Contents insurance claim for badly broken Apple laptop - many issues and possible insurer fraud...

winder29

I made a contents insurance claim on my 'new-for-old' policy with a big name insurer in February for my very badly dropped 2015 MacBook Pro. It had damage all over the chassis and the backlight stopped working. I had to send the laptop to a specialist insurer (subcontracted by my insurer, or something like that) who told me that they could repair it. I paid the excess then eventually received the laptop back. They sent it back 'repaired' but with the bottom panel still bent and badly scuffed. Initially they offered to look at it again, but couldn't warranty anything they didn't repair; then said that they don't repair that part, but could look at it again for me. 

I contacted my insurance company, who told me that the sub-insurer told them in April that the laptop could not be repaired. My insurer confirmed that I should receive either a new replacement laptop or the money for a new one. I had to chase them up again as I heard nothing from the apparently dodgy sub-insurer. Eventually, I was offered £110.50 to settle the claim by my insurer.
I have opened a complaint about this and received a response from the same person I was dealing with and who made the offer, acknowledging that they have received my complaint and suggesting that the laptop would be repaired for £110.50 by the sub-insurer, which is therefore all they are able to offer me outside of my complaint.

There is zero chance I would trust the laptop with that company again, after the hassle, broken promises, apparent outright lies and the fact that they stated they cannot replace the bottom panel and sent it back in that condition after months away...

This seems like some kind of a racket to me - offering sub-standard repairs to the customer and profiting by the cost of a new laptop (circa £3k) at some point.
Thanks for reading.

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do next?

TripleH

Check your policy terms for what is included in the 'new for old' section as there are likely to be exclusions or limitations.
I doubt you will get a brand new laptop to replace a 5-year old one. If you had a 6 month old one I could understand. Laptops are most likely deemed to have about a 3 year lifespan so yours would be seen as scrap value now. As ever the devil is in the detail, if new for old replaced a laptop that old with a new one I am sure a lot more 'accidents' would happen (not saying your have done anything wrong, just presenting the insurance company logic).
Also, this is not fraud, more likely misselling as again the policy exclusions would enable them to do what they have done which is try and fix your laptop.

davidmcn

I would live with a 5 year old laptop, and spend the £110.50 on something nice to take my mind off the cosmetic damage.

TripleH

You could possibly pick up the same spec and model for that price but without the cosmetic damage winder29.
If you are looking for more than you have been offered you need to prove that an identical spec machine (without the damage) is going for more than what is offered, but I would get at least 3 genuine quotes/prices to support your claim.

FlameCloud

TripleH said:

Check your policy terms for what is included in the 'new for old' section as there are likely to be exclusions or limitations.
I doubt you will get a brand new laptop to replace a 5-year old one. If you had a 6 month old one I could understand. Laptops are most likely deemed to have about a 3 year lifespan so yours would be seen as scrap value now. As ever the devil is in the detail, if new for old replaced a laptop that old with a new one I am sure a lot more 'accidents' would happen (not saying your have done anything wrong, just presenting the insurance company logic).
Also, this is not fraud, more likely misselling as again the policy exclusions would enable them to do what they have done which is try and fix your laptop.

You should really stop giving advice on subjects where you lack knowledge. The policy will almost certainly be on a reinstatement basis, and thus the age is irrelevant. It will almost certainly be an unadvised sale, meaning there won’t be any miss-selling. 

If they are able to repair the laptop for that value, that is their limit of liability. If they cannot, then it will need to increase to either an acceptable repair, or replacement. 

TripleH

Flamecloud if you note I did say the Op should check his policy first. Is this bad advice to give because it sounds like very sensible advice.
Surprisingly enough as I can't read the policy from here, you could be right or there could be exclusions of which the laptop is one under the new for old.
I never gave a definitive, I did say "I doubt" and explain why I had my doubts. 
I do stand by the statement that it isn't fraud by the insurance company. 
If the Op had posted their full terms and conditions of the policy my comment may well have been different but when presented with little detail I made assumptions that to me seem logical.

csgohan4

FlameCloud said:

TripleH said:

Check your policy terms for what is included in the 'new for old' section as there are likely to be exclusions or limitations.
I doubt you will get a brand new laptop to replace a 5-year old one. If you had a 6 month old one I could understand. Laptops are most likely deemed to have about a 3 year lifespan so yours would be seen as scrap value now. As ever the devil is in the detail, if new for old replaced a laptop that old with a new one I am sure a lot more 'accidents' would happen (not saying your have done anything wrong, just presenting the insurance company logic).
Also, this is not fraud, more likely misselling as again the policy exclusions would enable them to do what they have done which is try and fix your laptop.

You should really stop giving advice on subjects where you lack knowledge. The policy will almost certainly be on a reinstatement basis, and thus the age is irrelevant. It will almost certainly be an unadvised sale, meaning there won’t be any miss-selling. 

If they are able to repair the laptop for that value, that is their limit of liability. If they cannot, then it will need to increase to either an acceptable repair, or replacement. 

Didn't know you had access to the OP's T+C,  fantastic

TELLIT01

Does 'new for old' mean replacing like for like, or will and insurer really replace a 5 year old laptop with a nice shiny top spec new one?  If the latter I think I can hear the sound of thousands of old laptops falling from the grasp of people stood at the top of a long flight of stairs.

dacouch

TELLIT01 said:

Does 'new for old' mean replacing like for like, or will and insurer really replace a 5 year old laptop with a nice shiny top spec new one?  If the latter I think I can hear the sound of thousands of old laptops falling from the grasp of people stood at the top of a long flight of stairs.

To replace it like for like it would not need to be a top spec machine, it's likely with the the way technology advances it would be a bottom spec machine but from the same manufacturer eg Apple and with the same specifications eg memory and power as the previous model as a minimum

TELLIT01

dacouch, that's what I would expect.  From the OP's comment about profiteering by about £3k, the cost of a new laptop, it would seem they expected rather more than that.

FlameCloud

csgohan4 said:

FlameCloud said:

TripleH said:

Check your policy terms for what is included in the 'new for old' section as there are likely to be exclusions or limitations.
I doubt you will get a brand new laptop to replace a 5-year old one. If you had a 6 month old one I could understand. Laptops are most likely deemed to have about a 3 year lifespan so yours would be seen as scrap value now. As ever the devil is in the detail, if new for old replaced a laptop that old with a new one I am sure a lot more 'accidents' would happen (not saying your have done anything wrong, just presenting the insurance company logic).
Also, this is not fraud, more likely misselling as again the policy exclusions would enable them to do what they have done which is try and fix your laptop.

You should really stop giving advice on subjects where you lack knowledge. The policy will almost certainly be on a reinstatement basis, and thus the age is irrelevant. It will almost certainly be an unadvised sale, meaning there won’t be any miss-selling. 

If they are able to repair the laptop for that value, that is their limit of liability. If they cannot, then it will need to increase to either an acceptable repair, or replacement. 

Didn't know you had access to the OP's T+C,  fantastic

I’d love you to show me an indemnity contents policy from a ‘big name’ insurer.