HELP! Dealing with Crawford & CO!

snowbear21

Sorry this is so long. I have contents insurance with RBS. I tested the central heating at my new rental in early September (it worked), turned it off and went out for the day. Came home to standing water everywhere and it was getting worse. The landlord eventually sent a plumber and after 2 weeks living in a marsh he repaired pipes split by water pressure from the boiler. The landlord tried to be unavailable, but eventually he told US to remove the now moulding, smelling carpet, revealing a cement floor with wood covered 'channels' running throughout the house - all filled with water. Water also wicked up the walls about 4 feet. Electricals were going out all over. We couldn't reach the landlord again, so we called our contents insurer. They sent Rainbow Flood Restoration at the end of October, who told us virtually all our furniture, all our electrical goods, all our books, everything within 3 feet of the floor (mould was everywhere), our computer and our brand new 42" tv were ruined, but the claim would not be paid until after we permanently moved from the property. We moved in early November, but the day before the move, we got a surprise visit from an A.G. from Crawford. This man knew NOTHING about our claim, kept talking about a "damp carpet" and said nothing we listed as damaged was covered by our contents insurance- like our tv?? The day after our move, Rainbow Flood Restoration came, smashed all the furniture and threw it into the backs of vans, threw all our electricals and other ruined items on top, jammed in what had been sitting outside for 3 weeks and handed us a listing, showing every item with "D" next to it, which the legend on the form says means "destroyed".

Three weeks after the removal, Rainbow Flood Restoration called and said all our electricals "PAT tested fine" and we needed to pick them up - the same electricals they told US were completely destroyed and we watched them THROW into the back of a van like garbage. Am I correct in saying a PAT test only ensures the item won't set the house on fire if plugged in, but doesn't actually tell you if the correct amount of current is properly running the item??? I refused to accept them, especially since the woman calling was being especially snide and nasty on the phone.

Today C.B. of Crawford & Co. called to "make a settlement" for the claim, but after officially telling me three days ago that all the electricals would be replaced, he now says I have to accept the ones tossed in with the trash by Rainbow Flood Restoration and "if I have a problem with that", I "have to take it up with Rainbow". I reminded him that I had not hired Rainbow, Crawford did, and so how they destroyed my items was THEIR problem, not mine. Crawford claimed they "can't" settle the claim until the electricals - including the tv set I was told by Rainbow was destroyed - are accepted by me in their now dinged, scratched, bashed and damaged condition, which I refuse to do. :mad: I am also highly allergic to mould (allergies & asthma) and several of the items were in cases that were covered with mould - do I have to accept these back? Is he trying to pull a fast one? What should I do?

huckster

You need to make a formal complaint to the RBS Insurance claims complaints team and it is up to them to sort this matter out for you.

It is not right that you have to put up with the poor service that Crawford and Rainbow flood restoration have provided.

The RBS people should be able to raise this at a more senior level with both Crawford and Rainbow and tell them to get their finger out.

If you are ever in this situation, alway complain to the company that is taking your premium.

snowbear21

huckster wrote: »

You need to make a formal complaint to the RBS Insurance claims complaints team and it is up to them to sort this matter out for you.

It is not right that you have to put up with the poor service that Crawford and Rainbow flood restoration have provided.

The RBS people should be able to raise this at a more senior level with both Crawford and Rainbow and tell them to get their finger out.

If you are ever in this situation, alway complain to the company that is taking your premium.

Immediately after reading your post, I looked online at the RBS site and found they not only listed 2 different addresses in which to make a complaint, and the OFT's address, but they gave an 0845 number to call in a complaint. I did so immediately, explaining the course of events as coherently as possible, considering everything. I told her that earlier this week C.B. at Crawfords said they would replace all our electrical goods due to my allergy/asthma problems (mould), but now refused to settle the claim unless we took back the damaged goods. I also said if RBS/Crawfords insisted on returning the electricals, they could take all of them immediately to the tip as I would refuse to accept them into my home.

The complaints person agreed that Rainbow had indeed marked the electricals as destroyed in their contents listing. She stated since they had been removed with all the other destroyed items, and handled in the same manner, we certainly shouldn't be forced to accept their return, particularly since they are now in a worse condition. She was also going to investigate why C.B. at Crawfords had agreed with us, as part of the settlement, to replace all the electricals on Tuesday (the 8th) and then demanded the original water damaged goods be returned to us today (the 12th).

It was late when I called, so she could do no more than give me her name and direct dial number today. She said Rainbow Restoration would be explaining to her tomorrow (Saturday) why they were now insisting on returning our damaged electricals and by whose authorization. She would also be contacting C.B. at Crawford and demanding an explanation for the sudden changing of the conditions of an agreed settlement. She said if she didn't get satisfactory responses, she would be dealing with those in both companies with "higher authority". She expected to have our claim settled on Monday. :T

mattymoo

Nice result - well done.

snowbear21

mattymoo wrote: »

Nice result - well done.

It's not quite over yet - but RBS Complaints has lit a fire under the adjuster at Crawford to settle the claim. (Ongoing for 4 months now!)

