ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

When will this industry get its comeuppance?

As some maybe aware, I had two break ins in the space of 12months. Insurance refused first claim. After being belittled, interrogated, goaded, insulted and misled the ombudsman ruled in our favour....insurance company have STILL not paid me for the first claim, let alone the second one!!!

Now I have been for want of a better word "blackballed". Make up your own reason as to why, spite, risk, or the fact I stand my ground when I make a claim?

So I'm a risk...two break ins in what? In the 8 odd years of owning a house, and this house has only ever had 3 breaks in since it was built - so 3 in 26years doesn't sound at all bad when put into that context.

Maybe it because I made a big claim....well whats the point of the companies offering cover for up to £50K if they have no intention of paying that out? (that's not the amount I'm owed nor my claim limit, but the policy like many does tout a exorbitant max claim value). So I'm penalised because I actually needed to claim and I forced them to payout when they tried to swindle me, a victim of a crime that was not my fault! How dare they.

The long and short of it all, is I am as of this week, pretty much un-insurable for home and contents. No major insurer will accept me and will reject my application outright. I can get cover with a few companies I've never heard of, but levied to the eyeballs with precise clauses and strict criteria, and premiums that's significantly more than I have ever experienced in my life.

To make matters worse, they will not touch me until my previous insurer has settled the claims. I'm still waiting, letters go unanswered, calls get passed from department to department until I am inevitably cut off (no doubt intentionally).

To top it off, if I "could" get cover, it would be with an eye-watering £5K excess, thats on the building alone...its another £5K on contents. What's the point of bothering? Short of the entire house flooding or burning down, there's little left costing over £5K to fix. And totting together the items in the house, I don't think it adds up to much more than £5K in terms of "stealable" items unless I was totally ransacked of absolutely everything. Its actually probably more cost effective to keep the valuables in the car as that has a lower excess and covers contents within the vehicle.

In a nutshell they've once again had the final laugh. They've put up a fight from the first point of making a claim, and rather just pay up, shut up and let me get on with my life, they just twist the knife that bit more to make me suffer. Not as if months and months of phone calls lasting hours, and hundreds of pages of letters going back and fourth taking months to be replied wasn't bad enough, they go that extra mile.

When will this sector ever be reformed? I could just not bother with insurance, but you know sods law and all that....you so often hear of people who have lost everything and not had insurance and some smart-**** ( like me ) would say..."should have got insurance you cheap skate". Well, I've seen the other side, I can now see why some people don't have insurance.

One day, I just hope somebody gets organised enough to tackle these institutions head on and go "fight-club" (project mayhem) on them.

That is all.

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

You obviously haven't read the threads on this . . .

urban

iTrader: (1)

Yes indeed. Read original thread, but not the new one.

scoobyboy1

iTrader: (16)

Sick of insurance companies myself, Im still waiting for a payout on my car that got stolen back in March 2015, Ive still been paying the monthly payments on a car that I haven't driven/owned for 5 months.

Phoned up the insurance company the otherday for some updates as I haven't heard from the for 3-4 months since they gave me a phone interview to ask me questions about the car, how it was stolen etc. I was told by the guy on the phone that because it was a large amount that they would need some one high up in the company to authorize the settlement

Had enough of it, as im carrying the burden of this ba5tard car and potentially a £32k debt round my neck if they decide not to pay up for some reason, even though some thieving scumbag come into my house with my family asleep and stole the keys to my car.

I feel like stopping the payment on this car and saying to the finance company come and fetch/find the car, but as im a honest law abiding citizen I know its morally wrong and I always pay me bills with a perfect credit rating, But at the moment I just let the insurance company get on with it, but I dont know for how long until I blow and let them have it

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Urban, I investigated having a redcare system installed (monitored + automatic police response ). It makes no difference to either the insurability, premium or excess. Not that it being upgraded anyway for my own benefit.

I cannot get insured currently because my existing insurer has not settled, it appears to be a common policy with most companies. Spent most of yesterday on and off the phone and I think the last claim has now been settled, but I'm still being stonewalled on the first claim.

I have my bets placed that they'll settle it in the day the policy expires giving me hours to find another insurer that'll both insure me and at agreeable cost; I accept its going to cost more, but not extortionately more.

Added that the house's security; wrought iron grilles, laminated glass, Avocet locks, higher gates/fences, CCTV etc.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Ye-gods day three of getting cover: it took yet another call to the ombudsman who was livid and took it upon himself to kick their ***** (his words). He shouldn't need to do this but his influence has forced their hand. So now computer finally says "yes".

Now I am insurable, at last. Just onto the task of actually getting cover.

Last quote; £5k excess....but I have social media defamation cover....wtf?

dpb

Oh that'll be worth having ...

dpb

Anything to bump teh premium up

wrx300scooby

I've always said that insurance is the legal con going

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Insurance is one big nightmare scam. You're probably better off not paying insurance and putting aside £xxx amount each month instead. There's so much small print in insurance policies which makes it a near impossible simple process. They will do anything not to pay out.

Tidgy

Alot of the guys you will deal with direct are great, typically its the back office jobsworths who are the issue.

urban

iTrader: (1)

For what its worth - a more positive note on insurance companies.
My house insurance is with Aviva and they've been very good I have to say.
In my bathroom quite some time ago(years by the way) I noticed the bottom row of tiles a slight different shade.

