Home Insurance Phone Repair Problems

rs20033

Me again with another question!

Long story. Short version is that phone screen broke. Paid excess and got phone repaired. Screen started lifting so returned on same policy. Repaired and returned, screen started lifting again. Sent back, and heard nothing. Called after 2 weeks and was told repairs weren't started because the phone had additional damage to the claim and we needed to open a new claim. Additional damage was not there when I returned it (they have emailed me photos and the phone is BENT so I know it wasn't like that!. The tricky part here is that I swear 100% (and I know this sounds ridiculous) but I was told that the phone and charger had to be handed to the courier unwrapped and he would provide the packaging (a Jiffy bag). This was the case the 3 times it went back. Courier turned up with a Jiffy bag! I put it inside another Jiffy bag which the courier didn't mind, but I was specifically told it couldn't go in the box and that DPD would provide the packaging. Wel, now they are telling my insurance company that they told me to send it in a box recorded delivery. Complete lies. I asked the insurance company to request copies of the phone calls. They have only asked the repair company to listen and they say that they told me to put it in a box (they did not!). The only evidence I have/could get is that When DPD was booked, they would have been under instruction to provide a Jiffy bag, and also, when I ring the repair company direct, their "on hold" message says that you don't need to package your items as they get DPD to provide the packaging. I took a recording of this. We also have the name of an employee that said they don't accept phones in the boxes as it costs them more to return them.

Now I need the phone back. If I cough up another £50 excess I can get it back. I know it's "only" £50, but I didn't do the additional damage, and followed their instructions on how to return it. I even questioned the Jiffy bag thing on the phone (unless they can delete bits from recordings this will be on the recordings) along the lines of "you want me to send an iPhone 6 back in a Jiffy bag? Really? Not a box?"

What is the best thing to do? Can I appeal, or go through the ombudsman? The insurance company have left me to sort this, and aren't helping at all. Would paying the excess be admitting fault, or can I do this, and still appeal? Sorry for all the questions. Next time I will ask for the packing instructions to be emailed to me

Quentin

The correct sequence is to first complain then if your complaint is ignored for 8 weeks or you are unhappy with the reply then you can escalate this to the FOS for their adjudication at no cost to you

Blibble

May I ask who you are insured with? Some companies request that mobile phones are sent in by the customer for inspection, whereas others will pay for a DPD collection service. In my experience though, nearly all companies will pay for a courier to uplift a phone under warranty (as it isn't particularly fair to ask the customer to send it again and pay for the privilege). Therefore, I don't know if recording their hold patter is going to make any difference. The only way to find out for definite is to obtain the relevant call recordings, as you have done, and take it from there.

In the interim, I would strongly suggest getting the phone sent back if you are unsure about paying another £50 excess and subsequent increased premiums. Reason being, it isn't unheard of for phones to be destroyed by inspection houses after a certain period of time (as, naturally, they can't be clogging up their workbenches forever). Would your insurer let you pay another excess, and then you reclaim the losses from DPD? It really needs them to make a claim's decision to either say "yay" or "nay" as to whether they will cover it under the same claim reference, really, rather than leaving you to do all the chasing ...

rs20033

Thanks for your replies. I am insured by Natwest. Direct Validation Services are the ones that told me to send the phone in the Jiffy bag, to Ologic.

I apologise for incorrect information given, but after reading the last reply I have checked and the first time I was asked to post the phone. It was back in April so I had forgotten. The other times, DPD collected it. I have the text messages so I am sure.

Natwest did suggest claiming through DPD, but since we didn't book the delivery I didn't think we could do this (plus I would be surprised if a phone and charger in a Jiffy bag was covered). I will look into this, thanks.

What would my rights be if they destroy the phone, or is it in the small print that it's tough luck?

i will ask for the phone back. If I pay the excess, can I still make a complaint, or am I admitting fault by making a second claim?

Thank you

Quentin

If you have a complaint about the service, then paying another £50 doesn't affect the complaint.


(As part of the complaint ask them to refund the extra £50 you have had to pay as a result of the issue)

rs20033

Small update. I rang up Natwest again and spoke to someone new. Said I was fed up of getting nowhere and I would pay the excess, get my phone sorted, and put in a complaint, and go to the ombudsman if it didn't get resolved. A very very helpful person has been on the case and has made some progress. She called ologic herself and heard the same recording that I did. She said it would have been them that called me and not DVS, that's why they don't have the voice recording. She seemed confident she would have a resolution before the weekend, and assured me my phone wouldn't be destroyed, so I will see, but I am hopeful now. She said it was fine not to pay the second excess too. Thanks for both of your help

Blibble

OLogic WILL destroy the phone after 45 working days - how long has the phone been there for? DVS will have asked you to post it in, and from then on you will have had it collected by DPD on behalf of OLogic. OLogic will have arranged this directly with you, rather than DVS.

If you did claim through DPD, it would be covered as it will come with some couriers insurance; the issue is simply one of proof, and is nigh-on impossible to conclusively say one way or another. Best to keep the pressure on Natwest, as I'm sure they'd rather pay another £120 for a phone repair than £500 for a FoS investigation ...

rs20033

Finally sorted thank you. I think I just needed to get tough with them! Natwest got the recordings off Ologic, and it is being repaired or replaced under the original claim.

This would have gone a lot smoother if DVS had just said that Ologic had called me and not them the 2nd and 3rd times, as they don't introduce themselves as Ologic on the phone so I didn't know! Never mind, all being sorted now!