by Malc2098 » 04 Feb 2017, 10:54
Thanks, Robert, the deal's been done and the situation resolved. They offered us a fair price for both vehicles and I considered fair the price they were asking for a 7m old 7k miles car.
Mark, thanks. There's the rub. No-one will tell you which insurance company put it on there due to data protection!! Never mind the fact that the innocent registered keeper's data needs protecting!
She spent 3 days on the phone speaking to HBI, the insurance companies that she had used during her ownership of the car, the insurance companies of the drivers who dented the doors in the car park and everyone denied any knowledge of putting the write off marker on there.
Well, as it turned out, they would deny it, because none of them did. And because none of them did, they can't remove the marker, only the insurer who placed the marker can do that.
So there we are, with a blighted car, that no-one wants to offer market value for because HPI says it's a write off!
While she was investigating from that end, I started with HPI. They contacted the insurer who told them the details were correct, so HPI proceeded no further!
I got back on to HPI. This time a formal complaint. This time they raise an investigation into the marker.
While they're doing that, one of the many people she has rang actually gives her the phone number of the insurer placing the marker and the details of the write off - stolen and recovered with damage - in Ireland!!!
She gets on to that insurer and eventually finds a great customer service chap who looks into the details and acknowledges an error - one letter different at the end of the registration number!!
Co-incidentally, HPI ask that insurer to raise the engineer's report into the write off and ask for the description of the vehicle. This establishes same make, same model, different colour and different registration number - one letter different at the end of the number!!
This time, HPI advises, only advises, the insurer to remove the marker and rectify the record.
At the same time that I get an email from HPI apologising for the trouble caused and explaining that they are not the 'data controller' and give me details of where to complain, my wife receives an email from that insurer more or less accusing her of trying to get a legitimate marker removed from the database so she can sell her car to an unsuspecting purchaser of a seriously damaged vehicle!!!! There's a complaint going to their MD, I can assure you!
So the marker's been removed and since 2013 when it went on, not only have my wife's car's details be on the database, but some other car that has been written off is in circulation with no notification of its damage history to its new owner.
There! I'm a bit calmer now.
Malcolm