Home Insurance - Wrong Address, Refund due?

dunstonh

If you have doubts still, the ombusman can offer advice over the phone, as to whether or not you have a justifialble complaint before you decide what to do.

Hold on, before a complaint is made and you ask a low skilled telephone operator at the FOS who will just tell you that they will pass your complaint on, would it not be better to find out from the insurer themselves?

It seems a total unnecessary cost to go through the complaints process when the insurer havent even been asked if they would cover it or not.

chambta

Not so much 'wrong address' as 'address in a different format'.

lisyloo

ould it not be better to find out from the insurer themselves?

The trouble is that the insurer have a vested interest and are almost bound to reject immediately especially the low skilled call center person.
So in most cases unfortuantely you cannot trust what their call center says.
The ombudsman are at least independent, although I'm not clear on what level of advice you get on the phone. I thought you had to exhaust the insurers complaints procedure first.

mikey72

They'll pre-advise on the phone, and can give you an idea as to whether or not it's worth going through the complaints procedure.
It won't cost anyone, and the op can decide how far to take it then.

dunstonh

mikey72 wrote: »

They'll pre-advise on the phone, and can give you an idea as to whether or not it's worth going through the complaints procedure.
It won't cost anyone, and the op can decide how far to take it then.

It will cost as the FOS wont have the info to give an informed opinion. Typically they tell everyone they have a case they would like to look unless its really really blatantly obvious there isnt one.

Then the FOS will put it through the official complaints process which generates a cost of the firm and then you wait up to 8 weeks for a response.

Alternatively, the insurance company can give an answer on the spot over the phone and alter the correspondence address all in a couple of minutes.

Going to complaint without even asking the company first is bad form when you are basing your whole argument on third party, unqualified and typically inaccurate opinion.

lisyloo

I can honestly see both sides here.
I wouldn't want to increase the cost for a trivial reason.
On the other hand having won about 6 cases (over about 20 years) by going to the FOS when the company refused the complaint, I can also see the viewpoint that it's naive to expect a fair answer from a company that has a very vested interest in the decision.
When you push things with a independent organisation then you often find the comapnies haven't ruled fairly but in their own interests.

Unfortuantely we don't get fair treatment from financial institutions unless we push for our rights.
That's not just my personal view, it's all over MSE news.

mikey72

dunstonh wrote: »

It will cost as the FOS wont have the info to give an informed opinion. Typically they tell everyone they have a case they would like to look unless its really really blatantly obvious there isnt one.

Then the FOS will put it through the official complaints process which generates a cost of the firm and then you wait up to 8 weeks for a response.

Alternatively, the insurance company can give an answer on the spot over the phone and alter the correspondence address all in a couple of minutes.

Going to complaint without even asking the company first is bad form when you are basing your whole argument on third party, unqualified and typically inaccurate opinion.

No it won't. the FOS won't put it through the complaints procedure until it gets to that stage.

They'll help if they can first, and even speak to the company before a complaint is officially raised.
If there is no complaint, that's what they can tell the op, if there is fair enough.
It'll be most persuasive than a third party, the original insurer, or an internet forum.



"It's important that you complain first to the business you're unhappy with – and give them a chance to look into your problem. They have eight weeks to do this. We can help by contacting the business for you, and telling them about your complaint."

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm


and

"Give the company you’re unhappy with the chance to look into things for you. A lot of complaints are misunderstandings that can be sorted out once you’ve raised them with someone senior.

We’ve got tips on how to complain on our website.

If you don’t know who to contact at the company you're unhappy with – or you’re unsure about anything – contact us. "

http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/can-we-help-2.htm

TheMac

I have to say a LOT of the posts I've just read here don't actually seem to be designed to be helpful. They seem extremely pretentious, particularly lisyloo who seems to have the idea that I'm waiting on her golden stamp of approval to "go for it" and get a refund. I find the chat about "low-level clerks" and "low-skilled staff" very derogatory also. Lisyloo - you've stated on numerous occasions that I would be covered - I'm supposed to take your word for it am I? As opposed to the "low-level clerk" who actually works for the bank? She's definitely wrong then, and you are 100% correct? What makes you so special? You've asked me to provide "proof" that I would not be covered. It doesn't exist. But where is your proof then that I would be covered? "Happens all the time"....sounds like opinion to me (proof?). You cannot have it both ways, do not dismiss my posts as being of fiction...especially if I've already started it with "In my view..." - that doesn't require proof, its subjective.

You firstly approached this thread by claiming that it was merely "gossip" from a "low-level employee at a competitor" - but because I've explained that she has told us about the anomoly for a purely honest reason (ie. we can't give you a mortgage because your home insurance is for a different address - it needs changed. Heaven forbid somebody actually tried to help you without there being an ulterior motive?) you seem to have had your nose put out of joint and as a result this thread has taken a turn for the worse - and for all the wrong-reasons. It now appears to be nothing more than a point-scoring exercise. You are now referring to "flaws in your argument" - I don't have an argument...but you seem to. You are also of the opinion that I don't want to hear that I was actually covered. I just want to know where I stand and get some opinions before actually bothering to contact them about this. I find your posts impertinent, ignorant and arrogant.

