Insurance valuation

[mikeytar3]

Back at the end of march my much loved synco was totaled (i posted about it at the time). Now at long last the insurance people have come back with a valuation of £ 1500 !!!!! So I'm now in dispute with them. They are asking for documentary evidence to proove that its worth more. Any help or advice as to how to go about it would be much appreciated.
Mick

[lloydy]

Sorry to hear of the small offer.. I guess you need any photo evidence to prove condition of your van, then trawl ads of vans for sale of similar condition/spec, print them off and send them copies.
What was yours? caravelle? And have you managed to hold on to the van during all this?

[Aidan]

And who is it insured with/through and what sort of cover did you have, what was the value for insurance purposes at first proposal, even if not agreed value that should have been stated, what did you pay
and then it's down to finding like for like sales info so completed listings off ebay, listings off here etc...
the americans have a file of stuff ready in case this happens as this is normal over there I believe, here most people who value their vans have them on agreed value policies whether they'd get full value in the event of aloss is to be tested) the rest of accept that we'll get bugger all off the insurance (and I have a £500 excess to start with) so keep the van and break it in the event of a write off, that way the parts stay in circulation and as much real value as possible is retained.
'I'm insured fully comp to protect myself from a claim arrising from me being at fault yet when I am the wronged party the insurance company won't actually ensure that I am fully recompensed for my loss - how does that work ?' is the question you ask the insurance company - if you have RAC or other legal cover get them on to it, if in a union you may have legal help from the union to go after them

[mikeytar3]

Thanks for that. The RAC were hopeless, nothing to do with them unless it becomes a Legal dispute. It was notionally valued at £5000 but as you say this was not an agreed figure. I'd love to get the bits back and realise the value of the spares myself, but don't have the facilites to deal with a non moveable van or anywhere to store it.
Apparently what I should have done was to claim for whiplash, so that the figure for the van plus the "injury" compensation would then be enough to recompense properly

[dcfb77]

I had same issue with my original quattro which they valued at £3400 when it was declared a write off. The guys on the Quattro forums put up a few of their cars for sale at a sensible/market value price and I sent the link to the insurance company at the same time raising a formal complaint against the assessor/engineer and made it clear that I would like this to be referred to the Ombudsman. They paid up £14000 in the end. NEVER take their first, 2nd or 3rd offer and make it clear to the "independent" engineer instructed by the insurance company that you're not settling for anything apart from market value on a like for like basis. Put the ball in THEIR court, ask them to show like for like comparables and not just base it on "trade/Glasses guide" valuations as this does not reflect true market value. Call them every day and log time, date & duration of all calls as well as the names of people you speak to. This will prove handy if you have to go the ombudsman route. If not done already, send them exact details of your van, specs, model, interior equipment, any added extras, etc and have them realise they wont find it for that price. By law its actually up to them to prove the value of your vehicle and indemnify you for its value.

I found that demanding a "replacement car" and not letting go of it until I had a cheque from them was quite useful, that and calling the other party's insurance company. They will be VERY keen to find a way to settle with you directly and may hear you out more.

Do you use your van for work at all or could you claim to with the job you do? If so also state that you are not able to carry out any business as a result of not having your van and will demand compensation. Usually, the more you ask the quicker they will give you a satisfactory figure.

F***ING hate insurance companies! Makes my blood boil this does...

I think you should prepare for a long drawn out affair to get the value of your van.

Makes me realise how important it is to have agreed value with our insurance policies.