Do I Claim?

Vancat

Hi
First post here, after many months of reading! Sorry in advance for the length....
I've just returned from a routine visit to my vets, and have realised that the gold bangle I wear 24/7 is missing.:mad:
I immediately called vets, OH went and retraced my steps from parking outside into vets and back home again; I also went back to work, just in case it had actually come undone and dropped in my office earlier, without me realising.
I knew it was expensive, but until now, not how expensive, approx £650:eek: ; it was a present from OH for my 50th birthday.
Anyway, no luck; I can only think it fell off while I was wrestling 2 dogs in or out of the vets, with their leads wrapped round my arm.
I have personal items cover on my home insurance with Prudential, BUT......
on renewal this year in April, the insurer wrote, "Due to my high claims history (??)!! they were raising the excess to £220."
I called them at the time, and they said as I had claimed the following :
1) July 2004 : Water Damage to ceiling (The header tank in the loft leaked, soaking into the loft insulation, and eventually came through the ceiling before we realised!) Cost to repair £140
2) Oct 2004 : Theft of Mobile phone (My Mobile was stolen at a concert...complete with the pictures of the concert! I spent from the interval and the second half of the concert hunting on the floor with security men for it, and a police report was provided.) Cost to replace £185
3) Dec 2006 : Damage to home PC ( PC fell off chair while I was shampooing carpets, and it wouldn't reboot afterwards.) Their letter said cost was £300.Instead of repairing it, they supplied a new PC.....which was nice...until I received the sting on renewal!

So, although the total items claimed were less than 700 pounds, I have obviously been marked as having a high claims history!
I did call them when I received the renewal with the increased excess, and they assured me that they were not in any way disputing my claims; they would not have accepted them if they felt there was something amiss.
However, the raised excess remains.
My plan was to wait until January next year, then I could apply for home insurance with a different insurer, because by then, I could declare that I had only 1 claim in the last 3 years. (Both the 2004 claims would have been more than 3 years ago, therefore only the 2006 one would be left.)
Until then, I would probably not get accepted anywhere else anyway.
So, problem is; do I claim for my missing bangle, (I'm about to go to report it lost at the police station, having scoured the house and everywhere else from top to bottom since 4.45pm)> I know I will have to pay the huge excess, but on an item this expensive, I suppose I should. It won't be the same; the sentimental value is worth much more than the bangle itself. But I'm a bit wary of claiming for anything else after the insurer raised my excess.

What do people think? I'm really upset about this, and always thought that's what we pay insurance for.....I've always had full insurance, but it seems insurers don't take that into account these days.

mattymoo

The insurer seems to be more bothered by the frequency of the claims than the amount and has upped your excess to disuade you from making claims for smaller amounts.

If you claim, they may up your excess even further or increase the premium but at least you can shop around with 2 claims in last 3 yrs (computer and bangle).

Vancat

Thanks mattymoo; I suppose I'd better claim then....didn't sleep last night trying to remember driving to vets and seeing bangle on arm! I have a nice white mark on my arm from where the bangle "lived" now, and OH has got to try to find receipt.....an impossible task, as he throws everything away!
I've found the Ernest Jones box, and even the jewellers bag from 4 years ago....but the receipt? No chance!
Luckily every photo I've had taken of me since receiving the bangle shows me wearing it, just in case the insurers want proof that I wore it all the time.

manch235ter

Vancat wrote: »

Thanks mattymoo; I suppose I'd better claim then....didn't sleep last night trying to remember driving to vets and seeing bangle on arm! I have a nice white mark on my arm from where the bangle "lived" now, and OH has got to try to find receipt.....an impossible task, as he throws everything away!
I've found the Ernest Jones box, and even the jewellers bag from 4 years ago....but the receipt? No chance!
Luckily every photo I've had taken of me since receiving the bangle shows me wearing it, just in case the insurers want proof that I wore it all the time.

If your OH knows the exact date he bought the item , and the exact store , your insuracne MAY accept that,along with the photos of you wearing it , as proof that it had been purchased. (This is not guaranteed and can sometimes be a long and drawnout process)

Bloke

From my experience of house contents insurance (I have 2 claims, one in Nov 2002 for broken glasses (£120) and one in Jan 2005 for water damaged carpet at around £500), when I renewed my insurance on Monday I increased my excess to £500 as it appears to me that there is not much point claiming for anything less than this due to increased premiums and reduced choice of insurers at renewal (some will only accept one claim in last 5 years?!). If I have damage/loss/theft for anything less than £500 I personally believe that it's worth having this set aside in a savings account and absorb this cost rather than having a 'hit' on your insuance claim history.

This is of course just my personal view, but I've seen the increases these relatively small claims have had and so this is the route I have decided is best, just thought it was worth mentioning for you to think about?

