vehicle contents insurance

[boristhemorris]

Recently I had my garage broken into which resulted in my morris van being broken into. After reporting the crime to the police, and getting a crime number and the police doing what they do best, I contacted Footman James who then informed me that I should contact Royal Sun Alliance, who underwrite the policies. Having fully comp insurance I did not think I would have any trouble with my claim, WRONG! having informed RSA that I had my car stereo, trolly jack, tool box & tools that were in it to maintain my van and carry out repairs (as I am sure that all moggy owners carry) stolen. I was amazed to be asked if I had the recipts for everything that had been taken, and unless I had I could not make a claim. How many members out there have recipts for the tools that they have been collecting over the years, or a stereo that they fitted years ago. I will not use Footman James again, and I urge all members who do use them to think very carefuly before renewing their policies.

[bmcecosse]

Many are very satisfied with RH for Minor insurance......... BUT I would be challenging this edict from RSA - unless it's stipulated in the small print of the Policy ?

[LouiseM]

Having fully comp insurance I did not think I would have any trouble with my claim

I didn't realise that car contents insurance was included as standard on FJ policies underwritten by RSA as I've just received my renewal policy and it makes no reference to it. Did you purchase it as an 'optional extra'? It would be useful to know for the future as when my Minor got broken into a couple of years ago and tools were stolen I didn't think to make a claim because I didn't see contents insurance referred to anywhere within the policy documents.

Unfortunately more and more insurance companies these days are requesting receipts due to the high levels of insurance fraud and claims are subject to much more scrutiny than they used to be. All sorts of information such as the amount of claim, type of claim and details of previous claims will be considered before any payments are made.

It might be worth checking your home contents insurance policy as quite a few policies also cover garage contents as well as home contents.

As BMC has already said, check the small print in your policy to see what it says about claims on contents insurance. Does it state that receipts will be required? If not, take it up with RSA but if so you can hardly blame them for keeping to the terms of the policy.

I urge all members who do use them to think very carefuly before renewing their policies.

I think the point here is to always read the small print in any insurance policy, regardless of who it is with, so that you are aware of exactly what is and isn't covered and whether receipts are required for claims.

:

[bmcecosse]

Since they are discussing the claim - asking for receipts - it would seem to be covered. All you need to do is to explain the tools etc are a few years old - and give them a comprehensive list with suggested replacement costs. This is likely to bring a response that they won't pay for 'new' replacements (although -why not!?) - and from there you negotiate.

[kennatt]

I had a similar situation a while ago got witten estimates from machine mart on replacement values and got a cheque made out to machine mart to buy the replacements a few weeks later.RH policies, prevents fraudulent claims since you can' t get your hands on the money

[LouiseM]

Yes, it's rare for insurance companies to just issue a cheque to the policy holder in these sorts of cases as there is so much fraud about. Some companies will provide a 'like for like' item as a replacement and others will, as you point out, provide cheques to named companies on receipt of an invoice. The days of insurance companies taking claims at face value and issuing a monetary replacement are long gone!

boristhe morris - You don't say whether your van was damaged during the break in. If so, is that claim going through OK?

[ian.mcdougall]

Have you got any pics of say -- car and tools in use, you could send to them to show you had these tools. May be an idea to photo all tools you have as well as condition of car and all accessories and store for future in case of claims

[Ratbag]

I think I'm just off to the garage to photograph all my tools.....

[heathy12]

RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH RH!

Club need a reveiw IIRC, HAVEN'T HEARD OF ONE BEFORE

[LouiseM]

There's a thread in the members area regarding the club insurance scheme which also provides details of how members can raise any issues direct with the Club. In his/her first post on the messageboard boristhemorris does not say whether he/she is a club member with a policy under the club scheme and hasn't been back to provide any further information. Although he/she has titled the post 'beware of Footman James insurance' from the information posted it seems clear that the actual issue here is that Royal Sun Alliance are asking for receipts, which tends to be standard insurance company practice these days. There doesn't seem to be any actual complaint about the service provided by Footman James, who are insurance brokers rather than policy providers, just unhappiness about being asked for receipts by Royal Sun Alliance. The terms & conditions of an insurance policy isn't something which an insurance broker has any influence over.

As has been said on here many times before, insurance is based on a huge variety of different factors so members need to shop around and find the policy that is suitable for them and their particular circumstances. Cheapest isn't always best, and you should always read the small print to determine the exact level of cover provided before purchasing the policy.

