Advice required replacing a tv through insurance

Homer_71

I recently damaged my Pioneer pdp-507xd plasma screen and my insurance company has agreed to either replace the tv or repair but on enquiring how much to expect to replace my tv which cost £2300 4 yrs ago they said I'd only get a tv with the same features of the damaged tv which may only be between £400-£500 and having already paid £100 excess could be tv worth £300-£400 effectiveally from them is this fair considering the tv being replaced was top of the range at the time and I could have had a tv worth £600 to replace and could of still ended up with same payout and the attitude I recieved on the phone didn't fill me with confidence seemed to be like it or lump it. I would rather have the tv repaired which I've already told them as many tv's of today still don't match up to the quality of the pioneer. Any advice appreciated as this is the first time I've claimed on my insurance and don't know if there's anything I can do to make sure I don't get ripped off.

opinions4u

The insurer is obliged to replace with a telly that works to the same specification, or as close as possible, as the one that's damaged.

If a new TV with similar features to yours now costs £2,000 less than it did when you bought it, they aren't required to reimburse you that £2,000 difference.

They should either repair the damaged TV, if economical to do so, or replace it with a new set of similar specification.

On the face of it, they are behaving fairly.

Homer_71

Although I didn't expect to get the £2300 back I at least expect to get what I see as a comparable make of tv which means as there is no longer a Pioneer tv made I'd hope to get a Panasonic tv which is what I see as comparable and I don't think I can get one for £400. Having said that if I'm not happy with the outcome can I cancel my claim get my excess back and put up with the screen damage although noticable I'd rather have that than in my opinion get ripped off.
One other thing am I entitled to ask for a cheque rather than vouchers for one of there prefered partners as I could get better value for my money elsewhere.

Quentin

You can cancel your claim. Though you would be expected to refund any costs they have been put to before getting a refund of your excess.

The incident would remain on your record and would have to be disclosed to any new insurer you approach for a quote for the next 3-5 years (depending on how long they ask for your "history")

rs65

I would agree with Panasonic being a good benchmark to use.

Insurers will look to replace it with a current equivalent model. A well known internet chain beginning in D has Panasonic 50" plasmas from £499 to £1529. You'd need to look at the specification to see what is equivalent to your current one.

It is very likely that the most expensive one available now will be a better spec than your existing one - just with progress in technology. In fact, it may be that the cheapest one is a similar spec to yours.

That's not the fault of Insurers though. Technology items do get cheaper as time passes.

Homer_71

Many thanks for your replies.
I really hope I can have my tv fixed not hopefull after latest discussion/argument with insurance muppet I'm going to dig my heels in about the payout as much as I can for at least £1300 as only 2 months ago a 2nd hand tv like mine was advertised for £1000 and it sold at £970. But I'm not holding my breath.

InsideInsurance

The challenge will be that Pioneer were very good at Plasma screens before they pulled out of the market but it was the sort of thing that isnt reflected in the basic statistics (resolution, number of HDMIs etc etc)

The insurer will argue that the specification is equiv to the Panasonic TX-P50C3B plasma screen that you can currently buy new for £450. As soon as you go up to the next model, Panasonic TX-P50U30B you then are getting full HD (1080p) where as your screen was only HD ready (720p)

If one sold for that price it was overpriced by a long way even factoring in the fact people are willing to overpay for Pioneer because they are no longer made.