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Burgled - Insurance woes
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Tight_Git_3
Posts: 113 Forumite
Whilst away on a short break to New York, some Ba***rd decided to rip the hinges of our back gate from the brick work, rip our security lights off the wall, crow bar open the french doors and then methodically ransack our house, to the point of tipping up tea pots and taking unopend mail. Then on their way out, pulled the main fuse cutting all power.
Most of the electrical stuff was left and the scrote went for mobile phones, the laptop, all our jewelery, spare car key and paperwork (hidden) and all of my wife's paperwork from birth certificate to bank statements.
Thankfully a family member who had been round to feed the cat found the damage next day and called it in.
We got the call in NY and asked them to call Direct Line hoping that DL would sort it all out. No such luck..... DL sent out a locksmith, insisting that £110 was paid up front and any parts (£50) before fitting.
When we rang them on Wednesday, they had no record of the call, and were told that we would have to pay a further £50 excess for the contents and £50 excess for the buildings, and £250 excess for the car.
As a result we have had to make 3 claims on our insurance.
Finally, having your ID paperwork stolen is a nightmare. If the TV had gone it would have been ok - get a new one, but birth certificates etc, means we have had to go into all our banks etc and close accounts, get new ones opened and markers put on the accounts, we have had to register with experian and cifas all costing a small fortune, and it's taken 3 days of phone calls and visits to sort everything out.
On top of that we will be getting a decent safe and a burglar alarm, so more expense.
Just what we needed for Christmas.....
Finally I can recommend Sentinal card protection. It was a great relief knowing that all the cards we left behind (hidden again) that were taken were cancelled with just one call.
Most of the electrical stuff was left and the scrote went for mobile phones, the laptop, all our jewelery, spare car key and paperwork (hidden) and all of my wife's paperwork from birth certificate to bank statements.
Thankfully a family member who had been round to feed the cat found the damage next day and called it in.
We got the call in NY and asked them to call Direct Line hoping that DL would sort it all out. No such luck..... DL sent out a locksmith, insisting that £110 was paid up front and any parts (£50) before fitting.
When we rang them on Wednesday, they had no record of the call, and were told that we would have to pay a further £50 excess for the contents and £50 excess for the buildings, and £250 excess for the car.
As a result we have had to make 3 claims on our insurance.
Finally, having your ID paperwork stolen is a nightmare. If the TV had gone it would have been ok - get a new one, but birth certificates etc, means we have had to go into all our banks etc and close accounts, get new ones opened and markers put on the accounts, we have had to register with experian and cifas all costing a small fortune, and it's taken 3 days of phone calls and visits to sort everything out.
On top of that we will be getting a decent safe and a burglar alarm, so more expense.
Just what we needed for Christmas.....
Finally I can recommend Sentinal card protection. It was a great relief knowing that all the cards we left behind (hidden again) that were taken were cancelled with just one call.
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Comments
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At least (s)he didn't make a call to the Australian TIM and leave the phone off the hook. It's happened! These days it would probably be an 09 number. IF you don't normally call premium numbers, best to get BT or equivalent to block them.
Sorry to hear of your plight."Some say the cup is half empty, while others say it is half full. However, this is skirting around the issue. The real problem is that the cup is too big."0
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