WIBU to refuse this offer from insurance company?

[pupsiecola]

Our lovely wooden bed was a present from all the guests at our wedding 12 years ago. It's broken. They sent a company out to assess it. They decided it's not worth fixing (upsetting, but fine).

This third party company called to say "go to this URL and tell us if you like the bed we think is a reasonable replacement". I do this. The bed is 700 quid. Our was 1400 (not including the mattress). I say no, I don't like it. He says "you've not even read the spec". His point was it's the same size and colour. My point was it's not the same quality. So I declined it.

After several calls from me and diddly squat contact from them they have offered us 800. Minus the 150 excess.

I don't want to accept it. I don't think it's fair. We have never claimed for contents before (apart from a lightening strike 10 years ago with a different insurer). So I don't know if they are just holding out in the hope we will accept, or whether we are within our rights to turn this down too and hope to get closer to the 1400. Anyone with experience of these things got any advice please?

Finally, once this is over I will be ditching them. Any recommendations for companies who are actually there when you need them?!

TIA

Should say it may still be worth getting a quote but the insurers possibly won't want to go down that route anyway.

I don't follow that.
If the owner engaged and paid the repairer herself on the understanding that the insurer would refund her, the contract would be between herself and the repairer. And in any case a professional repairer would have his/her own business insurance to cover deficiencies in their work.
If it was my 'lovely wedding present' bed I would certainly try to have it repaired rather than replaced with a possibly inferior item.

Business insurance does not cover deficiencies in work. That would be a form of product guarantee.

If the policyhold insists on a particular repairer then there is a chance that it's solely up to the policyholder. But if the insurer or their loss adjusters have any involvement (this could even be approving said repairer) then they are likely to be the ones held liable.

I would have thought if she uses a reputable repairer the chances of it going wrong are pretty small.
I rescued an old dining table that had seen better days and had two very wonky legs. After spending £400 with a good restorer it is now the envy of everyone who sees it.

The reasoning behind what apocalypse is saying is that the OP has a contract with the insurer to put them back into the position they were in (or as close to that) prior to whatever prompted the claim. So if OP decides to get the bed repaired, the repair goes wrong, she can they go to ins co & say she's not been put back into same or similar position as repair failed, and the ins co would have to deal with that (again) as their contract states that's what they must do. They'd have the option to pursue the repairer, but that'll cost time/money to investigate etc. and ins cos nowadays are all about discharging their liability ASAP as open claims cost more money the longer they remain unsettled. Hence most will offer the new for old on even 12 yr old beds despite not actually being able to replace it with the exact same bed. The loss has a value, they base their offer on what they think is the value & a new item is less likely to have as comeback further down the line.

Get a professional carpenter in, have a word. His price to fix should hopefully be under £800, then you can take their cash offer.

would anyone else just think "ahh bugger, the beds broken. It is 12 years old so ill see if I can fix it, but if not its time for a new bed"?

I cant imagine claiming contents insurance for a twelve year old bed.

I wouldn't have thought insurance would cover this at all. But looks like everyone thinks they will.

I'm with you Hacked

Also, if it was such a high quality bed it shouldn't have broken in the first place

Pupsiecola - could you look on the web and find some beds that you would be happy with, and present your three best options to the insurers? That way you can, at least, show them the sort of standard you are expecting.

Puppymonkey - even a good quality item can break if assembled incorrectly, which is what the OP thinks happened.

Stand by your guns.

Find another bed online that is equal in quality to the original and send them the link.

We had a cellar flood three years ago and had been storing some things in there. Every single thing was replaced for the full current value without any argument.

Different company though!

Thanks for all the replies. I did call a carpenter before the insurance company. We'd have paid up to a couple hundred quid to get it fixed if that was possible. I'm not part of the chuck it away and get a new one brigade thinkivebeen and actually we were hoping that it could be fixed because it has strong emotions attached to it, having been bought by our nearest and dearest as a wedding present. A bed of that build quality/cost could and should last 20+ years imho. We had a new mattress just over a year ago, but the bed was always solid. It's survived three moves and a year in storage whilst we lived overseas.

Anyway, the carpenter felt it couldn't be fixed. Certainly not without making fitting some type of bracket screwed into the wood that would make it virtually impossible to take apart in case of a move (which is happening in 2 weeks).

But I didn't know whether this carpenter was just being a bit work shy/not creative enough, so I figured it was worth trying the insurance company who surely deal with this sort of thing all the time.

Now they've said it can't be fixed.

As I said, we have only ever claimed once before several years ago. I never normally think to claim for anything.

