Not impressed with Direct Line.

A few hours ago we had a tile from a neighbour's roof come through the roof of our conservatory.  Called direct line only to get a recorded message saying the office was closed until Monday and to phone another number if it was an emergency.  I called the emergency number and explained the situation.  Person I spoke to said they would transfer me - they did, to the normal claims number which they must have known was closed.  Called the emergency number again and started by saying no to transfer me.  Explained the situation in full, including the fact that there is underfloor electric heating and rain was running down the wall close to power points and light fittings.  They simply weren't interested, said the emergency number is for Home Emergency cover and I would be called by somebody on Monday.
I am fortunate that my brother-in-law is a builder and he came round and has managed to replace the smashed panel with plywood, to at least reduce rain ingress.  Unfortunately my insurance renewed about 3 weeks ago or I would be telling Direct Line now where to put their renewal notice.  Needless to say I won't be renewing with them next year.
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  • Zorillo
    Zorillo Posts: 774
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    edited 15 February 2020 at 10:39PM
    What did you expect them to do?

  • You won’t find a single insurer, that would respond any differently when the whole county is being battered by storm conditions. DL even have a message on their web site saying that even their emergency call out service  could be subject to delays of up to 48 hours due to the disruption caused by storm Dennis. 
  • TELLIT01
    TELLIT01 Posts: 16,326
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    Zorillo, all I was hoping/expecting is help with an emergency glazier.  I'm just amazed that they didn't have staff on duty over the weekend given the storm warnings. 
  • cajef
    cajef Posts: 6,264
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    TELLIT01 said:
    Zorillo, all I was hoping/expecting is help with an emergency glazier. 
    Could you not have contacted one yourself then claimed off the insurance?
  • TELLIT01
    TELLIT01 Posts: 16,326
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    cajef said:
    TELLIT01 said:
    Zorillo, all I was hoping/expecting is help with an emergency glazier. 
    Could you not have contacted one yourself then claimed off the insurance?

    To be honest, when the roof literally explodes about 6 feet from where you are standing and the rain is pouring in, you tend not to be thinking too straight.  Contacting the insurer seemed to be the logical thing to do.  Also, given the way insurers will try to find any way to avoid payment, getting repairs done without their OK is a high risk, and potentially high cost, strategy.
    In contrast to Direct Line, my neighbour phoned his insurer today, was on hold for about 30 minutes (understandably) and was then given the name of the company they use in this area for roof repairs.  That's all I was hoping for from Direct Line.
  • Has anyone heard of or used Public Loss Adjusters to help resolve an insurance claim?
  • paula_ko said:
    Has anyone heard of or used Public Loss Adjusters to help resolve an insurance claim?
    Start your own thread as most people only read the opening post before commenting.
    Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear it in 2026.
  • Marvel1
    Marvel1 Posts: 7,151
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    cajef said:
    TELLIT01 said:
    Zorillo, all I was hoping/expecting is help with an emergency glazier. 
    Could you not have contacted one yourself then claimed off the insurance?
    Direct line then may say " Sorry you didn't contact us first to use our approved conpany, we are not paying out".
  • huckster
    huckster Posts: 4,787
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     A Policyholder is entitled to take precautionary measures on grounds of safety and to attempt to reduce the amount of loss they might suffer. 
    Reasonable in these circumstances, would be temporary measures to prevent the rain coming into the property and to make it secure against someone gaining access from outside.  Not reasonable would be to install an expensive new roof.  Of course that is pretty unlikely in that space of time.
    The service offered by Direct Line would be pretty typical of any large UK Insurers.  They would have received thousands of such calls on a stormy weekend and they would not have the ability to resolve this or advise on repair services in your area. Most local trades that work with Insurers, would have been inundated with calls. 
    NFU Mutual are worth looking at, if you will be shopping around.  Have no association with them, but they have a very good reputation.  Can be more expensive though !
    The comments I post are personal opinion. Always refer to official information sources before relying on internet forums. If you have a problem with any organisation, enter into their official complaints process at the earliest opportunity, as sometimes complaints have to be started within a certain time frame.
  • TELLIT01
    TELLIT01 Posts: 16,326
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    Huckster, it's not true to claim they can't advise on repair services in a local area.  My next door neighbour received precisely that advice from their insurer today.
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