Penalised by Esure for an "incident" not a claim!

DocHants

Couple of weeks back I called Esure asking if my fridge freezer was covered as the motor had died, they said the freezer wasnt, but the contents were, but I would have to pay excess if I wanted to claim. I said there wasnt any point!

Ive since gone to renew and spoke with them about discounts after seeing cheaper deals on comparison sights, they siad they couldnt offer me any because of the loss I had suffered. I said the loss I suffered, that didnt cost you any money.. they said yes, its a loss, and is recordded on my file! I told them to shove their policy and I woul dbe going elsewhere!

I was gobsmacked.. I called up another insurer, and they hasked the same about if Id claimed or suffered a loss, I told them about the freezer, and my premium came back nearly treble what I was currently paying.

Ive since had to go back to Esure, as they were still by far the cehapest, but I cant believe Ive been penalised for a loss that I suffered, not them!...

Unbelievable!

Although, I do wonder.. they never asked me the value of the contents I had lost.. I suppose I could say, I didnt actually lose them, we ate them all that evening...

dunstonh

A loss is a loss whether you claim on the policy or not.

You will now need to declare this on any application for new house insurance as it is logged as a loss. Although using esure has avoided it for the timebeing.

but I cant believe Ive been penalised for a loss that I suffered, not them!...

The price their product based on risk. Some providers will cherry pick (and esure are known for this) and will target those that have not suffered a loss or claim by offering discounts on their price if they are in that position. The minute you have a loss or a claim you are classed as higher risk and you lose that discount.

If you had never phoned them then they would be none the wiser. However, you did and that is where the damage was done.

mikey72

Have a read of

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3989489

for a similar situation, with the correct outcome in the end.

DocHants

Its anoying though as the freezer simply came to its natural end, it wasnt damaged or stolen... least I now know better. Im a believer in Karma, so what goes around will come back around at some point!

I locked myself out of the house not long back and used the Home Emergency Cover from Esure, who to be fair, were really good, and I was back in the house within an hour... I was actually astounded at how quick the man got in, with his James Bond style suitcase of goodies! This however wasnt held against me.

lisyloo

Its anoying though

Most people don't declare minor losses.
If you want to do that it's best to look in the policy documents or on-line and not get it recorded.
Some will say technically you should record everything but no-one has satisfactorily explained wheere you draw the line e.g. if you ladder a pair of tights is that a "loss"? (clothing is contents).

Most people use their common sense on deciding where to draw the line, but if you want the choice it's best not to declare it over the phone.

I am not suggesting lying, but I think I'm right in saying that no-one in their right mind would ring up about a laddered pair of tights.

Just_Some_Guy

This is a common situation with contents insurance and causes no end of complaints. An electrical item giving up the ghost is something you deal with under the warranty that came with the item, as the appliance's failure is classed as wear and tear which is never covered under contents insurance. If the warranty has expired then you have got no option other than to get someone to repair it for you or just chuck it and buy a new one. Trying to claim it from your contents insurance is a waste of time. It is infuriating when something breaks three days after the warranty ends but that's one of life's little jokes!

Food stored in fridge/freezers which goes off after the freezer packs in is covered under contents insurance, but to validate the claim you will be required to submit an itemised list of every bit of food you wish to claim for. This isn't worth the hassle to most people, especially when you have to pay the excess and deal with a claims loading applied to your insurance for the next few years. Maybe worth claiming if you have a chest freezer packed to the rafters with premium food for Christmas, or as part of a larger claim such as your house burning down, spoiling four Chicago Town pizzas and a packet of frozen peas alongside everything else.

You are theoretically required to report every loss, no matter how small, to your insurer. In practice insurers don't care about minor losses such as inadvertently scratching a CD or white goods coming to the end of their natural life; it's only when your dying washing machine leaks water everywhere and then goes on fire that insurers start to get interested.