Car Stolen - Insurance Advice Please

mattymoo

Well done Mightymouse - that link is gold dust to the OP.

Ombudsmans views trump those of the insurance claims handler so stick to your guns and this should be paid.

---lee---

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Go to www.fos.org.uk and check out "Ombudsman News". They've run articles on cases very similar to yours not so long ago.

Very good link and some remarkably similar stories where the complaint against the insurer was upheld so all is not lost - let's hope it does not get that far. I think I'm going to review my policy of leaving the engine running whilst I open the driveway gates :eek:

BenL

Hopefully the police will find your car undamaged and a lot of this hassle will dissapear.

It may just be used to commit another crime like stealing a motorbike and leaving yours as some sort of guarantee at the dealers.

Good Luck

Ben

Miss_Bliss

---lee--- wrote: »

Very good link and some remarkably similar stories where the complaint against the insurer was upheld so all is not lost - let's hope it does not get that far. I think I'm going to review my policy of leaving the engine running whilst I open the driveway gates :eek:

Hi, yes this was a good link however I came across it before I posted on the forum, and to be honest it gave me some hope.

Thanks to everyone for your responses, although it leaves me 50/50. As said I have reported it to Insurance and expecting a call from them for more info.

To be honest it's not even the fact that it's been stolen that causes me the real issue, it was the shock of how it was done.

I think I have very little chance as my policy states the exclusion of leaving keys in the ignition, although will try as I was in attendance of the car. I will also wait and see if it turns up.. perhaps I should check eBay.. along with my 'I'm not a plastic bag' bag that I queued at Sainsburys for an hour for!

What a wally!

Thanks again, will try and update you although it may be several months ahead ! Thanks again all.

mightymouse

Hi

Thought I would mention, I have a theft claim in almost identical circumstances sept 06, insurer finally turned claim down december 06.

Insurer quoted 5 different wordings (seperately of course but finally relied on policy),one wording issued the year before policy issued, then the policy, one update and one issued after claim occurred and finally one that was two halves photo copied from two booklets and amended in pen where date faded?.

Sent to Ombudsman end of January 2007 but due to numbers of referrals ie bank charges etc only passed to adjudicator middle July, I expect final decision this week so we will see...........

Miss_Bliss

As luck would have it, 2 weeks ago, the night before I was flying on holiday, a lady found my handbag in her bin! minus the new tax disc, ipod and £25. I went to collect it to find my car outside with new plates!

The police took it for forensics. There was personal stuff in there (who's I don't know), and the stereo taken out the car. It clearly was being used!

I am just back from hols so my OH sorted it out whilst I was away. Need new plates, new key (was unfortunately the only one I had!). Apparently you can get a key cut and the chip changed, which is cheaper than changing all the locks. It's about £500 so I'm thinking about it, in which case there's no point I don't think in arguing with insurance, losing no claims when I have £200 excess anyway.

Views welcome!

MB

MarkyMarkD

Glad the car is back.

It's probably not worth claiming for £300 net if you don't have protected NCD.

But your premium will probably go up anyway simply because of the theft whether you claim or not.

It's a shame the police were too numpty to actually catch the people driving it - surely if they'd fitted a tracking device they could have caught someone driving it around? Simply taking the car for forensic examination isn't likely to get them anywhere unless the people who took it have a record and left fingerprints everywhere.

Miss_Bliss

Hi MarkyMarkD,

We waiting 2.5hrs for the police to come as we were told not to and couldn't move the vehicle anyway. By 10.30pm we managed to flag down a riot van so we had 5 vested police with us! Seeing as the bag was in the next bin, I would of knocked on the door of the house it was outside... they were young fellas and although we feel sure one might of been him, was too nervous to point it out to be honest, considering they had my address and personal details. Hopefully they weren't interested in that as they dumped my bag.

I'm not sure how interested they were really - considering they'd just come from a stabbing incident. They were very helpful though. They get it removed to a private firm that stores the car (didn't cost anything as the fella got it picked up by RAC for free we think, as soon as we could take it), so not even sure how far forensics go. They did keep the false plates as they said this gives more prints than anything. The thief left photos in there too which we now have (the car's still at the fellas), but I didn't recognise the bloke in them...

I think the same.. to get it fixed and not bother about insurance.. would like to get rid of the car after that though, but it's a good car. You know, bad karma

Ian_W

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

It's a shame the police were too numpty to actually catch the people driving it - surely if they'd fitted a tracking device they could have caught someone driving it around? Simply taking the car for forensic examination isn't likely to get them anywhere unless the people who took it have a record and left fingerprints everywhere.

Thought this was a pretty sweeping statement last night Mark before the OPs last post. As it transpires that the thief and/or mates were probably aware of the police activity around the car the really NUMPTY thing for the cops to do would have been leave it in situ with a tracker, unless of course, the tracker came with a fire extinguisher fitted.

Most people who steal cars are repeat offenders, so hopefully fingerprints will be on record and the scumbag arrested. However it does raise an interesting point - should the police use your stolen car as bait, as Mark suggests, without getting your OK first? I'd be mega unhappy for them to even though I'd like the thief caught. Even with a tracker on there's a better than even chance there'll be a pursuit with your car thrashed or crashed as a result.

If the car was in a controlled environment like immobilised in barriered car park and the cops could keep obo on it for the villain returning - fair enough. But out on the street I'd rather they secured or towed it than risk further damage.

MarkyMarkD

OK Ian - fair points. I was being rather harsh. Probably observation would be more effective than anything which involves actually touching the car.

Hope that it works out.