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“I have been with co op insurance for 3yrs on a fully...”

written by mpha02 on 09/06/2014

I have been with co op insurance for 3yrs on a fully comprehensive policy. Last week I crashed into someone (they just abruptly stopped on the motorway). When I reported the accident I was advised that an approved repairer nearby by Co op would come and collect the car to establish if it would be repaired or not. A courtesy car was to be provided by the garage whilst the assessment was taking place which would be not more than three days. Upon a decision being made, the garage withdraws the courtesy car immediately. On the insurance contract it clearly stipulates that a courtesy car whilst your car is being repaired by an approved repairer (subject to supplying garage's terms and conditions). It is not clear what happens when the car has been written off and you are waiting for the repairer and insurance company to liase with each other. The insurance also doesn't just take the repairers assessment without finally sending their engineer around (a process that takes 3-5 working days) to raise the payment. By the time all parties are satisfied with the outcome for a payment to be raised and the payment to clear, it may possibly be a period of 3 weeks or more. All this time THEY DO NOT PROVIDE YOU A COURTESY CAR! When I raised the issue with them, they simply told me I had the option to swap my cover with another car whilst I was waiting. I do not have another car! I pay dear insurance so that I am taken care of when this sort of thing happens. And I am taken care of very swiftly. At the moment, I have had to do all the chasing up to see the progress of events. No one from the company has contacted me for any updates. My job relies that I have a car and I also have children.
So next time you are looking for insurance, avoid the co op like a plague. I have had to contact them several times but hardly get any joy. Their customer service is also very poor. No one seems to take responsibility and they just keep passing the buck. I couldn't speak to their claims department over the weekend as they only work weekdays. They say in their contract they have a 24hr claims line which is FALSE INFORMATION. If I had to provide any false details on my insurance it would be declared null and void and I would probably be done for it. Why is it then any different for them when they do so to be allowed to get away with it? As of now, I am unsure of how long it will take for my claim to be settled to get another car. Very concerned and stressed.