Insurance claim rejected due to 'neglect'

aharding85

I used to work on the phones for Valspar, if you've told them you've covered your sofa and was an accident you should be fine. Thats their key word - accident!! LOL

From my experience if you kick up a fuss or say you were mis sold the policy you should get what you want eventually

moonrakerz

The major problem is:- one of the main reasons given for fraudulently claiming damage to household furnishings is "paint spillage" !

movilogo

Most sofa protection policies are notorious for refusing claims. They just want you money.

xfurrier

Happy New Year to you all - hope you had a great holiday. Apologies for not responding earlier - I was away and the insurance company was closed over the break.

I called the insurers yesterday and they agreed to send somebody over to get all the details and facts. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

moonrakerz wrote: »

The major problem is:- one of the main reasons given for fraudulently claiming damage to household furnishings is "paint spillage" !

This could explain the way the insurers behaved. However, it's not fair to generalise and put everybody in the same pot as accidents do happen. That's why I'm quite happy that somebody is coming to check all that.

Thanks again to all for your comments - I'll keep you updated.

xfurrier

I forgot one thing which really makes no sense to me.

The policy is for 5 years. Many accidents (coffee, pasta, ...) have happened in the first 2 years, but a damp cloth solved everything. However, the protection gradually wears out and after 2 years it is, more or less, useless. I don't like calling the insurance company for every small stain. Then, I have to wait for months for sofa to be cleaned.

I'm interested in a nice and clean sofa and was even ready to invest some money to top up the protection. Unfortunately, insurers don't have than option and if I do it without them it will invalidate the policy.

This is a lose-lose situation - the sofa will be stained as we have to live/eat/drink (and my 2y-old likes pencils and markers a lot) and accidents do happen. Also, I won't hesitate to call the insurers for another 2-3 years until the policy expires. That's a shame as another layer of protection would keep the sofa pretty clean for another 2 years or so.

markelock

I'm now in the same boat OP. Came down this morning to find the kids had decided to paint in the front (best) room.

In the process, the sofas (both sofa workshop, both guardsman protected) now have paint (water based) on the arms.

I'd expect the insurer to refuse to pay out initially, but as already mentioned, this policy must provide cover of some description, so we shall see what they say tomorrow.

I think the first thing they do (from stains to my other sofas, in the room I wished they'd taken the paint into!) is send out a cleaning patch. Unfortunately these are velvet, hopefully this won't complicate matters.

Otherwise I will have no option but to kick up a fuss. What's the point of insurance if it doesn't pay out when something goes wrong! How I love salespeople!