Home Buildings & Contents Insurance-advice please

[mlv]

RichardS asked

So you should be for a pun like that!

Basically they seem to be adding more and more exclusions to the extent that getting a claim approved will soon be akin to winning the Lottery.

Quite honestly, the list is too long to list (sorry!)

Examples:

For buildings they have now excluded damage caused by frost. Damage caused by escape of water from guttering, downpipes, roof valleys and gullies is now excluded, as is damage caused by escape of water from fixed domestic tanks, apparatus or pipes caused by forcible and violent bursting. If you do manage to get an 'escape of water' claim accepted, it seems only consequential damage is covered.

It seems all damage that could possibly be caused by a domestic pet is now excluded.

Accidental breakage now excludes damage to doorframes, window frames and casements, so if you drop a ladder through your window and smash the frame members, the glass is covered and that's all.

Parts and accessories of mechanically or motor powered vehicles (other than motorised garden tools) are no longer covered. This will probably mean that any car accessory that is not bolted to the car will not be covered by either your car insurance or your house insurance.

Tools, machinery or mechanical implements are no longer classified as personal belongings, so if anything in that category is lost or stolen it will no longer be covered by personal belongings cover. Is a camera a 'mechanical implement'? What about a watch?

The exclusions just go on and on and some are quite tenuous and open to interpretation. I haven't got the time to study them all, but I just have this gut feeling that there will be a get-out clause for every occasion.

I've always maintained that if you need to make a genuine claim, then you should carefully read your policy document and then decide how the incident happened ;-) And expect to write at least two letters to argue your case.

[Nick Pitfield]

Andy Hall wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Well theoretically they are for the over-50s only, but I didn't know that when I first rang them (I just saw the acronym rather than the full name), and they gave me a quote even though I gave both our ages clearly showing us both as well under 50. I then rang anonymously to check things out and asked if they normally do quotes for people under 50 and they said not normally but it does sometimes happen.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Lloyds TSB are the worst financial organisation it has ever been my misfortune to deal with.

I closed all dealing with Lloyds a year or two back. Service is non existent.

Insurance is a bugger all round - so many frauds and scams have raised the prices and made the companies very reluctant to pay ou.

NFU mutual m8.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Might I suggest that most people have a web server area as part of their ISP connectivity package. If you can create a private area, upload ypour inventory and pikkies there. Not publically accessible of course, esepcailly if your address is featuired :-)

[mlv]

You can add Prudential to that list after my recent experience of their abysmal incompetence whilst handling a motor accident claim for me. Their moronic service was so unbelievably inefficient that I had to give up with them and argue the case with the third party insurers myself (which I won).

Having read all the exceptions and get-out clauses Lloyds TSB have added to their insurance policy document, I definitely will NOT be renewing my mother's home buildings and contents insurance with them.

The best quote so far has come from SAGA and I'm now waiting for a specimen policy to arrive so I can check the small print. Churchill were also very competitive.

Tried them. They came up with the highest priced quote of all. Nationwide ran them a close second.

[Huge]

Add Equity Red Star, too. Possibly my own fault for refusing to use their nominated repairer, but 4 months to settle a claim is ridiculous.

OTOH, I cannot recommend "Brokers Direct" enough. Car into repairers the following day, loan car without question, repaired car (whole new front end) within 4 days. And I never saw the bill, nor knew how much it was. A smooth, painless operation, slicker than baby poo.

[12 lines snipped]

You have to have a Land Rover. In which case they are reasonably priced, and I've found them to be very helpful.

[Capitol]

It depends on what you want. NU gave me the best quote for buildings and contents insurance, as I was after 60 day absence cover. There was also a discount if you were a shareholder. Churchill etc only go to 30 days. Saga some years ago, extended contents cover to 90 days only after initially quoting a price and then trying to back out on the quotation. Saga also included security requirements which resulted in the house resembling Fort Knox!! I had to make a claim on Churchill, and cannot fault their service. They organised a glazier at short notice and their choice was excellent. Regards Capitol

[John Rouse]

In article , The Natural Philosopher writes

Don't tell me! We're in the middle of a three year battle over some underpinning work. The loss adjusters are the worse, they're supposed to be independent but as all their work comes from the insurance companies they tend to side with them, despite the fact that their pay comes from the policyholders in the long run. The FOS is the same - how can an impartial adjudication system be funded by the industry it is trying to regulate?