Items stolen from locked boot - am I covered?

rpharms

Hi,

I've been away for a few days to visit friends in Stoke. On my way home I dropped one of my friends back to her home in Birmingham, I parked outside her house and popped in for approx 10 minutes to say hello to her partner and use her toilet.

My car (a Range Rover sport) has keyless entry and this has never failed, however when I came out the keyless entry wouldn't work and I had to use the key. I then started the car up and it told me that my boot was open, I could see that it wasn't so tried to open it using the button in the car and then close it again but it wouldn't work. I got out of the car and went to check and the boot was closed, when I pressed the button on the boot it opened and I saw that all my luggage had been stolen. We are talking approx £8k in total value - I am obviously devastated. My boot then wouldn't shut but after trying to close it manually a few times I did get it to close.

I know that my car was 100% locked as it beeps, the mirrors fold in and the lights on the mirrors flash to signal that the car is locked and alarmed. I never leave my car until this happens, mainly because I am worried about someone driving past and taking off the wing mirrors.

My home insurance covers me for personal possessions outside the home however in the policy document is says..... I am not covered for "Theft or disappearance from an unattended motor vehicle unless the items are locked away out of sight and force or violence has been used".

The luggage was in the boot, with the boot cover closed so nothing could be seen, the car was locked and alarmed and they still managed to get in and steal my items. I immediately called the police who gave me a crime reference number and said no one would come out. I told them there was no damage to my car as there isn't and that I know for sure that my car was locked.

Does anyone know if I will be covered? I can't call today as they are closed. I've read online today that criminals are able to gain access to keyless entry cars - something I didn't know before. I'm so upset thinking that the insurance company will say I'm not covered as my car isn't damaged.

Thanks for any advice.

Quentin

Make a claim and cross any bridges regarding the mode of entry if they arise.

eddddy

rpharms wrote: »

My car (a Range Rover sport) has keyless entry...

There's lots of anecdotal (and not so anecdotal) info about weaknesses in the Range Rover keyless entry. For example...

According to the latest figures from TRACKER (part of the Tantalum Corporation), the highly desirable Range Rover Sport was the most stolen and recovered vehicle in 2015

...

We believe this is down to the growth in keyless car entry and ignitions systems that are prone to hacking; where criminals target these vehicles by bypassing their security systems, using technology they’ve bought on the internet.

Link: http://www.tracker.co.uk/news/press-releases/range-rover-sport-was-the-most-stolen-and-recovere/

Try Googling for more examples.

Perhaps this type of evidence will help to support your story, if your insurers question it.

paddyandstumpy

You may find there is a theft limit on the policy for theft from an unattended vehicle. Who is the insurer?

As above all you can do is submit a claim and see what the insurer says.

k3lvc

rpharms wrote: »

I saw that all my luggage had been stolen. We are talking approx £8k in total value - I am obviously devastated.

OK - I'll question it - irrespective of how they got in what was in your boot worth £8k ? Hopefully you have receipts/proof ?

rpharms

I'm covered by my house insurance up to £15000, my car insurance has a limit of £250.

In regards to the high value of what was taken, the main bulk is made up of Louis Vuitton luggage/travel bags coming to over £5000, all of which I have receipts for. On top of that here were also a few expensive pairs of shoes and a handbag and then clothes and makeup, again luckily I have most of the receipts.

I wish I'd know about the problem with keyless entry... this obviously isn't something Land Rover tell you about when you are buying a car

Thanks for all your replies, I'm just waiting to hear back from the insurance company now!

Candyapple

rpharms wrote: »

Hi,

I've been away for a few days to visit friends in Stoke. On my way home I dropped one of my friends back to her home in Birmingham, I parked outside her house and popped in for approx 10 minutes to say hello to her partner and use her toilet.

