A few years ago, my car was hit (by another car, not by a ballistic missile, or a feather) as I reversed out of a car parking space. The other vehicle was going the wrong way in the car park, and had just driven over a massive arrow showing it the direction it was supposed to be going in. Factor in a few other details, and I was deemed to be the ‘non-fault’ party. Fine. Insurance paid for the minor damage to the car and all was forgotten.
Until about a year ago. When the phonecalls started. ‘Good morning, our records show that you were the victim of a non-fault accident…’. At first I had to wrack my brains to think what they were talking about. Eventually I realised. Then it all became a bit icky. They wanted to help me claim compensation. For what, I asked! I wasn’t hurt! But that doesn’t matter. Even the slightest discomfort counts as injury. I didn’t have any discomfort, I explained. And I have no desire to be part of the problem of escalating insurance costs. Tsk Tsk, Mrs Dounis, don’t you realise that compensation monies have already been set aside by the insurance company for you to claim upon! Tsk Tsk Mr Ambulance Chaser, don’t you realise you’re talking to the daughter of a man of integrity, who happened to spend most of his working life in the insurance sector!! I win! Go away!
But still they persist. Recorded messages, real life people. All of whom are begging me to claim what’s apparently ‘rightfully mine’. But it isn’t rightfully mine. Because I wasn’t injured. I was a bit shaken up, but I had a girlfriend with me and I went home to a husband who gave me a hug. And that was that. Now I do have a pain in the neck, but it’s nothing to do with a car accident!
So I try to find the good in these people and what they’re doing. Perhaps they’re paid mostly on commission and need every claim possible in order to meet income targets. In which case I guess that’d just make them a bit desperate. But part of me wonders if you can be in that game and have integrity. Because whichever way you look at it, persuading someone to lie isn’t honest.