I did nothing about it until earlier in the year when I decided to have it checked out.

Long story short was grout failure, and tiler man said to get insurance company involved as the plaster board behind was soaking wet from about 4 feet above the shower tray.
Turns out the b@stards that did my bathroom refurbishment didn't use a tanking kit

Rang insurance, they sent assessor out within a few days

Assessor man turned up at 8:30am, was gone by 9:30am, and by lunchtime I was given 2K to have the damage repaired.
Insurance renewal increased by only £30 for the year.


Suppose you can't really say who your insurance crowd is ALi-B?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Not yet, Urban; until the cheque is in the bank I'll resurrect the thread with the details.

I wasn't so lucky with our shower; plastic push-fit elbow failed behind the plasterboard. Insurer would only pay to fix that wall (water damaged plasterboard) Problem here is its tiled I can't get matching tiles not even a matching size could be found and I have no spares to replace any that get broke whilst rectifying that wall. It's a nice bathroom so mismatching tiles would look nasty in a house that otherwise has a high standard of finish (some may have seen pics of the kitchen). In short the whole lot should be tiled to match and put me in the same position as I was before the leak (a bathroom with matching tiles).


I gave in on that one and regrouted it with flexible grout after it had a six months to dry out and pray the plasterboard/adhesive wasnt as bad as it looked or smelt and the tiles don't fall off. Time will tell.

urban

iTrader: (1)

The smell - yeah, forgot about that. effing stank once the tiles were pulled off

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, it was rank, I removed the housing off the mixer (built in) and then the smell hit me..instant gag.

Insurance expires today. Can only get cover via brokers; Can't get quotes directly with any insurer.

Broker maybe a good thing, they can be hit and miss though - I used to be with a broker about 4yrs ago, but they repeatedly kept making errors which I corrected, only to resurrect the same error on renewal and then charged additional admin fees, so I called it a day.

Fingers crossed waiting back on a quote with a sensible excess.

lozgti1

Insurers are utter swines

Why anyone continues to moan about estate agents and us Lawyers as the bad boys I do not know

( maybe estate agents is a fair call. Lol )

Won't go into all that has gone on with insurers and lawyers and their claims re insurance premiums going up due to claims . You can read all about it... But it is utter nonsense for their benefit. As always...

Tidgy

that on your no win no fee iniury claims?

lol

lozgti1

Lol. Don't deal with any of those nonsense claims. Never have, never will. Ever

Get so annoyed with Insurers dissing Ali's genuine claim though because they feel so hard done to that people actually make a claim under their policies

Pay up and shut up! And stop trying so hard to avoid genuine claims! You *****

hodgy0_2

it will be interesting to see if our holiday insurance pays out

was pickpocketed yesterday in Piraeus, on the tube, going to the airport - took my wallet,

must have seen us all come into the station (quite a large group) and used the jostling getting onto the train, I felt a hand in my trousers, bang, wallet gone - I did catch the guy, and held him, the private security guard was about as useful as chocolate fireguard

he started to really shout and gesticulate, in Italian, and walk about (he was trying to create a diversion etc) I stopped him and held him - but before the actual police came he got away - I was not going to physically restrain him at all cost tbh

anyway, back on the train, off at the next station - cancelled all the cards, we shall see what the insurance say

hodgy0_2

all sorted - quick phone call

and the lost money will be transferred to my account today

for reference the Insurance company was LV.com (I have done some work for them in the past and they are a really really good company)

UK based, everyone works from Bournemouth

dpb

Liverpool Victoria ?

hodgy0_2

Yes they rebranded a few years ago (paid about 1 million for the LV domain name)

Good, we'll run company imo, all dealt with on the phone - faultless tbh

(It was not the cheapest, but worth it in the end)

hodgy0_2

update on this

received a lovely phone call from a women in Greece - who works for the National Library (she got my mobile no from my business card)

and she had found a pile of credit cards / driving license etc in the Library

she had put 2 and 2 together and assumed I had been robbed - she was incredibly apologetic on the phone, hoping that it had not ruined our holiday or given us the wrong impression of Greece

I assured on both counts that it had not, we had a great holiday and Greece and the Greeks are wonderful (the w4nker was Italian anyway)

we confirmed my address and she said she will post them

and today my driving license, business card (plus the travelex card - we told her to bin the credit cards) arrived in the post - with again a very sweet handwritten letter saying how sorry she was

dpb

Hope she was actually from the national library

dpb

I had dozens calls from S.A. After we'd been there 2013, rejected all them

Someone used my cc numbers to see film and then attempt to fly here

hodgy0_2

yes, during the initial call from Greece - when we gave our address you could of taken that view

that is was all an elaborate scam (although my address was actually on the driving license, so in reality she did not need it)

and the thieves just happened to have a person that spoke impeccable English, that they would/could ring us and spin an elaborate deception - but again for what, we, in effect confirmed information she actually had.

but I have found, in life, most people to be decent and honest - and if you treat them as such, things end well

that is not a recipe to be blind/gullible - off course some people are out to con/get you (i was pickpocketed after all)

but going through life mistrusting everyone is no way to live imo

and in my experience people who do, lead quite sad lives