RBS Complaints basically tried to say she can't override the loss adjuster (bogus). Said the PAT tests showed the electrical grounding on the electrics that Rainbow Flood Restoration said were damaged beyond repair are allegedly 'fine', which I challenged. (Hint, toss damp damaged electrics and goods directly out in the garden so when the adjuster arrives they are completely destroyed instead of being neatly stacked on tarps in the driest area of the house). Rainbow now allegedly has to look inside and outside each and every item to see if there is any evidence of mould growth or damp inside the motors. (Uh huh :cool:) I was told certain items were now determined to be "nonrestorable" and Crawfords would go over each and every item on my listing with me today (Monday). They're still going to be told - "take it to the tip, like you were supposed to on the day you picked it up".

I then waited 2 hours and got ahold of my adjuster at Crawford. He was a VERY unhappy man :eek: and rather rude, which I found gratifying. Said I would have to wait until Rainbow had carried out all their checks and he would "speak to me later". I firmly reminded him that RBS said he WOULD speak to me TODAY and settle the claim in full - TODAY- or I would be back online with RBS Complaints asap. Toys out of cot but he's calling back tonight.... between 6.30pm and 8pm... or I not only call RBS Complaints again, but I start posting the letters of complaint I'm holding, stamps attached.

snowbear21

Just a quick update. The Crawford loss adjuster called as promised and, after quite a bit of stubbornness on my side, finally agreed there were some parts of my claim that he had gone over and we could agree a settlement on - which we did. About one-third of the claim. He said the main problem was with Rainbow Flood which only listed things like "chair" or "mirror", whereas I had listed them exactly, as "Ikea Gilbert chair, Birch", so he had to go through things line-by-line. I asked for his email address and said I would be happy to send him photos of every single item (yes, I do have them, thank God for digital cameras!), with exactly what page and line they appeared on my listing and where I believed them to be on the Rainbow listing... don't think he expected that, as he was at a loss for words. We finally agreed we would settle the rest of the claim on Wednesday, 16 Dec and he promised a cheque for the settlement would be in the post on Friday 18 Dec.

Always check your Claims Settlement terms in your policy. When is a "full replacement cost policy" NOT a "full replacement cost policy"?? ONLY IF you run out and buy the same or similar item and send them (a copy of) the receipt! Otherwise they get to deduct 20-25% of the value if they decide to make a cash settlement....

dacouch

Have a read of this, it will give you ammunition against the Loss Adjuster on his deductions for cash settlements

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/10/oct-repair-replace-cash.htm

snowbear21

C.B. at Crawfords & Co made the mistake of blowing me off on Wednesday, 16 December, when he had promised to settle the claim. Nor did he return my phone messages. It was a serious miscalculation on his part because at 6.10pm, as soon as Crawford's closed for the night, I was back on the line to the Complaints/Claim Department at RBS Insurance. I logged another complaint and asked directly what I should do now to get the claim moving.

I was given the fax number, email address and postal address of the RBS Customer Relations Team; the fax number, main telephone switchboard number and postal address of Crawford & Co., and the details of how to file a Complaint with the OFT. I was advised to write a formal letter of Complaint immediately, detailing the entire claim from start to finish, who said what and what occurred when, what I had sent in to verify my claim, etc. I was to include my name, my RBS policy number, the Crawford & Co. reference number and the claims address on all pages. And I was to clearly show that copies of the letter were going to go to RBS, Crawford and the OFT, so there was no mistaking the seriousness of the complaint.

I was told a second complaint on my part was being filed with RBS as I spoke, which would be communicated to Crawford & Co. first thing in the morning.

I was told after I had written my letter, I should email a copy of it to the RBS Customer Relations Team right away, follow it up by faxing in a copy first thing in the morning, and then send the hard copy via 1st class recorded delivery. I was also to fax a copy of the Complaint to the head of the Customer Relations/Loss Adjustment Department at Crawford & Co. the following morning, and again send the hard copy via 1st class recorded delivery. The letter to the OFT could be sent regular 1st class. I was then instructed to call Crawford's main switchboard line at 9am the following morning and ask for C.B.'s manager, stating I wished to file a complaint. I was to call every 2 hours until I reached that manager or received action on my claim.

The letter was completed before midnight (all 8 pages) and it included names, dates and times (I write everything down with these things). It was emailed immediately. By 8.30am, the faxed copies were faxed, the hard copies were posted. At 9.05am, I placed the first call for C.B.'s manager (she was not expected in until 9.30am). At 10.50am I received a frantic call from C.B. himself, denying he had promised to settle the claim on the 16th, stating he'd never said he'd call on the 16th and instead setting a time on 18 December go over my claim settlement. At 11am, I placed a second call to C.B.'s manager, stating I still wished to make a complaint, and after being told she was "in a meeting", informing the secretary that I would keep calling until I reached her.

At 1.08pm C.B. called back and settled the claim in about 10 minutes time. In fact, he went over things so fast I had to keep asking him to slow down so I could write items down. Only 5 electrical items were now deemed to be 'ok for return', everything else was compensated in cash, in full, with the exception of clothing/linens/shoes and books, which were compensated at 75%, per my insurance policy. :j Guess it pays to be a pushy, stubborn old pain in the :p:p