4th Dimension

[GSite]

Hi All,
Does anyone know which motor insurance companies / underwriters do or do not use 4th Dimension Innovation Ltd including the likes of Advantage (Hastings), Ageas, Aviva, AXA, Allianz including Liverpool Victoria ?
Thanks

 

[autogs]

Does it matter?,its your bike to take where you want for accident repairs?

 

[steadysteve]

I know Hastings do.
Their claims phone number takes you straight to 4th Dimension

 

[wessie]

I know Hastings do.
Their claims phone number takes you straight to 4th Dimension

the Hastings policy booklet offers two options:

"Can I choose my own repairer/garage?
Yes you can take your motorcycle to a repairer of your choice but if
you do so you won’t be entitled to the benefits available under the
nominated repairer scheme.
You will also need to submit a repair estimate to your insurer for
authorisation before the work can start, which may delay the
progress of your claim and the repairs to your motorcycle."

What are the features of using the nominated
repairer service?
Repairs The repairs will be guaranteed for five years.
Authorisation You don’t need to get any estimates so the
repairs can begin as soon as your insurer has
authorised them.
Delivery The repairer can arrange to collect and return
your motorcycle.
Payment All you need to do is pay your agreed excess to
before the motorcycle is delivered back to you.

They do not specifically name 4th D as the nominated repairer, just a vague definition of using an authorised repairer.

I guess it all comes down to how much a claimant wants or is capable of being their own project manager. If you want to use your own repairer you will need to get the bike to them, which might be fine in a minor spill where you are not injured. If you are carted off to hospital then the bike will end up in a police compound racking up storage fees.

 

[GSite]

Does it matter?,its your bike to take where you want for accident repairs

Sure, I would do just that. As stated by wessie, there are issues related to not using the insurer's own repair agent .

 

[steadysteve]

the Hastings policy booklet offers two options:

"Can I choose my own repairer/garage?
Yes you can take your motorcycle to a repairer of your choice but if
you do so you won’t be entitled to the benefits available under the
nominated repairer scheme.
You will also need to submit a repair estimate to your insurer for
authorisation before the work can start, which may delay the
progress of your claim and the repairs to your motorcycle."

What are the features of using the nominated
repairer service?
Repairs The repairs will be guaranteed for five years.
Authorisation You don’t need to get any estimates so the
repairs can begin as soon as your insurer has
authorised them.
Delivery The repairer can arrange to collect and return
your motorcycle.
Payment All you need to do is pay your agreed excess to
before the motorcycle is delivered back to you.

They do not specifically name 4th D as the nominated repairer, just a vague definition of using an authorised repairer.

I guess it all comes down to how much a claimant wants or is capable of being their own project manager. If you want to use your own repairer you will need to get the bike to them, which might be fine in a minor spill where you are not injured. If you are carted off to hospital then the bike will end up in a police compound racking up storage fees.

It was three years ago I made a claim so the wording may, or may not, have changed.
At the time I wasn’t aware I could use another repairer so I just contacted them and told them I’d had an accident and left them to it. Their default setting takes you to 4D and they made no attempt to inform me that their was a choice of repairer.
Luckily it was 5 months over the winter that the bike was away so I didn’t particularly miss the bike
. Bought my current RS a week before the crashed one came back to me. Sold it to Superbike Factory.
With hindsight and the extra knowledge of the process I would have sent it to my BMW dealer 5 miles away for assessment and repair. It came back from 4D after 5 months repaired and looking like new although I suspect if BMW had assessed it then it would have been written off. Value was £9250, repair via 4D was £8600.

 

[Neil W]

the Hastings policy booklet offers two options:

"Can I choose my own repairer/garage?
Yes you can take your motorcycle to a repairer of your choice but if
you do so you won’t be entitled to the benefits available under the
nominated repairer scheme.
You will also need to submit a repair estimate to your insurer for
authorisation before the work can start, which may delay the
progress of your claim and the repairs to your motorcycle."

What are the features of using the nominated
repairer service?
Repairs The repairs will be guaranteed for five years.
Authorisation You don’t need to get any estimates so the
repairs can begin as soon as your insurer has
authorised them.
Delivery The repairer can arrange to collect and return
your motorcycle.
Payment All you need to do is pay your agreed excess to
before the motorcycle is delivered back to you.

They do not specifically name 4th D as the nominated repairer, just a vague definition of using an authorised repairer.

I guess it all comes down to how much a claimant wants or is capable of being their own project manager. If you want to use your own repairer you will need to get the bike to them, which might be fine in a minor spill where you are not injured. If you are carted off to hospital then the bike will end up in a police compound racking up storage fees.