My car (a Range Rover sport) has keyless entry and this has never failed, however when I came out the keyless entry wouldn't work and I had to use the key. I then started the car up and it told me that my boot was open, I could see that it wasn't so tried to open it using the button in the car and then close it again but it wouldn't work. I got out of the car and went to check and the boot was closed, when I pressed the button on the boot it opened and I saw that all my luggage had been stolen. We are talking approx £8k in total value - I am obviously devastated. My boot then wouldn't shut but after trying to close it manually a few times I did get it to close.

I know that my car was 100% locked as it beeps, the mirrors fold in and the lights on the mirrors flash to signal that the car is locked and alarmed. I never leave my car until this happens, mainly because I am worried about someone driving past and taking off the wing mirrors.

My home insurance covers me for personal possessions outside the home however in the policy document is says..... I am not covered for "Theft or disappearance from an unattended motor vehicle unless the items are locked away out of sight and force or violence has been used".

The luggage was in the boot, with the boot cover closed so nothing could be seen, the car was locked and alarmed and they still managed to get in and steal my items. I immediately called the police who gave me a crime reference number and said no one would come out. I told them there was no damage to my car as there isn't and that I know for sure that my car was locked.

Does anyone know if I will be covered? I can't call today as they are closed. I've read online today that criminals are able to gain access to keyless entry cars - something I didn't know before. I'm so upset thinking that the insurance company will say I'm not covered as my car isn't damaged.

Thanks for any advice.

Is it just me, or does this seem very suspicious? You said you were inside the house for approximately 10 minutes. The car was parked outside the house. How would the thieves know you had such expensive luggage/items in the boot, specifically?

Did any of the neighbours see anything or have any CCTV/no-one else in the house could see outside the window to spot thieves rifling through the boot and taking off with the luggage?

How would they know to get all of this done within the 10 mins you were away?

Are there a lot of expensive cars in your friend’s area?

Seems like either bad luck/wrong time, wrong place for you with a thief lurking who just so happened to spot your car and was an opportunistic theft – or it sounds like an inside job from someone/people you know who knew you would be at a certain place at a certain time.

Keep the thread updated, it’s always nice to hear the outcomes of what happened.

rpharms

I've been told unofficially that it is likely that whoever broke into my car had a device that was able to get it open (car is currently with Land Rover being looked at, they've called me to ask if they can keep it for longer as they need to investigate more). At the moment current thoughts are that I was followed as obviously my car is a target for anyone with such a device and whoever broke in hit the jackpot with what was in my boot. No CCTV and no witnesses however the car boot was covered in finger prints/hand mark which I have photos of to send to the insurance company. I never touch my boot as I always use the button on my keys to open/shut it and the car was valeted on Thursday morning. There was a lot of dust on there from travelling along the motorway so the prints are very visible. I explained this on the phone to the police and was obviously desperate for them to come out however was told there is no line of enquiry so the case has been filed. I parked the car outside my friends house at 19:08 (logged on my phone via Land Rover app) and my first phone call to the police was 25 minutes later so it all happened very quickly. We went around knocking doors but no one saw anything. To be honest if they had a device to get in it wouldn't have taken them more than 2 minutes, they would have only had to open the boot, remove two suitcases, shut the boot and leave.

ess0two

2 suitcases = 5k

k3lvc

ess0two wrote: »

2 suitcases = 5k

Unfortunately indeed they are - so either an opportunist thief who struck lucky and they're now £200 richer or a speculative insurance claim supported by an internet post as back up

FutureGirl

rpharms wrote: »

I'm covered by my house insurance up to £15000, my car insurance has a limit of £250.

In regards to the high value of what was taken, the main bulk is made up of Louis Vuitton luggage/travel bags coming to over £5000, all of which I have receipts for. On top of that here were also a few expensive pairs of shoes and a handbag and then clothes and makeup, again luckily I have most of the receipts.

I wish I'd know about the problem with keyless entry... this obviously isn't something Land Rover tell you about when you are buying a car

Thanks for all your replies, I'm just waiting to hear back from the insurance company now!

You will most certainly have an inner limit for theft from a motor vehicle. I doubt the limit would be £15k.

If your policy says it's only covered if there is force AND violence, then it's likely not to be covered, as there was no violence involved.