Does anyone work/know someone that works in car insurance claims

[united we stand]

HI

Does anyone work in car insurance or know someone that does?

I had my car stolen of the drive this morning and I need to speak to someone before I put in a claim, as the circumstances are 'weird' and I dont want to stich myself up

any help much appreciated- please pm

thanks Dave

 

[MK Shrimper]

Sorry to hear that mate. Sorry I don't know anyone to help out, however ....wierd eh...now I'm intrigued.....

 

[Pubey]

Sorry to hear that mate. Sorry I don't know anyone to help out, however ....wierd eh...now I'm intrigued.....

Sorry to hear that. my experience when having to claim (once on my car, once on travel insurance) is that in general they're relatively straight forward to deal with. Good luck

 

[rigsby]

HI

Does anyone work in car insurance or know someone that does?

I had my car stolen of the drive this morning and I need to speak to someone before I put in a claim, as the circumstances are 'weird' and I dont want to stich myself up

any help much appreciated- please pm

thanks Dave

Make sure you don't say anything daft like 'I left the keys in the ignition'.

Good luck with Essex police, the backroom staff are useless. Make sure you have at least a copy of their report, otherwise your insurance company has to pay for it and it can take three months for them to process it.

 

[united we stand]

This is my issue

I don’t want to hear what I shouldn’t have done - what’s done is done.

The dog woke us up at 3.00am today
Looked out of window to see car being driven off driveway ( exact model of car is quite rare- but not expensive £9500 tops )
Car alarm did not go off
Went after car in our other car but never saw it, stupidly ran downstairs fast as possible without waiting to see if they went left/right
Phoned police who came round within the hour- they had looked in the ‘normal places’ whether that may be.
House was secure, keys can not be got thru letter box etc

Police asked to see car keys. We have two sets of keys - we can’t find the spare key
A month ago I had the LPG serviced at a reputable place that has been around for years. I asked them to lock the car and leave the keys in it.
I picked up the car using the main keys.

I went there this morning and the lady said that she personally left the keys in the glove box. She seemed genuine, but frankly I just don’t know I don’t remember taking the keys out of the glovebox - I might have, I might not- I really don’t know . Monday I took the service book out of the glove box (car was going up for sale in a couple of weeks and I was getting prepared- the irony) , I didn’t notice the key in the glovebox- but there was a couple of other bits in there so again I can’t say 100% whether it was there or not.

SO my car has been stolen, I can’t find the spare key
· The garage may/may not have left it in the car i.e they kept it , waited a month to see if I noticed and then stole the car.
· The car may have been stolen and the fact the keys are in the glovebox is a total coincidence.
· I may have taken the spare key out and dropped it on the drive , or it has been stolen from the house , and the car has been stolen
· Key may turn up at home- but I am very doubtfull

My issue- I can’t say 100% when I last saw the spare keys. I moved the car on Monday to wash the wheels/wheel arches and under the bonnet . To the best of my knowledge I locked it when I moved it back . I can’t say 100% but I always lock my cars so there is no reason why I would not have locked it . Insurance companies do not generally pay if you leave the keys in the car.

If I say I may have left the keys in the glovebox I fear I am stuffed- but I have already said this to the police that I could not be sure. Police did not take a statement (but took notes) , they are coming round later today . I don’t know what to say to police or to insurance company- I don’t know if they talk to each other . Been googling and it looks like if you cant supply both keys the insurance companys standing point is you must have left them in the car.

Note - alarm did not go off indicating (to me) thief had keys?
#
Not really interested in anyone saying I should not have told the police about the keys- that doesn’t get me anywhere

I don’t want to say what the car is or the name of the insurance company as my mind is racing and in paranoid mode- it took me a long time to decide to write this. Also I work in finance so an insurance fraud conviction would lead to me probably loosing my job, and being unemployable - again maybe being paranoid - mind all over the place with ifs and buts.

note car can not be seen from road, you have to walk 6 paces up the drive to see it .

 

[MK Shrimper]

I don't think you've got anything to worry about in regards to fraud. To me, it looks like you left the spare set in the car, or somewhere visible and the thieves took the opportunity - either that or the garage kepe the spare set and as you say, waited awhile and pinched it but how you'd go about proving it is another matter.

