Insurance for drivers, effectively kicking low-income people from the marketshare of drivers. Again, without anyone's knowledge that these backroom deals are happening.

  • p1 ama on 12/02/2022 - 23:14
    +3

    This was at low speed so the damage isn't severe, but still noticeable (paint scratches etc.)

    Take it to a local body shop, ask how much they can do it for, cash job.

    Let him know, if he agrees, good. If not, then go with insurance. You don't lose anything.

    While I'm extremely annoyed by the inconvenience at having to privately source quotes for my vehicle, plus not having access to my car while it is being repaired, I was willing to go along in the spirit of being a good person.

    FWIW, it's not just about being a good person.

    Guess what happens to your premium if you make a claim even if you're not at fault.

    Going through insurance for very minor nicks isn't good for anyone. Your premium will go up. His premium will go up (he may well deserve this, but that's another conversation). And next time you decide to get an insurance quote, you'll have to answer "Yes" to the "have you made any claims (even if you are not assessed to be at fault?" question.

    • devpress on 12/02/2022 - 23:45

      Going through insurance for very minor nicks isn't good for anyone. Your premium will go up. His premium will go up (he may well deserve this, but that's another conversation). And next time you decide to get an insurance quote, you'll have to answer "Yes" to the "have you made any claims (even if you are not assessed to be at fault?" question.

      Is it just the smaller insurers that are more interested in the number of claims (as opposed to at-fault claims), or are all insurers like this?

      • p1 ama on 13/02/2022 - 00:51
        +2

        Plenty of details around premium increases after not at fault claims. All insurers are interested in both at fault and not at fault claims.

        • Vote for Pedro on 13/02/2022 - 22:00
          +3

          I’m with nrma and asked the question yonks ago when i made a not at fault claim. They told me if you provide all relevant details then your premium is not impacted. They took care of it all and fixed car. Sure enough next year’s premium was actually cheaper (same agreed value)

      • photonbuddy on 13/02/2022 - 10:38
        +5

        Is it just the smaller insurers that are more interested in the number of claims (as opposed to at-fault claims), or are all insurers like this?

        I've never been with an insurance company that has asked about not-at-fault incidents.

        I think it's probably mostly the budget end of town. I'm not sure why any insurance company should up your premium for an incident that wasn't your fault.

        • orangetrain on 13/02/2022 - 17:23

          Insurance companies raising premium can say that they have proof of more accidents. Or that it rains more.

          They're allowed to do whatever they want for most part and don't need to justify it.

          • photonbuddy on 13/02/2022 - 20:24
            +3

            @orangetrain:

            They're allowed to do whatever they want for most part and don't need to justify it.

            Of course, but that's different to "Don't make not-at-fault claims or you'll pay more!!!"

            As I say, it is most likely the bottom feeders who do this. They also try and get out of paying out for little things as well.

          • Carmen Sandiego on 14/02/2022 - 17:19

            @orangetrain: The only issue with the second half of your comment is that they are actually not allowed to do whatever they want.

            The el cheapo ones need to justify it to their backer (most direct insurers have a backer) and if they story doesn't add up and they're getting horrific press, that's one contract severed and it's not between you and your insurer.

    • md333 on 13/02/2022 - 13:27

      I suppose "guess" is the key word when talking about premium increases. My limited experince is one at fault claim, 2 cars written off. No discernable change in premium. I'd guess a minor not at fault claim would also make no difference. But insurance companies work in mysterious ways.

    • devpress on 12/02/2022 - 23:42
      +4

      Hey mate, sorry to hear that the driver in your situation was a bit of a dick. The guy that hit me seemed genuinely remorseful / sorry, so hence I felt more inclined to be accommodating

      • photonbuddy on 13/02/2022 - 10:36
        +6

        sorry to hear that the driver in your situation was a bit of a dick.

        I'd be saying the dick was DisabledUser402196.

    • John Kimble on 12/02/2022 - 23:45
      +4

      What car was this international student driving? Given his demeanour, sounds like one if those spoilt rich kids that gets a buttload of pocket money from their folks, so your attempt to get back at them may not have had any effect at all?

      Just speculating though…

      • [Deactivated] on 12/02/2022 - 23:48
        +1

        @John Kimble

        Honestly mate it was a fair few years ago now , an event id like to forget in all fairness.

        But if i were to try and remember i was pretty sure it was just a really old Toyota Camry or something.

    • The Value on 12/02/2022 - 23:58
      +7

      privilege of driving a luxury branded car

      lmao. Chill, bro.

    • p1 ama on 13/02/2022 - 02:14
      +41

      After reading your story, you actually sound like a dick.

