How do I get my phone repaired properly by dodgy insurance company?

GoldFinch

Hi

I bought mobile phone insurance for my new iPhone 4s via a company called Insure and Go as recommend by the MSE website...

However, 3 months later I dropped my phone and smashed the glass and dinted the white plastic on the edge. I sent it away to the repair centre...

The phone was away for 2.5 weeks. I received it today only to find the following:

1) The white plastic replacement is a different shade of white from the back cover and home button.
2) The white plastic and covering glass are misaligned/not the right size to cover the speaker.
3) The silver mesh covering the speaker has been bent.
4) The LCD screen underneath now has two marks on it and a dark patch
5) The glass seems to be quite flimsy and actually bends if light pressure is applied causing the LCD to warp. (Cheap glass, nothing like that on the original phone).

The letter I received from Insure And Go seems to be from the real insurers, a company called Citymain. I Googled to see if others have had problems with Citymain and found nothing but terrible reviews!!!!! Hundreds of people all telling similar stories or worse! It seems they may keep my phone for much much longer, refuse toact, ignore my calls and all sorts.

Considering the mess they did last time I REALLY don't want to send them my phone but I want them to pay for it to be fixed properly by someone of my choosing. Is this possible? If so how do I go about it?

Please help. I only got my phone in March. Paid £60 for the insurance and £25 excess for the repairs.

Thanks!

InsideInsurance

Citymain are the administrators and AmTrust are the insurers

You need to follow the complaints process as outlined in the policybook and advise them you intend to take the matter to the ombudsman unless you have a satisfactory resolution to the complaint.

GoldFinch

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Citymain are the administrators and AmTrust are the insurers

You need to follow the complaints process as outlined in the policybook and advise them you intend to take the matter to the ombudsman unless you have a satisfactory resolution to the complaint.

Thanks, I have just sent a complaint and explained that I do not wish to send it off to them again. I have suggested that I take it to a local repair centre and they authorise and pay for the repairs.

I guess I'll just have to wait for a reply to the email now.

In the mean time is there some kind of time limit on me sending it back to them? Can they come back to me and say 'you didn't send it back when we asked you to so you can no longer pursue this claim?'

InsideInsurance

You would need to read your policybook to see what it says.

When did you receive the item back from them? Given that it isnt time sensitive I doubt the FOS would give much consideration to any such defense from them as long as it was reported to them in a reasonable time period and you escalate the matter to the FOS within 6 months of either (A) receiving their final response or (B) after 8 weeks of raising the complaint - which ever of the two is soonest

GoldFinch

InsideInsurance wrote: »

You would need to read your policybook to see what it says.

When did you receive the item back from them? Given that it isnt time sensitive I doubt the FOS would give much consideration to any such defense from them as long as it was reported to them in a reasonable time period and you escalate the matter to the FOS within 6 months of either (A) receiving their final response or (B) after 8 weeks of raising the complaint - which ever of the two is soonest

I received it back today and phoned them immediately to report the problems and have now sent the email. So with this 8 weeks thing... what if they takes ages replying to my complaints and drag the whole thing out, at what point do I escalate to the FOS?

Thanks for your help!

InsideInsurance

GoldFinch wrote: »

So with this 8 weeks thing... what if they takes ages replying to my complaints and drag the whole thing out, at what point do I escalate to the FOS?

The FOS will not look into the complaint until the 8 weeks has passed if the insurer decides to drag their feet.

That said, the FOS "looking into the complaint" can take months itself. I have had 2 recent requirements to escalate to the FOS, the first took 9 months to get a judgement from them. The second also took 9 months to get a judgement but that one I wasnt happy with and so it is going back into the process and is likely to be another 9-12 months

chanz4

You also need to give them x3 attempts to rectify, you have not done this so the fos would frown on it

GoldFinch

chanz4 wrote: »

You also need to give them x3 attempts to rectify, you have not done this so the fos would frown on it

Hell, so I'll have to send it off to them 3 times?? Oh dear God... I could be without a phone for months! Hopefully they'll just agree to pay for repairs at my local repair centre... though I doubt it.

InsideInsurance

Get a quote from the local company, ideally before submitting the claim. This will obviously help them weigh up the costs/ benefits of the different ways of resolving your complaint.

Sometimes insurers get daft ideas that their suppliers are always miles cheaper and yet this isnt always the case - though at times things are more complex because of end of year profit shares etc.

chanz4

Also they will have to be manufacture authorised, or the warranty is void