Accident mismanagement

 Found at: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/14367/accident-mismanagement

A few weeks ago you printed a letter from a man who was anxious about his dealings with an accident management firm, despite its assurances that he wouldn't have to pay costs on the hire vehicle they'd arranged and were claiming against the 3rd party insurers for, on his behalf. You commented that this was an area you were looking into at present and that you could supply the name of an expert solicitor in this field of law to anyone else having similar problems, which is why I'm contacting you. My dealings have been with an accident management company the services of which are advertised free of charge by the dealer chain from whom I bought my Prius last year. I now wish I'd gone with my insurer to settle matters (mine is a 'no blame' claim), but believed the accident management company’s sell-speak about ensuring the best outcome for me with the least trouble. It took 2 months to get the damage (relatively minor) repaired, despite my getting the estimate from approved Toyota repairer within a week of the accident, with, to my mind, unnecessary delays in arranging payment from the 3rd party insurers, who had admitted liability on their client's behalf, also within the first week. That part of the business is now settled. this resulted in my having a hire car (Nissan Micra 1.1) via the AMC for nearly 2 months at a fee of £3,477.07. I've just received a letter from the AMC’s solicitors who I had agreed should act for me if pressure were needed informing me that my claim for these expenses is being forwarded to the Small Claims Court. They state that the majority of cases are settled without the need of an actual hearing, but if mine isn't, I'm required to attend all hearings with their advice to support me. Their advice costs £200 an hour. They happily add that, as I was not responsible for the accident, the 3rd party insurers should pay all my costs. So, now I'm really panicking at the prospect of facing a mounting bill and feel angry and trapped by their approach. I'm just hoping it'll all be settled without court proceedings while outraged at the worry and frustration this is causing.
Asked on 24 July 2010 by AE, Banbury