Motor Claim - pay myself or claim

Hello,

Following a recent small accident, Quinn Insurance have left my father with the option to pay the claim himself €1,500 and keep his no claims bonus, or allow Quinn to cover the cost, loose his no claims bonus and risk his motor insurance increasing. Quinn cannot say by how much his insurance might increase so we have no idea if it will increase beyond the €1,500. Would anyone have an idea of what is better to do? We are thinking its best to pay the claim and save the no claims bonus, thus saving in the long term.

Thanks
RL08

Insurance companies generally dont like paying out on claims... You need to consider whether you have a step back bonus protection clause on your policy... and if your claim is under a certain amount your NCB may not be affected... hence no increase in premium. If you pay out on the claim - the accident will still appear on your no claims bonus certificate, other insurance companies will still have to be informed of this accident, otherwise any other policy will be voided. Although your no claims bonus will not be affected.... how other insurance companies will actually look on this accident in terms of quoting a premium is something that you will need to consider.... Also be completely sure that its not going to suddenly arise into a case of personal injuries - they have 3 years I think to lodge a claim...

This seems like questionable practice by Quinn. As the above poster says, the 3rd party could come back a number of years later and put through a personal injuries claim, your Dad would be in a very difficult situation if this happened. I would leave them process the claim. If your dad had a full bonus prior to the claim, Allianz will reinstate this after the claim once the claim isn't over €3000. In this scenario, Quinn will have to defend the claim if the 3rd party comes back with a PI claim.

Let them pay the claim. When your dad gets his renewal notice, let him shop around and see if he can get a cheaper quote.
If it works out at that stage that it is cheaper to pay the €1500 then he can pay it before his renewal date and get his bonus reinstated.

Thanks to everyone for your feedack, it has certainly made us think about our options.

Best,
RL08