To keep this money?

[weddingringdilemma]

Aware I may get flamed from here to kingdom come for this....

DH lost his wedding ring a few weeks ago. We claimed on insurance, and they sent us a cheque for £600 for a new one. Just waiting for the cheque to clear then we'll go and buy new one.

I found his old one yesterday.

Do we fess up to the insurance company and return the money or use it for some much needed home repairs that we've put off?

Please no insults if you think we're wrong to even consider keeping it, am very interested to hear views though.

Well, Id have a bitch and a bit of a moan if someone 'did me over', but yes Id get over it, and have £600 to help

Karma may not exist but insurance fraud does.

Sorry I think you should give it back too. Plus someone who puts two and two together might report you.

it certainly does, I think insurance companies are fraudulant (sp?) twats anyway, they do anything to wriggle out of a claim if they can. Maybe its karma they get screwed over once in a while

It would certainly be karma if the OP (or anyone else) keeps the money and is prosecuted for insurance fraud.

Keep it.

Heh Gribble!

My friend had her catalytic converter pinched off her car in a car park recently (there's a rash of these thefts apparantly - something to do with the metal or something) When I asked her about her claim she said "Oh, it's not worth claiming, I'll lose my NCD and blah blah blah" and I just thought - we all pay and the vast majority of people never claim as we're all too scared of having to pay EVEN MORE! Mad but very, very clever.

similar thing happened to me Shirley, I had a stereo nicked out of my car but never bothered to claim as it just wasnt worth it compared to how much my premium would go up

So I bought one from "Dave" down the road to replace it instead

Just wondering - those of you saying its fraud etc etc. what would your point of view be if she hadn't found the ring until she had cashed the cheque and bought a replacement ring. Would you expect her to sell the ring and pay back the £600????

I would keep it TBH!

Gribble - I agree, and for this reason I have no insurance! I would rather put the money I would be paying in insurance into a savings account, to use if something gets lost/stolen/damaged, than pay money to an insurance company who might give me money to replace something if I need to. Seems nuts to me. I just have to be careful with things, and think carefully about whether I really need to replace them.

(Disclaimer: I rent and don't really own much of any material value - if I was a homeowner I'd probably get buildings insurance but that's it).

It's not stealing or fraud, the insurance company have already paid out and the payout is not a conditional one, so the OP is within her rights to keep the money.

Fuck it!!!! Keep it!

I agree with snowmaiden.

At the point the insurer issued the cheque that was the end of the matter.

The money is your OP your insurance company certainly thinks so!

OP, your insurance policy should have provision for this happening (finding lost goods after making a claim).

Check your policy and see what it says.

It is theft, pure and simple, whatever cockeyed logic you use to justify it.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, and to give your opinions in a civil way without flaming me!

We're going to give it back. Whoever said that every time we looked at DH's ring we would remember our fraud was right. I don't want to taint the ring like that so we'll be calling the insurance company today to return the payout.

BEFORE you do, consider this.

If you tell them and ever make a claim in future, they may well not pay out because of what you have done.

The same happened to my dad

OP, well done, you are doing the right thing!

Well as my insurance goes up every year regardless of the fact I've never claimed, I would keep it. I would probably give some to charity, donate to school/nursery fund or share with family. Not that doing any of that makes it right or moral, I would do the same if I won on the lottery or something, its not to ease my conscious.

If you keep it you are a thief. period.

But this has been a really interesting thread, because it's pretty much 50/50 give it back/keep it.

"If you tell them and ever make a claim in future, they may well not pay out because of what you have done."

Well that would be incredibly short-sighted of any insurance company - why would you encourage people not to tell the truth? And I would be pretty peeved if I fessed up and gave the money back and then lost my no-claims bonus anyway. The company should certainly be rewarding you in some way for your honesty.

Not read all replies, I just want to know who the op is insured with, who don't actually demand a receipt, your inside leg measurement and a finger from your first born before they pay out...