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MOTOR INSURANCE CLAIMS New framework impractical and unjustified and Govt should check it I REFER to the new motor claims framework (MCF) imposed by the General Insurance Association (GIA) on Sunday. The total motor premiums collected last year amounted to more than $750 million. Yet, insurers suffered losses of $103 million, resulting in a payout of more than $853 million for their motor business. The association justifies the new framework by blaming non-accredited or independent workshops. But the facts show otherwise. There were more than 150,000 reported accident cases last year. Half the number would be at fault and would have to pay the insurance excess amount for their own damage claims. And those without comprehensive coverage have to pay for their own repairs. Another 30 per cent would arrange for the car agent or the insurers to do the repairs. That leaves only 20 per cent of motor accident repairs which are handled by an owner's preferred workshop. In fact, repair costs by the latter are likely to amount to less than 10 per cent of the total payout by insurance firms for motor claims. Yet, the association chooses to blame the issue of inflated claims on this minority group to justify a new framework which allows insurers to call the shots exclusively. The facts do not square with the GIA's rationale for introducing the MCF and forcing motorists to repair their vehicles at GIA-approved workshops. It is shocking that the GIA is allowed to implement a new MCF. The Monetary Authority of Singapore and anti-competition agencies should address the negative fallout from the new MCF viz: [*]Restricting the car owner's right to choose his own repairer; [*]Inconveniencing a policy holder into lodging a report within 24 hours even if there is no damage to his vehicle; [*]Diverting the repair business to a selected few; Restricting the trade of owner-repairers who comprise 95 per cent of motor workshops; [*]Transgressing the anti-competition act; [*]Penalising motorists if they do not follow the unfair terms by removing their no-claim bonus and denying policy renewals; [*]And forming a cartel to increase premiums. I urge the GIA to be transparent in detailing the actual losses, to study the actual cause of their losses and work with the Singapore Motor Workshop Association to find a pragmatic, fair and reasonable solution for motorists and their preferred workshops. Alan Chuang Managing Director/Accident Analyst, Partners Automotive Consultants http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Sto...ory_244160.html

assuming the excess is $500.... and to make things easier, there is no NCD at this moment need some opinions... thanks

April 13, 2008 For this damage, he's asking for $18,000 Driver's shock as fender-bender leads to other party's claims for other parts, injury, loss of income By Christopher Tan A businessman was driving his wife's seven-seater Toyota Wish last November when he was involved in a fender-bender in a carpark in Sims Avenue. Little did he know that his insurer would soon be faced with claims amounting to nearly $18,000, which he and his wife have been contesting for months. He was reversing his car to make a turn out of the carpark when it collided with an approaching Nissan Sunny. It was a bump that resulted in dents on both vehicles, going by on-site photos he took. The 52-year-old businessman exchanged personal particulars with the other driver, and also gave him a written account of what had happened. He said the other driver, an insurance agent, assured him that he would refer the case to his insurer and 'leave lawyers out of it'. The businessman got his car's bumper replaced for $650, which he paid for himself. He thought nothing more of the accident. Then, on Dec 27, he received a letter from his insurer informing him that the Nissan Sunny's owner - the insurance agent's wife - was claiming about $4,700 in damage costs. She had engaged a law firm to make the claim. Damaged parts listed included the shock absorber, headlamp, bumper, wheel, as well as four days' loss of use. The businessman said he called the insurance agent. 'I asked him, 'What's going on? It was a minor accident. Are you trying to make money from me?' He said he was not aware. I was so angry I just hung up.' The businessman added that he and his wife went down to his insurer. 'We told the managers that they should have checked with us, because we had photos.' On March 6, the insurer wrote to say it would be accepting the claim. It also said that the no- claims discount of the businessman's wife was likely to be affected. Before the couple could recover from the shock, another letter arrived. The insurance agent, through a law firm, was now making injury claims worth $13,070. He was claiming for 'pain and suffering', seven days' loss of income, as well as medical, transport and legal costs. The businessman hit the roof. 'The claims were ridiculous,' he said. On March 16, he engaged a claims adjuster and private investigator to help refute the claims. The investigator found evidence which The Sunday Times was requested not to print as this may compromise the case. The couple say that they have evidence to prove that the claims are inflated. When asked to comment, his wife's insurer said the case 'is still under investigation'. Asked why it had informed her that it was going to settle the claims when the case was 'still under investigation'', the insurer did not reply. When contacted by The Sunday Times, the insurance agent involved in the accident said he was not aware his lawyers were making such claims. Asked why he did not report the accident to the police, since it is mandatory to do so for injury-related cases, he said 'it was only in the evening that I felt my neck was stiff'. 'So I went to the doctor to make sure no bones were broken,' he said. When asked why he did not report to the police afterwards, he said: 'Not sure.' [email protected] Copyright ?2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access

