Accidental Damage Cover

liam8282

I thought the most reasonable way to defrost a freezer would be to turn it off and let it defrost?

Just the fact that you used a knife, and as you have stated you "hit" the freezer, seems reason enough for your claim to be rejected to me. It doesn't seem you were taking reasonable care over what you were doing.

As others have mentioned, I don't really think that the knife being blunt is a good reason to use it as a tool to defrost your freezer, after all you could have used a blunt hammer.

You could have even got the hairdryer out (electricity, water, :eek:), wonder what the outcome on any life insurance claim would be?

placido

[ QUOTE=Hamza;32297091]

I guess that't what you get for being honest.

I think this is the crux of the problem.

I should have just cooked up a lie

No, not a lie. You could have said the freezer just packed up and you did not know why. The pipe may have been faulty for all you know and the repairman may have encountered the problem many times. He would be required to submit a report to the insurance company and he may have been disposed to rule in your favour.

and told them the food was also damaged. Insurance companies are nothing other than day light robbers![/QUOTE]

I think this is the part that has wound up some of the "saintly* posters on this thread.

If the food was damaged there would be no harm in telling them, otherwise no.

Some insurance companies may be daylight robbers but most seem to adhere to very strict rules that can bamboozle the unwary. Coming on MSE has opened my eyes to possible problems and how to deal with them.

When my freezer got damaged it was fixed quite easily. Why are we talking about a new freezer at this point. The damage has not yet been assessed, as far as I can see.

stevemarsh1976

placido wrote: »

[ QUOTE=Hamza;32297091]

No, not a lie. You could have said the freezer just packed up and you did not know why. The pipe may have been faulty for all you know and the repairman may have encountered the problem many times. He would be required to submit a report to the insurance company and he may have been disposed to rule in your favour.

If a freezer just "packs up" then it wouldnt be covered anyway as that would be wear and tear. By being honest youve opened yourself up to the possibility of being able to claim and should the claim be successful know full well there will be no reprecusions because its an honest legitamate claim.

Do you not think that insurers are wary and have strict rules because of the amount of fruadulent claims that cost the industry millions each year.

missprice

liam8282 wrote: »

I thought the most reasonable way to defrost a freezer would be to turn it off and let it defrost?

Just the fact that you used a knife, and as you have stated you "hit" the freezer, seems reason enough for your claim to be rejected to me. It doesn't seem you were taking reasonable care over what you were doing.

As others have mentioned, I don't really think that the knife being blunt is a good reason to use it as a tool to defrost your freezer, after all you could have used a blunt hammer.

You could have even got the hairdryer out (electricity, water, :eek:), wonder what the outcome on any life insurance claim would be?

he was not defrosting his freezer, he was trying to get a chunk of something (meat?) out

as for the hairdryer thing, i have done that loads of times
hold the hairdryer far enough away to just warm the ice and dont leave it on the wet floor etc
still alive to tell the tale.
its a speed thing,

placido

stevemarsh1976 wrote: »

Do you not think that insurers are wary and have strict rules because of the amount of fruadulent claims that cost the industry millions each year.

Yes. I detest people who put in fake claims for "whip-lash" injuries after a minor bump. But it is amazing how they seem to get away with it quite easily; apparently willingly supported by doctors and other friendly "witnesses".

I think you will agree that the op's case is totally different in degree.

liam8282

missprice wrote: »

he was not defrosting his freezer, he was trying to get a chunk of something (meat?) out

Because it was frozen to the freezer itself, presumably because the freezer needed defrosting. Whatever the circumstance, using a metal knife to get something out of a freezer, and hitting the freezer with the knife to get it out, is not (IMO and it seems an insurance companies opinion) taking reasonable care of the freezer.

You shouldn't have to use any tool to get anything out of a freezer, so to say the knife was blunt doesn't really make it any better.

missprice wrote: »

as for the hairdryer thing, i have done that loads of times
hold the hairdryer far enough away to just warm the ice and dont leave it on the wet floor etc
still alive to tell the tale.
its a speed thing,

I suppose you are one of those people that gets a boiling hot kettle to defrost your car windscreen too?

liam8282

stevemarsh1976 wrote: »

Do you not think that insurers are wary and have strict rules because of the amount of fruadulent claims that cost the industry millions each year.

Doesn't actually cost the industry anything, just bumps up everbody else's premiums.

stevemarsh1976

liam8282 wrote: »

Doesn't actually cost the industry anything, just bumps up everbody else's premiums.

wrong it costs the industry millions. The increase in premiums doesnt cover anywhere near whats paid out in fraudulent claims.

This is in no way aimed at the OP by the way it was in responce to a statement in thread from someone else about why insurers are strict on rulings etc.

liam8282

Wrong?

Every insurance premium contains an element for fraudulant claims. As a total estimate for the sake of an example, house insurance may cost £500, probably 10% of that £50, will cover the cost of fraudulant claims to the insurance company.

So in effect it is always the customers that pay for the fraudulant claims.

Same with car insurance, basically every insurance works like this.

http://www.insurancefraudbureau.org/