gone through a claim with Hastings Direct/4th Dimension

[Trougher]

I have just gone through a claim with Hastings Direct/4th Dimension and have mixed feelings about the whole thing. The bike was collected by a recovery outfit sub-conned (no pun intended) by a national intermediary to 4thD. The next day I requested that the bike was transferred to Shipley Vertu for assessment/repair, 4thD accepted this was ok and told me to contact the recovery firm to make it available this then generated a day's chasing around between 4thD, the recovery firm, Shipley, BMW Assist and BMW 'customer 'care'. Basically somebody had to pay £650 to cover the recovery charge and 'release payment' to 4thD. Initially both 4thD & BMW Assist agreed that BMW would pay it and be re-imbursed, however it would have to be covered by customer care and they point blank refused. I discovered later that they are no longer willing to play ball as 4thD have reneged on the deal to re-imburse the fees so they won't play that game anymore understandably. I have to say that Suzi from Shipley was her usual incredibly helpful self in these proceedings this time unfortunately to no avail.

So I contacted 4thD to crack on and get the job done and tbh they were quick, friendly and helpful throughout the process. I have to say that they accepted liability (it was my fault) and I did not tick the hire bike box. The bike was beyond economic repair which I thought it was probably border line based on the parts count that I could see but wasn't sure what had happened under the rocker cover..... So they offered me more than I thought it was worth after trawling through all the usual places for a market value on a 20 plate Exclusive with 33k on it and they removed some bits off it and sent them to me FOC without fuss so I feel pretty lucky tbh. Maybe I was just realistic in my valuation.

So while I was dreading the experience from tales from the interweb it wasn't so bad for me. I accept that my premium will go up as this is a rigged market and it is down to shopping around to mitigate that. However the use of these claims management scalpers looks to be very difficult to avoid without somebody collating a maintained listing of who does what and this market is clearly not very transparent.

=======

Moved.

Richard

 

[Wapping]

Are you saying that following your own fault accident, 4D and your insurer were, between them, efficient and paid you a fair price for your written-off bike, without any intervention by Shipley Vertu?

Who were you expecting to pay for what seems to be an extra (and seemingly unnecessary) movement of the bike to Shipley Vertu?

A rigged market? Apparently you’ve just been paid out promptly and fairly for a total loss, caused by yourself.

 

[Davey B]

Interesting subject. Also an interesting comment about it being a rigged market, I sort of get what you're saying but if I were to claim for my bike being written off today (in an own fault claim), I'd likely get back the combined 20 yrs annual insurance payments. I surely can't expect my policy in the future being at the same rate as previously...

 

[Wapping]

….if I were to claim for my bike being written off today (in an own fault claim), I'd likely get back the combined 20 yrs annual insurance payments.

Too many bods regard insurance as an investment. In other words, I paid £100 in premium at the start of the year, I want at least £100 back at the end. Not for what it is, which is a contact of indemnity. That said, the OP seems to have done OK (even very well) out of his recent experience, receiving a prompt payment that exceeded his own estimate of the bike’s worth.

 

[twizzle]

My Harley was written off with the whole process being handled by 4D

It was an easy process and the payout was a fair market value

They offered me salvage I refused - it later popped up on eBay and was sold

 

[Mulcher]

Interesting to hear one or two favourable comments about 4D who seem to be universally loathed

 

[Engineer]

My experience with Hastings Direct and 4th Dimension was OK and my Premium did not increase as a result of my error. Arden BMW were the cause of all of the delays and problems, not Hastings or 4th Dimension.

 

[Trougher]

Are you saying that following your own fault accident, 4D and your insurer were, between them, efficient and paid you a fair price for your written-off bike, without any intervention by Shipley Vertu?

Who were you expecting to pay for what seems to be an extra (and seemingly unnecessary) movement of the bike to Shipley Vertu?

A rigged market? Apparently you’ve just been paid out promptly and fairly for a total loss, caused by yourself.

Yes, no involvement by Shipley in the process at all. In conversation with both 4D & BMW Assist it was clear that BMW had previously paid for the recovery & release charge and then claimed that back from 4D as an agreed process I presume in order to get the bikes into dealers for insurance repair business. This appears to no longer be the case.

The rigged market comment refers more to the general insurance market rather than this particular exchange, I am actually more than happy with MY 4D experience.

 

[Trougher]

My post was aimed at showing that not every experience with 4D is a nightmare which would appear to be the case reading most of the posts on here. As per usual good experiences are rarely shared.

What I did find a pain was the apparent change of approach by BMW Customer Care that appeared had not been clearly communicated to either the dealer(s) or the Assist call handlers as both seemed to be used to progressing these requests in this fashion.

