sky insurance - watch the small print !!!!!!

[paul_h]

Sky might seem like good value but watch the small print if you ever have an accident.

After an accident that was my fault I contacted sky to get a repair done on my car, I asked if It was ok to use a local reputable accident centre rather than some unknown place out of town that they wanted me to take it too.

I was told this was all ok As the company was on their database and to take my car down for a quotation, the company then contacted the insurance with the quote and all seemed well. I was then told to take my car down today as the insurance company want the bumper removing before giving the go ahead to see if there was any hidden damage, this is where the problems started.

I asked about a courtesy car and was told no problem but I would have to contact my insurers about some temporary insurance, so I ring up and get told Sorry because you won't use our repairers we wont insure you on the courtesy car WTF !!!!!

so now they have me over barrel I have to use their unkown backstreet garage repairers as I need a courtesy car. I have had issues with repairers in the past and think most are cowboys but dont have a choice.

so be carefull watch the small print

as for sky no chance i'll be using them again no matter how cheap they are

paul

[Charged]

Hi Paul,

I've PM'd you for your details so I can have a look at your file but for the time being and in reply:

I asked about a courtesy car and was told no problem but I would have to contact my insurers about some temporary insurance, so I ring up and get told Sorry because you won't use our repairers we wont insure you on the courtesy car WTF !!!!!

Pretty much standard practice across the industry, if you use your own repairer then they provide a courtesy car, if you use our repairer we provide a courtesy car. May I ask, why will your 'preferred' repairer not provide you with an insured courtesy car? That would make sense to me and is how it would usually work in this situation!

so now they have me over barrel I have to use their unkown backstreet garage repairers as I need a courtesy car. I have had issues with repairers in the past and think most are cowboys but dont have a choice.

With respect, our specialist underwriters do not use 'unknown backstreet garages' , they use approved repairers who are constantly under performance review.

as for sky no chance i'll be using them again no matter how cheap they are

paul

That is disappointing to hear Paul but I need to point out that the situation you are in now would apply with most insurers.

Kind regards

Ollie
Schemes Liaison Manager
Sky Insurance

[paul_h]

ollie

thanks for the reply, maybe my posted sounded a little harsh but i was just very angry at the time having been speaking to one of your collegues and getting a very blunt No.

I find it hard to believe as i was told, that insurance companies will not insure me on a car that isnt mine for 1 week even for an additional premium as i have done this many times before with various other companies if my own car was off road for any reason, this just stinks of you wont use our repairer so we will make this as difficult as possible so you will.

if you use your own repairer then they provide a courtesy car, if you use our repairer we provide a courtesy car. May I ask, why will your 'preferred' repairer not provide you with an insured courtesy car?

The repairer has had to stop insuring their courtesy cars due to huge increases in insurance premiums, a problem that a lot of people are currently suffering with, they had a car available all i wanted to do was insure it for the few days while i had a new bumper fitted. I was happy to pay an additional premium for the few days but was blunty told No as stated above.

With respect, our specialist underwriters do not use 'unknown backstreet garages' , they use approved repairers who are constantly under performance review.

by "performace review" do you mean cost?, I cannot believe these companies get the contract due to professionalism and quality of work it has got to be based on cost like pretty much every contract ever awarded in any industry.

I have been burnt by one of these specialists before, very long story very short my MR2 turbo was repaired by one , after getting the car back it handled dreadfully so i complained and took it back, one week later i get the car back with all 4 alloys curbed and still handling badly. I complained again so they got the insurance assesor out who told me I have been doing this job 35 years there is nothing wrong with the work done so i am signing it off.

I then had to persue this with the repairers and got copies of the invoices for the parts fitted to my car and turns out they had bought and fitted the wrong suspension for my car hence the shocking handling.

This is why I have issues with the sort of places insurers recommend, what I dont understand is why there is such an issue taking my car to an insurance approved repairers that I trust, one that is based in the town I live in not 40 miles away and one that kindertons who you use for your claims deal with on a regular basis.

due to the fact I need my car fixing quickly and need a courtesy car in the mean time, I have cancelled the repair with my repairers and i am awaiting a call from your garage to get it booked in.

like you say this maybe how all insurance places work so to be fair I maybe should have read the small print first.

it really is double standards, last time I had an accident it was a non fault accident, you were happy for me to use this garage and also happy to supply a john cooper works edition mini at £170 / day for 10 days and this time because its my fault I cannot get 7 days insurance even if i paid an additional premium.

hopefully you can understand the frustration

paul

[paul_h]

just found out that the repairers I am being strongarmed into using are not even know to the actual Insurance company !!!!

