Check your insurance polocies!

[Lizzy]

My friend was burgald [sp] 2 weeks ago, amongst items taken from her house was the GPS - but the Insurance company won't cough up because it's a motoring item: her car insurance tell her it's a household item: the Police advise us to take personal items out of our cars when parked ...........

 

Also the Insurance company hasn't sent money but Vouchers for them to replace their household items: computers, jewellry, video player etc.. Seems like restrictive practice to me! >:-(

[empress]

This really is scarey, Lizzy. I find it hard to believe your friends were offered vouchers. Though I imagine it may because so many insurance companies have been conned in the past. But the nonsense about the GPS. Is one meant to carry it around, I wonder? I hardly dare ask which company it was.

 

Empress (?)

[Dave Newell]

As long as the vouchers are redeemable against equivalent goods in the high street I see no problem. The insurance ought to cover the sat nav though.

 

D.

[Brian Kirby]

I think your friends may be able to challenge the vouchers, but it will depend upon what they really are.  If they restrict what you can get, or where you can get it, they would seem unreasonably restrictive.  However, if the policy says that vouchers or similar will only be issued for particular types of items, that would be fair - one should alyways read the small print before buying!  Unless this is stated, however, I believe the insurance contract is to replace the reasonable value of what has been lost, and not to replace like with like.  That means the payout should be in cash and not in kind and the insurer may be exceeding the terms of the contract.

The policy may limit what kinds of items are covered, or the value of individual items, or electronic items, which may explain why the san nav has been excluded.  However, if the sat nav is portable, and can be used out of the car, and in the absence of any such exclusion, refusing to include it does seem unreasonable.

Remember that each item can only be insured once, so the insurer may assume the item has been claimed for under the car policy, but is being claimed for a second time on the household policy.  The insurer should be challenged to state, in writing, under which clause of the policy they are refusing this part of the claim.  It may take a similar written statement from the car insurer, giving their grounds for rejecting the claim under the car policy, to make clear where the problem lies.  However, unless there are specific exclusion for such equipment under both policies, I would expect one, or other, eventually to accept the claim.

In both cases the insurer is saying, in terms, that he does not entitely trust his client.  He suspects that either the items lost were not really stolen at all, or that they never existed, or that their value has been exaggerated.  He can't really say that without evidence, so he is trying to ensure that the claimant gets just what they have claimed for, and not a cash handout.  Problem is, some people make fradulent claims, that destroys trust, and the rest of us get treated like potential fraudsters as a consequence.  When it happens, it is very annoying, especially because it comes on top of a burglary!

[MOTORHOMER]

What does a biker or walker do then when they are not using the GPS? Where are they supposed to keep their GPS? If its a portable system then it is a personal item and thefore insured on the house policy. A fixed system supplied with vehicle would be on the motor insurance policy.

 

 

Motorhomer

[Mel B]

Ah, but sometimes there are restrictions or exclusions regarding computer equipment, and that's what GPS is, so you must make sure you are covered properly, it does vary from insurer to insurer.

 

When our sat nav got went for an unexpected swim and got 'drowned' (fell in the canal ... husband ... dog ... don't ask!), all they wanted was proof that we'd bought one originally and then they agreed to replace it no problem, we didn't have any proof for the accessories we'd bought, such as a leather protective case, SD card etc though but they were happy to believe us about them as well and paid for them as well, very happy with them and are still with them - it's through Northern Rock Building Society.

[Wingpete]

And don't forget, if you put a "HOME" setting in the GPS, the burgulars where you live, and now, so do the "unsuspecting" purchaser of stolen goods ! >:-(

[Leah]

Apparently a missive 'came down from Head Office' regarding not paying out on GPS systems in the home - but my friend hasn't had an up-to-date policy booklet stating this!

 

I think a letter stating 'pay up in 7 days or I go to Small Claims Court' copy to the Daily Telegraph motoring section should do it! ;-)

 

As for the vouchers - one of the items of jewellry was hand-made so no voucher is going to cover that i.e. high-street well known branch of HSams ....... I would be challenging all the way and am off to look out insurance policies!

[CliveH]

What Brian says above is correct. The number of fraudulent claims is ever increasing. We have a friend who openly admitted that she spilt paint on her carpet so she could get a new one to match her new decor!

 

So we all get tarred with the same brush.

 

My advice is document everything and take photos of your valuables.

 

Sadly if the ring mentioned was a "one off" - unless you have a picture, a jewellers valuation, and have specifically mentioned this item as a one off on your application I think you will have difficulty proving that the thing ever existed! Such is the suspicion within Insurance Companies these days.

 

And then you have to prove that such a special item was covered under the terms of your policy.

 

For future reference, it is so easy to include a photo and valuation and refer to such an item under the special items section on your house contents insurance that I am amazed so few people do it. Also confirm in writing the limitations of the policy. We found one well known insurer would cover the jewellery in the house but not if my wife was wearing it when we went out!

 

We have several rings that have enormous sentimental (and £!) value that we inherited. All are unusual and one unique. I know these are insured because we had to take them to be valued at a jeweller of my insurance companies choosing.

 

It cost us nothing but we have the security of knowing all is protected.

 

As a music buff I also have a large collection of old vinyl LP's - almost irreplaceable now. My collection is specifically mentioned on the policy and is insured for an agreed value. B-)

[Leah]

It's such a phaff! ;-)

[Dave Newell]

Yes it is a phaff but it has to be done. When my workshop was broken in to two years ago (nearly) it took me nearly four months to get the settlement as a large proportion of the stuff stolen belonged to customers. I had to produce receipts for each item stolen including those of the customers before they would pay out. Any item that I couldn't produce a receipt for I had to replace with same and then submit the receipt for the new item.

 

As said above, if you have special value items they should be valued by experts and noted on the policy, photographs of all such items should be submitted to your insurance company at the time of taking out the insurance. Above all else read the policy documents carefully and if anything in there is not acceptable to you then contact them for alterrations.

 

Now does anyone nkow where I should take a 30 year old black and white TV for valuation? Being that old itsa almost an antique surely? (lol)

 

D.

[Mel B]

Dave

 

It's not easy to get hold of black & white TVs now - my Mum only went over to colour because she couldn't get one!!!! 8-)

[Dave Newell]

I know that Mel, I don't need one, I've got one! In fact I think that somewhere in the loft there is a truly ancient 12" 425 line mono set, anyone have any idea what its worth???

 

D.

 

 

[CliveH]

Not sure about it being Phaff or anything else!

 

But what I do know is that rubbish "insurance companies" get away with selling policies that are not worth the paper they are written on because a good number of people will buy the cheapest without looking at what they are buying.

 

Then when their claim is dismissed on a technicality they never realised was there - they start bleating about how unfair it all is.

 

There are quality providers. But until people realise that you get what you pay for - we are going to hear sob stories on a regular basis.

 

Caveat Emptor. :-|

[Bazza454]

Dave,

 

Forget about taking the B/W TV for valuation, with the cost of petrol (it may be contaminated), it's not worth it.

 

Looking at the Telford Council website, you have 4 recycling centres, (you're lucky, we have 2 down here for 200,000 people), get shut of it there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Newell]

Surely you're not suggesting I put this valuable antique into a skip Bazza?

 

D. >:-)

[Bazza454]

I suppose you could keep it and maybe watch Jeremy Clarkson in black and white, some people may suggest that it would improve the show.

 

I don't - it's ok as it is.....