On the freeway, my van was hit from behind by a driver who failed to stop.
It flew over the roadway, hitting guardrails on both sides, and caught fire. Luckily, I escaped with a minor head injury. I reported the collision to my insurance company Autonet and was told that would be in touch.
Six weeks passed and I heard nothing. My tools are still in my van, which fully slow down my work as an individual entrepreneur. My insurance company requires permission before allowing me access to the facility where it is stored, but every time I call, I am passed between the broker, the insurer, and the claims management firm.
The only message I received was from the complex telling me that I must that's £25 for every day my van is driven. his premises. As the bills mount, so does my stress.
SJ Buckhaven, Fife
Your SOS reached me at the end of June. You reported the accident to Autonet in mid-May and they loaned you a van.
The past months have been a slow-speed chase through roundabouts and cul-de-sacs for both of us.
Autonet told me that you will not be responsible for storage costs and admitted, “We lack communication and responsiveness.” This was at the beginning of July. He promised to be in touch.
When the case reached the addressee, he demanded details about the incident that you provided two months earlier, assuming that your claim had not even been filed. Autonet said it would discuss compensation to “reflect the impact our service has had” and reunited you with your tools that were too damaged to use.
A month later, you were still waiting for an offer on the market value of your van and a promised reward for your expenses, including 11 days of lost work due to lack of tools and transport.
Autonet, despite receipts, only offered half of your claimed £6,750 costs. When I questioned this, the company agreed to pay the rest, but insisted that the amount included the promised compensation. Again, he agreed that he “didn't live up to expectations.”
It's August, 16 weeks have passed since your announcement. There has still been no word about payment for the van and no response to your desperate messages.
In September you were finally contacted and told that you must hand over your replacement van immediately as the claim was taking too long to resolve.
I have determined that you unwittingly signed a loan agreement that, unlike a courtesy bargain, makes you legally responsible for the hiring costs if the third-party insurance company fails to pay you. You say that the meaning was not explained to you; Autonet told me you should read the fine print.
Once again, without wheels, you had to spend money you couldn't afford to replace an inferior vehicle.
Under pressure from me, the insurer finally offered a more reasonable £1,835 for your wrecked van and Autonet once again stated that it “did not live up to expectations”.
Relief also failed. Weeks passed; the money didn't arrive. It seemed that the insurer was only now, more than four months after the accident, seeking to establish liability to third parties.
You were finally paid on the last day of October after 169 days, 30 emails from me to you and Autonet, and countless sleepless nights on your part.
This may not be the end yet. If a third-party insurance company refuses to pay for the months you use the rental van, you may need assistance in any legal action that Autonet and its insurer may take.
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