Mobility Benefit

[dave50]

How does this benefit work? I know some are entitled to a car to get around but to what extent? Why are some of these people driving around in big expensive cars? Do they have to contribute over and above a certain level and if they can afford to do that, doesn't it beg the question whether they should be entitled to this benefit in the first place?

[bookend]

I know about the panel charge from personal experience. I had a Ford Focus on Motability that was hit on the wing by a woman reversing her Ford Ka in a supermarket carpark. I was stationery at the time.

Very minor damage, a small scratch that was hardly visible, was also sustained on the passenger door. In fact, it was the appointed repair agent that pointed it out to me as I had not seen it myself. When the paperwork came through from Motability following the repairer's report, I was charged what they termed "two panel damage" involving one panel plus adjacent damage. I therefore had to pay the charge for replacing both the wing and the door.

Had I not had the car on Motability, the door damage could have been ignored or repaired far cheaper than the fee per panel charge I had to pay to Motability.

I've had a quick look on the Motability website, but I can't find confirmation of this now. it's probably buried in the detail and to be honest, it doesn't surprise me. It's hardly something Motability would want to advertise.

[hc4361]

I would expect that to be insurance excess, bookend

[bookend]

An interesting idea. The problem is that make three claims or more during the lifetime of the vehicle and the insurers, Sun Alliance, refuse to insure you. There are people out there that can't get a mobility vehicle, even though they are entitled to it by receivng the higher mobility component of DLA, simply because Motability don't want to know anyone who can't get insurance with Sun Alliance.

So in essence, if three cars collide with during the term of your Motability lease, you're off the road regardless if you are at fault or not. This fact could tend to keep people awake at night!

[hc4361]

Three claims in three years could make it very expensive and difficult for anyone to get insurance, whether they own their own car or lease it.

[Peter Pedant]

// ...doesn't it beg the question whether they should be entitled to this benefit in the first place?" No, it doesn't beg that question.

Don't get disabled, dave. //

You can have my DLA Dave - but you also have to have all my ghastly diseases as well.

before you say Oh yeah ! great ! - it is a really good deal for me and involves chemotherapy

[bookend]

hc4361, I'd go as far as to agree it could be extremely expensive to insure a vehicle after three accidents in three years. Nevertheless, it could be done. as long as you've got the cash, the insurers will oblige.

With SunAlliance it's a point blank NO and that's the end of your mobility with a Motability vehicle. There's no room to appeal and all three accidents could have been the fault of the other driver. You're off the road through no fault of your own.

Don't tell me this is fair.

[hc4361]

Life isn't fair, bookend. It should be possible to buy a used car on finance using the DLA/PIP money, though

[bookend]

hc4361, that's not the point. The issue was over the working of the Motability scheme. Those of us that receive the component are indeed perfectly free to do as we wish with the money, including using it to purchase a car. Nevertheless, forcing a percentage of the people entitled to the benefit to go down that road because of carelessness of other drivers only proves that the Motability scheme is not all its made out to be. That was my point.

Indeed life isn't fair. Given the advertising bumf that drops through my letterbox and the eagerness of participating car dealerships to acquire custom from those on the higher rate of mobility, one would have thought that more effort would have gone into providing a genuine, helpful service for a section of the community that needs it most. That's fairness.