Need quick advice re an insurance claim..please

[ROSEgarden]

our kitchen flooded almost 3 weeks ago, the surveyor finally got out thursday gone and said he would come back to me..he also drummed into me whilst here that because of other peoples fraudulent claims, they WOULD NOT cover the cost of a FULL kitchen....been to try and get match to this kitchen at weekend and have been told no chance, its too old, nothing similar..each company we've been in to have said they 'should' pay the cost of FULL new kitchen, maybe not the full cost but a reasonable amount for FULL new kitchen as everything from units to worktops will be totally different.

i am riniging them today to tell them what we have been quoted for a middle range new ktichen..but not had to do this before..what should i say, should i be stroppy re: other peoples fraudulent claims affecting mine??..where do i stand if they say no, offer much less...hellllppp, i no nothing about his kind of thing!

A friend had to pay for top units; her ins co paid for bottom units iirc.

Basically it comes down to the principle of betterment - ie that you are entitled to be restored to the state you were in before the claim - obviously this means that if only the bottom cupboards were damaged, then IF the top ones can be adequatly matched, you will only get the bottom ones replaced. Nothing to do with fraudulent claims at all, but only with a basic rule of insurance.

If the kitchen can't be matched, then obv that would leave you worse off than before, so they will replace the whole kitchen - but at the standard of kitchen you had before. So if you had an Ikea kitchen before, they'd be looking to pay for that standard, not a more upmarket one.

Ring your insurers, explain the situation (been flooded, only bottom units affected, have been out to company x,y,z and cannot match at all, what do I do now), do not be stroppy. They may try to match the kitchen themselves, or ask you to use their suppliers for a new kitchen.

There is a matching clause in all standard insurance polices. i.e. if you broke the toilet, they would not be liable to replace the sink or the bath.

THerefore, I think you will have to pay for new top units and they will pay for bottom units. But only on a like for like basis.

hi there, insurers been out or their surveyors rther and he told me that due to fradulent claims i would not get a full kitchen, just the units that are damaged, but after traipsing round kithen places all weekend, we CAN NOT get anything like this one(was v.expensive kitchen with fiddly extra bits etc) we just want plain kitchen not top price, im not taking the P out of them but obv i can affford a new kitchen right not and just cos kitchen floods doesnt produce a magic money tree, so i feel they shuold replace the lot(given my price is reasonable and not exagerated)..it doesnt say anywere in t&c they will only pay half of problem????

It comes under the matching clause of the policy. Look in your booklet that you get under buildings insurance then go under flood and it should say there about the matching clause.

I know its a bastard. I work in home insurance claims but its standard in all policies. i get lots of people shouting at me about it!

yeah, shes just recited something off the policy(which i dont have with me right now) about single items only being replaced and only the ones damaged, ie: 1 x sink unit, 1 x double unit near sink....so looks like im either going to have to get into massive debt or half half and half kitchen

Here is what I would do.

Look around for somewhere that does buy now pay later. Then go back to the insurance company once you've found your kitchen and give them a price for the replacement of the damaged units (you will need to provide something from the shop). Then you could pay part now part later.

Sorry can't help anymore. If it makes you feel better I feel like shit when I have to turn people down for claims but we're only doing our job!!!

thanks squinny, i was saying to the girl, im not annoyed at you, just your policies, as i know what its like to be on the receiving end like that too..still no good for me tho!..still, havent heard back from surveyor yet though, maybe ill have a nice surprise???..it was imperial consulatnats..have you dealt with them before??

No unfortunately not. I go back to work tonight after 9 months of maternity leave. Am not looking forward to it!

Aw no..i hope no one has any bad floods and gives you hassle

Whilst squinny101 and the claims handler are right in that strictly speaking there is no cover for the undamaged units, the Financial Ombudsman Service has ruled in a number of cases in this regard and under what's known as "Treating the Customer Fairly" principle of the ICOB rules the insurer should consider paying up to a 50% contribution to the undamaged units. Insurers will only pay this if all the units are replaced. This offer will only usually be made when the issue is escallated to a senior level/complaint is made. Asking for this is in no way fraudulent - it's what you are entitled to - if they won't make the offer go to the FOS and they will make the insurer pay as detailed above!!

(Mr cmotdibbler, handler of major loss claims and chartered insurer)

Have you tried contacting the manufacturer to see if they can order the parts?

Most units are standard so its usually only a case of buying matching doors for the undamged ones.

It is standard of insurers to only replace the actual damaged items, stops people claiming for a new kitchen because they fancy a new one - this is what the loss adjuster meant by fraudulent claims.

