Admiral confirmed insurance payout now they're reducing pay because of "wear and tear?" - please hel

Mat_Demoz

Hi, 

I lost my Nintendo Switch and three games while I was on holiday.

Thankfully I had travel insurance, and raised a claim with Admiral which they accepted. I then received an email confirming the payout amount (a bit under £400) and said the money would be transferred once general checks had been carried out. 

There was a delay in payment, so I called them up and the customer service assistant said it looks like someone forgot to raise the payment, apologised, and said the cash would be with me in the next week. 

However, yesterday I got a phone call saying the amount they initially quoted me is wrong because they missed out the "wear and tear" policy. I'd never heard of that (nothing seems to be coming up online either) and asked what it was. Apparently it's where they deduct 20% EVERY YEAR off any items that are claimed for, bringing the total amount I'd be awarded down to £160 (roughly – I can't remember the exact amount). 

Obviously there's no way I can buy another Nintendo Switch and the three games that went missing with that. 

I raised a formal complaint, which can apparently take eight weeks to get looked at, but wanted to ask if anyone has had a similar experience and if there's anything I can do to get the money quickler? 

I'm a freelance tech and gaming journalist and I'm currently unable to accept review copies due to the fact I'm down a Switch (and can't afford to grab a new one!) 

The_Fat_Controller

What does the insurance policy state regarding replacement ?

Not many basic policies replace new for old.

400ixl

Insurance is to put you back in the position you were. The exception is where you have a new for old policy in which case they uplift to the full retail price.

Is your policy new for old?

I assume that the Switch was 3 years old then and they have reduced the price by 60%

What is to stop you buying a used / refurbished Switch of a similar age to the one you lost and secondhand copies of the 3 games?

If that payment won't allow you to buy a used device from the likes of Game and CEX (which it does look light against assuming its not a Switch Lite) then collect that evidence and go back to them to seek that value.

Mat_Demoz

400ixl said:

Insurance is to put you back in the position you were. The exception is where you have a new for old policy in which case they uplift to the full retail price.

Is your policy new for old?

I assume that the Switch was 3 years old then and they have reduced the price by 60%

What is to stop you buying a used / refurbished Switch of a similar age to the one you lost and secondhand copies of the 3 games?

If that payment won't allow you to buy a used device from the likes of Game and CEX (which it does look light against assuming its not a Switch Lite) then collect that evidence and go back to them to seek that value.

New for old from what I can see. I've gutted all of the policy documentation and there's nothing mentioning this wear and tear policy. I asked the customer service rep to send me specific information on this and also point to where it's mentioned on the documents I've got as I can't see it. 

Unfortunately got the Switch in 2017.

If I was going pre-owned, I'd be looking at £200 for the Switch console and Nintendo games don't devalue so I'd be looking at £30-£40 (pre-owned) each to replace them at the very least. 

Was more curious to see if anyone else has encountered this before through Admiral as 20% wear and tear every year just seems like madness – I can't think of anything that depreciates in value that much. 

Aretnap

Do you have home insurance and does it include cover for personal possessions outside the home? If so then you might be better off claiming from them. New for old cover is the norm on all but the cheapest/nastiest home insurance policies, unlike travel or gadget insurance which is much more likely to be on an indemnity (ie second hand) basis. 

If the policy is new for old it will generally say this explicitly. If it simply talks about a "replacement item" or "replacement value" then that can mean a second hand replacement. However if their blanket 20% per year deduction is not explicitly spelled out in the policy documents I would think you have a decent case to argue that they should be offering a realistic second hand replacement value calculated on a case by case basis, rather than just applying a blanket deduction. 

FlameCloud

You haven’t said what admiral policy you have but even the (latest) Admiral platinum wording deducts wear and tear for items over a year old-

https://eui-pdf-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/admiral/TR-APB-010-Travel-Policy-Book.pdf

If your claim is successful, we will decide how to compensate you. This can include paying the cost of replacement, cost of repair or a cash payment. No payment will amount to more than the original purchase price of the item. If the item is more than a year old we may reduce the policy limits to allow for wear and tear. 

Annemos

Good evening. 

Here is the John Lewis gadget terms and conditions as an example of what is out there. It is at their discretion what they do. And I think where they say that a cash settlement would be market value, then that would be with an allowance made for the age of it, like yours is doing. It does seem a bit vague, really, and I get the impression you would never know what you would be getting if you ever made a claim?? (Except that it would probably be the least?) 

Making a claim Where we accept your claim under your Gadget cover, we’ll repair or replace your gadget at our discretion. Where we replace the item, we’ll endeavour to replace it with an identical fully refurbished item or a brand-new item if a refurbished one is not available. If this isn’t possible, we’ll replace it with a fully refurbished or new item of a comparable specification, or offer the market value via cash settlement.

[Deleted User]

I bought a less than 1 year old barely used Switch  before Xmas for £170. You should have no trouble getting one cheaper than that.

Sandtree

Travel insurance is much less commonly written on a new for old basis in comparison to Home insurance (which in honesty is the odd one out). 

You are ultimately looking at it the wrong way round, you should assume the policy isn't new for old unless it explicitly states it is rather than looking to see where they say they deduct for age.