Buildings Insurance Claim - inconvenience...

mrskentjr

granster wrote: »

This company are completely useless! My insurance is with Barclays who have been really helpful and have confirmed my claim is OK and have authorised it. This bunch of jokers have taken ages to come out and say the claim is not valid! I call Barclays again and they assure me the claim should be settled and back and forwards we go!

Why Barclays want to have anything to do with these idiots is beyond me! Without them we would have been sorted within 24 hours!!!

Their website says 'welcome to our world' ... couldn't be more appropriate!!! THEY CERTAINLY ARE ON A DIFFERENT PLANET!!!!!!!

Come on Barclays.... SACK THESE JOKERS!!!!!!!!!:T


ASPREA....... Should read ARS PEA !!!!!!

I have been ufrotunate enough to have to deal with Asprea, and perhaps you should knkow that that Saga also uses them, so check when you change insurance companies. I am having all the same problems as mentioned, and wish I had taken the cash and got my own contractors. My insurance company Saga seems totally disinterested that they are dealing with such a useless company. I am sure there are more than 5 people who are unhappy with the service, but after making so many calls, people give up complaining. Avoid them at all costs!!!

haguiera

Hi guys. My property has been recenntly flooded from beneath the ground due to the local Water Board opening the wrong valve whilst carrying out work in my area. The offending valve had been closed for over 40yrs! Water split through my kitchen and bathroom floors and continued to flood in for over an hr. ASPREA have just been appointed by NU to carry out the repairs. They've told me they want to rip out my kitchen and bathroom to replace the flooring underneath then stick all the old kitchen and bathroom back down. Is this the norm or am i being a bit greedy in wanting to get new out of them. Your thoughts wud be appreciated. Thanks.

mattymoo

If the kitchen and bathroom were damaged by the flood water then they should be replaced with new. If no damage, then no to the new kitchen etc.

Modern kitchens tend to stand on metal legs and will not be prone to water damage unless it rises above 10 cm or so. Older units stood directly on the floor may have expanded and warped due to water ingress. Check all doors and drawers shut correctly and remove any plinth from the bottom and inspect the condition of any timbers that were sat in the water.

Bathroom fixtures (bog, basin and bath) will usually be pretty resiliant to water in any event - it's their job

lesley.cann

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I have read with interest all the posts regarding Asprea and have at least been comforted by the fact that I am not the only one living in the nightmare that is trying to get anything done by NU/Asprea/Homeserve to repair water damage in my home. My claim began last summer, was initially mis-diagnosed by the Asprea surveyor which could have caused great expense if the damp specialist I called had not disputed Asprea's diagnosis and booked me in for a new damp course. The water coming up at the side of my lounge was in fact from a leaking pipe in the adjacent kitchen.

Asprea's surveyor returned, accepted the claim and from then until now all that has been done has been for plaster in lounge/kitchen finally being hacked off after endless phone calls to them to get anyone out, removal of four floor kitchen cabinets and the tiled floor in the kitchen removed. The drying out process ended nearly 8 weeks ago. I was sent a letter on 28th March from Homeserve (contractors) saying the work had been passed to a sub-contractor who would be getting in touch shortly with dates for start of work. Nothing happened - quibbling over original schedule of works apparently. I have formally complained to NU 5 times now to no avail. I have never had the courtesy from Homeserve/Asprea of returning my phone calls and I am rapidly getting to the end of my tether.

I would like to hear from all other claimants who have received similar treatment at the hands of these people. I intend writing to the Chairman of NU at the end of this fiasco and would like to inform him of what is going on in his organisation (if he doesn't know already).









I would like to hear from all other people who have received similar treatment at the hands of these people

Oscar_The_Grouch

JulieMarie 23 - I work for an insurance company and have responsibility for suppliers and loss adjusters, amongst other things. Thankfully, I do not work for NU so do not have to deal with Asprea.

I can assure you that I do take note of the posts on this website and I do worry about 5 people complaining.

For those of you having problems with the company, there is an employee of NU who uses this board. I suggest you PM them and see if they can help.

Johnny_Depp

I work for the Norwich Union and agree to all the previous comments regarding contacting Asprea and the standard of their work. The Claim Handlers at Norwich Union are just as frustrated as our customers are with Asprea, their staff do not follow up with their contractors regarding the work they are supposed to be doing, it is not until we final manage to get through to them and ask for a present position, do they actual call the Contractors. We leave messages on the Asprea Tracker which are in the whole ignored, the staff in the Asprea call centres are not properly trained in Customer Service and I do feel sorry for them. I will always advise a customer to get their own quotes but as all the policy books tell you, we will only pay up to what we would pay our own contractors, however, usually the local builder is cheaper than the Asprea quote. The F.O.S are keeping an eye on Asprea Complaints so, if in doubt write to them, their web site is http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/

[Deleted User]

lesley.cann

I am the NU rep that oscar mentioned, if you'd like to send details to myself my email address is [EMAIL="rebecca.sibley@norwich-union.co.uk"]rebecca.sibley@norwich-union.co.uk[/EMAIL] - I work in the Customer Experience team and we will investigate your situation asap.

Becca

haguiera

Nu own Asprea!

They set it up in Nov 2006 in conjunction with construction giants Carrillion!

Thought you might like to know this.

lesley.cann

Haguiera,

Thanks for your post. Yes, I knew NU set up Asprea - apparently too fast and without enough planning I was told! Previously Homeserve were the first port of call, hence the 'politics' that seem to go on between the two companies, each blaming each other for lack of progress, etc.

After my formal complaint to NU Chief Executive via email on their website I was assigned someone to move things on. Today we are almost at the end of the works - floor is presently going down in kitchen, the men from the sub-contractors having turned up at 5 p m. Various difficulties have arisen up to this date mainly due the the initial schedule of work by the Asprea surveyor (allowing for 2 coats of emulsion in the kitchen which is fully tiled but not allowing for painting of woodwork; wrong size shown for one of the kitchen base units shown so subcontractors fitting it, removing it, putting new one in but then the drawers I had kept back not fitting, etc., etc., Needless to day Asprea were no help at all when I phoned but the man from the subcontractors managed to show common sense and the kitchen was glossed in lieu of the non emulsioning of the tiled walls).

I was told by NU when I initially complained that I could bring in my own contractors and my point to them was why hadn't that been suggested to me on the 5 other times I had complained to the call centre. I told the NU rep that my experience was that this level of service was the norm (the various workmen who have been in and out of the house tell me this) but she would not have it.

As I said in a previous post, they either know what is going on but still take people's money and let it carry on or they are refusing to follow up complaints in sufficient depth to find out what is going on. I think everyone who has work done in these circumstances should be given a questionnaire at the end to tell the Chief Executive exactly what they think.

NJB77

I am currently tearing my hair out here. We were told that our insurance would pay out to fic the leak in our roof in a house that we let. We were given a start date, paid our excess etc etc. Only a few weeks ago we were surprised to find out from our tenants that the work hadn't been done as promised. Eventually despite many apologies and promises from NU they suddenly turn around and say actually they are only willing to pay for part of the repair and give some reason... BUT!! They had said they would fix, took the excess and given us a date to start - my question is how can an insurance giant get away with this kind of behaviour? As a business excellence lecturer I am stunned, appalled and i feel like I've been conned. NOw that i know that it happens all the time and ASPREA a common theme I cannot understand why it keeps happening. As for NU they will lose buildings and contents insurance for 3 houses and 2 cars Don't touch NU with a bargepole!! Is there anything I can do??????