# Had a car accident - Sorting out the insurance



## ABC_123 (Jan 27, 2010)

Hey guys,

Long time lurker here, hope all is well. I had a car accident last thursday as I left my workplace, hit a hole on the ground, lost control of the car and had a relatively impressive accident. Anyway, I am lucky to be alive and most importantly, I didn't hit anyone. The police came along and they were cool with me once they found out I was not drunk, took me to the police station in Deira and retained my driving license.

Now, I am having a problem with the rent a car company. Since I am going to be living here I rented a car for a month from one of the local places that is cheaper than the international companies (e.g Avis). The clauses are somewhat shady and it looks as though it was written on the border of legality. To give you an example, there is a clause talking about the excess to be paid in case of accident yet it does not state any amount (there is an underscore sign "_" so that an amount is written yet it is blank). I thought I would pay an excess (I hear it is aprox 500 dh here) and then walk away yet there is another clause saying that any damage done to the car is responsability of the person renting the car. I don't have the paper atm in front of me yet these is not the wording and it is open to interpretation. I was arguing with the car company for quite a while and the person who dealt with me didn't seem to have much of a clue.

They are now telling me I have to pay 2000dh, 500dh for what I broke that belongs to the government/RTA (plastic barriers and traffic sign) and 1500dh for the car insurance. I told them I wanted to see a formal receipt from the car insurance about what has been fixed and they said they would have it in two days, it has been 5 days now and they keep saying the same everytime I call. They also initially said it was 3000 dh but after getting angry at them, they dropped it down to 2000dh (which made me even more suspicious). I have a profound feeling that they are trying to make a profit out of me or something along those lines, the guys at that company do not seem legit to me and they are very unprofessional (bare in mind these guys initially looked legit to me as it was the only rent a car in Deira that didn't smell horribly plus a friend of a friend recommended them for their low prices, bad move).

My questions are as follow but first do remember that I asked for the car for 30 days and in the contract it says 30 days of use at 50 dh a day. I had the accident 5 days after getting the car:

- The contract does not specify any insurance and the clauses are misleading, do I have to pay what they claim? In the case that they do not provide a formal receipt (as I am expecting), do I still have to pay what they may claim verbally or through non formal documents? I would not but they have my credit card details as a deposit (it was either that or my passport)
- One of the clauses mentions something along the lines of me having to pay the days of rent a car whilst the car is being repaired. I asked the guy and he said it is no problem, that now that the car is in the garage that I dont have to pay any extra days. Of course I am expecting this to bite me back in the butt if things are to go bad (which I am expecting too).
- Can I ask them for a formal paper that says that now that the car is being repaired I do NOT have to pay any extra days? I asked a local friend and he said they would not give me that as technically if I stop using the car due to an accident, it is a given that I no longer have to be charged for the extra days. Have my doubts about that though.
- Due to having had enormous initial expenses in my first weeks when moving to Dubai, I cannot afford to pay upfront to companies like Avis. I actually rented another car from these guys (which will also help when dealing with them about paying the insurance as I remain a client, or so they believe muhahaha). My concern is paying for this car and the other one (in the case that I DO have to pay for the whole month of the crashed accident).
- The car company is telling me that in order to retrieve my license I only need to go to the police station and pay a "fine". Yet they have the accident report and my local friend told me that all I have to pay is the RTA damage and that should be covered by the insurance. Funny thing is that the RTA damage is covered by the insurance but I have to pay for it.

I think that is pretty much it. I sincerely appreciate any help. Since I moved to Dubai some weeks ago I found out that doing business with locals (bare in mind by locals I mean non-emirati arabs) is done in a very informal manner and that one must read everything and ensure that what is done is legal. Having rented from places like Avis, I never thought that I would not be insured, even less that there is no option to being insured as is the case with these guys!

Thank you very much


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I worked for Hertz prior to coming here and it always amazed me when people decline coverage and then when I ask if they have insurance they say no. I would specfiically tell everyone that they would be responsible for the car and people still declined the insurance. I got into an incident years ago where my insurance covered above my deductible, then I got a bill in the mail for 'depreciation of the vehicle' $3200us - 11744 durhams. I would relate the story and people would still decline the insurance. Crazy to me. ALWAYS get the insurance!

I can't comment on your situation specific for here in the UAE, but good luck!


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## mrbig (Sep 10, 2009)

My advice to you is, get a lawyer.


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## Elphaba (Jan 24, 2008)

ABC_123 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> Long time lurker here, hope all is well. I had a car accident last thursday as I left my workplace, hit a hole on the ground, lost control of the car and had a relatively impressive accident. Anyway, I am lucky to be alive and most importantly, I didn't hit anyone. The police came along and they were cool with me once they found out I was not drunk, took me to the police station in Deira and retained my driving license.
> 
> ...


You need to contact me directly. You do not have enough posts to PM, but you can find an email address at the end of the column link in my signature. 

How much I can help depends on the which company you rented from as my connections are better at some than others, but I can certainly advise.

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