Ensurance - any thoughts?

[Paladine]

Now I am confused about what the DMK Accident line is for compared with Ensurance and insurance? Who the hell would i ring if my car was badly damaged? These are things that aren't taught when having driving lessons!

 

kelbirdy...

 

1) Insurance is what you are legal required to have. The minimum requirement is 3rd party cover, which will enable a third party to claim for any damage or injury you cause to them or their property, with your vehicle.

 

2) DMK Accident Line and Ensurance are both claims management schemes. They are not required by law and are set up so that, in the event of an accident, you contact them and they take over the management of any claim you may have against a third party or which a third party may have against you. They are, in effect, acting as your agent, to save you the hassle of dealing with the insurance companies and repair shops yourself.  DMK charge a fee, VAG Ensurance is free for the first three years, after which you can either simply cancel the policy or pay whatever is being charged for the service. Strangely, the information about the DMK scheme seems to have disappeared from their web site.

 

There are any number of claims management schemes available, some are on a 'no fault' basis, with the ubiquitous 'no win, no fee' tag.

 

The short answer is, if you have only taken out the normal insurance for your vehicle, you ring your insurance company. If you have, additionally, signed up with a claims management firm, you ring them and they contact your insurance company (and others who may be involved).

[gadgetman]

Which will hike premiums as these management firms load your claim with their costs.

If you've got a good insurer it's not needed.

[Paladine]

Which will hike premiums as these management firms load your claim with their costs.

If you've got a good insurer it's not needed.

 

There is a lot wrong with the car insurance business. There are all manner of 'ambulance chasers' trying to take their cuts, plus bogus claims for whiplash, injured passengers who weren't even in the vehicle at the time, 'crash for cash' scammers...take your pick. All of which are paid for by increased premiums.

 

And how do you know whether you've got a 'good insurer' until you need to make a claim, by which time it's too late. There might be some insurers who are better than others, but all of them seem to attract complaints of one sort or another.

 

At least, Ensurance sets out very clearly what the benefits are and I personally believe that, if the overall insurance rates are going to be increased anyway, because of claim management systems, I might as well have those benefits as pay extra without them.

 

Don't forget, every insurance company tries to minimise it's financial outlay (including legal costs). If that means going for a 'knock for knock' settlement, with which you may strongly disagree, that's just too bad. You'll just have to grin and bear it, 'cos they're actually working for themselves, not you.

 

As I understand it, Ensurance should be working on your behalf. I've got a claim going through at the moment, so I'll be interested to see how Ensurance handles it.

[Fatfudgecat]

Someone posted that their insurer would charge £200 for using a claims management scheme such as Ensurance.

Worth considering they will be adding their percentage to any claim

My insurer (Aviva) have advised that if I were to claim, and use Ensurance, that I would have to pay an additional £200 for not using their approved repairer.

That seems very silly to me!

Skoda Insurance provided me with a quote when I collected my new car and it was very competitive. So, next May, I think I may just move the car insurance to Skoda. I have taken the Ensurance offer up, on both my cars, as I believe it is worth having.

[skovirg]

My insurer (Aviva) have advised that if I were to claim, and use Ensurance, that I would have to pay an additional £200 for not using their approved repairer.

That seems very silly to me!

Skoda Insurance provided me with a quote when I collected my new car and it was very competitive. So, next May, I think I may just move the car insurance to Skoda. I have taken the Ensurance offer up, on both my cars, as I believe it is worth having.

 

I'm not at all surprised. I had the misfortune of having to contact my insurers (Admiral) last year after a car reversed into the side of me on a car park. The way they encouraged me to use their claims handlers was by not charging my excess if I did.  Shortly after, the guilty parties insurers contacted me to say that the excessive charges may mean that they wouldn't pay the full costs with me being liable for the shortfall. 

 

It was a complete farce, my claims handlers charged the other company £112 a day car hire for 3 weeks!  It would have been longer if I'd let them as the company used for repair (affiliated with the insurer and the car hire company!) kept saying they had no one to deliver my vehicle for another 8 days and that I couldn't collect it.  Of course, in this time they were all racking up a profit from the other guys insurance and ultimately it is policy holders ie you and me that pay through higher premiums.

 

In short, judging by my experience, and the half a dozen or so calls I had from companies offering their claims management services after my accident (including one who pleaded with me to go for a medical check, and another who asked if I was traumatised), it would appear that you may need to use these parasites.  For me, this experience was a real eye opener and it showed how dodge and underhanded the industry is.

 

In short, if I need to claim again, I know that i'll have offers from many such parasites at a minutes notice.  Until that point, i'd rather not give any such company, including esurance, the satisfaction of knowing that if I'm unlucky enough to have an accident, that they'll make money hand over fist, ultimately at consumers expense.  The industry stinks and i'd urge anyone not the encourage these morally bankrupt organisation by signing up to their fleecing services before you need to.

 

Sorry to rant, spleen vented but I hope one day we can cut out this garbage and in so doing move towards reasonable insurance premiums.

[The Plumber]

Believe a number of insurers have already cut a deal with a claims management company of their choice and possible they may be hostile to another one being involved instead. However I've signed up two of our cars as it's free and backed by the manufacturer being part of VAG finance I understand.

 

 

TP

[Paladine]

Believe a number of insurers have already cut a deal with a claims management company of their choice and possible they may be hostile to another one being involved instead. However I've signed up two of our cars as it's free and backed by the manufacturer being part of VAG finance I understand.

 

 

TP

 

I'm currently going through a claims process using Ensurance. My insurance company hasn't shown any signs of hostility yet.

[Ed-hunter]

If this is the re-named Skoda Accident assist it is well worth it 

 

I got rear ended at a set of lights  (idiot behind Couldn't tell difference between red and green)

Rang Zurich who I was with at the time and given the run around  "3-7 days to get  a curtsey car then bla blah blah

 

Called in at local Skoda dealer  to ask them to give car once over to make sure safe to drive, and was told about Skoda Accident assist

rang them there and then

 

Following day  curtsey car arrived they took over handling the claim  and car back to me  in 2 weeks 

[Paladine]

If this is the re-named Skoda Accident assist it is well worth it 

 

I got rear ended at a set of lights  (idiot behind Couldn't tell difference between red and green)

Rang Zurich who I was with at the time and given the run around  "3-7 days to get  a curtsey car then bla blah blah

 

Called in at local Skoda dealer  to ask them to give car once over to make sure safe to drive, and was told about Skoda Accident assist

rang them there and then

 

Following day  curtsey car arrived they took over handling the claim  and car back to me  in 2 weeks 

It may well have been renamed to avoid confusion. There is Skoda Roadside Assistance, a vehicle recovery service (provided by the RAC) and then there is Skoda Ensurance, which is an accident management service (administered by LawShield UK Ltd). They are not mutually exclusive, you can sign up to either or both (or none).

[kelbirdy]

I used ensurance in feb 2015 and they were hopeless, quicker to just ring the insurance company direct