well we come to the end of another month still nothing about why they scrapped my car nor even a second offer on it and no reply as to why they wont pay for court action on the grounds the lights are traffic light controlled..theyve shot themself in the foot there as now they know that he has had to of gone through a red light unless they make another rubbish excuse up theyve tried i couldnt of been as vigilant as i thought i was ..now the lights are controlled ..what will they think up next cant wait ...people dont forget this is my crap car gateway insurance through swinton who are suppose to be on my side you would think i was the other party ..thats how bad these people are not 1 piece of help or 1 piece of decent info from them from day 1 ..

remember stay away from gateway insurance always ask your broker who will you be insured by if they say gateway you know the rest...

well yet another month been and gone gatway crap insurance still not a thing from this crap company

this firm only want your money and will do absolutley nothing to help a claim so please dont make the same mistake as i did and try saving a few quid by buying low standard insurance ..do your checks ...as even the big boys like swinton will gladly recommend people like gateway as long as there getting there cut they dont care.and they certainly dont give u any after care all you get from swinton is see your insurer ..

remember always ask when taking out or renewing car insurance who you will insured by if they say gateway spend a few quid more and get a decent company who might actually help you on your claim

you have been warned about this company pay them at your own peril

well its one year tommorrow since my bump with my neighbour..and 1 year later still not a thing sorted from gateway crap insurance as recommended by swinton.

they scrapped my car without even letting me know ..i only found out when dvla thanked me.yet gateway crap insurance havent paid a penny out on it..and im fully comp work that one out

they have sent me one offer in 12 months and that was scrap value..

its a year tommorrow since they refused to fund my court case..with no reasonable explanation there best excuse is i couldnt have been as vigilant as i thought i was..

remember people if you choose to use a broker for your car insurance..you wont find wiser words on this site..than this

ask your insurance /broker who you will be insured by..if they say gateway..you would be a fool to take there offer up as i can guarentee you they are 100% useless

oldhamred:

gateway crap insurance as recommended by swinton.

Thanks for keeping us all updated.

I agree with you entirely that both companies mentioned are crap.

But, for the purposes of making others aware, can you explain why you chose to accept the insurance in the first place? Was it based on policy 'benefits' sold to you, cheap premium, feedback from friends/forums etc?

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Coyote

You may find the following information from the Ombudsman helpful (Apologies if its already been posted)

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/technical_notes/motor-valuation.html#16

16. salvage of the "written-off" vehicle and contents

Once the policyholder accepts payment of the full market value, the insurer becomes the owner of the salvage. If the policyholder asks to keep the salvage, the insurer is entitled to deduct what it would have been able to sell the salvage for. This is usually not very much.

But what if the policyholder complains that the insurer (or its agent) disposed of the salvage before paying the full market-value? At this stage, the vehicle still belongs to the policyholder, and we take the view that the insurer should not have disposed of it without first obtaining the policyholder’s consent to the settlement of the claim – even if the insurer said it was only acting in the public interest by keeping a badly-damaged vehicle off the roads. In such circumstances, and unless the insurer returns the salvage, we usually award the policyholder compensation for inconvenience.

If the policyholder had personal belongings in the vehicle when the insurer disposed of it without consent, we are likely to award the cost of replacing these – usually on a like-for-like (rather than a new-for-old) basis.

"Written-off" vehicles are categorised – according to the severity of the damage – under a voluntary code agreed between the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and salvage dealers (ABI Code of Practice for the Disposal of Motor Vehicle Salvage):

• Category A vehicles are to be kept off the road and crushed.
• Category B vehicles are also to be kept off the road, but could be broken up for spare parts.
• Category C vehicles are repairable, but uneconomical to repair.
• Category D vehicles are repairable economically, but written-off for some other reason.

