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Problems with car insurance company
Does anyone have experience of disputes with car insurance companies in Belgium? Is there an ombudsman?
My wife had a scrape on our drive in December involving her vehicle and mine. We filled in a constat and sent it to both our insurance companies. My wife admitted responsibility on the form (her car is from a leasing company) and shortly after the leasing insurance company paid for the repairs needed for her car.
However, my insurance company - ACTEL - has been a real nuisance and have not yet given me permission to have my car repaired despite the fact that it will be wife's insurance company that will pay for the damage. They have demanded that I send them various TVA forms, which they have repeatedly lost, and also a copy of the bill of sale for both mine and my wife's car. I've provided the bill of sale for my car but not that of my wife's because it's a leasing car and she doesn't have a receipt.
My insurance company are suggesting that I should pay the repairs out of my pocket and then claim the money back from them afterwards. This is absurd and alien to me as they should pay the body shop directly.
Does anyone have any idea of how I get them to fulfil their obligations?
I suspect that the simple answer is that they smell a rat. They probably suspect that you damaged your car elsewhere and then arranged for your wife to have a minor scrape with it so that you could get it repaired on your wife's car's insurance without the claim affecting your bonus malus, and, because your wife's car is on a lease package, without costing your wife anything either.
Playing awkward is a pretty standard insurance company response in such circumstances. I assume that if you get the work done, pay for it and then claim, they will ask the repairer for an assessment of whether the work done was wholly consistent with the incident you and your wife reported. If the repairer concurs then you will be reimbursed, but if the repairer doesn't then not only won't you be reimbursed but you could well find yourself being visited by those nice lads and lasses in blue uniform.
Accidents like this where collusion is possible are always difficult, particularly if there were no independent witnesses.
Surely your beef is with your the insurance company of your wife? As far as I can see, your claim is not with your insurance company.
