Meant to also add. Keep all copies of any correspondece and tape all phone calls with the insurer or loss adjusters. Try to communicate by email because everything is dated and timed! Check all qualifications of people prescribing building repairs to your home. (We employed a private detective!!! The loss adjuster sent an ex pub landlady with no relevant qualifications.) THIS IS known as FRAUD . (Insurers are quick enough to shout fraud when it is the insured trying to pull a fast one!!) If Richard Withey is out there, we would love to be in contact with you.

If you have suffered a financial loss due to the activities of your insurer and/or loss adjuster, take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman when you have finished the complaints procedure of the insurer. Provided the loss adjuster was sent to you on behalf of your insurer, the insurer is responsible for any financial loss associated with your claim!! Our insurer formerly UK Underwriters (currently trading as UK General Insurance Ltd) offered us £1352 as compensation for the losses we suffered in the poor handling of our subsidence claim. The loss adjusters were Crawford and Co. We felt the amount did not reflect our loss and so took our case to the Financial Ombudsman. So after a hard fought case where our insurer got the ABI to lobby on it's behalf, and which lasted almost 4 years (IT ENDED IN JULY 2012), we were awarded a formula which when calculated we would expect to be in excess of £100,000. Plus £3750 for distress and inconvenience!!! That is the good bit. The bad bit is we are still awaiting payment and are hoping that the FOS will make them see sense before enforcement action. If you want to read our story go to the "FOS problems" website and you will find it.

Oops, should point out not to do with pp1, but all to do with home insurance

We first took our complaint to the FOS in September 2008. Here we are more than THREE YEARS LATER and still waiting. CAN ANYONE OUT THERE BEAT THAT????????????