Since 7 April 2003 all category A, B and C vehicles notified to DVLA must pass a Vehicle Identity Check before they can be returned to the road. This is an identity check, to confirm that the vehicle is the original one and not stolen, and does not check roadworthiness or repairs. (The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2002)

thank you for the information this is what im up against i have not been paid a penny for this car nor was i imformed they were going to scrap it is 12 months since the bump the other party had his car fixed and back on the road in weeks me i just get fobbed off with 1 offer of scrap value they even sent me a check out i returned it and telephoned them to let them know i was not excepting it like i say folks always ask when using a broker who will you be insured by..if they say gateway..you know the rest

reply to coyote i took out the policy through swinton thinking they were my insurers i even went into our local branch of swinton and paid monies in there office i went with them as it was a reputable company and to be 100% honest the cheapest what a nightmare massive lesson learnt though

you got me thinking now dacouch ....i think i will ring them tommorrow it will be nice to here there voices again as they never bother telling me anything anymore .im going to put this to them what it says in your reply..

But what if the policyholder complains that the insurer (or its agent) disposed of the salvage before paying the full market-value? At this stage, the vehicle still belongs to the policyholder, and we take the view that the insurer should not have disposed of it without first obtaining the policyholder’s consent to the settlement of the claim – even if the insurer said it was only acting in the public interest by keeping a badly-damaged vehicle off the roads. In such circumstances, and unless the insurer returns the salvage, we usually award the policyholder compensation for inconvenience.

anyone for a £5 bet i get no joy.

just been on to the ombudsman website some good info on there

saw this as well

19. interest on the amount of the claim

We usually decide that the insurer should pay the policyholder interest on the amount of the claim – calculated from the date of the incident (not from the date of the claim) to the date of payment. This is because the policyholder has not had the use of the vehicle, but the insurer has had the use of the money. The rate is likely to be 8% per year simple, though the law may require the insurer to deduct tax from the interest.

yahoooo that £150 offer must be worth another £12 less tax lol

lets see if they answer the question yet as to why they want me to take a 50/50

well its a good job you lot didnt take the £5 bet .you would of lost i got no joy. i have just come of the phone to gateway lets do nothing car insurance and asked them about why they scrapped my car when it states on the ombudsman website they cant...i asked them as anyone come up with a real excuse as to why i should take a 50/50..

the reply came...im sorry we are not dealing with the matter now its been passed over to experto..who ever they are i ask ..why has no one informed me of this why as it took for me to phone them to find out theyve passed the buck

they have my house number my mobile number my email address my postal address..yet nobody bothered to inform me there not dealing with it .....

so lets see how long it takes experto to get in touch as the polite lady on the phone said it was passed to them on 7th august nearly 2 week ago ..

You need to put in an official complaint to the Insurers, once you have done this make them aware you are taking it to the Ombudsman. Taking a complaint will cost Gateway circa £360 whether you win or lose.

The Ombudsman always goes by his previous ruling guidance so if your case fits into the notes I posted he will rule in your favour and award interest etc as per his guidance notes. However bear in mind a complaint to the Ombudsman will take many many months.

Gateway are part of the same group as MMA and Swintons, what a coincidence that Swintons recommended them to you...

If you look in your policy booklet it will tell you how to make an official complaint and the time scales they have to abide with. Like I said once you have exhausted this you can hit them with the Ombudsman who by the sounds of it will rule in your favour on them disposing of your car and will also cost them £360!

dacouch your a angel .i didnt know where i was going with this now they have passed the buck

so i did as you said i looked in my letters to find how to complain it was there

heres what i sent them

hi i would like to put in a official complaint about gateway regarding the scrapping of my car without any consent or any settlement or payment and only 1 offer of settlement that was rejected
i would like to make you aware i will be taking this up with the ombudsman in the near future if a settlement is not reached

lets see what happens now i dont care if takes another 6 months i have waited over a year now

thanks again for your time and help its appreciated very much

ps.. will keep u updated

It would be worth your copying and pasting the guidance notes from the Ombudsman so they are aware of the Ombudsmans view on the matter and that you are aware of the existance of this guidance

its done copied and pasted and sent again thanks for all your help and support will let you know what happens as soon as i get some news..

well.well..well dacouch..that official complaint certainly upset somebodys apple cart they have now increased there offer to £400..not a lot of money i know but certainly better than £150..i have accepted it ..but thats only half the battle im waiting to see what experto says about who is liable for the bump ..we still have 9 years no claims riding on it so again thank you for your valuable time and info ..keep checking back to see what experto say i will update as soon as