Insurance Question

[Mickster]

My girlfriend was in a car accident last week (her fault). The car was towed to a garage and written off. Sh estill had some personal items in the car, including a car seat and cd player (she was going to put the old radio back in).
When she went to retrieve her stuff today the car has gone to salvage.
She called her insurers who said they had to cut their losses. They also told her a cheque had been sent out for the settlement. She has had no written confirmation from the insurers regarding any settlement and when told this asked what she should do if she did not agree with the valuation. She ws told she could not submit any evidence re: valuation.
Two questions:

i) Should the insurers have told her the car was to be moved so she could retrive her possessions and how does she get them back now?
ii) How should she challenge the valuation if she doesn't agree with it?

Thanks

[rosedale]

Hopefully you should find some advice here http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer /complaints.htm#content

[Toureman]

What the insurance company has done amounts to theft of a vehicle that does not belong to them as you have not recieved any payment for your car!

I would report this to the police as a first step and follow rosedale's advice.

[antnik]

Insurers do not tend to dispose of salvages until settlement has been agreed. I would contact the insurance company and ask for the car seat and stereo back. Insurers move cars from recovery yards as they charge storage and move them to their own salvage yards. They should be able to contact the salvage yard to see if the items are still in the vehicle and make arrangements with you for them to be returned.
If the items have gone astray I would write a letter to the insurer making a complaint that they were stolen whilst the vehicle was in their possession.
Sorry but not heard of an insurer advising that you can't submit any evidence regarding valuation. Usually if there is a disagreement you look at Auto Trader. For the insurers offer you should be able buy the same make, model, milage, age, condition etc car from the private cars for sale section to check the valuation is there or therebouts. (Sorry not garage prices as they usually include a warrenty. Insurers consider this betterment as your own vehicle didn't have one.) If this shows the offer is low you submit the adverts to insurer asking them to reconsider the valutation.
If they refuse to reconsider the valuation and your adverts show the vehicle was worth more again I would make a complaint.