Experience with Insurance Companies...

[skmark]

Feeling very frustrated and to be honest a little disillusioned. I’ve managed to reach the age of 51 without ever raising an insurance claim…..maybe I’ve been lucky, though I’m not feeling that lucky right now.

About 2 weeks ago my Vespa GTS300 was stolen from the scooter parking area outside my local train station. I reported to the police and insurance etc. as you are supposed to do. Within a week I heard from the insurance company that the bike had been recovered by the police and a phone call to the police confirmed this along with confirmation that it had been recovered following a pursuit (!).

Nothing more from the police until I receive a letter informing me that I have a number of days to collect my bike from the pound before I will receive storage charges (thanks!)….also in the post 2 speeding tickets for the bike whilst it was stolen (too much to expect one part of the police to communicate with another?). I inform the insurance company who duly state they will recover the bike and let me know whether they will repair etc.
I then receive a call from the insurance company asking if I know if the person who stole my bike has been arrested (??)…..apparently at the end of the ‘pursuit’ the bike was involved in a head on collision with another vehicle the owner of which is now making a 3rd party claim.

Next communication is an email from the insurance company yesterday stating that the underwriters are now declining my claim and that I will need to arrange with their logistics team for the return of what is left of my bike. It’s only then that I discover that every communication with the insurance team so far has been without any phone number being given (I wonder why)…..this though does give me time to calm down. The reason for the decline they have stated is that my Statement of Insurance says Datatag was installed on the bike and they have contacted Datatag and found no reference to this therefore I have not adequately secured my bike in line with my policy.

I have responded via email as actually my Statement of Insurance says the following;

Alarm – not fitted
Immobiliser – Datatag
Tracker – not fitted.

Clearly there is just a branding error on behalf of the broker in relation to the immobilizer. I have a factory standard immobiliser fitted and working and assumed was the factory fitted brand name inserted by the broker. Datatag do not supply immobilisers they are a vehicle tracking device supplier. I surely cannot be penalised for not having a device fitted that I have never said was? Despite my email response ‘apparently’ I have to await until their formal written letter declining my claim arrives, which will include details of how I can appeal. Meanwhile I’m being hassled this morning by the insurance logistics department to have my bike returned.

If that wasn’t enough since the bike theft we’ve now been burgled too (unrelated). I was completing the mountains of documentation required to prove ownership of lost items for that claim when I received the email above yesterday morning.

I’m now beginning to wonder if there is actually any point in having insurance at all ? I’ve religiously paid various types of insurance over the years in the belief that should I ever need assistance then they would be there to help. I’m now left feeling that should I ever need help they will do whatever they possibly can to avoid their responsibilities actually causing more stress and trauma than the original event they are supposed to be providing help with. Am I being overly negative or is this just standard fair?

[afcneal]

Not uncommon for InsCos to try and duck a claim of course. It boils down to what you told them at inception - whoch may be tricky to prove if done online. They'll almost certainly have a get-out-of-jail card in that it is the policy holder's responsibility to check the data at the outset.

AFAIK Data tag is 'just' a marker for individual parts on a vehicle? If someone typed in Datatag in a free-format cell at inception - I don't think the insco are expected to know every brand of immobiliser so it's back to what was input at the outset...........

[Vanguard]

If they can find a way to weasel out of a claim they always will, write to the Insurance ombudsman and keep going with the appeal and put in a formal complaint.

Often the squeakiest wheel gets greased with insurance companies, they'll always try it on in the first instance as many people can't be bothered to fight them.

The broker should take some responsibility for incorrectly filling out their paperwork too.

[swanbourne]

You should consider retaining a loss assessor.

Eddie

[steptoe]

I have responded via email as actually my Statement of Insurance says the following;

Alarm – not fitted
Immobiliser – Datatag
Tracker – not fitted.

Clearly there is just a branding error on behalf of the broker in relation to the immobilizer. I have a factory standard immobiliser fitted and working and assumed was the factory fitted brand name inserted by the broker. Datatag do not supply immobilisers they are a vehicle tracking device supplier. I surely cannot be penalised for not having a device fitted that I have never said was?

I’m now left feeling that should I ever need help they will do whatever they possibly can to avoid their responsibilities actually causing more stress and trauma than the original event they are supposed to be providing help with. Am I being overly negative or is this just standard fair?

It's your bike so you should have more knowledge than an insurance broker of what or was not fitted.

Datatag is a merely a security marking system (limited to five items) that supposedly acts as a deterrent, helping locate the parts after a theft, it's not a "hard" security fitting.

Their responsibility is based on your information being accurate.

Sorry for being blunt but they are businesses not charities.

The devil is in the detail...It helps having details of who you've spoken to, copies of any paperwork you've filled in and police reference numbers.


Good luck, they may consider your past history and be forgiving.

[Casper]

Sorry to hear of your troubles especially at this time of year.

Not sure what the Insurance co are getting at here. I could understand if you had declared you had an immobiliser but it then turns out you actually didn’t. That’s clearly not the case here.

What does your policy state about how your bike should be secured? I wonder if the insurance co are saying that the factory fit immobiliser is insufficient and you were required to have additional measures e.g alarm/tracker/uprated immobiliser which they think is what Datatag is?

Certainly appeal and if necessary use the Financial Ombudsman as there’s clearly a misunderstanding and no intention to deceive. It will take time to sort unfortunately.

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

Best of luck

Casper

[Tifa]

Name and shame....

[steptoe]

I have responded via email as actually my Statement of Insurance says the following;

Alarm – not fitted
Immobiliser – Datatag
Tracker – not fitted.

Not sure what the Insurance co are getting at here. I could understand if you had declared you had an immobiliser but it then turns out you actually didn’t. That’s clearly not the case here.

But it is the case, as he has declared a separate non existent immobilser.

Remember insurance companies only see in black and white. Your job is to find the man who can also see the grey.

Hopefully it's just a misunderstanding. I doubt the bod behind the desk has a scooby what a datatag is and is just going by the book.
Speaking to someone more involved and knowledgeable with technical details may help.

[steptoe]

The broker should take some responsibility for incorrectly filling out their paperwork too.

The broker can only work with the information he's been given.