Bike pushed over by random psycho,insurance?

[Icemaestro]

Has anyone had to go through a claim for someone knocking their bike over?
was parked in my driveway, some guy on P runs up shoves it over, tries to beat up a guy and runs off down the street..I follow calling cops, he beats up one more person, they catch him take him off to the cell....I have comprehensive insurance but they told me today that if they can't get the money out of the guy I might have to pay my (1000$) excess!!!what the hell!!!

Anyone had this before?how on earth can I have to pay the excess, that's the point of having an insurance company! damage will probably be only about a grand anyway.
Annoying thing is I'm leaving to the states in two weeks, had two interested buyers coming today to look at it.

[Sidewinder]

shot the fooker aswell

[Icemaestro]

As tempting as it is...

[digsaw]

Insurance companies are just legalized thieves,just like ACC, dentists, doctors an lawyers,much better to save yar money and carry your own risk in my opinion

[Dave Lobster]

When the police take him to court, make sure they take your claim for costs (all of them).

Happens all the time. Just depends how competent/interested the copper is.

[Badjelly]

What part of the concept of an insurance excess don't you understand?

[R-Soul]

Normally if its not your fault, the insurers take the risk and the responsibility of having to get the money out of the person at fault. They are pushing their luck with you.

Tell them
- that you want to see the clause in the contract where its says that they will be able to charge you excess if its not your fault and they can't get their money back from teh person who is at fault.
- that if they persist in this attitude, you will report them to the insurance ombudsman.


The risk of the insurers not being able to get their money back is already loaded nto their primuims. You have already paid for this. they just rely on Joe Public not knowing where he stands.

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

What part of the concept of an insurance excess don't you understand?

Prob the same bit you missed where it says the third (guilty) party pays this excess.

[kwaka_crasher]

I have comprehensive insurance but they told me today that if they can't get the money out of the guy I might have to pay my (1000$) excess!!!what the hell!!!

That's out and out total bullshit. You've identified the other party. It's their loss if he doesn't pay, not yours.

[CookMySock]

Insurance companies are just legalized thieves,just like ACC, dentists, doctors an lawyers,much better to save yar money and carry your own risk in my opinion

Yup.

If you offered to purchase a policy with $1000 excess then thats the deal. Pay up or put up.

If you DONT want a policy with a $1000 excess, then dont BUY one.

Yer rolls yer dice and yer pays yer money.

Steve

[AllanB]

I've had similar with cars - just keep on to them - it is their problem to take the retard to court and get their excess out of him - probably out of his benefit at $5 a week.

[Icemaestro]

Yup.

If you offered to purchase a policy with $1000 excess then thats the deal. Pay up or put up.

If you DONT want a policy with a $1000 excess, then dont BUY one.

Steve

The point was that the excess is only paid by me if it's MY fault (or I am unable to find the party responsible)

Under my insurance I have to "give us reasonable help to recover the amount of your claim from the driver of the other vehicle or its owner" I would say that running after the guy when he's bashing people up goes well and beyond reasonable help!:-P I will keep on the insurance company. Hopefully it's sorted fast - not sure how much fighting i'll be able to do from the states!

Thanks all.

[Dirty Heathen]

If have all the guys details and the Police report then the insurance company should be the ones chasing this guy for the cost including your excess.

However in cases like this where there is not another insurance company involved for the other party you may have to pay you excess up front but then it is your insurers job to get that excess back off the other party and by law any cost recovered the client excess must b e back first before the insurer gets any of there cost back.

So you get your bike fixed and it $2000 you will have to pay your excess towards those repairs.

So basically you may have to pay the excess up front then your insurance company needs to get it back off this guy and you get your money back.

[Headbanger]

Yup.

If you offered to purchase a policy with $1000 excess then thats the deal. Pay up or put up.

If you DONT want a policy with a $1000 excess, then dont BUY one.

Yer rolls yer dice and yer pays yer money.

Steve

I love the way you dive bomb a thread with uninformed dribble, and try and pass it off as if you actually know your arse from your elbow.

[R-Soul]

Yup.

If you offered to purchase a policy with $1000 excess then thats the deal. Pay up or put up.

If you DONT want a policy with a $1000 excess, then dont BUY one.

Yer rolls yer dice and yer pays yer money.

Steve

Sure, if you have a few Gorillas in the bank to cover your house burning down, third party cover for the day you didn't see the Porsche in your side mirror...

Standard insurance contracts normally state that if its not your fault, then you dont pay excess (since they claim the full amount back from the person who is at fault on your behalf). If the person at fault looks likely to be difficult to get their money back from, that's not your problem.