Contents Insurance

PoGee

I've recently realised that I've chucked out with rubbish my ex's wedding ring and a pair of earrings he bought me. They were amongst items stored in an airing cupboard from years ago. I'd emptied everything out into son's bedroom (location of boiler airing cupboard) when boiler started to leak.

There may be a receipt for the earrings but I'd need to hunt  for it - earrings from mid 1990s, as is the wedding ring. Only value would be the gold nothing sentimental. There should be pics of my ex wearing the ring but no receipt. I'd need to go through old pics to see if I'm wearing the earrings in any of them.

I've been a home-owner since late 80s and never made a claim for contents or buildings insurance. Only ever claim was for flood in rental property in mid 2000s which was entirely handled by letting agent.


I need to keep a check on my health - will the claim be stressful? Will they throw the claim out? Is the above enough proof of ownership?

[Deleted User]

Best to post this in the insurance section, rather than reclaiming.

But start by having a look at your policy, as that will probably give you your answers.

MSE_ForumTeam5

we've moved this to the main Insurance board

Sandtree

PoGee said:

I need to keep a check on my health - will the claim be stressful? Will they throw the claim out? Is the above enough proof of ownership?

Different people consider different things stressful... I regularly switch jobs as a contractor and interviews are nothing but a colleague was throwing up in the toilets the other day before an internal interview for a job that they've basically already got.

The main thing to do first is to read your policybook and check if loss in the home is actually covered, many items that go "missing" often turn up again and not all insurers cover the risk. Also double check your excess and the values of the items... dont want to find your claim net of the excess is tiny and then have to pay increased premiums for 3-5 years because of the claim.

Given its you're ex's ring, if loss in the home is covered, is going to be proving that you had it rather than him as clearly your pictures will show him having it but he presumably doesnt live at the same address as you so isnt covered by the policy. 

PoGee

Thanks Sandtree. Health issue is a hole in heart and another heart issue. Both diagnosed after age 50 but congenital defects - just shows you.
I see what you mean about him no longer living here. My idea had always been that it would be melted and something made for son instead. Dumb, dumb, dumb....what they were in had remnants of a lost hamster in it, it had chewed through other things in the the bag also....took one look and said 'yuck' and chucked it out. Few days later - hold on! Too late.

Sandtree

My mother had 2 jewellery boxes when I was a teenager, one with her day to day stuff in it that sat on her dressing table and one that she kept in her underwear draw that had the more expensive items that my late father had bought her which she didnt use much because too sentimental (and rings etc now too small). 

I came home one evening and the house was trashed, mother immediately went upstairs and both boxes were missing. Long argument with the insurer as she was under insured and didnt want replacement items as they were there for sentimental reasons not for use and replacements wouldnt have that. 

6 years later she is moving home and the removal men pick up the base of her bed and there right in the middle is her jewellery box of her gifted items... sometimes we think we've lost things and they turn up. Last time the Mrs claimed to have lost her deodorant I found it in the fridge.

They're not items that had sentimental value and thats good because its irreplaceable. Their loss wont mean you'll struggle to pay the bills or put food on the table. I personally would say there isnt anything to get stressed about with the claim. 

PoGee

Sandtree - that would have been a great relief for your mum. I'm 99.99% certain that's where my 2 items lost were - in the chucked out container. To make sure, room has been searched +++. I can't find the receipt for the earings either. Realistically, is there any point in making a claim if I have no proof of their existence other than photos? The ring was gold - similar style rings are around £800. The earings maybe £100. The excess is £200. I think the insurer will bounce it back for lack of proof - which would that then count as a 'black mark' against me. I went on a price comparison site and the premium went up by £40 with lesser known companies and £85 with well known companies. I'm with a 'well known' company so don't think it's worth the effort, especially if it counts against me for 4-5 years .

Sandtree

Insurers are realistic, they dont expect people to keep a receipt for everything they have ever bought, particularly these days with the thermal paper where even if you kept the receipt it would all have turned black after 1-2 years.

The level of burden of proof depends on the value, the event etc... so you've insured your contents for £30k, you put in a claim for £15k for 3 Cartier Love bracelets that have been stolen but dont have receipts, a few blurly photos and when they send a loss adjustor around all the rest of the jewellery is clearly "genuine fake" Tiffany or such. High value, doesnt seem to be consistent etc, at a minimum Special Investigations would get involved to kick the tyres harder. If you're insured for £300k instead and have a safe full of Cartier jewellery with various boxes, receipts etc then it feels more likely that it could have happened.

Earrings are unlikely to be an issue but obviously £100 value -v- £200 XS doesnt stack up. The challenge is what evidence do you have that the property of your ex was gifted to you? Clearly you wont have photos etc showing you having it. Similarly what evidence do you have of what it really is? A gold band's price is heavily sensitive to its width and depth/profile and adding 0.5mm to the width adds a notable amount to its value.

Unfortunately I cannot give hands on experience of how these types of claims are dealt with as handler was in Motor and my experience as a manager was technical claims covering fraud, large losses etc not the day to day type claims.