Hi all.....

I firstly want to thank you all, the information on here has helped a great deal already.

Here goes....

Last month I was burgled, my Dad's van keys were stolen along with his L200 Trojan (06) that was parked in the driveway. My parents were abroad at the time and I was sound asleep in bed.

The van was recovered within days and has this week been declared a write-off. The offer Churchill have made him is £5k less than what he paid for it only a year ago. Im am trying my best to deal with all this for him as illness prevents him doing it himself, I dont drive so have very little experience in this area.

Churchill have also charged him an extra £311 this week to prevent his policy being invalid. This is due to not declaring the van had a truckman style back on it (already fitted when bought), this they say is a modification and makes the vehicle more attractive to the thieves, my Dad thought they where fitted as standard.

....Can I just add that when the van was found it was without the back and the back has never been recovered.

Ive now hit a brick wall and dont know how to handle this situation, any help and advice would be very kindly received.

Thank You

With regards the value of the vehicle, you will need to get evidence showing its worth.

Parkers / Glasses are a starting point, followed by examples of similar vehicles for sale in your area.

With regards to the modification, the insurer is entitled to charge the extra premium it would do had it known about it. I presume it is a modification - you would have to check.

The fact that the back has not been recovered is really quite irrelevant - it had one. An argument saying that there is now none will be quite futile.

Not exactly what you want to hear, I'm sorry.

Thanks for your much needed reply.

I have already sent Churchill evidence of vehicles with similar spec that have been sold and for sale in the area along with a recent photo of our vehicle and most recent mot/service receipt as proof of condition.

Im in agreement about the back, its just knowing that my Dad would never have agreed to an £800+ per year policy that annoys me.

I have tried finding out if the back is a modification but with so many vans like ours with various trims and extras it proved impossible with my limited knowledge.

At least I can ask them now for a review of their offer with the additional value of the back added.

Is there anything else I have overlooked or need to be doing?

I have my driving test in a couple of weeks I'm trying my best not to let this deter me from becoming a car owner

The only other thngs I can think of is to make sure they include the "modification" in their valuation, seing as they have asked for the premium for it. As to getting the original spec of the vehicle, I can't help much there but maybe some car fancier can come along and help.

As to yourself, don' let it deter you! I'm having plenty of problems myself and only passed my test recently, so I know how you feel.

All I can say is when you do get a car, keep it simple and do your research. Buying a basic low insurance group car will keep your premiums down. Think of what you want from a car, price etc and do research before buying.

And remember with the test that the examiner does not want to fail you - just keep relaxed and if you make a mistake on a manouver, attempt it again. I messed up a reverse park but tried it again and got it right. The examiner said most people just leave it and he has no choice but to mark down.

Good luck.

hi Rainproof, the truckman style back is an optional extra, therefore the insurer are correct in that it is a modification.

As Gyzmo says, make sure the back is taken into account, these sale at around £400 for the new shape.

Hope this helps

I'm not sure that optional extras are counted as modifications - I can't remember. I'll try and look it up.

factory fitted optional extras are not classed as mods,just recorded so that in case like this the vehicle would be replaced like for like etc if under 1 year old.

Thanks for the info guys

Unfortunately the wording on the claim form says modifications or extras, so the extra premium is justified. The vehicle is an 06 plate L200 Trojan old shape I dont know where or when the back was fitted as it was done before we bought it.

So....

Ive replied to churchill stating I will accept their pitiful offer only as part settlement and asked for various considerations to be taken into account such as the truckman top, low milage and pre theft condition of the vehicle.

Its my understanding that the claim should more or less put me in the position I was in before the theft....so I stated this and politely threatened them with the FOS

We paid almost 14k for the vehicle 12 months ago and the amount offered is only half of this. We arent looking for financial gain just the capability of replacing the vehicle with a half decent motor.

Fingers crossed now for a better outcome.

RP - there is a thread I posted on this forum about valuations - it's by the FOS. Have a look for it - I'll try and post a link here - as it should help.

thanks gyzmo

I had already found your post and it was a great source of info and argument in my reply to Churchill.

Thanks again

WOOHOOOO!!

A BIG Thank you to Gyzmo and everyone who offered advice, I am happy to say the amount we finally accepted was a £3K improvement on Churchills original offer.

My advice to everyone else in similar situations is......Persevere!!

Alix