Paul

Vancat

Thanks for replies Manch235ter and Bloke
OH has found receipt!! Very faded, but still readable of cost and jeweller.
Police have given me a lost property reference number.
Have checked again all the local shops in the vicinity of the vets....everyone has done another search. Gut feeling is someone's picked it up and it will be on its way to a Cash Convertor shop.
Still reluctant to call insurer.....I've never bothered about having to claim anything before, but I now have visions of their screen flashing a big warning sign as soon as I call now....it's made me paranoid! Must be reading about all the things they do when you claim on the phone....for instance, I never realised they can do searches on your credit history and into your bank accounts!!!! Nothing to hide, but it bothers me that they can do that, which I only read about on here. Seems like they don't believe anyone before you even pick the phone up!

foxyuk

your policy has been rated on the amount of claims and frequency .. not the value of claim.

however when you get quote elsewhere they will request prev claims and there value therefore some companies work out the risk on that....

i would be claiming for your bangle. if it was bought specially i am sure that you will get like for like again

Vancat

Called insurer with details yesterday, albeit reluctantly.
I was up early, going through dustbins and kitchen bin, just in case bangle had dropped off when I'd returned from vet, in the 15 mins before I'd realised it was missing.
Also called local second hand dealers, just in case someone had picked up bangle and tried to sell it on.
Colleagues at work confirmed that I was wearing it on the day it was lost: (I was beginning to wonder if, in fact, I'd lost it earlier...?)
Insurer asked the usual questions, details of police reference etc, and asked ME for details of my previous claims with them! I said they knew exactly what the claims were and when, as they obviously had a record in front of them, and I was reading the claims history back to them,. from their letter to me, when they increased my excess!
Advisor said she "would have to pass this onto a different department, and someone would call me in the next week."
Spent the evening printing off "Lost" notices, offering a reward for the safe return of the bangle, which I'm going to post on the window of the vets and the shops around the area. I really don't want a replacement, even if the insurer does decide to pay for one.
Just a point; when they ask for details of ANY insurance claims, I take it that they don't mean things like claims on Pet Insurance or Domestic Appliance repairs, both which I've claimed recently. Didn't tell them about them, because I have an ongoing vet claim with one of my pets, and an ongoing problem with a domestic appliance, with different insurers. (Both of which are not the sort of thing you can "gain" by, so I guess it's different?)
Perhaps one of the insurance experts could let me know?
Thanks

FlameCloud

It shouldnt do- the main database for Insurance claims only registers Home and Motor claims, so I'd doubt they'd either be able to know or even care.

With regards to the domestic appliances, are you claiming for them having broken down? Again, if so, its not really something that would affect the underwriting of a policy.

In all likely hood the 'passed to a different department' and 'contact you next week' indicates it will have gone to the insurances SI department. When you register a claim, it (should) come up with a box for a compulsery excess, with instructions to pass all claims of a certain type to SI for further investigation.

It is highly unusual though to change the excess halfway through a period of insurance.

Vancat

Hi FlameCloud
thanks for reply....yes, the domestic appliance is covered by a breakdown policy.
The excess was changed/increased at renewal, due to "high claims history", (details in original post) and I guess that was for the start of a new period of insurance. I decided to stay with them, and sincerely hoped not to have reason to claim until I could change insurer next year, when only (then) 1 claim from 2006 would be relevant to declare in the previous 3 years.
Does this consitute "Having Special Terms Applied" if I do try to change insurer next year? I wouldn't have thought so, as you can voluntarily increase your excess.
Now getting worried that I may not be able to change insurer or even not get insured! It wouldn't matter if I claimed or not; as you are obliged to inform insurers if any loss! So what do you do?
Sod's law dictated that I'd lose the flippin' bangle before next year.
I have always made sure that I, my home, my pets, my car and everything possible, was covered by insurance! Because I was brought up to be cautious! I have had fully comp car insurance for 30 years, and have only claimed once, 20+ years ago, when someone broke into my car and stole the stereo!
I'm seriously wondering if the thousands I spend in insurance is worth it, if you are made to feel a criminal when you need to put a claim in!
I will await the call from insurer, after they've passed claim to as you've suggested, the "SI" department(?), and see what they say!

FlameCloud

I would say it would count as special terms. Yes, you can have a voluntery XS for the policy, but this is forced on you. I'd speak to them about it before decided not to tell them.

I really wouldnt worry about not informing them if you dont want to claim, its not like car insurance where it is (relativly) far easier to find out about accidents etc.

The SI department is the Special Investigations department (name will differ slightly according to insurer), which investigates any unusual claims- i.e. Policy holder death, fraudulent claim, technical ones etc. With a high claims history with one insurer I'd be suprised if it wasnt with them.