 

[londonblue]

I'd speak to a lawyer as well as an insurance person.

That said, Personally I think that if you were in the glove box, and didn't see the keys they couldn't have been there. I'm 100% sure you would have noticed them because it is such a security issue. Other things may get missed, but I don't believe you would have not noticed a set of keys in there.

My view is that someone knicked the keys and came back later. It's only natural to doubt yourself after something like this, but I doubt you've done anything wrong. Even if you did leave the keys in the car someone still had to get into the car to steal it, and (as you say) you always leave your car locked.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

Just tell them your story its the truth so let the police sort it as you have done feck all wrong.

 

[rigsby]

The truth is you don't know where the keys are. But if you say you think they may have been in the car, even hidden in the glove box, then the insurance company are unlikely to pay out.

Best to say you had the car serviced and now you can't find the spare set. Which is true.

 

[OldBlueLady]

The truth is you don't know where the keys are. But if you say you think they may have been in the car, even hidden in the glove box, then the insurance company are unlikely to pay out.

Best to say you had the car serviced and now you can't find the spare set. Which is true.

What he said ^. You wouldn't be lying.

 

[united we stand]

I don't think you've got anything to worry about in regards to fraud. To me, it looks like you left the spare set in the car, or somewhere visible and the thieves took the opportunity - either that or the garage kepe the spare set and as you say, waited awhile and pinched it but how you'd go about proving it is another matter.

I'd speak to a lawyer as well as an insurance person.

That said, Personally I think that if you were in the glove box, and didn't see the keys they couldn't have been there. I'm 100% sure you would have noticed them because it is such a security issue. Other things may get missed, but I don't believe you would have not noticed a set of keys in there.

My view is that someone knicked the keys and came back later. It's only natural to doubt yourself after something like this, but I doubt you've done anything wrong. Even if you did leave the keys in the car someone still had to get into the car to steal it, and (as you say) you always leave your car locked.

Just tell them your story its the truth so let the police sort it as you have done feck all wrong.

The truth is you don't know where the keys are. But if you say you think they may have been in the car, even hidden in the glove box, then the insurance company are unlikely to pay out.

Best to say you had the car serviced and now you can't find the spare set. Which is true.

guys, thanks for the replies

thansk for the repleis- unfortunately in the insurance companys eyes I ahve done something wrong, I dont know where my keys are ! The below was an eye opener for me

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/38/keys-in-car-38.htm

My issue with saying I have no idea , (had the car 7 years, never use spare key, no idea when I last say it) is the story (truth) that I have already told the police. The guy wrote some details down, I dont know what, if I now say something on my officla statement to the police which is different will they cross reference ? i 'assume' the insureance company can get sight of the police report so I ahve got to tell them both the same thing . If I had not mentioned anything this morning I would be in a better place, but I cant turn back the clock

 

[Mr Plow]

Assuming you still have your original key maybe get a spare made which you can miraculously find at home?

 

[united we stand]

Assuming you still have your original key maybe get a spare made which you can miraculously find at home?

Yeah, considered that, but it would look new, would cost over £230 AND could go very very wrong for the reasons I gave earlier

 

[united we stand]

Through the power of Facebook we found my car at 9.30 last night still in Wickford less than mile and half from home��no obvious damage, and no spare key in glovebox surprise surprise . Now with the police. Worst case financially is I pay for new keys (resets ecu means stolen key won't start car). Prob try and claim in which case insurance will pay for new door lock and ignition,

far are happier today

 

[Mr Plow]

Excellent news.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Splendid news!

 

[Jam_Man]

Good you got the car back.

Bit late to the discussion and doesnt matter now, but even if you had left the key in the glove compartment they would still have had to get in the car without it so doesnt sound like they would have needed it in the first place?

 

[Benfleet A1]

Good you got the car back.

Bit late to the discussion and doesnt matter now, but even if you had left the key in the glove compartment they would still have had to get in the car without it so doesnt sound like they would have needed it in the first place?

Getting in is tbe easy bit, getting it started is a whole different cookie.