A follow up video with the outcome of our car and caravan crash a few months ago
Our car insurance was with Budget Direct, our caravan insurance was with CIL
We were not happy with the actions of Budget Direct, but we were over the moon with how good CIL were.
want to help? – www.buymeacoffee.com/markandshirley
Music by
Unicorn Heads – Six Seasons
source
There is insufficient laws governing insurance company conduct. I see commenters recommending specific insurance companies because they look after their clients – THEY all should look after their clients!
sounds like the the weight distribution in the caravan was incorrect. Lucky to get insurance payout. I'd be careful you are not sued by the insurance company for defamation.
Insurance companies are good to take your money but don't like to pay it out .. I left budget rip off cause they knocked back a fence that blew down in a high wind night and they said cause it wasnt maintained wtf it was a 6 mth old new colour bond fence ..Yea never again
What happened stop blabbing on !
You should reach out to the yarns cast on YouTube if you are still up that way. Sure they would be interested to have a chat with you.
Enjoy the rest of your travels
Thankyou for the warning about Budget Direct will change policy as soon as possible and warn family and friends !
My only question would be, if you were dumb enough to replace the caravan with another single axle caravan, so that it too can be the tail wagging the dog & cause the same outcome a second time? 🤷♂️
How hard can it be for the insurance person to Google 'Julia Creek' while talking to the customer. They might then get a better idea of the distances involved. I used to live in a town that was about 180 kilometres (110 miles) from Sydney, Australia. An insurance person thought that was a suburb of Sydney. They were based in Perth.
Why would you use budget direct for insurance on a LandCruiser and a 150k van why pay the extra NRMA are brilliant
A company with Budget in it's name should be a warning. Insurance is sold on the cost of premiums and never on the claims side of their business.
Thanks for the courage and telling us about your story in this video. I hope something like this never happens to you ever again and can see already from the keyboard.warriors some smart arse & hurtful comments yes the big insurance company’s have loss touch with there people policy holders until it happens to them then realise what a real world is really like should be lot more scrutiny put them
Did I miss something, How did the accident happen for it to be on its side, 4×4 and Van ? Cheers
Insurance companies dont care about you
G'day Mark & Shirley , you both have certainly had a rough time, as we age these events tend to stress one even more. We had a claim after we clipped a roo, not a real lot of damage, bullbar damaged small bonnet dent. We were insured with RACQ they were so helpful,a with a painless experience. I guess one's insurance is only as good as one's first claim they all take your money as you found out. I think there would have been more u could have said ….being diplomatic & eggshells😅
Budget for a reason: You pay less but don't expect good service when in need. Lesson learnt: No need to go as cheap as Budget, nor should we go and pay Toyota tax. Essence of this video!
Insurance company's are about making money to pay ceo's bonuses not helping client's
Hi Mark
Your video just popped up on my YT
Normally I do not watch such videos but your accident video interested me.
I could not figure out what was the reason for it and the drivers counteraction to control the tail swing.
Yes, I have also a one axle van behind a Landcruiser and I know what is a tailswing by experience.
For my understanding it is a easy to control it in an instand, less 2 sec. Or 2 swings befor it gets out of control or even the antisway system kicks in.
May there are a number of different actions, but my best way todo is:
Towpro break controller installed in the car.
Set to Automatik on the road. (Set to manual on dirt roads an WDing)
In Automatik mode turn the knob up to 10 highest setting
Test drive every time start driving if the van break function accurately. (My way of checking)
When you experience a tail swing or wiggle you call it, hit the tow pro button in an instand to activate the van breaks with all force they got. Release the button, re-apply if necessary your butt is the sensor for it to make that decision!
This should straighten the rig and neutralize tail swing.
Not sure what electric trailer brake system you have installed, but in my opinion all system should have a button for manual override.
PS.
Yes maybe I have old experience from truck driving in Sweden where in former time the manual trailer brake lever under the steering wheel was a live saver going down ice roads with a fully loaded trailer is pushing the prime mover. Schock-Hit the trailer bracketing straighten the rig. It worked for many of the truck driver as live safer. Now with ABS not sure…
The best testing strip in my opinion is the little hill into Adelaide or out of Adelaide 10 km downhill with little gradience.
Drive downhill, accelerate go of the trottle and let the van push you car. If it starts a tailswing hit to tow pro button for 1-2 seconds and streighten the rig.
By all means this is my way and experience to get out off such a situation and for sure I am not an instructor nor driving trainer but with decades of experience driving all sort of vehicles except road trains in Australia which are a much different ball game.
Good luck and safe drive with your new rig D Max and single axle van.
Cheers
I would like to know what caused the accident.
More learning to be had from that I think.
They outsource everything to other organisations. This is my story. Nothing as serious as yours, but I don't have a lazy $20k for emergencies, and as an Age Pensioner if deeply affected me. I live alone on the NSW Mid Coast and I have a good old 2006 Ford Falcon which is in good condition and with low kms. I had Insurance with BD which came with Roadside Assistance. What could possibly go wrong?
