Beware when switching buildings insurance!

leavold

After seeing their promotion on this board I switched my buildings insurance to the Post Office in October 2006.
In November 2006 my local council identified a problem with a broken waste pipe I share communally with my neighbours. They repaired it in January 2007 and I have just received a bil for over £1000.
I contacted the Post Office to discuss my claim and they passed me on to some random firm of underwriters called MMA in Cardiff.
MMA have told me that as the waste pipe may have been broken before I switched my insurance to the Post Office I may have to contact my previous insurer to claim (as if they are really going to be interested).
I now have to submit all the paperwork I have from my council before they will make a decision.
Does anyone know if this is legal?
I'll certainly be raising this with the Post Office Executive and the Financial Ombudsman should the Post Office turn down my claim.

jonesMUFCforever

If the problem was identified in November and you had switched in October I don't see what the issue is.
(Unless it was common knowledge that there had been a problem before and I would assume that they will check the database to of claims of all customers with your post code and similar to see if anyone else claimed before this date. If there had been an earlier claim then they would have a point and the insurance company covering you at that time would have to look at your claim)

gazza975526570

OP im not really sure where you are coming from or why you are concerned re this.

If the incident occured at a time you where insured at your previous insurers then it is only right they cover the cost. The post office will only cover an incident which occured whilst your policy was in force.

Look at it this way. Your take out new car insurance with car insurer number 2 on 01/01/07 but have had an accident on 25/12/06 whilst insured with car insurance number 1 . You wouldnt expect car insurance number 2 to cover the claim and the same goes with any insurance

Astaroth

The "post office" (which isnt the company you are actually dealing with anyway) are simply brokers. Your insurers are actually MMA from what you say and so they havent randomly passed it to someone.

As Gazza says, you claim from the insurance policy that was in force at the time of the incident that caused the loss not the one that you happen to have now - though you would have to inform your current insurers too for underwriting purposes.

If they identified the problem in Nov 06 then I would strongly suspect that the problem would have occurred prior to that - councils arent normally known for their quick actions - and therefore if it occurred before you switched in Oct 06 then MMA are perfectly correct in referring you back to your previous insurers.

Your previous insurers will have to deal with your claim as normal even though you are no longer a customer with them. Of cause as you are no longer a customer then you are clearly less likely to get the benefit of the doubt/ gesture of goodwill etc but this is a clear "risk" that you face if you are an insurance switcher/ the cost you pay for saving on premiums

jswaminathanuk

I dont know much about this all but I would suggest to insist your current insurer to chase it with previous insurer. They have to first decide when the problem first started and if fall in previous insurer's bracket then let them chase him this is as simple as that.
Why would you chase them. Had you been a victim of problem due to neighbour's fault your insurer will pay you and then reclaim from your neighbour isn't it.
But abain I don't know much and just offering an advice. Please ignore if I am talking rubbish