Lets be honest here - unless I actually make a claim I'm never going to get the real answer from the insurance company am I? Which was the reason for my post in the first place. This forum is full of help for people to save money, or claim money back - I seem to be getting frowned upon, am I in the wrong place???

I actually find it quite surreal that an innocent predicament gets posted on here and it gets turned into this type of thread! You've made it very confrontational. I need "closure"? What is this - an episode of "Friends"? When I say that this thread isn't turning out like I thought - I mean this point-scoring nonsense, your assumptions that you nonchalantly make, and the general lofty perch you seem to reside upon that is prevalent here.....rather than actually being helpful. You could have said - I think you're covered and leave it at that. But no you have to try to open up some weird intellectual warfare! None of your "help" was that great - save the Ombudsman bit. The rest I could quite easily dismiss as "gossip". In fact I found it humorous that you based one of your last comments on stuff you'd read from "MSE News"...whilst I've to provide you with evidence for anything I post. How ridiculous!

In my opinion, and I'd guess a lot of people (particularly "low-level" dimwits?) would hazard a guess that insurance companies tend to wriggle out of paying you out. Am I wrong to suggest that? Do they just pay out willy-nilly (hey who needs the small-print eh?)? Or do they actually analyse every single avenue to AVOID paying you out? Based on nothing but pure imagination...

gordikin

TheMac wrote: »

I have to say a LOT of the posts I've just read here don't actually seem to be designed to be helpful. They seem extremely pretentious, particularly lisyloo who seems to have the idea that I'm waiting on her golden stamp of approval to "go for it" and get a refund. I find the chat about "low-level clerks" and "low-skilled staff" very derogatory also. Lisyloo - you've stated on numerous occasions that I would be covered - I'm supposed to take your word for it am I? As opposed to the "low-level clerk" who actually works for the bank? She's definitely wrong then, and you are 100% correct? What makes you so special? You've asked me to provide "proof" that I would not be covered. It doesn't exist. But where is your proof then that I would be covered? "Happens all the time"....sounds like opinion to me (proof?). You cannot have it both ways, do not dismiss my posts as being of fiction...especially if I've already started it with "In my view..." - that doesn't require proof, its subjective.

You firstly approached this thread by claiming that it was merely "gossip" from a "low-level employee at a competitor" - but because I've explained that she has told us about the anomoly for a purely honest reason (ie. we can't give you a mortgage because your home insurance is for a different address - it needs changed. Heaven forbid somebody actually tried to help you without there being an ulterior motive?) you seem to have had your nose put out of joint and as a result this thread has taken a turn for the worse - and for all the wrong-reasons. It now appears to be nothing more than a point-scoring exercise. You are now referring to "flaws in your argument" - I don't have an argument...but you seem to. You are also of the opinion that I don't want to hear that I was actually covered. I just want to know where I stand and get some opinions before actually bothering to contact them about this. I find your posts impertinent, ignorant and arrogant.

Lets be honest here - unless I actually make a claim I'm never going to get the real answer from the insurance company am I? Which was the reason for my post in the first place. This forum is full of help for people to save money, or claim money back - I seem to be getting frowned upon, am I in the wrong place???

I actually find it quite surreal that an innocent predicament gets posted on here and it gets turned into this type of thread! You've made it very confrontational. I need "closure"? What is this - an episode of "Friends"? When I say that this thread isn't turning out like I thought - I mean this point-scoring nonsense, your assumptions that you nonchalantly make, and the general lofty perch you seem to reside upon that is prevalent here.....rather than actually being helpful. You could have said - I think you're covered and leave it at that. But no you have to try to open up some weird intellectual warfare! None of your "help" was that great - save the Ombudsman bit. The rest I could quite easily dismiss as "gossip". In fact I found it humorous that you based one of your last comments on stuff you'd read from "MSE News"...whilst I've to provide you with evidence for anything I post. How ridiculous!

In my opinion, and I'd guess a lot of people (particularly "low-level" diwits?) would hazard a guess that insurance companies tend to wriggle out of paying you out. Am I wrong to suggest that? Do they just pay out willy-nilly (hey who needs the small-print eh?)? Or do they actually analyse every single avenue to AVOID paying you out? Based on nothing but pure imagination...

You need to wind your neck in, people are trying to be helpful. You sound like you're just not getting the answer you want.

TheMac

Thanks for that insight gordikin, I may as well not have bothered to post the above explaining the whole thing, you think this is on my mind 24/7 like lisyloo I guess (rollseyes). ANY company out there who can take you for a ride on a technicality WILL, why shoudn't I scout this out?