I live in Langstone, which is between Havant,Hants & the bridge to Hayling Island. I'm separated & ...
I live in Langstone, which is between Havant,Hants & the bridge to Hayling Island. I'm separated & would describe myself as an Internet entrepreneur. I enjoy sailing, cooking, trading antiques and collectables, website design, & driving my Caterham 7
Member since:26.07.2000
Reviews:55
Members who trust:1
Admiral may look good when you're paying your premium, but the real test of a good motor insurer comes when making a claim - this is what happened to us.
I'd like to register a big black mark for non-communication between departments, poor customer service, and some blatant porky-telling.
I was recently involved in an accident where my car was damaged, but is still repairable. I was towed into the local main agents for Citroen who usually service the car. Citroen said that it was repairable, but could be quite expensive since a pipe to the radiator and the hydraulic system were damaged.
Admiral said that the car had to be inspected and repaired by their designated repairers who collected the car 3 days later. On the same morning before they had even sent a report to Admiral, the repairers advised me the car was a write-off. I called Admiral who backed them up, although they admitted they had only had a phone call, had not physically inspected the vehicle or seen any photographs of the damage. Since then, the repairers have sent them 16 digital images of the car.
They said they would not repair if the cost exceeded 60% of a value they decided on, but would not tell me that value. They took 10 days and 3 requests to send out a claim form. One of their representatives I spoke to on the phone claimed he was the 'customer services manager' although he is just a claims line operator.
Admiral advised us that the amount of premium paid was not linked to the original value we quoted for the car, but later admitted under pressure that if we had put a lower value on the car, the premium would have been lower.
Then to add insult to all this, the amount they suggested as a write-off value was so low, we would have no chance of replacing the car with anything of similar age and condition. Their total loss department representative claimed to have found 75 examples of similar cars on the Net in 10 minutes, but later admitted that this was not true. I found about 10 on different websites, but none that I could have bought with what they are offering.
After a very snotty letter from us, they have now decided to send an independent assessor to look at the car and see if it is repairable at all (not just an economic repair) and have implied that they may now back down on their original decision not to repair.
Through all of this, we have only ever had a covering letter with the claim form, no copy of the engineers report as requested, no offer in writing of a write-off value. We managed to persuade the repairers into letting us see the digital images they sent to Admiral, which don't even show the damaged areas properly.
Are all motor insurers quite so bad - do you ever get anything like true market value for a written off car, or just a derogatory trade-in value?. If you have lost out badly in a similar way, tell everyone here. Similarly, if your insurance company have treated you well and made you a fair offer in similar circumstances, let everyone know.
We also found out that when we renewed last November, Admiral sent a scruffy bit of paper amending some details of our policy - specifically removing our right to a courtesy car while ours was being repaired. We have had to manage without except for a few days the repairer gave us a car, which they then promptly withdrew as soon as Admiral said the car was a write-off. In fact I was threatened by the repairers if I didn't return their car - they came to my house - I subsequently had to make a complaint to the local police.
Not surprisingly, when it comes to renewing our cover on this car, or its replacement, it definitely won't be with Admiral, nor will our other car's insurance when due.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I've just bought my first car and have been shopping around for quoyes all day. Fully-armed with all the best quotes I decided to check on Ciao before making a decision - thank goodness I did. I'll certainly think more carefully about which company I choose after some of the horror stories on here. Good review!
David_Scutt 22.06.2005 00:44
I recommend Elephant.co.uk although, I think part of the Admiral group, are excellent at dealing with claims, over the internet, (not so when phoning them up, you get "One of our elephant handlers will be with you shortly" not so funny after 30 minutes).
I am concerned that they removed your right to courtesey car, they are not able to change the terms/conditions/price after the quote has been accepted. However can change when you renew. Always shop around when renewing. I guarentee you'll find cheaper/better offers.
TheWarners 04.11.2004 09:58
Not at all worrying seeing as I've just renewed with Admiral..seeing as Zuric, who I've been with for 8 years and have 10 years worth of no claims and motoring convictions wouldn't insure me as my new car was a group 15...I had trouble with Zuric (Eagle Star) when I was hit by a bus in 2000, but I phoned an indipendant company who appointed solicitrs 'No win No fee'...the gave me a courtesy car until my insurance paid out and then made the Bus company pay for it...i'd recommend them 'Drive Assist'...
hope your claim works out and you're ok...
Andy
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Mar 13th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