Let's say you have 20% NCD now. Decided to change insurance provider when the period is up. Question is, does the 20% NCD follows with you to the new insurance provider or starts at 0 ?

last nite was going round and round marina square carpark, at one portion, cars were jus rolling 5-10kmh, i was turning my head left n right looking for a lot in the branching carpark didnt see car infront have stopped. slight bump into the car infront. usual sop go down inspect damage exchange particulars, no damage to my car, her car, got 3 hairline scratch, fingernail length, hardly noticeable. when i say fingernail . i mean jus the edge something like u press ur nail into a styrofoam box, but the only thing is hers got no depression, jus a slight short hairline mark my car front number plate is quite thick, and i hit on the front, which means only my front number plate would have contact her bumper, the 3 scratches is spread all over her bumper including the sides. she claim all were caused by me, i said, u look at mine car, only my number plate would have contact your bumper, i accept liability for the centre sratch but the side ones ? all 3 scratch were similar, infact they were so negligible her bumper still appear shiny n perfect on my camera. i dun want to argue whose fault, i bang her, my liability, she say her dad will call me later, later in the nite, her dad called, hokkien loud and aggressive type, ask me how i want to settle, i said, i dun want to argue wif u, u get a quote to repsray the whole bumper , i will settle, theirs is new car SJD hyundai avante, so i presume they be going back to AD. he called me this morning, say he want 200plus, n say he be only spraying that section, but he scared 2 -tone, maybe he want spray whole bumper, which will cost more. cannot be from AD cos today is sunday, i suspect hes tryiun to pull a fast one from me, even from outside spray shop, spraying that section at 200plus is rocket high, spray whole thing might even be sub-100 the other time a lorry scratch my front bumper i went back AD spray whole thing only 120 leh, sommore mine is super deept scratch until paint peel off hers is a hairline sractch of fingernail length n thickness n not even a dent, i wont even repsray if i m her cos u wont see it unless u squat down n see wif a torch. i dun even know if insurance might take it up, cos its jus a like a everyday scratch will u do ? give him kopi $ ask him close case ? or let insurance settle ? i going to call komoco n ask for a quotation 2molo.

April 7, 2008 First death from illegal sex drug THE illegal sexual-enhancement drug Power 1 Walnut has claimed its first fatality. He was among the patients who developed serious adverse reactions after taking the made-in-China drug, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday. The middle-aged local Chinese man was taken to hospital in a coma state in early March. Investigations found that he had taken Power 1 Walnut. 'The patient did not regain consciousness and eventually succumbed to pneumonia,' said HSA in a statement. The case is pending the coroner's investigation. 'There are also other patients who developed serious adverse drug reactions of seizures and unconsciousness with just a single ingestion of half a tablet of Power 1 Walnut. This demonstrates the highly toxic effects of this product,' warned HSA. HSA said despite repeated public warnings on the serious health consequences of the illegal drug, it continues to receive new cases. The number of confirmed cases is 23, while that for suspected cases has reached 53. 'HSA strongly urges members of the public not to continue to consume Power 1 Walnut as it causes serious health consequences such as seizures, unconsciousness and coma in those who have taken it,' it said in a statement on Monday. 'It is an illegal product, not approved by HSA, and has been found to contain excessive doses of glibenclamide, a prescription medicine used for treatment of diabetes.' HSA also strongly advises against the purchase of other illegal products touted for sexual enhancement especially those from makeshift stalls, peddlers and dubious internet sites as they are also likely to be purposefully added with potent western medicinal ingredients to achieve the desired effect. As of April 3, another six men who consumed Power 1 Walnut had developed serious symptoms of very low blood sugar, ranging from drowsiness, seizures to loss of consciousness and had to be hospitalised. Nine new suspected cases were also hospitalised, the HSA reported. For the 53 suspected cases, HSA said it it is highly probable that the patients had taken Power 1 Walnut, as they experienced adverse effects similar to those patients who have definitely consumed the illegal drug. All the patients are males, aged between 21 to 97 years old. Two-thirds of them are Singaporeans, and the rest are foreign workers. Of these, half (51 per cent) are Chinese, followed by Malays (19 per cent, Indians (14 per cent) and others (16 per cent). Enforcement operations In the two-month period since reports of these adverse reaction began to surface, HSA has conducted seven enforcement operations targeting areas where illegal products such as Power 1 Walnut were sold or stored. It has since seized some 100,000 units of these illegal products, including over 3,000 tablets of Power 1 Walnut, with a total estimated street value of S$250,000. HSA has also caught nine suspects for illegally dealing in such products. Three of them have already been charged in Court and their cases are currently ongoing, while prosecution actions against the other six subjects are in progress. Illegal products such as Power 1 Walnut often have inferior quality built into them and carry a high likelihood of being adulterated with potent western medicinal ingredients. The adverse effects of taking such drugs have been clearly illustrated with Power 1 Walnut. They include not only coma and death but also leave our patients with debilitating conditions such as seizures and stroke. Substances in Power 1 Walnut Sildenafil and glibenclamide, the two substances detected in Power 1 Walnut are substances controlled under the Poisons Act. It is an offence for an unlicensed person to import, sell or possess for sale any product containing these substances. Anyone found guilty of an offence under the Poisons Act can be fined up o $10,000 and or jailed up to two years. 'In addition to consumers taking their health into their own hands and looking for quick fixes without medical consultation, it would also be helpful for relatives and friends of men who might be exposed to such products to caution them on the dangers of consuming illegal products and dissuade them from using these products,' advised HSA. HSA strongly advises the public who have bought illegal products to throw them away immediately. For those who have taken this illegal product, they should stop consumption immediately and seek medical advice as soon as possible. Members of the public who have any information that could help with the investigation may contact HSA's Compliance Branch at 6866-3485 during office hours. The public is also requested to report any other suspicious sales of illegal products to HSA at the same contact number. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/...ory_224740.html

