Do I need a new consumer unit?

[johnb2713]

Your last paragraph vindicates my previous post.

How so? Please explain.

 

[MikeJhn]

Read your post again, they argued, but paid out in full.

 

[MikeJhn]

Yes, but why did they get as far as the ombudsman before being paid?

john..

Considering the amount of claims made in the UK in any one day, its rare for it to go that far.

 

[johnb2713]

Considering the amount of claims made in the UK in any one day, its rare for it to go that far.

Probably because most people would just accept the lower claim offered by their insurers. I have never accepted lower offers from insurers or their getout excuses. Twice I have taken insurers to court and won and a couple times I've used the ombudsman when we cant reach agreement, in every case the insurers have had to cough up. The last time a cart of mine caught fire for no apparent reason having been parked for 3 days. The insurers asked me who was the last person to drive the car and I told them it was friend, he parked the car in the yard where it remained for 3 days before going up in flames. They refused to pay because someone else had driven the prior to the fire, if I had driven it they would have paid. We had a few exchanges of letters and then off to court. The judge agreed with me that the insurers stance was ridiculous and ordered them to pay in full. It was irrelevant who was last to drive the car.

 

[johnb2713]

Read your post again, they argued, but paid out in full.

and you said "most reputable insurance companies don't even try" to wriggle out of paying up, how do you explain loss adjusters? is that not trying to reduce the liability by every trick in the book?

 

[MikeJhn]

Insurance companies are well aware of bogus claims, to mitigate this they have "Loss Adjusters" to assess the loss, it's not a trick in any book, but a way of assessing if the claim has been loaded by the claimant.

 

[apprentice87]

and they can and do try it on. We had a car fire resulting in a right off, I had declared the value at what we paid £7,500. The insurance company offer was £6200 'book price', I argued with them, in the end summoned them to small claims court. They showed the judge glasses guide for price which was correct, I argued that a) I couldn't buy at that price anywhere and b) they accepted my submitted valuation. The judge ruled they had 7 days to find me a car or they and to cough up. I received their payment of £7500 on the 7th day

Years ago i read of a ruling by a judge. cannot find it anywhere now though. Still, it was a case brought by the RAC on behalf of a client. It was regarding the valuation of a written off car. The insurance company were doing the usual thing of trying to say your car is worth next to nothing as one was sold for that price at 3am on christmas morning in an auction in the outer hebrides, you get the picture.

Anyway, the judge ruled that the value of a car is what it would cost to replace in a normal outlet used by the public. So, the client had bought his car in a ford main dealer, and so the judge ruled that the value of the car was what it would cost to go to a ford main dealer and buy another...

Do not play games with an insurance company, straight to court is the only thing they understand.

I have my elderly ford ka as a little run around. How is it that when i insure it and they ask the value and i put £1000, when i get the insurance documents they value the thing at £250?? Where are you going to buy a taxed and MOT'ed car for £250??

Do you think it would be ok if the insurance people sent me a renewal quote of £200 i decided that, no, the renewal would be £75 ?????

They are fraudsters, all of them..

john..

 

[Sharpend]

Insurance, solicitors, and accountants are pretty much legalised mafia. They charge what they like, do what they want and you except it or get a load of grief.

Should I really need any of them, not in an ideal world.

 

[johnb2713]

Insurance companies are well aware of bogus claims, to mitigate this they have "Loss Adjusters" to assess the loss, it's not a trick in any book, but a way of assessing if the claim has been loaded by the claimant.

Sorry, youre deluded on this one.

In every insurance claim I've had (not many thankfully) the loss adjuster has always tried to reduce the value of my claim. I've always stood my ground and if necessary gone to court.
We had a freezer fail, we lost quite a lot of food due to the failure and I itemised the items, got the costs from the local morrisons and submitted my claim. The loss adjuster piped up 'Could I have the receipts for the food items, without the receipts you cant prove they were there' Even with receipts I dont see how it proved they were there and lost. Thankfully, the bin hadnt been emptied, I boxed all the rotting food up and sent it via courier to the loss adjuster. We got paid in full. I was livid that I had been with the same insurers 25 years at thye time, not a single claim and there they go accusing of potential fraud.

Tell me, do loss adjusters ever increase the value of a claim if the claimant isnt claiming enough?

 

[MikeJhn]

In an ideal world, we don't need police or the armed forces, or government come to that.

 

[MikeJhn]

@johnb2713 from your post it would seem you have claimed on your insurance many times, have you ever totalled the amount you have claimed against the premiums you have paid, I would hazard a guess that the insurance company has lost out and that is why you are scrutinised by the companies Loss Adjustors.

 

[MikeJhn]

They are fraudsters, all of them..

john..

I am afraid that the fraudsters in the majority are the claimants.

 

[Sharpend]

In an ideal world, we don't need police or the armed forces, or government come to that.

You’re quite right, if people were honest had integrity and treated others as they wished to be treated then yes we wouldn’t need any of them.

 

[johnb2713]

@johnb2713 from your post it would seem you have claimed on your insurance many times, have you ever totalled the amount you have claimed against the premiums you have paid, I would hazard a guess that the insurance company has lost out and that is why you are scrutinised by the companies Loss Adjustors.

7 times in 60 years, I would consider that to be relatively low claim rate.

A very quick mental calculation, the insurers as usual have not lost out and nor should they BUT when a perfectly legitimate claim is made against them on insurance that i have paid for, i dont expect to have to fight them for payment..

 

[binky]

when a perfectly legitimate claim is made against them on insurance that i have paid for, i dont expect to have to fight them for payment..

If only that was the case

I've not had to make many claims, but it's always a fight when I have done.

 

[johnb2713]

If only that was the case

I've not had to make many claims, but it's always a fight when I have done.

Exactly and you hear it all the time. Insurance companies can and do wriggle out of claims if theyre allowed to, most people dont challenge them, stuff that, I'm a bloody Yorkshireman and 'tha can allus tell a Yorkshireman but tha cant tellim much' on principle I stand my corner and dont let them get away with it.

 

[MikeJhn]

legitimate claim is made against them on insurance that i have paid for,

That's a very telling statement.

 

[johnb2713]

That's a very telling statement.

Care to expand? me being a straight talker I dont really see the point in this insurance wriggle type comment youre making.

 

[binky]

That's a very telling statement.

That's the correct terminology, you make a claim against your insurance

 

[johnb2713]

That's the correct terminology, you make a claim against your insurance

Thats how I understood it too.