Homeserve

Nixcrims

Hi

Has anyone had any bad experiences with with Homeserve? I have kitchen appliance insurance with them and have made a claim, well 6 weeks ago now, and it has been a constant battle with them to get any action. They are now saying that because I can't supply a model number for the broken item, my cooker, they will not continue with the claim. This is on the back of one visit from an engineer who took pictures of the cooker etc. I have thoroughly checked the terms and conditions of the insurance and have had it agreed with them that it does not say anywhere that I have to supply an appliance model number, but yet they still say that they will not honour the insurance. There attitude and business ethos is outrageous and this may be the first time I have to pay a visit to Mr. Insurance ombudsman as I feel sure that they simply cannot treat customers as they are. Any thoughts?:mad:

dacouch

They don't have a great reputation.

I'm guessing they want the model number so they can either work out how old your cook is or use it to source a part or work out the replacement cost. You would have thought their engineer would have already got this.

I would suggest you ring and speak to a superviser, be polite with them and ask them exactly why they need it and ask if their engineer took details of it (I'm sure he would have). Let us know then we can make a more informed advice

They will have a part in the policy that says in effect you have to substantiate the claim.

P.S what is up with your cooker?

Nixcrims

Thanks

I have gone all through the process and remained objective and polite throughout, I have lodged a complaint, to which I received a letter saying the complaint would be resolved within 10 days, that was two weeks ago! The convector fan has gone in the oven and given it was a five hundred pound oven 6 years ago, I would of thought it would be repairable. I think the tack they are going down is that the oven is beyond repair which gives them the get out option of canceling the policy and refunding the premium. Either way I find it incredible that the lack of a model number would take them down this route. I guess it is all about proportionality and reasonableness and my personal opinion would be that it would not be unreasonable for them to send out another engineer to make a bit of an effort to establish the model number, but typically of my dealing with insurance companies they work harder at finding a way out than they actually do at trying to resolve a claim! As with a lot of things these days, the broken oven thing is not a major drama, I'll probably end up just going and buying a new one, but it is the principal I just can't let go.:beer:

dacouch

I would have thought they want it to work out repair / replacement costs

I agree they have treated you badly but that unfortunately is the Homeserve way (In my opinion)

DJBenson

First off, treating people badly is NOT Homeserve's ethos - sometimes things do go wrong as they do with most companies.

If you could email me your postcode and house number, I will ask for your details to be looked over by a contact in the Consumer Services department, the department that look after warranty repairs for Homeserve.

I cannot guarentee that the decision will go in your favor, but I can guarentee that the person that handles your case will do so with the utmost professionalism which it seems has not been the case so far.

As to your complaint, it has to be dealt with internally before you can go to the financial ombudsman. If you try going to the FOS before Homeserve respond, they will simply refer you back to Homeserve. Once Homeserve feel they have resolved your complaint (whether or not you agree with the decision) you will be given details of how to continue the complaint through the FOS.

dacouch

Its may not be their ethos but they do have a reputation within the Insurance industry...

Its nice of you to agree to try and help out but surely the client should not have to rely on a homeserve member of staff stumbling on to her posting to get the issue sorted out....

DJBenson

I agree, they shouldn't, but the "client" in this case is having problems that I may be able to assist with - it's up to them if they take me up on the offer.

As for the "reputation" I cannot comment as it will come across as biassed.

dacouch

Like I said it is good of you to offer to help the client out and shows the beauty of the MSE forum.

If you want to get a feel for Homeserves rep ask a broker whose clients have had to use Homeserve or do a search in the Forum for "Homeserve". They will no doubt improve over time but it strikes me as the classic growing to big to quickly and not being able to provide the service. Like I said this could be teething problems and may get sorted out over time

matty2767

i have just had my first experience of homeserve and it wasnt the best. i had to claim for some electrical goods under the contents insurance and the products they have proposed to replace them with are not to the same specification. they claimed they were and i said they wernt. they have gone to have another look and will call me back. not holding my breath.

how much leverage do i have in getting what i want. ideally i would like the same goods as i had before. they worked well and i was happy with them. unfortunately they have been discontinued.

dacouch

Have a read of this from the Onbudsman http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/10/oct-repair-replace-cash.htm

DJBenson

matty2767 wrote: »

i have just had my first experience of homeserve and it wasnt the best. i had to claim for some electrical goods under the contents insurance and the products they have proposed to replace them with are not to the same specification. they claimed they were and i said they wernt. they have gone to have another look and will call me back. not holding my breath.

how much leverage do i have in getting what i want. ideally i would like the same goods as i had before. they worked well and i was happy with them. unfortunately they have been discontinued.

Is this cover directly with HomeServe or is it your contents insurance being handled by HomeServe? If it is the latter, HomeServe act on behalf of your insurers, if you are not happy - get on to them and complain.

To help you understand a little about these types of claims (apologies if it's a case of "teaching grandma how to suck eggs"...)

Contents insurance is not about "getting what you want" - it's about putting you in a similar situation as you were prior to the loss.

This question gets raised an awful lot and is often misunderstood by people. To use one example, if you claim for a LCD TV which three years ago cost you £2000, you will not be reimbursed £2000 - if the same specification TV can be sought for £800 - that will be the sum of your settlement. The specification however should be equal to or greater than the one they are replacing - as per the paragraph above, the aim is to put you in a situation you were in before the loss occurred.