 

[Trougher]

Too many bods regard insurance as an investment. In other words, I paid £100 in premium at the start of the year, I want at least £100 back at the end. Not for what it is, which is a contact of indemnity. That said, the OP seems to have done OK (even very well) out of his recent experience, receiving a prompt payment that exceeded his own estimate of the bike’s worth.

My view of insurance is that you buy it hoping to never use it. Only when you use it there is a hope that whoever handles the claim plays with a straight bat and you don't leave the experience feeling like you've been bent over the desk. I last made a claim in 1992 so I guess if I was to look at it the other way I've got my money back on this claim!

 

[DevonAl]

I said in a separate post about my dealings with 4D regarding a campervan claim, they tried to force me to have hire vehicle even though the van was safe to drive, I wanted the the company who built the van to repair it, they said it had to be one of their approved repair centres which was well away from where I lived, and generally frustrating to deal with, I ended up complaining to Devitts who then took over, they have subsequently stopped using 4D for their 4 car/van policies.

Al

 

[resovoir]

I have used 4 D and as was said earlier the horror stories on the web about them made me really nervous. Probably the only complaint I have is they were slowish. However the bike came back repaired and in excellent condition. One point is when the police released my bike I received a letter saying £192 recovery fees and storage charges of £13 a day , they had the bike for two months so £780 storage. Phoned Hastings or 4D cannot remember which and they said they had agreement with Police of £300 max.

 

[Zog]

I have used 4 D and as was said earlier the horror stories on the web about them made me really nervous. Probably the only complaint I have is they were slowish. However the bike came back repaired and in excellent condition. One point is when the police released my bike I received a letter saying £192 recovery fees and storage charges of £13 a day , they had the bike for two months so £780 storage. Phoned Hastings or 4D cannot remember which and they said they had agreement with Police of £300 max.

 

[Zog]

I’m in the middle of a claim, where I insisted that the insurer used my preferred repair shop, then went to 4D for a rental bike, apparently covered under my policy. Wow, £250 to deliver a Honda NC750 to me, then £380 PER DAY for rental, plus another £250 to return it. No wonder insurance is so expensive.

 

[Engineer]

I’m in the middle of a claim, where I insisted that the insurer used my preferred repair shop, then went to 4D for a rental bike, apparently covered under my policy. Wow, £250 to deliver a Honda NC750 to me, then £380 PER DAY for rental, plus another £250 to return it. No wonder insurance is so expensive.

If the insurance company, yours or the third party's think that the costs of the loan bike are excessive then they can refuse to pay, the cost then falls back onto you - take care with this type of loan bike, because the loan company make you sign to this effect when they deliver the bike.

 

[Zog]

If the insurance company, yours or the third party's think that the costs of the loan bike are excessive then they can refuse to pay, the cost then falls back onto you - take care with this type of loan bike.

Agreed - I’ve already asked for it to be recovered, after a week.
How on earth can they justify those rates? There’s no way I want that kind of risk.
Hopefully, my bike will be available next week, six weeks after the accident.

 

[Engineer]

Agreed - I’ve already asked for it to be recovered, after a week.
How on earth can they justify those rates? There’s no way I want that kind of risk.
Hopefully, my bike will be available next week, six weeks after the accident.

If they say there is a delay picking up the loan bike, tell them that any costs beyond your specified date will not be paid. Tell the insurance company and 4D too.

Best to be on the safe side. I hope it all works out in your favour.

 

[Zog]

If they say there is a delay picking up the loan bike, tell them that any costs beyond your specified date will not be paid. Tell the insurance company and 4D too.

Best to be on the safe side. I hope it all works out in your favour.

Thanks, I’ve already done exactly that.
When I was originally contacted by 4D (on a Bennett’s policy), they suggested that repairs would take at least 4-6 weeks, but that I could have a rental for all that time. Surely that’s usury! £16k rental charges for a claim of £3k in damages. Absolute madness.

 

[Engineer]

Thanks, I’ve already done exactly that.
When I was originally contacted by 4D (on a Bennett’s policy), they suggested that repairs would take at least 4-6 weeks, but that I could have a rental for all that time. Surely that’s usury! £16k rental charges for a claim of £3k in damages. Absolute madness.

This is where claims management companies need to be controlled a bit more than they currently are - they seem to be motivated by money ahead of service.

 

[Wapping]

To save themselves a lot of (potential) angst, bods could start by asking THEMSELVES (ie. not asking their mate or UKGSer) whether they actually need or ‘must have’ a loan vehicle at all.