floydbloke:

mattwnz:

Do you get the excess back as a cost from the other parties insurer?...

I'm hoping (expecting really) that the rental company's insurer will try to recover the full amount from the other party's insurer, including my excess.  I spoke to the rental company this morning and they did confirm that they would refund it if they can recover.  Charging the credit card straight away for the full excess is standard practice when you have reported damage.  

Not a huge amount of damage:



but I would expect it to be more than $350 so the rental company's insurer won't want to be out of pocket.  I'm so, so glad that I bought the excess reduction (I never have in the past) otherwise the excess would have been $3,500.  I expect the repair to be cheaper than that so in that case there would be nothing in it for the rental company's insurer to seek re-compense, other than perhaps that I 'paid' for that service through the insurance component of the rental charge.

mattwnz:.. but it would be grossly unfair if you were out of pocket, due to another party...

Fortunately I was in the car when it happened, what's to say if they would or wouldn't have left their details if I hadn't been in the car.  Can happen to anyone at any time I guess.

mattwnz:... But I guess you could always take the other owner to the disputes tribunal for the excess charge.

That has crossed my mind.  It's early days and hoping it won' come to that.  I'm just so bl**dy impatient and I just want to get it sorted.  They'll notify me (by letter apparently - what's wrong with a phonecall and/or an email) in 5 - 7 working days.

Edit:  I should add that the driver of the other vehicle (not the same person who didn't control the door causing the damage) was cooperative and forthcoming with their details.  They certainly didn't try to deny that their party 'caused'  (carelessness or may have been the wind, it was blowing strongly) the damage.