If you are involved in an automobile accident that wasn’t your fault, you could, of course, claim on your car insurance, but that would result in higher premiums, so you should make a third party claim against the driver at fault. Many motorists are not fully conversant with the terms and conditions or auto insurance, and in the case of a third party claim, the insurance representative will likely insist that your vehicle is repaired at a garage of their choice, when in fact, you are entitled to choose the repair shop, providing the cost is not excessive. If your car is off the road due to a “not at fault” accident and you are making a third party claim, here are a few things you should be aware of.
- Car Repair Options – As a third party claimant, you have the right to decide where your car is repaired, and not only that, you can ask for an independent assessment of the damage, rather than accepting the one from their own assessor. This ensures you have an accurate estimate, and providing the repair shop of your choice is not too expensive, you are within your rights to make this stipulation. If your accident happened in the Melbourne area, there is an excellent company that specialises in Mercedes Benz smash repairs, and with not at fault accidents, you will receive a free loan vehicle.
- No Cost Guarantees – If you source a reputable repair shop, they will guarantee that a not at fault accident will not cost you anything. Aside from providing a free loan car, they would stand by their original quote and the repairs would be covered by the third party claim.
- Resistant to Insurance Pressure – When a third party claim is lodged, the insurance company would likely make every effort to keep the cost down, and this might include requesting that the repair shop uses sub-standard parts, or even suggest other ways to cut corners, but a reputable repair shop would resist any attempts to cut costs if it compromises the repair in any way. Insurance companies are always looking for ways to reduce outgoings, and just because they agree to cover the repairs, it doesn’t mean that they will not try to keep costs to a minimum, and this is very often at the claimant’s expense.
- Premium Service – If your vehicle is damaged due to an accident that wasn’t your fault, then you should receive the best service, and there are established car repair shops that operate using this policy. Often, they would advise a customer not to claim on their own policy, as the accident was caused by a third party, and claiming against the at fault driver ensures you are not penalised with higher premiums the following year.
Making a third party claim when you are involved in an accident that was not your fault is the best solution, and by sourcing a reputable and established car repair shop, you can take advantage of the above benefits.
