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AIBU?

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Original poster

to ask you to help me make up a big fat LIE?

59 replies

bupcakesandcunting · 10/02/2011 12:39

OK

We bought a new dining table last December and took out an insurance policy on it whereby if any accidental damage occured to it or the chairs, a repairman would come out and mend it for us. We asked at the time if that would cover our 3y/o doing stuff like spilling paint etc etc and the sales bloke said no because it is OUR responsibility to make sure our kid doesn't wreck the table. Fair enough.

On tuesday, was at home with poorly DS and poorly DH, not feeling on top form myself. My friend came round with her little boy and basically I forgot to put a cloth on the table while the boys were in the dining room. Went in a few minutes later and they were playing toy cars on top of the table and there are 3 bad scratches on it :(

I need to call the shop and ask for a repair but they won't cover me if I say "yeah the kids were using it as a Formula 1 track for the Matchbox cars" I can't think of what I could say happened without getting rumbled but I need it fixed before DH sees it and has a diva fit, oh God. I need to come up with a plausible fib and fast. Help me :(

OP posts:
Lucyintheskywithdiazepam · 10/02/2011 13:03

Plead ignorant. Say you had some friends around for a dinner part and when you cleared up, you noticed the scratches.

GandalfyCarawak · 10/02/2011 13:04

I am a good liar. :o

Bumpsadaisie · 10/02/2011 13:05

Bupcakes

But you did say that the insurance man explicitly told you that your boys damaging it would not be covered, hence the need for a story?

Do you think he is wrong about that and that actually is IS covered?

You do have my sympathies though!

stoppinattwo · 10/02/2011 13:09

Say you had tilted it in its side whilst you were tigteneing the legs on as it had been wobbly and you inadvetently scraped it on the door handle/ expensive piece of artwork hanging on the wall Grin

Bumpsadaisie · 10/02/2011 13:09

Bupcakes

I personally don't think its wrong for people to claim for things that strictly speaking might not be covered - after all the insurance companies charge a huge amount etc. Morally it seems to me that if you are paying a premium for the table then why shouldn't it be insured against accidents your boys get up to.

My worries are for you, that you could get caught - telling an entirely different version of events to what really happened might well amount to fraud on an insurance company unfortunately.

My worry is that they could send someone round who is an expert at detecting these things, and you will find yourself in trouble - even if you weren't charged you might find it difficult to get insurance again.

stoppinattwo · 10/02/2011 13:14

if the calim is for a small amount (less than £100) they wont send anyone around...it isnt worth it...they will just pay up and move on Smile...probably ask for photographic evidence of damage

Serendippy · 10/02/2011 13:20

You have my sympathy, however every time someone claims falsely on insurance it DOES bump up premiums for everyone else. You will cost them wood paint, the labour of the person who comes to do it, possibly on an hourly rate which will include travel time, petrol costs, time spent on admin and probably others which I cannot imagine.

So I can't help you make up a lie. Not because I disapprove of lying, I do it often, but it is like when people shoplift and say, 'Well, they're a big company, they can afford it' without realising that to them, it is a few pounds, but between all the people who do it the cost is high enough to be reflected in price increases for everyone else.

Serendippy · 10/02/2011 13:21
tethersend · 10/02/2011 13:26

Not sure about making the lie close to the truth in this case... Anything involving toy cars or children will just make it blindingly obvious what happened.

Go leftfield. I like Gandalf's.

Although it is accidental damage, I'm not sure you have to lie...

Lovecat · 10/02/2011 13:27

Bupcakes, if you intend to go ahead with this, then I suggest you get this thread deleted and/or change your profile - my friend is a loss adjustor and he says they find sites like FB, Myspace and MN very interesting reading when investigating a claim...

Original poster
bupcakesandcunting · 10/02/2011 13:35

Interesting...

I just rang the store and told the truth; kids playing, forgot to put cloth on table, kids whizzing cars all over it, got scratched, am I covered?

No, he says. But he'll just put down on the form that the claimant accidentally dropped something on it. He said it won't even be questionned as the claim will be worth under £30 to them.

So I've told the truth. What do I do if the repair man comes out and says the scratch isn't consistent with items being dropped on table? Confused

OP posts:
homeboys · 10/02/2011 13:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

kittybuttoon · 10/02/2011 13:38

Hello hello hello. I used to make a living as an insurance fraud investigator, so please be aware that there are others out there who do the same- and they've heard all the fibs, a million times! So, careful now.

