I live in a Grade 2 listed barn in the Cotswolds which has an eight-foot wall around the perimeter made out of stone.
In April I received a text message from my neighbour saying that while I was away her 91-year-old friend had left their house after midnight and lost control of her car, driving directly into my wall causing extensive damage.
An ambulance was called and she was in hospital for four weeks. Fortunately she was ultimately OK. In the exchange of texts my neighbour said, as they weren’t directly responsible, that it would be best to deal with their friend directly.
When I got home a few days later I was shocked at the extent of the damage. I contacted the lady involved by email who passed on her insurance company details with Direct Line, asking me to deal with them instead of doing it herself as she was still recovering. In the meantime, I wanted the wall fixed as it was a mess and in the way of my getting in and out of my garage.
I got the original stone mason who constructed the wall when the property was developed in 2008 in to do the job as it was a specialist job. I knew he would know the building, understand the needs of the wall, know how to get the specific type of stone and know the mortar colour, for example. The repair cost me £5,940.
In the meantime, I got in touch with Direct Line and explained the situation. It was tedious trying to speak to them and explain each time it was not my insurance company and this was not a claim I was making but instead their client had asked me to contact them directly.
It sent out a surveyor to inspect the work to make sure it was up to standard. He reported back to the loss adjuster at Direct Line who offered me £4,000 for the repair.
I rejected this, explaining it would leave me close to £2,000 out of pocket. I then went back to the lady who caused the damage and asked her to pay me for the repair directly and for her to deal with Direct Line and to argue the toss about the difference.
She has consistently refused and keeps redirecting me back to Direct Line. It upped its offer to £4,500, which I have also rejected. Why should I be £1,500 out of pocket when this is nothing to do with me?
Can you help me? I am tearing my hair out over this. Cathy Haslam, via email
Grace replies: This has been a very frustrating situation for you. I’m glad to hear your neighbour’s friend has no long-lasting damage from the accident. You told me the she was bruised and shaken and had to move to a convalescent home to recover, but is now back at her own home.
The accident happened in April. Your neighbour told you she “lost control of the car” and drove up the grass bank and into your wall. It had gone midnight after dinner at your neighbour’s house.
You had paid to have the wall repaired just days after the incident, as it was not only impractical but also an eyesore.
As the driver was hospitalised, you agreed to speak to Direct Line yourself, as you felt bad for her and her condition.
You say you waited 45 minutes on hold to Direct Line when first contacting them before having to explain the situation to them in full and that it was thrown by the fact you were making a claim on the driver’s behalf which resulted in lots of explaining.
As you mentioned you rejected two offers made by the insurer, and by June, nearly two months since the crash you were still at a stalemate. You contacted your neighbour multiple times and asked if she would speak to her friend to speed up the process of receiving a payment. She said it would be easier to speak to her directly.
As this was dragging on, you contacted Citizens Advice who confirmed your neighbour was liable, not you, even though you were forced to spend hours back and forth with the insurer dealing with the claim.
You believe that she paid her premium in good faith and yet the insurer seemed intent on haggling down the cost of your repairs.
By August with Direct Line claiming the £4,500 was it’s “full and final offer” by email you decided to contact me.
You asked if I could persuade Direct Line to pay the full amount of £5,940.
I contacted the insurer and explained the situation suggesting it reimburses you in full. Direct Line responded to say it had agreed to pay your claim in full.
A Direct Line spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly for the delay in resolving Ms Haslam’s claim. We can confirm we are in the process of settling the claim in full for £5,940.”
Although you were keen to get the wall sorted, the problem with doing so is that you risk the insurer not paying up for some time, leaving you out of pocket, especially when there are questions and negotiations. This is exactly what happened to you.
You are very relieved the six month haggle has come to an end.
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Contact: grace.gausden@inews.co.uk