I drove the 400kms to Sydney for family business. I parked in Leichhardt at 2pm on a Saturday. I came back to the car an hour later and I could not start it. Nothing. Zilch. I Called BD Roadside assistance and they said they would send out someone to help me. 90 minutes later a bro in a souped up ute arrived, girlfriend in two. He made an effort and he looked at the engine and checked that the battery was connected, then he ran out of talent. He confessed this and said he would arrange a tow to my nearest workshop. Well that was Taree, a 4 hour drive away. He said that they would only tow it to the nearest garage to Leichhardt. No answers to calls, so he left. I called a mate who called another mate who said leave the car there and it would be retrieved at my expense on Monday and taken to a workshop in Hornsby. So I had to pay for a nights accommodation in Sydney, a train trip back to Taree on Sunday and a $120 taxi fare back home. The cat was starving by this time. I live alone and there was nobody to help me. I got a call on Monday afternoon from the workshop to confirm that they had the car. $200 for the tow. There was also a $120 parking fine. It would be fixed by Thursday. I caught the taxi again to Taree, to catch the train again and I picked up the car late on Thursday afternoon. I had a $1200 repair bill to pay, that wiped out all my savings. The problem was a faulty ignition switch connector in the steering column. But I had to buy a whole steering column from a wrecker to get the part. BD never reimbursed me for any of these costs nor the repairs, that should have been under my insurance.
So I swapped to NRMA with Premium Roadside Assistance. Yes, it costs more, but one incident like this makes it worth it.
Hello Mark and Shirley, I'd like to interview you on this crash please as I did for this couple – https://youtu.be/8WEwhMszYQU
BD should be sued
So, so disappointed that your personal items were stolen. This is not what I expect from people in the bush.
I took out a policy with a similar company (allegedly cheaper than the mainstream) for my wife going overseas. She had her mobile stolen from a counter top and I submitted a claim together with an English translation as requested and then they denied the claim as my wife did not have the phone in her possession when it was stolen. Down one phone and the cost of the policy.
Why did the accident happen? What happened? Fatigue, driver error, bad set up what?
Always been a shit insurance company from my experience never again, cancelled went with racv here in Victoria, absolutely perfect, never a problem..so keep away as people say the name and there shitty adds say it all ,beware of what you have and history of the company….
What is the point of the annoying background music? It doesn't add anything & it's distracting from what you're saying.
There is a public register of insurance company claims payout ratios.
This figure is just as important as price ranking.
great to see you didnt get another turd
I am so sorry for the appalling treatment you received from Budget Direct and the harrowing experience you both have gone through. I applaud your resilience and persistence in getting through this.
I was with bugetdirect of my car,i locked my key in it ,rang bugetdirect for help thay said if we help you we will SMACH THE CAR WINDOW TO GET IN…I SAID wtf.true story….
Did you recover your rego plates from the landcruiser?
Budget Direct are the WORST scumbags we have ever dealt with. They engage in blatant fraud! (IMO) We would never go near them again. Like you we LOVE CIL! They are a fantastic company, we have been dealing with them for many years.
Kudos for calling a spade a spade. Take care and may your further travels be safe and enjoyable.
Why did the tow company not have secure storage in their compound where both vehicles were stored?
Isn't it their responsibility?
Was there a closed/lockable trailer available to store the goods?
Would that have been covered re theft by your insurance/their insurance?
Really glad you both were not hurt.
You start off by saying the insurance companies were great
I was wondering who was at fault for the accident, did you have the weight in the camper wrong , did you swerve, blow out ??
I m not sure how old your land cruiser was but and what cover you had , example. if you had it insured for $80000 and they paid out $80000 less excess then that's
ok if you spend $120000 insurance company's fault you spent more
Everything depreciates
Same with camper van
If you have an agreed value that's different
As for leaving your gear unattended
You are relying on people being honest. Locks are to keep honest people out.
Probably should of hired a truck to pick it all up in the first place before the vultures got to it
You are very lucky you got to complain instead of being dead or badly injured or ending up in a wheel chair
Sorry for your accident , but insurance companies are loss adjusters the trick is to have enough cover and the correct cover.
Budget direct are USELESS! I used to have 4 cars insured with them and long story short, they are a bunch of LIARS! I would NEVER insure anything with them ever again!!!
Heres the thing but, the people your speaking to, at a service like insurance likely will never be able to affoard a car and van like yours, they get paid shit, treated like shit, monitored to within an inch of their life, everything is recorded and analyzed by a or a team of small minded fkwits whos been likely promoted based on how good they suck a$$ of the ones above them. They have people in roles where they are entirely incompetent. But You also dont understand the poor bastards in those customer service roles are dealing with hundreds of people a week, they have no flexible working condtions and the culture there according to seek and glassdoor is toxic and soul crushing. Your a number to them because its the only way to deal with working in a caged chicken battery farm that is a call center. I remember with Bupa, it was a time in my life where covid killed my career and i had to pivot in order to survive and its endemic throughout the entire call center industry. Imagine being timed and monitored based on keystrokes, mouse activity, ai analysis of your usage patterns, timed to seconds on breaks etc etc etc.
But you got what you paid for and aparently a little extra, so I dont understand the 15 minute rant?
I think that’s awsome compared to nrma took us 3 months to get the repair done only to get the car back to find the car more damaged then when we started. Then to be gas light and abused and manipulated by the nrma easers was insulting. All work undertaken had to be completely redone from poor workman ship and there is still damage to our car done from the first repair to this day that cannot be fixed. I was without a car for 6 months and they tried to blame me for being abused by nrma and their repair when I was nothing but professional. I think most are scammers and very few are genuine insurance companies.
Great video and shows insurance is not the same although it seems so. Club 4×4 seems to be one of the best for off road tourers but not cheap!
I am just amazed you actually got a car and van in a short time and guess they were used vehicles as the wait on new is 12-18 months.