Used Car Expert helps consumers fight rip-off Britain
When used car buyer Alice Austin had her car stolen just four weeks after purchase, her insurance company tried to pay out just 80% of its real market value.
UsedCarExpert.co.uk helped give her the confidence to fight her corner.
According to the BBC One television report, when Ms Austin reported her car stolen, she thought it would only be a matter of time before she was paid out in full by her insurers.
However a month went by without a word, so she chased up, to be told that a cheque for just £6,300 was being sent. A massive £1,700 less than she had paid just a month before.
Editor of UsedCarExpert.co.uk, Matthew Tumbridge comments, “The car Ms Austin had stolen was exactly the kind of car we recommend savvy buyers go for - a two-year-old, 15,000-mile car that felt and looked like new. So to have it stolen so quickly must have been devastating.”
Ms Austin says she was insulted by the insurer’s offer, so turned to the internet and searched various sites for example cars that were a close match to the condition and specification of her stolen car.
The insurer meanwhile just seemed to be trying to find the cheapest cars in the area.
Having gone back and fourth twice, arguing about what a fair price guide should be, Ms Austin told her insurer “The Used Car Expert is the one we should be looking at” and went on to say that she would take her case to the Financial Service Ombudsman if need be.
Ms Austin’s insurer eventually paid £1,200 more than they first offered, a figure much nearer the value she paid for the car.
Tumbridge says, “We know that this affects a lot of people every year. So we are going to pick up the baton on this campaign and help more consumers defend themselves as Ms Austin did. We now provide a free 3- step guide to valuing your car for an insurance claim on UsedCarExpert.co.uk’s homepage.”
“Car owners can trust our prices because they are the only prices based purely on the retail market, and the only prices to use real average mileage rather than assume all cars do 8-10,000 miles a year. That’s what makes them so realistic and effective in these situations. It’s too easy for an insurer to say your car is high mileage and offer less money, when actually all similar cars in the market have similar mileages because they are suitable for motorway work and used accordingly.”
Used Car Expert’s three step process is:
1 Check the FAIR price of your car using Used Car Expert prices
This is the national average retail price in the UK, based on real cars, that are actually on sale. It is drawn from one of the largest samples of UK data available.
2 Check the mileage of your car against the real average mileage (shown on all Used Car Expert prices)
3 Find cars for sale that are similar to the car you lost in terms of:
Specification
Mileage
Condition
Service history
Retailer you bought your last car
Warranty (if relevant)
Distance from where you live - car prices can vary around the country
Put all the above together in a written complaint and tell the insurer that if you do not receive an improved and more appropriate offer, you will take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