Your insurers may be more lenient if its your fist claim as to an ex-gratia payment on the undamaged ones however I remember you damaging your sofas so they may not offer anything.

Price up the cupboard fronts and take it from there.

yeah HMOO, it was our first claim in 10 years and we had to claim for this aguain 2 months later, we didnt get a full amount for sofas either nothing for second sofa and only half for first sofa, but at time i thought i had nothing to go one so accepted

cmotdibbler, thanks for that info, ill wait till surveyor comes back then speak to insurance comapny again with info you have kindly given me..fingers crossed..i dont mind paying some towards it as the kitchen isnt our taste and you cant get the units to 'match' anyway(no idea who supplier was, moved in less than 2yr ago with these already in)..but we wouldnt be having to get in debt for it if we'd had the chance to save up ourselves in a few years time(it was the next big job after the car is paid off) and now as it turns out its a much bigger job as walls,floors, flooring, plastering, electrics, plumbing, tiling drying out all need to be done ON TOP of normal fit

good idea HMOO, maybe they would pay for cupboard front and we buy the carcas's)(sp)?

Mrs CMOTDibbler here !
After I posted the first time, I went to ask DH what the right terms to use were, and he decided to write a response for you. He says you will probably need to speak to someone senior as a normal claims handler will try and fob you off - but use the ICOB thing and mention the FOS ruling stuff and that should get you what you are entitled to.

Have they given you an estimate on how long it'll take to dry you out ? Was the water very deep ?

thankyou cmotdibbler and MR cmotdibbler ...i will definatly use your post, think its got to be worth a try as we really wouldnt have been doing this for ooh a good 5 years yet if this had not happend.

The builders ive had round have said they would need to use a dehumidifier for a week to ten days in order to dry wall/floor out(walls are very very bad, cant see floor yet!)..our floor is a funny one, when we moved in it had kind of rectangle tiles down, after a few months they became brittle(we thought cheap tiles?) so when we got flooring for ha;; and breakfast room we bought extra to do kitchen as a quick fix until we could do kitchen properly and got the flooring-and underlay- put ON TOP of tiles...all the water has been going UNDER flooring and soaking into the membrane, so sitting on top of tile but below flooring!, so it never 'came gushing out' just went straight down back of units and under floor..the concrete floor has dips in it all over where the water was pooling(under the units were flooring is up) and when we noticed it almost three weeks ago there was 2-3 inches on the conctrete floor and seeping under flooring(it helps that our kitchen floor 'runs' away toward back wall, so was deepest in bottom corner!
i feel like crying when i look and think about it, so much money, so much time so much work and as im a childminder(which they dont give a stuff about!even though i have 'extra' insurance because of this!)i may even have to clsoe while the work is being done which ive had estimated at approx 5 weeks

am getting now its been 3 weeks since flood, kitchen is becoming inhabitable and the surveyor was round a week ago and still hasnt come back to me..whats the next step??

What date did the surveyor visit, need to take into account the bank holidays. Its around 48 hours to get a report typed up, this gets sent to the insurers for their decision who then in turn inform you.

Did he indicate any problems when he visited?

no, no probs he said he would get it prepared that night..it was thursday..then suppose he would be off the friday, sat, sun and mon.back tues, so has been 96 'working' hours(4 days) taking into account the bank hol weekend??

oh and cmotdibbler and mr cmotdibbler, when i rang she mentioned my call re not replacing all units so i took snippets from your post in particular the ICOB and FOS and treating the customer fairly principle..she wobbled..shes cahsing surveyor and then will 'discuss' the amount offered, if im not happy she will escalate it to senior complaints who will sort it out..so fingers corssed and a big thankyou for the heads up

Excellent ! DH does have his uses - especially when it comes to insurance.
If you have the surveyors number, give him a call to chase it.

i was really pleased to have some 'back up' when speaking to them they really took notice when i mentioned FOS, but said oh they dont know about our policies(i lied) and said oh yes, they do, i read them to them(another lie) and said you were able to offer an amount up to 50% in regualtion with the '=treating customers fairly' principle tee hee..just hope it works

Rose, just to add another thing into the mix! Have you told them that this is even more urgent than an ordinary kitchen claim, since you work from home? Its all very well them not moving very fast, but if your kitchen is becoming un-usable, strictly speaking you're gonna have to stop working. Perhaps suggesting they'll be paying for loss of earnings too, will shimmy them along a bit!

have told them constantly that im a cm, Mo,its amde no difference, but i need to ring them back this afty to chase up so will mention the loss of earnings bit, see if that gets their arse into gear!..how are you chick?x

I'm fine, just catching up on your various threads! Poor you, you're really going through it right now!