Insurer being awkward about claim

Bath_cube · 6 March 2017 at 9:45PM

The circumstances regarding this are quite a long story so I will keep it short and to the point as much as I can. Last june I was assaulted to the extent I received blows to my head and was knocked unconscious. When I cane around I summoned immediate medical attention by way of calling for a ambulance. Due to having been an assault the police were requested to attend with the ambulance staff. I was transfered to hospital and confirmed as having concussion and was kept there until the following afternoon. Whlist I was at hospital my partner returned home and realised I was not home it was late on a weekend night. He noticed my laptop charger was plugged in and my case on the sofa but no laptop there. He went upstairs into our bedroom and noticed our chest of drawers disturbed and two other laptops had gone. Also my small jewelery box was on the floor at the side of my dressing table empty. A neighbour knocked to tell him I had been taken away by ambulance and the police has asked some neighbours had they seen or heard anything
When he got to the hospital he told me about the missing things and we both concluded the person who assaulted me took them whilst I was unconscious. We reported the theft the following day by phone to the police who had already logged the assault the previous night and they gave us a crime reference number. We then got in touch with our insurers to put forward a claim. Some weeks later the police told us someone had come forward with information regarding the attacker and had taken them in for questioning. Our insurer sent a independent assessor to see us regarding the claim. We have been told our claim wI'll only be paid out if they can retrieve the costs back from the attacker. Is this right.

rs65 · 6 March 2017 at 10:04PM

Bath_cube wrote: »

We have been told our claim wI'll only be paid out if they can retrieve the costs back from the attacker. Is this right.

Not usually. If the theft is covered, they should pay whether or not the culprit is found or costs recovered.

Is there some other reason such as a forcible/violent entry clause on the policy? Was this someone known to you who was in the house?

societys_child · 7 March 2017 at 10:00AM

As above, it could depend on the circumstances. How did the assailant gain entry?

FutureGirl · 7 March 2017 at 6:00PM

Are you sure they didn't mean that the claim will impact your NCD and premiums, unless they recover their costs?

I don't see why the insurer would pay out, ONLY if the costs could be recovered.

As other have asked;-
How did they gain entry?

Blibble · 7 March 2017 at 8:26PM

They may be sending an assessor round to verify the claim circumstances and if the loss you are claiming for seems in keeping with your style of living etc., (e.g., it's unlikely you'll be claiming for £50k worth of contents in a one-bed council flat).

In regard to claiming the costs back off the attacker, all I can think that hasn't been said already is that they may believe the attacker has some leads as to where the item(s) is / are & they are awaiting further information from him as there may be no need to claim.

Bath_cube · 7 March 2017 at 9:00PM

The person who attacked me gained access as I opened the front door to let my pet inside as it had made noises outside. My property has a shared driveway and this person came from a vehicle and ran towards the drive. When I realised that they were coming towards me I tried to shut and lock the door but I didn't get enough time and they pushed it open and entered the hall. Previous to this happening I had been having some trouble has years before at a previous address I had been subjected to a vicious assault and friends of that person had not believed that their friend had been responsible. In the last incident the attacker mentioned this persons name before they assaulted me. Hence the police and myself having the opinion that this could possibly be some type of revenge. My engagement and wedding rings were taken along with the laptops also a pair of diamond earrings of lesser value than the rings but still of sentimental value.

Bath_cube · 11 March 2017 at 9:48PM

Yesterday I had a call from my insurance company. They have had a valuation of my jewellery items which has come to just over eight thousand pounds. The laptops value at around under two thousand to replace on a like for like basis one was a Toshiba model the other two hewlett Packard. Because my engagement ring has been at six and a half thousand at today's rates on new for old they have asked if I will consider going to obtain a replacement from a store called f hinds. A quick look at their site and its obvious why a similar ring is less than half the cost than from say h samuel or ernest jones. I have never bought anything from f hinds so I don't know if the quality of the stone or gold would be the same as the other well known stores. My insurer say they can give me four thousand pounds in vouchers to obtain a replacement engagement and wedding ring plus the earrings from hinds. Have I got to accept them or should I insist on the original valuation and ask for a gem card so I can go to a store of my choice instead.

FutureGirl · 12 March 2017 at 10:31AM

You can't have the full replacement cost in cash.

You policy likely contains a clause that says where they can replace the item on a like for like basis (which is based on the substantiation you provide for the item, not necessarily what you actually had), then IF you choose to have cash, it'll be at the discount amount.

They have offered a voucher where they feel the a replacement can be purchased. They will only offer a gem card where the item cannot be replaced using the other vouchers. (This is because they get a bigger discount with the other vouchers). You could ask for a gem card, but there will be less money on it because of the discount the insurers get.

Blibble · 12 March 2017 at 3:02PM

Ask them to confirm how they have reached a £4000 valuation - there must be certain items in F Hinds' range which are equivalent / L4L compared to what was taken?

As for F Hinds' not being a well-known store, I'm pretty sure they're as commonplace as the others you mention ...

Bath_cube · 12 March 2017 at 3:50PM

I never mentioned that I wanted cash to settle the claim. As I said previously my insurer has had a third party to provide to them an estimate of the costs to replace those items and arrived at just over eight thousand. Obviously if they give me vouchers for four thousand they are only giving me less than half of that estimated value. My engagement ring was purchased in 1998 and they know I couldn't get a like for like replacement for the original purchase price. The value of diamonds and gold has gone up in price since then. And as I said there is a reason that f hinds are much cheaper than other jewellers.

Keep_pedalling · 12 March 2017 at 4:40PM

None of the jewellers you have mentioned renowned for selling decent stuff. Take the cash and visit a local independent, or take a trip to the jewellery district in Birmingham and chose something a little different than offered by the high st stores.

Insurer being awkward about claim

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