Have had more fun and games since. The insurer told Renew that we are accepting the offer! When I told them we're not they told me to speak to the insurer. So I called them again, and he told me that if they were to replace the item for that of a similar value it would be out of their pocket?!! To which I replied they're a sodding insurance company. Of course it's coming out of their pocket, which in turn comes from our premiums.

Honestly. These staff are just the crappest people I have ever dealt with. Ever. I'm sure they just treat people like this on purpose just to wear you down into giving in.

refuse. tell them you want to complain about their shoddy attitude and their comments about the way they have spoken to you. point out that their supplier has no understanding of the quality(have they actually seen it in the flesh?). remind them that you are happy to have it repaired. find quotes of similar quality items. tell them that is what you will accept.

agree that inflation is irrelevant but i doubt that a similar quality bed is substantially cheaper.

refuse. tell them you want to complain about their shoddy attitude and their comments about the way they have spoken to you. point out that their supplier has no understanding of the quality(have they actually seen it in the flesh?). remind them that you are happy to have it repaired. find quotes of similar quality items. tell them that is what you will accept.

agree that inflation is irrelevant but i doubt that a similar quality bed is substantially cheaper.

I'm with hacked on this too. I'd never consider claiming on my insurance for this. Mind you I'm too aware of how premiums could leap and once you take into account any excess it's often better not to bother (which of course is how the insurance companies like it). For me, insurance is there for calamities.

If it could be mended, but then wouldn't come apart, I think I would wait until after the move, and get it mended then (as long as you aren't going to be moving again any time soon, of course), and pay for that out of the settlement from the insurers.

If you think it was fro John Lewis, have you been along to see what beds they have currently?

See if you can chat to someone who has been there a while and explain what's happened. See how they think prices have changed in the last 12 years. And what they would suggest was an equivalent bed in quality terms to the one that was broken.

If they say beds are half the price they used to be or double what they were then, you'll know what to aim for. And see if you can find a bed you like there - it will be much easier to argue that it's the same quality if it's from the same shop!

This is making me think about all the stuff I have that I have no idea where the receipt is. I was also really lucky with some purchases and managed to get some amazing sale bargains (£100 instead of £600 for a dining table, bed for £1000 instead of £2000 etc) - just wondering if new for old cover will replace with the same stuff / quality level or stuff that's the price that I actually paid... Fingers crossed it remains a hypothetical question! (sorry op for rambling off topic!)

That's the trouble SDT we will most likely be moving again in the next few years.

I did speak to John Lewis, yes, and I have looked at their website. This bed manufacturer in France went bust at the start of the year but I am certainly going to try to get more evidence of the value of the bed. The make is Brigitte Forestiere. Similar stuff is here:

www.meublespasquier.fr/(5e20j545qytz4p2gvdxrg2al)/Galerie_2.aspx?HeaderID=6&GalerieID=Galerie_Brigitte_Forestier_Collection_Montsoreau&SubtitleID=Brigitte%20Forestier

'These staff are the crappest people I have ever dealt with'
Nice, OP

Thanks zipzap for the helpful suggestions. It does make you think doesn't it. I am definitely going to get my engagement ring revalued and have it all in writing again. It's not been done for a few years and is worth a lot of money and if anything ever happened to it and I couldn't claim the full value I would be so upset (although obviously it is irreplaceable).

Baaaaa can you, either in a PM or on here, tell me who you are insured with please?! Thanks.

Sorry but I cannot understand how a solid well made good quality wooden bed can't be fixed! Of course it can be fixed. Get a different carpenter round, that one sounds crap.

Is there recourse to claim the replacement from the moving company? Proof of the bodged assembly job (carpenter as witness) etc?

flolics a piece of dowling that fits from the side panel into the headboard bit has snapped off in the actual headboard, and the wood has actually split. It does look a bit of a mess tbh. I know it seems crazy that it can't be repaired doesn't it. I was hoping the insurance company would have an expert they could recommend to fix it.

I think I may have the same bed as you, OP. Is it sleigh style? We got it 12.6 years ago from John Lewis. They're really heavy beds so lots of strain on the joints.

My husband works in insurance and said most contents policies are reinstatement so replace new for old, like for like. In theory you would get the same bed. In this case they obviously can't find a replacement. You are entitled to refuse their offer. They can make a final offer and you can make a complaint. However, what is probably easier is finding the bed you think is a reasonable replacement and providing them with details of this. Always check your policy to confirm that it is reinstatement at new for old though. Hope that helps.