Insurer won't pay out on stolen phone due to it being a gift

Headerrs

So I recently gave my mobile phone upgrade to my girlfriend who subsequently had the phone stolen in a nightclub.

It was reported to the police and this case number along with proof of purchase was provided to her families insurance policy who have since said they will not pay out on the phone because the proof of purchase is not in my girlfriends name, despite the IMEI number for the phone etc being registered with the insurance provider.

Is there anything I can do here?

Thanks

Stevie_Palimo

I would say this is difficult as on the one hand if I bought my OH a diamond ring or her family did then if it was stolen I'd expect my insurance to pay out forthwith, The other side of this is that I could buy a car drive it and then crash it and claim it through another insurance policy that was nothing to with me and not covering me, Would the insurance pay out on this one !! , I believe not so think you are stuck here and may need to suck it up.

Headerrs

Thanks for the reply, I totally understand the logic. It is just frustrating as the transaction clearly took place months ago, the phone was registered at that time and it just seems like reasonable distance between the events!

diamonds

Headerrs wrote: »

So I recently gave my mobile phone upgrade to my girlfriend who subsequently had the phone stolen in a nightclub.

It was reported to the police and this case number along with proof of purchase was provided to her families insurance policy who have since said they will not pay out on the phone because the proof of purchase is not in my girlfriends name, despite the IMEI number for the phone etc being registered with the insurance provider.

Is there anything I can do here?

Thanks

Proof of purchase is exactly that, not proof of gift, nor proof of ownership in cases.

A handset given free with contract is even covered by insurance, the POP is proof of existence to the original purchaser/owner who may gift it at that time.

The IMEI was registered to the policy they accepted it on the policy.

I would submit a formal complaint in writing/email stating the mobile was a gift as new and given IMEI was registered to the policy and all subsequent duties of the policyholder was followed the fact the handset was gifted has no bearing on the outcome.


Children cant afford iphones let alone the insurance but they have both because these are gifted from an adult.


Who is the insurer ?

Headerrs

Thanks for your reply. It was insured through Barclays, so I presume the standard gadget insurance they offer account holders.

grumbler

diamonds wrote: »

Children cant afford iphones let alone the insurance but they have both because these are gifted from an adult.

I think very few insurers cover phones given/gifted to children - and this is very understandable. Typically, it's packaged policies only covering whole family.

SnowTiger

Headerrs wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. It was insured through Barclays, so I presume the standard gadget insurance they offer account holders.

Maybe.

Have the insurers pointed to a specific clause in the contract?

damo8604

My employer bought me an ipad through the business 5 years ago, I had to pay it back via monthly installments but when I was incredibly anal about it (fingerprints etc) I looked at getting it insured as IIRC at the time it was about £500, after speaking to the insurers (protect my bubble) they said the proof of purchase had to be in my name. I do worry sometimes because about 90% of the stuff in my house doesn't have a receipt or proof of purchase, if (god forbid) I was broken into I don't know if the insurance company would pay up!

MikeWhite

I found this vague term:

"Proof of ownership could include a till receipt or documentation from your airtime provider. If you don't
have any proof of ownership we may decline your claim."

A letter from you, perhaps?

d123

I would put a complaint in, there was a report about the mobile phone insurance companies routinely declining claims recently.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/phones/2015/12/mobile-phone-insurers-still-unfairly-rejecting-claims-watchdog-finds

This finding was the one I was referring to:

Five firms in the review still appear to operate a 'two stage' claims process, where some claims are routinely declined and any customers complaining are then likely to have that decision overturned.

[STRIKE]Martin's[/STRIKE] the MSE staffer's suggestion at the end:

Complain to your provider if you're unhappy with the service. If you get nowhere after eight weeks, you can take your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service or you can use the free Resolver* tool which helps draft your complaint and manage it too.

afzaal1988

All you need to give to insurance company is letter from your network confirming it was blacklisted and when.
Network don't blacklist phones unless it was used on there network and thats enough for insurance company(lifestlye service group).

From T&C

"Proof of ownership could include a till receipt or documentation from your airtime provider. If you don't
have any proof of ownership we may decline your claim."