Accidental damage cover- kitchen worktop

worldofdrane

Hi- I have buildings insurance cover with Home Protect, and have additional Accidental Damage cover. I've recently damaged a quartz kitchen work surface by exposing it to oven cleaner - it's left a very noticeable dull patch in the otherwise glossy surface that won't polish out. Before I contact them, does anyone know if my accidental damage cover is likely to cover me for this?

[Deleted User]

Check your terms to see if there is any appropriate cover or exclusion.

Sandtree

Check your policy, there can be explicit exclusions for cleaning products but it will depend on if you were seeing if the oven cleaner would shift something or if it somehow otherwise came into contact with the worksurface

worldofdrane

The only specific exclusions to the accidental damage cover (there aren't many) are these: 
What is not covered
For any claim, no cover is provided for:
▪ Damage caused by infestation (other than Vermin), corrosion, damp, wet or dry rot, mould or frost;
▪ Damage caused by Pets;
▪ Clearing blocked drains, unless the pipe or drain itself are physically broken;
▪ Any amount above £750 per claim for damage to carpets;
▪ Damage caused by overflowing water.
Out of those, I suppose the oven cleaner was a corrosive liquid, but I'm not sure that's how that is intended (in any case, the surface isn't actually corroded, just dulled)...

[Deleted User]

I would imagine you'd be fine.  By corrosion, they mean rust, etc.

worldofdrane

Deleted_User said:

I would imagine you'd be fine.  By corrosion, they mean rust, etc.

That's what I figured- will give it a go...

rs65

They have an exclusion of Cosmetic Damage
Damage that solely affects the appearance but not the functionality of an insured item (e.g. chipping, denting or scratching)

worldofdrane

Hmmm...thought I'd seen that somewhere but hadn't checked fully- thanks.

greyteam1959

Is it really worth claiming for ??

Berts

Can you have it polished? 

Luke226

worldofdrane said:

Hi- I have buildings insurance cover with Home Protect, and have additional Accidental Damage cover. I've recently damaged a quartz kitchen work surface by exposing it to oven cleaner - it's left a very noticeable dull patch in the otherwise glossy surface that won't polish out. Before I contact them, does anyone know if my accidental damage cover is likely to cover me for this?

I see your insurer has rejected the claim on grounds that it is not covered. I know that carpet spills are covered given the high su and I would argue that a spill to the carpet is cosmetic and you cannot exclude one when accepting the other. If you really wanted to push it you probably have grounds to raise a formal complaint with them.

Before you do that though I did have a quick look online and saw that chemical cleaning stains to quartz are permanent so you will probably need a professional out to look at it and it may need to be replaced completely. I would get a free quote from someone and then go back to your insurer with an argument that the cost of repair is significant and with the existing damage it has weakened the structure of your worktop and in an effort to mitigate any future loss which could also damage the cabinets beneath - you would like them to rectify the problem. 

In m experience complaints are often rejected by the insurer in the first instance when they site coverage issues. Don't let that deter you - escalate the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (you will need to wait 8 weeks from your first complaint). FOS are very customer friendly so you may find that they side with you or the insurer may even offer a token sum as compensation for your complaint as it costs them £625 whenever a complaint is sent to FOS.

Hope this helps but it does sound like you will be dealing with this for a few months before it is resolved - if you have the time I would definitely do it.

Luke