TV replacement

wazza

I have a 6 year old sony 29" normal screen tv. I have put a claim in for replacement due to accidental damage. Nowadays all you seem to get is widescreen from a good manufacturers. Normal screen tend to be from beko etc. which in my mind are budget tv's

would the insurance company replace my tv with a cheap brand of same size screen? or provide a widescreen at the same value as my old tv?

thanks in advance

GUMPO

Check your policy it all depends on who you are insured with.
Bit of a tip though, don't be afraid to haggle with your insurer. If they offer you a TV that is not up to scratch then argue the point they usually take the chance that you won't and offer substandard goods at first but will change their mind if you push them.

Astaroth

If you have new for old they will attempt to provide a replacement which as far as possible is the same specfication, performance and quality.

The problem with things like TVs is that technology moves so fast that, to be honest, almost any new TV will have better spec than a 6 year old one and most would consider that the majority would also have better performance though this is more debatable. So as you have 1.5 points going up they will typically bring down the quality (aka brand) a little to balance it out. That isnt to say you will get a Tesco Value but it could be that if yours was the flagship sony in its day you may now get a lower-middle of the range one or a top of the range JVC or such.

oldwiring

Is negotiation to pay the betterment yourself on top of the ins settlement possible?

Astaroth

Always depends on the insurer but this often isnt an option really.

Most insurers will have a deal with a supplier like Currys or Empire Direct where they get say 20% discount. If they offer you a TV that Currys sell for £500 they will only be paying £400 for it. It is very unlikely that currys will want to sell you a TV for more than the amount because of the headache of getting their books to balance with money coming from you and from the insurers. If you take cash from the insurer then you are free to add extra money yourself to it but the insurer would typically offer you under £400 in cash as 1) they arent going to pay more than they would if they settled the claim through the supplier and 2) the discount from the supplier is based on them putting £Xm of business through them a year so they need to encourage as many people to go through the supplier as possible to further drive down the prices. So say you get £350 cash, you dont get the discount in the store so you would already have to add £150 of your own money to get the same tv they were offering.

Some insurers are now giving gift vouchers for the likes of Currys which makes doing what you asked about much easier as the insurer still only pays £400 for the vouchers but they have a face value of £500

wazza

update - put a claim in for the tv. The insurers send someone to have a look at the tv. This guy, from a local electrical retailer, just plugged the tv in to see if it was working. He took the back cover and fiddled in the back. The tv started working. After fiddling with the cover he put it back on. He scribbled on his notepad that the job was completed and left after few minutes. He did not write down what damage there was. You can see the damage to the casing.

That evening i switched on the tv. After a few minutes it went off. I switched it on but it goes off. I rang my insurers who arranged another visit. A different chap turned up. It was nice to see someone who was not in a hurry like the first person. He took the cover off and had a close look at the components. He tells me one of the components is damaged and was wondering why the first person did not write off the tv. Anyway, he put his findings on his laptop. Took his time writing a report.

Few days later had a call from my insurance company. They are saying that the feedback they had from the repairers/assesors reports they feel the tv had occured more damage after the first visit. I explained to them when i first rang them i stated the tv casing was damaged (they did not write that on their report at the beginning) and when the first person came he found the tv was not working. Once he got it working he did not wait to see if something happens. it seemed he was in a hurry. He did not write the damage done to the tv in his report. They said they are going to send another person to inspect the tv which i agreed to.

What angers me is that due to laziness of the first guy my insurers are not aware of the actual damage to the tv. The second guy did a thorough job in writing his report detailing all the damages. If i was in the place of the insurer i would come to the same conclusion.

Where do i stand? I feel like just wait for the third guy to turn up and see what he says or shall i complain to the insurer's now?

humfer

wazza wrote:

update - put a claim in for the tv. The insurers send someone to have a look at the tv. This guy, from a local electrical retailer, just plugged the tv in to see if it was working. He took the back cover and fiddled in the back. The tv started working. After fiddling with the cover he put it back on. He scribbled on his notepad that the job was completed and left after few minutes. He did not write down what damage there was. You can see the damage to the casing.

That evening i switched on the tv. After a few minutes it went off. I switched it on but it goes off. I rang my insurers who arranged another visit. A different chap turned up. It was nice to see someone who was not in a hurry like the first person. He took the cover off and had a close look at the components. He tells me one of the components is damaged and was wondering why the first person did not write off the tv. Anyway, he put his findings on his laptop. Took his time writing a report.

Few days later had a call from my insurance company. They are saying that the feedback they had from the repairers/assesors reports they feel the tv had occured more damage after the first visit. I explained to them when i first rang them i stated the tv casing was damaged (they did not write that on their report at the beginning) and when the first person came he found the tv was not working. Once he got it working he did not wait to see if something happens. it seemed he was in a hurry. He did not write the damage done to the tv in his report. They said they are going to send another person to inspect the tv which i agreed to.

What angers me is that due to laziness of the first guy my insurers are not aware of the actual damage to the tv. The second guy did a thorough job in writing his report detailing all the damages. If i was in the place of the insurer i would come to the same conclusion.

Where do i stand? I feel like just wait for the third guy to turn up and see what he says or shall i complain to the insurer's now?

Oh my god what a nightmare process - it must be costing the insurance company a fortune just in sending the people out. I assume as you didn't get a copy of the 1st report that you can complain to the insurer and see where you get

wazza

humfer wrote:

Oh my god what a nightmare process - it must be costing the insurance company a fortune just in sending the people out. I assume as you didn't get a copy of the 1st report that you can complain to the insurer and see where you get

going to see what the third person does. If the insurers act awkward i will demand a report and a talk with the first person

gyzmo

You are entitled to the servic that you pat for. I would ask the insurers to look at the "report" from the first visit and compare that to the second visit. You should also question why they believe that there is additional damage that would exist had not the original damage existed.

Include as much details as you can, such as dates, times, description of engineer etc to help the insurer. It is more likely the engineer's company trying to earn a fast buck than your insurer trying to jip you.

jbatista

From my experience with Insurers, I also put in a claim for accidental damage through Norwich Union on their new for old. I had to get 2 different quotes on a similar tv from different shops,and also a report from 2 different repairers. I went through PRG and Currys. I was sent out a cheque for £1000 and ended up getting it online from Comet. This was about 2 years ago now, saved myself some money 2 I must say!!!

deanos

When i dropped my TV i rang Zurich and gave me a number to ring which was Empire Direct they told me what TV they were offering as a replacement i didnt like the look of it and asked if i could pay the difference for a different one it was no problem they said havea look on the website and see what you like and upgraded from a 28" to a 32" and cost me £100, the TV was delivered the next day very impressed with the service with Zurich and Empire Direct, under 24 hours from claim to delivery