Can we claim just by knowing the car number without others contact ??

As above...helping a friend

Hi All, Need advise from the bro here. I open my mailbox today and got a letter from my insurer AIG, saying that a taxi is claiming from me $7K plus for an accident at slip road of yuan ching road at 14 Sept. The problem is... i have never been there before!!!! Except for the motorcycle that scatch my car when my car is 1 day out from C&C, i have never been involved with any accident, nor any damange or deep scatches on my car... Now i have my insurer AIG threatening to reduce my NCD and i don't understand why the letter come to me so late..3 bloody months!! Can anyone encounter this before? and do i have to go through all the trouble as AIG is asking me to go down to their office... Damn pissed off, for no reason, i got to waste my phonebill and time to clarify this!!!

I heard this 2 days ago. Glen and FD + one more lady DJ, they welcome callers to talk about xiaolongnu and how they find local guys. Man....at least 2 callers who worked in ktv or similar (i.e. they are xiaolongnu) said: "Singapore men very stupid, once you hook them, they give you anything, everything. You can borrow 20k without need to pay back and can get them to buy "bao bao" for you. 1 word, singapore men very stupid". Upon hearing that, the guy DJs keep protesting! hahaha! And the female DJ agrees.... What's your take on this??

scenario: Traffic jam u are in the bus lane, decided to change to the right lane. u had signal the intention early. u inch out until a point more than half ur body length is into that lane. but the driver at the rear of the right lane didnt stop to give u way. so his front left bumper (arc area) rub against ur right rear bumper (arc area). will u claim? how will u adjustify ur claim? to note: it is a stop n go condition meaning to say, u could have already stopped but he did not.

Just to check for claim against other party, what is the procedure?

My wife was given 7 days of MC following a rear collision to her car. The guy from the workshop said she could claim for pain and suffering, on top of the loss of use. Is there a guideline on how much insurers should pay for pain and suffering? Thanks

From ST Forum Today: [reply] Income fought third-party claim WHILE some insurers may settle third-party claims to avoid litigation, NTUC Income had done the reverse. In December 1999, I hit the rear of a police car when the officers were attending to an accident. The police car surged forward and hit the rear of a private car that was involved in the earlier accident. The police car sustained damage to its rear as well as its bonnet, whereas the private car had a damaged bumper. The cost of repair for the police car was $3,000-$6,000, including loss of use. The claim by the owner of the private car, via a lawyer, was almost $17,000. NTUC Income fought the case and reached a settlement of around $3,000. So, drivers, go for the insurer that looks after your pocket. Aaron Tan Jik Peng What is the logic behind Mr Tan's reasoning? - the claim from the private car was eventually reduced from $17,000 to $3000 - not sure how much excess Mr. Tan has to pay but definitely the max. in this case - his next year insurance premium will surly rise - new premium calculation is adjusted based on overall industry claim history This only showed NTUC has saved $14,000 from their insurance payout Now, compare NTUC and the other motor insurance's premium, they seems to be about the same. So, the only thing I can deduced from this case is that NTUC has save themselves $14,000. When the motor insurance industry claimed that the past year's insurance payout has rise, all the underwriters raise their insurance premium afterward. So, how did NTUC looks after Mr. Tan's pocket?