Any members who have an actual complaint about the service provided by FJ (rather than the fact that they can find a cheaper policy elsewhere!) should let the Club know about it via the route described in the members area, and provide all relevant information, as complaints are looked into and dealt with where possible.

[old sea horse]

Bravo MMOC for allowing the initial post, as I am sure you are all aware that MMOC derives not an inconsiderable income from being associated with FJ, and by allowing this to appear it has resulted in some interesting comments. Yes, I know FJ are 'only' agents but they are fully accountable for any products they sell. As regards the radio/cassette, sure this isnt a 'content' but a fitting just as much as, say, the steering wheel, and should be treated as such.? Sam

[LouiseM]

Yes, I know FJ are 'only' agents but they are fully accountable for any products they sell.

The point I was making is that it's common practice for receipts to be requested when making a claim for theft. I doubt that there are many insurance providers that will pay out without first making an attempt to ensure that a claim is genuine but good luck if you can find one that does!

As regards the radio/cassette, sure this isnt a 'content' but a fitting just as much as, say, the steering wheel, and should be treated as such.? Sam

It seems to be standard practice for car radios to be treated differently from the actual 'fittings' in insurance policies, and in this particular case a radio wasn't a standard fitting in Minor vans, more an accessory that was fitted after purchase. Haven't heard of anyone having their Morris Minor being broken into and having the steering wheel stolen but I suppose it could happen

[LouiseM]

Further to the above discussions, just remembered this thread which demonstrates the good service provided by FJ when dealing with a members claim. They were very helpful, the claim was dealt with very quickly, and a traveller that may well have been written off had the policy not offered sufficient cover lived to drive another day: http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36410

At the end of the day, you never know how good an insurance company is until you come to make a claim. In my view it's far better to have peace of mind and know that if the worse comes to the worse you will be sufficiently covered and receive fast, helpful, service rather than to go with the cheapest policy you can find and hope for the best.

So although boristhemorris is “urging all members to think very carefully before renewing their policies with FJ” personally I’m not going to base my choice of insurance company on whether I get asked for receipts when reporting a theft of tools. I’m sure I could find a cheaper policy elsewhere if I shopped around but at least I know that if I needed to make a claim, as per the attached thread, I would receive a very good service from FJ. That’s far more important to me than saving a few quid on a cheaper policy elsewhere.

[rayofleamington]

Rather than the bashing of one insurance company, the big picture seems to me that many people are unaware of what their policy covers regarding vehicle contents!

I often carry tools in my car/s and therefore I checked what was on my various vehicle policies regarding contents - it was pretty shocking! My modern car policy was the worst and covered £100 maximum! That wouldn't cover a pair of glasses, let alone anything valuable. Therefore I upgraded my home contents insurance to cover items in my car - unlimited amount provided the items were within the value scope of the policy!
To be covered, the items have to be out of sight (e.g. in the boot!) but that is sensible anyway as you need to be extre,ely naive to leave valuables on show in a car, and tools are much safer carried in the boot in case of a crash.

Less than a year later one of my cars was broken in to whilst I was parked in town - my house insurance covered all items stolen. They sent me a cheque to cover all the replacement of all items despite their age (which was filled in on the form as some were old and the clothes in my rucksack were worn). That's the only time I've ever claimed on my house insurance, and it made me feel much better about having some!
I'd state this as a warning to all - if you want items to be insured when they're in your car, make sure your insurance covers it - and don't forget your home contents insurance can be a very good and very cost effective way to do that!

[chickenjohn]

Some good points Ray- although not much use for covering tools/ spares etc in a Traveller as with no boot it is impossible to cover the tools without being obvious about it. (Wonder what is under that tarpaulin in the back etc).

[rayofleamington]

Some good points Ray- although not much use for covering tools/ spares etc in a Traveller as with no boot it is impossible to cover the tools without being obvious about it. (Wonder what is under that tarpaulin in the back etc).

That's a fair point John. Some traveller owners have fitted boot covers. One of the simplest I heard of used a roller blind, and others have modified a load bay cover from a modern car (if you're lucky you may get a matching colour to the boot floor mat...)

The first thing I bought for my modern estate car was a load bay cover - I agree that covering the area does add some suspicion, but nearly out of the 7 car break-ins that I know of, 5 of them occured when items had been left on show. Using a tarp or blanket does show that there is something in the boot, whereas a cover that's self supporting isn't quite as bad.