I had this.
Person drove into my parked truck, immediately admitted liability. exchanged insurance details, claims made. All good. Truck had cosmetic damage, but safe and roadworthy.
My insurer phoned, gave me details of their local preferred garage. I contacted them, they gave me a slot in 3 weeks time.
Next day some third party company phoned up offering a courtesy car. I wasn’t quick enough to work out what was going on (was also in the middle of moving house). They used language that implied that i shouldn’t try to drive my truck because any damage that occurred between now and when it got fixed would mean I would have to cover all the repair costs myself. So I stupidly accepted.
Courtesy car dropped off next day. Fortunately, before I even got in it, the other person’s insurer phoned. Asked if I’d accepted a courtesy car. I said yes. They were polite but very firm: if it turns out your truck was drivable, we will not pay for the courtesy car. Can you confirm the condition of your truck?
I said ‘cosmetic damage but drivable’. She said: in which case, the moment you open the door of that courtesy car, the meter will start ticking, and it’ll all be on you. It will run to thousands, and you’ll end up having to get a lawyer involved at the end of it.
So I phoned the third party provider and asked them to take the courtesy car back. No resistance at all: promptly came and got it. The guy picking it up was very candid: ‘you dodged a bullet, mate…’
When I finally dropped my truck at the repair garage, they cheerfully provided a courtesy car for the week they had my truck, no bother.
Which is also how I know a Nissan Juke makes a terrible stalking vehicle…