Chaucer (the actual insurer) just rang me asking why they now had 2 quotes in (one being from a garage not on their approved list), explained the whole story to them and they are quite shocked at the behaviour !!! They couldn't believe I couldnt get 2 days insurance because I wanted to use my prefered bodyshop.

It looks like the "approved bit" comes from one of these companies sky insurance subcontracts claims out to so there is no way that is going to be based on quality rather than cost.

my car will be be perfect before it is accepted as I am very worried now and I am actually thinking of just taking the money and getting it done myself.


very frustrated

[Charged]

just found out that the repairers I am being strongarmed into using are not even know to the actual Insurance company !!!!

Chaucer (the actual insurer) just rang me asking why they now had 2 quotes in (one being from a garage not on their approved list), explained the whole story to them and they are quite shocked at the behaviour !!! They couldn't believe I couldnt get 2 days insurance because I wanted to use my prefered bodyshop.

It looks like the "approved bit" comes from one of these companies sky insurance subcontracts claims out to so there is no way that is going to be based on quality rather than cost.

my car will be be perfect before it is accepted as I am very worried now and I am actually thinking of just taking the money and getting it done myself.


very frustrated

Hi Paul,

as per my last PM, I do need your details to look into this and try and help.

Please PM these to me, without them I am unable to offer any assistance.

Thanks

[paul_h]

sorry Ollie I thought i'd sent them through

will do it now

paul

[paul_h]

don't buy a mazda!!!!!

turns out there arn't any rear bumpers in the country and they wont ship any untill there is a large demand for them !!!

WTF

[paul_h]

well the garage finally got a bumper from somewhere and took the car away to fit it.

suprise suprise it has come back and is an absolute mess !!!!!

paint missing, scratches that have been touched up, massive gap down one side so you can see the clips holding the bumper on, overspray etc etc, so ive told them to take it away and put it right.

The job was just fitting a bumper !!!

this is why I wanted to use a proper body shop, as stated this one isn't even approved by the insurance company, they are just cheap hired by some 3rd part company.

sky insurance passed the job to

kindertons who passed the job to

3rd party claims company who passed the job to

joblins accident repair centre who chaucer the actual insurance company have never heard of.

no wonder insurance is so high with all these companies adding their markup on.


I am now probably going to have to pay my excess and then take it to a proper shop at my own expense to get it put right as these cowboys are a joke !!!!

[paul_h]

because its now so far down the line what options do I have. The main problem I cannot ask sky as they just pass you to these claims companies.

if my car still isn't correct after their second attempt who do I complain too? there are so may people involved i will just get passed around so what do I do.

Can I refuse to pay my excess and take it away to be redone at my own cost or do i have to continue on with the cowboy company.

I am so annoyed I knew this would happen but was forced to use them as I need a hire car.

wish i'd just paid for the car hire myself and used the bodyshop I wanted to use.

how on earth anybody could think it would be accepted in that state is beyond me, there must be no quality control at all in there.

[Charged]

There is a little more to this than meets the eye.. long story but we are doing our very best to resolve it.

[paul_h]

I would just like to say I have had a phonecall from sky and kindetons and I have to say that I am very impressed with the level of service I am receiving to help resolve this matter.

Hopefully the repairers will do a much better job second time around and if not there are things now in place to get this resolved

big thanks to ollie and the girls from sky

paul

[craig]

I've stripped out this thread. Please remember that only the thread author and affiliate in question may post on this thread.

Many thanks.

[T.F.S.]

I've stripped out this thread. Please remember that only the thread author and affiliate in question may post on this thread.

Many thanks.

yea that does crack me up a bit when the trader forum is full of people other than the OP and trader leaving comments, almost every single thread in the traders forum TBH

either you enforce the rule or you dont, you guys really need to decide which it is

[LimeyMk1]

True, I think we need to adjust things a bit on that front. The only issue seems to arise when the feedback is negative and other folks 2p's get in the way of the OP and trader sorting things out.

Enforcing the rule on every other thread where members are just reiterating the positive feedback seems a bit pointless.

[T.F.S.]

thats what i like about the mods on here, they listen!