Having said that, I would recommend you ring your insurers and tell them the truth. If you have been sold an 'accidental damage' policy which doesn't cover accidents, then you've been sold a pup.

It is common for pet damage to be excluded, but not damage by kids. Check your policy.

How else would you scratch a table, other than in an genuine accident? Kids accidentally scratching the table with a toy car is an accident, in anyone's book. Ask for your premium back, if they turn down your claim, as you were sold a worthless policy.

You can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they reject your claim unreasonably.

So you don't have to resort to lying!!!

kittybuttoon · 10/02/2011 13:46

bupcakes In law, you are the claimant, not the store. If he lies on the form on your behalf, you'll carry the can, not him.

AND it sounds as if he doesn't understand the policy, or the implications of lying on the claim form.

You say he reckons they won't investigate a small claim. However, trust me, they WILL be investigating if this is the umpteenth small claim they've received from this particular store.

Call the insurer, tell them what happened, and what the man has said to do about it, and say you just want to make an honest claim if you are entitled to. Then you are in the clear, and the insurer will put a stop to the man selling its policies on their behalf.

And whatever you do = do NOT sign anything. The minute you put your signature to that claim form, you are committing a crime. For the sake of £30 it is just not worth what could happen to you.

MrsNorthman · 10/02/2011 13:49

Haven't read alot of the posts above but is it under a light fitting. Could you say the lampshade, chandalier fell on the table.

Bubblerapped · 10/02/2011 13:52

Whoever said the salesmen is wrong, is probably wrong ... lol.

A child playing on a table is not accidental damage... and the insurance company are not going to pay out for that.

Original poster
bupcakesandcunting · 10/02/2011 13:53

"bupcakes In law, you are the claimant, not the store. If he lies on the form on your behalf, you'll carry the can, not him"

That's what I thought. If I get caught out I would go "well I told the store the truth and they said" then the store will go "erm no she didn't"

CUNTS

OP posts:
NancyDrewHadaClue · 10/02/2011 13:57

From a legal point of view I have a little bit of experience here.

"accidental damage" doesn't generally include the circumstances you have described.

If you lie it is fraud. Whether you have a problem with that morally is a matter for you. From a legal point of view you have committed a criminal offence, which you could be charged with.

From a practical point of view if the insurance company suspect fraud they can cancel your insurance. This may not be a big issue re table insurance, but remembr that question you gets asked when you get car/life/hose insurance "have you ever been refused insurance or had a policy cancelled" Your answer is now "Yes".

Insurance companies now share this info and you may well find you have become uninsurable - that is one MASSIVE PITA.

Tread carefully. Insurance companies are slippery - they don't actually have to prove anything before they heap a whole pile of crap on you.

kittybuttoon · 10/02/2011 14:02

Bupcakes if the guy at the store sold you the policy, he should also have given you a pack with all the insurance details in it, including the policy conditions and contact details, and 'how to make a claim' leaflet.

There is NO WAY he is allowed to make the claim himself on your behalf. He is probably caught up in all sort of scams, mis-selling and claims fraud amongst them.

These guys get a LOT of commission from the insurers from the sale of these unnecessary policies (which are almost invariably covered elsewhere, on people's contents insurance)
AVOID AVOID AVOID

JarethTheGoblinKing · 10/02/2011 14:41

Sorry if I'm being really really thick here, but is the policy with the shop that you bought the table from, or with your home insurance?

(disclaimer - it's been a VERY long day)

you · 10/02/2011 15:35

I'm shocked that accidental damage doesn't cover a child playing! Whhen we took out insurance on our (hideously expensive not really worth it) camera, we were told a mum had come in that morning with a camera with the battery compartment full of jam their toddler had piled in Grin

pascoe28 · 10/02/2011 15:45

OP - to whom are you trying to lie? Your other half (in which case your DH is indeed a lucky chap to have you) or the insurance company(in which case you are committing fraud and are one of the reasons our insurance premiums are so high).

Pathetic.

NancyDrewHadaClue · 10/02/2011 15:56

Did anyone see this issue on Mary queen of shops? Sofa salesman was trying to get her to sign up for accidental damage insurance. She asked if they'd pay out if her son got drunk and spilled curry on it. The guy said no but advised lying. The policies are hardly worth the paper they are written on.

iamabadger · 10/02/2011 16:32

Er...paint the scratches yourself? Apologies if I'm being dim but this seems simpler to me!

bupcakesandcunting · 10/02/2011 18:20

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