Dear all I got a long and ugly scratch on my Vehicle side when I parked at Beach Rd late last year. Made a report. Was wondering will my NCB and coming premium be affected if I claim against myself? Do you guys know of any garage here that gives a good price and good workmanship? Thanks. Lester

heard from someone cant claim insurance for aftermarket steering wheel (eg momo) if involved in an accident cause of the removal of the airbag, how true is this? any comments

My Car (which was parked) kenna whacked by another car. I claimed against his insurance which now made an offer to settle. I want to claim the full amount as a matter of principle. What are my chances? I feel I did no wrong at all.

My boot latch died on me this afternoon. Was in the midst of washing my car, when I need to open the boot to get some stuff & discovered that I can no longer open my boot ! KNS, the boot release latch for Octy so flimsy meh ? Now I can only open my boot by 1) folder down my rear seat 2) crawl into the boot 3) manually release the latch from inside But the problem is that the boot cover is so heavy that when the latch rest on the hook, its hooked on (but not completely locked). Hence, I need 2 persons to open the boot now. One to manually release the latch from inside & another to keep the bloody boot open ! Going to CA tomorrow morning to see if they'll honour the warranty or tell me c0ck & bull story. I wonder if they have parts for it or I'll have to wait a couple of weeks to get it done ! No problems with my previous 2 Jap rides but so fast the boot release latch on the Skoda mati already. Any of you faced this problem before ?

AYE--> jurong before portsdown/farrer exit. in a jam, 2 laes became 1. you have the lane then comes the bugger from the left wanting a share of ur lane. u shift a little to the rite to avoid then that bugger came in more till the butt is near ur front already. noone wanna give way. so BANG!

Just collected my new car less than 3 wks back and this is what happen yesterday. There is this bus that try to overtake my car (driven by my dad) in the PIE. The driver was trying to filter to the 2nd lane whereas my car was in the 3rd lane. The bus(Front Left Bumper) scratched thru my car(Rear Right Bumper) and causes the Rear right Bumper to give way and Tail Right Lamp to crack off. As both the owners were not present during the accident. Today I called the Bus Owner up and to my anger, he fired up at me saying that it my dad fault. I was pissed off my his statement as I suffered the damage and there basically no damage to his bus. Any advises from experience drivers out there? What my chances as Tan Cheong ask me to pay up full amount to the damage than do a claim to the other party's insurance?

Ok...got a minor accident this morning. Just went to Starauto and the repair cost is about 900 bucks. And this doesn't include the air-con condenser which was damage a little. My question now is should I claim my insurance? If I claim, they will change the front grills, the bumper, the headlights, the condenser, anything they can change, they will change. If I don't claim, they will just repair here and there and I will have to live with the condenser (which is still cold and working, but it clear that some fins are damage) My previous NCD is only 10% which is about $130. Excess is $500 bucks. Let's say they will load another 30% to my initial premium which comes to about another 400. Total I lose if I claim will be about $1030. Now if I repair, own pocket money is 900 bucks. If I claim I will lose 1030. Both quite close, but if claim, I have new parts for almost everything that even has a small scratch... Which way should I go? Is there further things that I need to know? Thanks

wa lan.. i was giving my friend a ride.. den ge swung open the door too wide.. knock onto a bike.. now gt 2 big dents~~ i was planning to claim from him.. for a respray.. but duno how much it'll cost leh.. lazy to go down for a quote...

A close friend related this unhappy,undesirable and unfair experience to me.Really freak ed the hell out of me. Someone hit his new toyota vios from behind(obviously NOT his fault) so he go ahead to claim the other party insurance but when he reported to his own insurance,he was told that they do not do 3rd party claim & suggested he claim his own insurance 1st,then get all relevant documents and claim back from the other party insurance(to be done all by himself).As this is the 1st time he dealt with such situation,he got no choice but to follow suggestion,in the end was only able to claim back the access amt he had paid (abt $400-access of his own comprehensive policy) from the other party insurance company.Now since he had made a claim against his OWN insurance,he lost his NCD & higher premium next time. Some even suggest that he should get a lawyer to write a letter to the other party insurace to fight for the claim but too risky if he were to do that,becoz he might end up gaining nothing and still got to pay for legal fees-not worth at all. This is a clear cut case-NOT his fault,if happened few yrs ago,no problem at all,never heard of such thing as "we dun do 3rd party claim". Now seemed that not his fault but in the end he become the victim-lost NCD and pay higher premium. Can someone advise on this? Any solution ? why why why???

hi All , Is it possible to transfer NCD ( No Claim Discount ) within friends ( non-relative ) ? I'm 28 and going to buy a new car next month . I heard my insurance premium will be around 2k .. Anyone giving up car wanna transfer his/her NCD (30% and above )? Willing to pay $300-$500 if applicable . :) Thanks !