Left me with the repair bill when I was rear ended
1
I have been with Direct Line for my car insurance for many years (as has my partner) even though they have never been the cheapest. This was because I thought it would be wise to be insured by a well known brand who I thought I could trust. As lovely as the staff It is something I will NEVER do it again.
Last year my car was hit from behind when stationary by another vehicle ( I had dash cam) and this was reported the same day to Direct Line. The operated took a detailed description of the incident and assured me that because I was stationary and hit from behind I was not at fault. Having been told this I went through the claim process and handed over the £300 excess to get my vehicle repaired. Six months on I phoned them to enquire as to what progress they had made. I was told the other driver was insured but the company who he was insured with was well known for not responding well to claims. A few months later I received a twelve page (roughly) accident report which needed to be filled in and then signed to say I was willing to appear in court should it be required, to which I immediately filled in and returned. Not sure why they didn’t send this earlier, but I assumed this was their procedure. Anyhow, a few months later I received a letter saying . . .
“We have carried out extensive investigations into the responsible party and although every attempt has been made to recover the losses, our efforts have proved unsuccessful.”
“ We do not believe there are realistic prospects of success if we pursue this matter further. We therefore have no alternative but to close our file”
So even though I was not at fault for this accident, I was left to pay the bill for the excess (which the repairer informed me exceed the cost of the repair) and the years of increased premiums due to them not bothering to pursue the driver at fault and simply putting the claim on my record!
I tell you now, I suggest anyone thinking of using them should seriously look elsewhere, like what my partner and I will do once our policies expire. Over the years I have recommended them to countless friends which I can assure you will not renew once they learn of my experience. I will never do business with them again because what’s the use of being insured if the company who you are insured with gives up pursuing any claim you make against another driver, and this is with my policy having legal protection.
Reviewed on: 9th January 2018
