Thread: stress with Norwich Union Direct after robbery

(Sorry about length, I am upset)

Can anyone offer advice.....
Our house got robbed last week in which we rang the police and insurers straight away. I was that upset I even burst in to tears with the Norwich union handler taking the claim details down. Now this was a very nice scottish lady who was very sympathetic.

I was told that Ival would deal with the electrical items and Ival goldsmiths the Jewelery.

I rang up Norwich Union Direct the day after to give them the police reference, as they had not turned up before I rang insurer, and I was then unexpectidly speaking to an over seas handler.

She showed no Empathy and kept going, yeah, ahurm, ahurm when I was trying to talk to her like she was not listening. I had not been told anything decent about the claim process as I have never had to claim on contents and asked what to do. She said to send them a list and asked could I fax it over!? Fax it over, I was at home, not the office so I asked her if I could e-mail. She said they don't accept e-mails so I had to buy a stamp and envelope and post the list. She then did not tell me what would happen with any items that were none electrical or none jewelery.

Most of the list is already with IVAL/Goldsmiths.

I have not heard from Norwich Union since, bearing in mind I called them on the 18th and 19th March.

I still do not know what happens next with items on list that are not with Ival and no one has given a courtesy call or anything. I have had to keep chasing Ival up myself after they did not do call backs I had requested but thank god they seem to be moving now.

I am stressed because the only thing I can not realisticaly prove is a cheap DV camcorder by Samsung as my mom bought it as a present for us as I am due to give birth in May and its to film my baby growing up We only got given it as a suprise last month and everything for the baby is all boxed up in their wardrobe. The damn receipt was in the box and I know my mom said she paid cash for it at Argos......*Sigh* so I guess we will have to give up on it. Is this the case, even though the police arrived within around 1 1/2 of crime being reported and saw all our evidence we had?

also, what happens next with Norwich Union and the other items??? I have not heard a thing and could do without the added stress!

To top it off the damn thief took stupid stuff like an old leather belt and a new pack of razors etc....whats THAT all about?

you might consider sending a PM to beccus and ask her to look at your thread.

Andy

Hi Wooiekerfooie

I'm so sorry that you had to go through this, especially at this time in your life when you should be relaxing and enjoying yourself.

If you'd be happy for me to do so, I'm happy to look into what is happening on your case, my email address is rebecca.sibley@norwich-union.co.uk

Please send me your policy number and claim reference and I will liase with my colleagues and see what I can find out for you.

Becca

19 June 2009

Claims:
09HOM018234
09MOT043234

Re: Burglary and car theft / 26 June 2009

The level of incompetence at Aviva is quite staggering.

Our house was burgled on 6 June and both our cars were stolen. Dealing with Aviva has been a considerably worse experience than the burglary itself, which was carried our with efficiency and speed.

On informing Aviva of the burglary, we were sent a locksmith by Aviva who attempted unsuccessfully to make our house secure (he was rude and inept). We were then informed that this had been logged as a buildings claim in addition to the theft claim and we had therefore lost 2 sets of no claims bonuses, raising our premium by nearly £400. Having instructed Aviva's legal department to sue themselves, and after several hours on the phone to Scotland, Norwich and of course India, this was dropped.

We have sent all our receipts, as instructed by registered post, to the Aviva valuers, iVal. They have no record of our correspondence and have presumably lost our claim and all our receipts.

My wife’s car was unfortunately insured by Aviva. Her courtesy car has to be returned on Monday and as yet she has received no payment. Although a figure was, after a long wrangle, agreed with your valuers, no cheque has been received although it was apparently sent. Compensation for the contents of the car were apparently not included in the cheque anyway so the figure is incorrect. We have been unable to speak to a manager about this. The call centre agents in India do not have a good enough understanding of English to understand our problem and transfer us, mysteriously, to the RAC Breakdown service in the UK. The Customer Care centre in Scotland refuse to deal with our complaints and attempt, unsuccessfully, to pass us back to India. We are left hanging on the phone listening to piped music for up to an hour until our phone’s battery cut us off. They never call back.

Can you make any suggestions about how we can make a successful claim?

Basically, dont buy Aviva Direct Insurance if you dont want to be dealt with overseas,
buy from Barclays, Abbey, HSBC etc. they all have UK call centers.
In addition to this, ALWAYS KEEP RECEIPTS FOR YOUR PURCHASES! Put them in a secure place.
Don't get mad with the claims handlers, they put markers on your claims which prolongs the process and can end up jepordising your claim in the long run. They are, afterall, there to help you. If you really feel anyone isnt giving you good service, ask to speak to a supervisor.
If you are angry with a supplier, tell your insurers. If youre insured with Aviva, tell them. They have supplier issue logs, and constantly liase with their suppliers who get in a LOT of trouble, as afterall, were the ones who keep the in business.
At the end of the day, handlers will always listen to your needs. If you HONESTLY, have a genuine reason why you cannot deal with India, tell them.
Claim handlers deal with the overseas workers everyday and completely sympathise with policyholders when they dont want to deal with them. They do have the power to divert your claim to a British department.

In conclusion, insurance is there to give you peace of mind. If you arent achieving that with youre current insurer, tell them about it. Or move, youre perogative!

I wish I could share your optimism. The Indian call centres were merely a taster of the nightmares to come. 6 weeks down the line and still little joy. We have been offered vouchers for downmarket stores to the value of our losses – or a substantially lower cash settlement, because, of course, Aviva and all their outsource agencies are in cahoots and like to share the spoils between themselves at the expense of the hapless victims. My response to the Chief executive's office was:

"We object very strongly to this sharp practice of backroom deals and financial gain by yourselves and your outsourced agencies at a cost to us, the hapless victims of the crime. We have been thrown to the dogs, all of whom are taking their cut at our expense. As if the crime were not in itself bad enough, we have now to deal with being blackmailed by your agencies into accepting a lesser amount in cash than the valuations (as vouchers). There is no justification for this."

you could contact beccus and ask for advice