      However I made sure to call out HWP partly due to the driver being an international student without proper ID to show me and partly to waste his time

      In other words, you are such a child that you're wasting the cops' time so that you can be petty and get back at some guy for not apologising to you.

      i made sure to get the rear bar and a few other items at the back replaced (that actually didn't need replacing) just to pass on additional costs to the other driver who was also conveniently uninsured at the time just because i could

      So you're admitting to fraud - regardless of what your personal situation with the other guy, he is only responsible for the damage that he caused. Replacing things that are unrelated to the accident, especially things that do not need to be replaced is just fraudulent.

      I can almost guarantee this bloke was looking at a $3000-4000 bill easily for a few moments worth of stupidity glancing on his phone and if he was to get any future insurance he would have a nice fresh record of an incident to go with his new expensive policy, play stupid games win stupid prizes

      And you might well end up with a nice fresh record of insurance fraud to go with your new expensive policy, play stupid games win stupid prizes ;)

      FWIW, I agree he did something stupid. His liability for his stupidity is the damage that he actually caused, not whatever you perceive / want it to be. The funny part in all of this is that what he did was an accident, the way you acted is intentional. He sounds like he needs to become a better driver, you sound like you need to become a better person.

  • sassypants on 12/02/2022 - 23:40
    +3

    If its minor damage, I would:
    - Get a quote
    - Get the at-fault driver to transfer you the quoted amount
    - dont bother with the repair
    - profit.

    • devpress on 12/02/2022 - 23:44
      +3

      It's an interesting idea… I would prefer my car to be repaired to be honest, its a decent enough car so wasn't comfortable with carrying the damage, even if it's somewhat superficial

  • SF3 on 13/02/2022 - 00:10

    what could go wrong?

    hindsight is 20/20…

    • devpress on 13/02/2022 - 14:48
      +3

      Indeed hence my post to gather the collective wisdom/experience!

  • Qazxswec on 13/02/2022 - 00:19
    +1

    you'll be fine, just get a quote from the place of your choosing, and give him the quote

  • mapax on 13/02/2022 - 07:03
    +3

    Do you have dashcam footage?
    If you go through insurance what is to stop him from claiming you rear ended him? Without evidence insurance will likely blame you if he does change his story.

  • Euphemistic on 13/02/2022 - 07:18
    +8
    1. Get a couple of quotes to repair (in writing)
    2. Collect $ equal to the quote from at fault driver. Choose the best value repair for you, base that on ease of dealing, best price, most comprehensive quote.
    3. If at fault driver even hesitates to pay go straight to insurance
    4. Get car repaired.

    Truck hit mums parked car many years ago. Driver asked to stay away from insurance. We got several quotes, he got all narky, we got it fixed through insurance.

    • WhyAmICommenting on 13/02/2022 - 23:02
      +3

      Good point, it’s always gonna cost way more than most people would think so even if other party is initially nice, they might change their tune once they see the quote.

      • imurgod on 14/02/2022 - 11:21

        They all do. People think a rear bar on an AMG costs $1,000 to repair.

        • baskinghobo on 14/02/2022 - 16:55

          That's why I think getting multiple quotes is a waste of time and if anything should only be a gesture.

          I once got a quote and the guy said it was too expensive so he told me to take it up with his insurance. I only had third party so I told him I can take off the cost of the damage to the boot door since it was very minor and I didn't really care about it and he responded "Sorry still too expensive. Take it up with my insurance" so I told him I can get a second quote but if he doesn't agree to it I would take it to small claims which we both don't want and suddenly he changed his tune. I knew I shouldn't even had offered him a second quote but at that point I was just too tired and wanted it over with.

  • Gronk on 13/02/2022 - 10:21
    +6

    I'd be checking my insurance policy to see if there's a warranty or guarantee on repairs, if so then I wouldn't hesitate to send it down the insurance path, after all that's why you have it.

    It's all well and good to want to be a good person, but don't put the interests of the at-fault party ahead of your own…

  • PissLUR on 13/02/2022 - 11:00
    +6

    Don't forget you are also covered for any car hire during repair. Get the at-fault party for reimbursement.

    • MS Paint on 13/02/2022 - 11:12

      Depends on policy inclusions

      • PissLUR on 13/02/2022 - 14:25
        +5

        This is where nearly everyone is wrong. If it's not in your policy inclusions, you need to pay for the car hire and send the bill to the other party for reimbursement. Some insurance companies can also forward this bill to the other.

        • imurgod on 14/02/2022 - 11:23

          Correct. Just request the insurer to recover the cost of the hire car from the other insurer.
          You are entitled to a hire car during the repairs. If you don't have the option on your policy, you pay for it and send them the bill.

    • devpress on 13/02/2022 - 11:24

      Doesn't that depend on the policy? I was under the impression not all policies have hire car inclusions

      • md333 on 13/02/2022 - 13:32
        +3

        I believe if you are not at fault you can claim hire car costs from the at fault party (via your insurance but it is the other party paying). The optional inclusion on your policy would be to provide car hire when you are at fault.

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