Esure contents problems

[templer-nt]

Long shot here, I'm realy not upbeat on insurance practaces I just pay them monthly and expect some kind of reasonable service if we ever have a problem. we have put forward a claim due to our main computer being damaged as we have home contents insurance and old for new accedentle damage cover.

 

The claim has been passes to another sub company (TCF) and has been going on for eight weeks now, firstly forms 2 fill out ect then nothing for weeks then we contact them, they ask us to take 2 shop, we send off details ect, we hear nothing again we contact them, now they waint photo's, two months later they are saying our insurance is void as items now quoted in our home are slightly higher than three years ago when we had to list items.

 

the value of claim was approx 900 pounds, and we are covered for 22 thousand, is it possible for them to refuse as therefore we have been paying three years for no cover, please any help appreciated

[templer-nt]

please any1 with advice out there?

[unclebulgaria67]

Excuse me for being blunt.

 

Your Insurance company or TCF acting for them, have basically called you a liar by putting in a fraudulent claim. This is why they have voided the Insurance and are not paying the claim. Companies will rarely say this in writing, they choose instead to point out some other issue with your Insurance.

 

What you need to do. Contact the Insurance company and make an official complaint. Advise them that you want to urgently refer this matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), so want them to issue their final response urgently. Insurers have up to 8 weeks to issue their final response, but may be prepared to issue this earlier if you pressure them. The Insurers will not want you to go to the FOS as they will be charged a £500 case fee and it will cost you nothing apart from your time, plus phone call or postage.

 

You need to resolve this, as arranging Insurance elsewhere when you have had Insurance voided is more difficult and expensive. When you arrange any Insurance from now on, you have to declare that you have had Insurance voided. If you don't. you risk having Insurance that is not valid. This would be the case for all types of Insurance including your Car Insurance.

 

Please be aware that the FOS will take ages (possible 6 months or more) to deal with your case. If they have conflicting information about the cause of the damage to your computer, they can side with the Insurers, as the Insurers will use people that are expert in putting forward their cases to the FOS. Therefore as an alternative, you could think about using no win no fee specialist claim solicitors to take this to court instead. They will only do this, if they think they can win.

Edited June 20, 2010 by unclebulgaria67

[Mwynci]

I can't quite grasp the point of the OP, are you suggesting that the insurers are saying you have underinsured ? if so by how much?

[Essex Don]

Hi Guys,

 

I would certainly be interested in finding out the end result of this.

 

I have just lodged a claim with esure for two lost rings - I have recently lost weight and went swimming in the sea and subsequently lost them due to them falling off my finger.

 

Esure have refferred my claim to "Tcs loss adjusters" which basically means the people they employ to try to pick holes in your claim to stop them having to pay out.

 

I am well and truly pumped up for the battle with these idiots - they picked the wrong person and I will fight them tooth and nail all the way .........

 

POWER TO THE LITTLE PEOPLE

[unclebulgaria67]

Essex don

 

My prediction is they will try to avoid the claim on the basis that you did not take all reasonable precautions to prevent the loss. If you tell them you had lost weight and the rings were loose, they probably won't pay out. They will say that you should have left the rings at home or the hotels safe etc and not swam in the sea with loose fitting rings.

[Mwynci]

The insurance co would have to prove that you were reckless in your intentions, you may have been silly in your actions (apologies I realy don't mean any offense)and made a mistake, but that doesn't mean you were reckless and somehow knew that this would happen and did nothing to avoid it. Playing carch with the rings in the sea, that would be reckless.

I wouldn't worry about TCF, a lot of companies are using these kind of companies, it saves on staff costs, instead emplying an outside company to ask their questions, nothing that wouldn't or shouldn't be asked in the first instance.

The circumstances are not the most straight forward, but life is that way.

let us know.

[Essex Don]

Just an update -

 

I have been told my claim has been validated, I was asked to fill in forms for tcs and then another specialist loss adjuster who are "experts" in jewellery losses. ( which translates into experts in picking holes and decreasing the value of the item to save esure money).

 

I have been told that due to the fact that I cannot provide a bank statement with the transaction amount on it ( I paid cash in turkey on holiday) and I do not have pictures of the rings ( I didnt realise that I would need to take pictures of the rings as I didnt think I would ever lose them or need to claim?) ...... that they will pay but only in the form of vouchers for me to redeem here in the uk.

 

My problem is this - I cannot provide what they are asking for and therefore I am being penalised for this?

 

I really want the same rings that I bought in turkey and the jewellery there wont accept my vouchers???

 

Have I got anywhere to go with this? any help would be appreciated.

 

thanks.

[kiptower]

your stuck on this as you cant prove the original purchase, thats problem one

 

if the vouchers are for or near your original cost they can argue they have settled fairly

 

they may offer a lower amount than the value of the vouchers as they get discount from their listed jewellers

 

problem 2, you valued the rings @ what they cost you not what a replacement was, by saying they cost £900 etc

[honeybee13]

Hello. You don't have any photographs taken when the rings were being worn and visible in the photo, do you by any chance?

 

HB

[Essex Don]

hi kiptower,

 

thankss for the advice - however I have proved the original purchase in form of a guarantee certificate for both rings with the amount I paid stated on it.

 

Apart from the problem of the turkish jeweller not accepting these sort of vouchers the rings I had specially made cannot be done for the same price in the uk.

 

Therefore the only way of me buying like for like is by cash - also they valued the rings at what I Paid for them as they were barely a month old when I lost them.

 

Do I have a case for arguing that they settle in cash?

[Essex Don]

Hello. You don't have any photographs taken when the rings were being worn and visible in the photo, do you by any chance?

 

HB

 

Hi Honeybee,

 

I dont im afraid - which is what they asked for but if I dont have a photo I dont have a photo? I cant just magic one up - and this is one of the reasons they are insisting on vouchers instead of cash.

 

Surley if they validated the claim then they should pay out in cash as its reasonable given the circumstances?

[kiptower]

if you fight them they may suggest a figure that reflect their discount the get via the vouchers , but as you proved it worth push as hard as you can

[unclebulgaria67]

It might be worth discussing this with the FOS, as I don't believe they are always happy with Insurers issuing vouchers. Where you have provided certificates of value and cannot obtain the same replacement in the UK, there is a good change the FOS could advise Insurers to make a cash settlement.

 

Sometimes the FOS will intervene on your behalf, without you having to go through with a formal complaint. It is worth a go.

 

This is a link to a previous FOS page on claims settlements, but the FOS will have more information on their stances in this situation.

 

repair, replace or cash? - october