Insurance Claim

Witoxnig1
Witoxnig1 Posts: 4
edited July 2017 in Commuting general
I was cycling home on my carbon fibre Ribble Sportive Bianco when a car pulled out in front of me and I went over the handlebars and landed on the car bonnet. The Ribble was severely damaged in several places and is now not safe enough to ride. The driver has admitted liability and I am now claiming through the drivers insurance company. The insurance company have offered me £500 as compensation on the basis of looking up the price of the same bike on eBay which I think is insulting. The bike cost me £1400 new 5 years ago and while I didn't expect the full amount I was hoping for something more substantial than £500. This is the first time I have had to do this so am not sure if this is acceptable or the insurance company are trying it on. Is there anyone who can advise from experience?

Comments

  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,612
    Did you buy the bike new?

    Who's the insurer?
    _
  • Witoxnig1
    Witoxnig1 Posts: 4
    I did buy the bike new. The drivers insurer is Direct Line.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,612
    OK - in which case, AFAIK, they should be giving you enough money for you to by the equivalent bike new.

    DLG are relatively ok with 3rd party claims. The best thing to do is keep pushing them. From the company claims perspective, as a general rule they like to get it done asap, because the longer it goes on, the more expensive the claim will end up being.

    I can't see why you would need to buy 2nd hand off e-bay.
    _
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Get help with the claim. What about your injuries. What about damaged kit? Expenses incurred ?

    Call someone like bikeline to make your case.
  • Witoxnig1
    Witoxnig1 Posts: 4
    Thank you very much for your replies. Perhaps I should look into legal advice as DL are not going to budge from their original quote.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    They'll try to fob you off as much as possible and spend as little cash as they can. Why should you suffer for their drivers stupidity?



    viewtopic.php?f=40052&t=12722930
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    The first offer is always a wee-wee take. The first offer I had on my claim was half what I ended up with. They go low hoping you'll accept and get the matter dealt with quickly and cheaply.
    Go to Bikeline or similar and get advice and representation.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    OK - in which case, AFAIK, they should be giving you enough money for you to by the equivalent bike new.
    That would be completely untrue.

    They have to put the injured party back to the condition they were in before the accident, so enough to buy a similar bike in a similar condition at a similar age is normal.

    You don't get paid out the new replacement value for a ten year old written off car, why would a bike be different?

    The aim for wito is trying to get enough to make sure he can get a genuinely as good replacement.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,612
    ... I did when I made an insurance claim....
    _
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    You may well have done, that's not the same as 'should' is it.

    If the bike is fairly new its often cheaper to get a new one via a bulk deal than pay out the value of a used one.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    It is the norm to replace as new provided the bike isnt too old and/or has a demonstrable service history or testimony from a bike shop to say it was in 'as new' condition (or even better if you upgraded anything).

    That doesnt mean that they 'have' to do that, just that normally they dont bother to quibble too much.

    Did you have it serviced by a shop recently? If not, worth taking it to a shop and asking for them to do a report on damage and original condition with a replacement value based on buying the equivalent bike from them. They may do the report for free if you promise to buy the new bike from them or they might charge a nominal fee for the report and deduct it from the price of the bike. They often quote replacement as a better model, which is to your benefit and allows for some negotiation bringing you to the correct price if you have to haggle with the insurance.

    If you have no legal representation then I think it is standard practice to treat you with contempt and push their luck as far as they can. Getting a solicitor or threatening small claims might be the best way forward. In fact, as they have admitted liability, you might get a solicitor on a no win no fee basis quite easily?

    If you have British Cycling or CTC membership then you get free solicitor from them.
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    I had injuries as well as total bike/clothing loss. Got a solicitor from British Cycling. Insurance admitted liability and offered £2,000. Final bill to them is over ten times that. Dont be surprised to be lowballed initially and have to scrap for it.

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