hi all,
thanks for all your contributions. i thought i'd update you and this thread.
as you already know i dealt with the driver privatley.
my insurance rang me and asked me how it went. (don't forget i had already asked them for advice)
it was not the same person i had spoken to. anyway, they "logged" the incident, but i thought i'd share some of the conversation points with you:
the insurance agent told me that it would have better to go through them as we'd be protected in case the other party claim for further injuries.
if i went through the insurance, it would not affect my excess or my no claims, as i am not requesting any work done on my car, for example, if i had damage i needed fixing, then thats when my insurance would be activated. but as there was no damage, the insurance would have worked on getting the damaged car fixed. i was explaining that £250 that i paid has saved a whole load of hassle, and there is no way the insurance would have paid £250 for a scuff. the garage would have charged more.
i had told them that i had written out a disclaimer which he signed. the insurance agent told me it does not really mean anything, and if the injured party makes a claim, they would still have to deal with that claim. the waiver can help, but may not, depending on the case.
the insurance asked me for the drivers details, and later that day the insurance wrote to me and confirmed that they spoke to the driver, who said he was happy to be dealt with privatley and will not be making a claim
whilst logging the basic details, i was trying to explain to the agent that i had scuffed the driver's bumper, and there was no damage to my car. i don't think the agent understood this,as it would seem that regardless of the "damage" it was still an incident, and it should be recorded. so if that being the case, we would be spending all day informing the insurance that you parked under a tree and bird pooped on the car, you had X amount of near misses today, you were on the motorway and stone flicked on the window...
after the conversation i asked how is this being filed? agent said it is a note on my profile. would it affect my premium? he was not sure as sometimes it could and sometimes it may not, he couldn't tell me.
so, now my insurance need renewing, when asked if i had any accidents, do i declare yes, or no?