4th Dimension benefits include

1. Ridiculous delays
2. Hugely inflated storage fees
3. Trying to force people to take a vastly over priced hire bike and if you do the potential of having to pay the bill yourself when the third party insurer refuses to pay out
4. In the case of two bikes I know of that have been "repaired " by them , substandard repairs using a mixture of new and used parts with poorly matched paint and in one case completely wrong graphics and parts powder coated the wrong colour

 

[GSite]

4th Dimension benefits include

1. Ridiculous delays
2. Hugely inflated storage fees
3. Trying to force people to take a vastly over priced hire bike and if you do the potential of having to pay the bill yourself when the third party insurer refuses to pay out
4. In the case of two bikes I know of that have been "repaired " by them , substandard repairs using a mixture of new and used parts with poorly matched paint and in one case completely wrong graphics and parts powder coated the wrong colour

On the point of 3 above, this has potential to escalate the total claim value and write off the damaged bike when it may not have been otherwise.

 

[Neil W]

On the point of 3 above, this has potential to escalate the total claim value and write off the damaged bike when it may not have been otherwise.

If you bear in mind that 4th Dimension also have a breakers side of their operation (owned by the same people but operating under a different name and at a different site) it honestly makes me wonder if when say they have 3 identical bikes in for repair and know one will provide all the parts they need that they don't massage the size of the claim on that 3rd bike .

A few delays and a few more weeks of storage fees and hire bike fees can easily write that bike off and the salvage will provide them with the parts to repair the other two bikes on the cheap and increase their profits especially then they then sell off the salvage bike as spares or repair or break it for spares and sell the bits via their E Bay site .

 

[GSite]

Suspicions regarding this kind of actvity is exactly why I posted the original question.

 

[karlp]

My son had a bike being ‘assessed’ by 4th dimension following an accident.
They asked for the Reg Document which we refused to send and told them - it is being repaired by you and if deemed written off will assess the situation with the option to purchase as salvage.

That is exactly what we did

Our thought was - if we send the Reg Document we lose control of the bike

 

[Engineer]

I had no problems with 4th Dimension, all the problems I had were with the incompetent BMW dealer in Tunbridge Wells (close to where the incident occurred), they were painfully slow and technically incompetent.

I eventually took my bike to my local BMW dealer to sort the problems out. My dealings with 4th Dimension and Hastings were easy and straightforward.

From the off, I told 4th Dimension I wanted to use my own repairer and that I didn't want a loan bike, they wanted me to use their people, but they didn't push it.

 

[GSite]

Seems the problems arise if you agree to 4th Dimension managing the repair, as you say the key is doing so yourself and nominating your own repairer. Sure that taking them out of the equation results in a better experience.

 

[Hartley]

For the life of me I don’t get why insurers use 4 Dimension. It increases the cost of the claim through their somewhat questionable practices and pi55es many customers off.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

If you bear in mind that 4th Dimension also have a breakers side of their operation (owned by the same people but operating under a different name and at a different site) it honestly makes me wonder if when say they have 3 identical bikes in for repair and know one will provide all the parts they need that they don't massage the size of the claim on that 3rd bike

That'll be Moto Mine

Moto Mine Parts | eBay UK Stores

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Engineer]

For the life of me I don’t get why insurers use 4 Dimension. It increases the cost of the claim through their somewhat questionable practices and pi55es many customers off.

Insurers use claims management companies because they just want to sell policies in order to keep their business model simple. 4th Dimension (the claims management company) like to upsell by getting you to use as many of their services as possible, because either way you or the insurance company will foot the bill - the important thing is you have the choice.

 

[wessie]

For the life of me I don’t get why insurers use 4 Dimension. It increases the cost of the claim through their somewhat questionable practices and pi55es many customers off.

same reason we go to Tesco. Convenience of a one stop shop. 4D dominate the relatively small market where there is not much incentive for a rival to set up. For car repairs, there is more volume so dealer groups like Vertu and the big lease companies like Lex set up repair shops as well as many back street places for minicabs and those into bangernomics.

 

[Wapping]

For the life of me I don’t get why insurers use 4 Dimension…..

Wessie, has hit the nail on the head. Insurers do it because it is cheaper for them to do so. The alternative is for each insurer and broker intermediary to all employ possibly a hundred bods each to answer calls every five minutes from Fat Bob Bikermate, demanding to know where his awesome steed is and why it’s not (10 minutes after he fell off) back on the road as he and his six mates are off on holiday and it’s boiling his piss. Employees are expensive, as is their office space; it is very simple maths.

How to get by:

A. Don’t fall off your bike or stuff it into a hedge.

B. Learn to repair it yourself.

C. If you must have a claim, ensure it’s the fault of a third party, as you’ll then hold most of the cards. As bikermates blame everyone else for just about everything in life, this bit at least should be easy.

 

[steadysteve]

For the life of me I don’t get why insurers use 4 Dimension. It increases the cost of the claim through their somewhat questionable practices and pi55es many customers off.

It is my understanding that 4D was set up and is owned by several of the insurance companies.

 

[Hartley]

It is my understanding that 4D was set up and is owned by several of the insurance companies.

Now that wouldn’t surprise me. Not saying they’re dodgy but my understanding is most are descendants of Dick Turpin.