I receive a letter of acknowledgement from the Financial Services Ombudsman. Its taken a week for them to get in touch and all they tell me is that they are currently receiving very high volumes of enquiries and will provide me with a full response as soon as they can.
I have a feeling this is going to be a long drawn out process.
Friday 25 February 2011
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Day 125- 16th February 2011
I review the current position. I have not received a reply from Mark at Aviva to my email sent on the 2nd Feb. There’s still no reply from The Manager at the Customer Complaints section at Aviva in response to my email sent on the 20th January and still no progress updates from my personal claims manager at the Asprea as promised by Jane on the 19th January. I have had enough and decide to take the matter to the Insurance Ombudsman. I prepare and send the details of the case, together with copies of all letters and emails to the Ombudsman.
Day 111 - 2nd February 2011
I receive an email from Mark at Aviva. He tells me that it is the customer’s responsibility to see that a policy meets their needs. He tells me that he understands that not everyone reads their policy booklet at the time they receive them and that they don’t do it until issues arise as a result of a claim. He tells me it’s not uncommon for customers to notice exactly what cover they have until such time as they actually make a claim. He tells me that my policy is through Barclays and if there is any concern over the selling of the policy this would need to be directed to them. He tells me he cannot comment on how the policy was sold.
Mark tells me that he has spoken to the Asprea and they have told him that they have already advised me on the points I have raised. He says however, that he has attached their response as detailed in their email to him. He also tells me that Asprea have informed him that they cannot move forward with this matter until they receive my contribution to the cost of the work or alternatively agree to a cash settlement. He tells me that at this stage Asprea await my instructions on how I wish to proceed.
The information provided by the Asprea in Mark’s email is as follows:
“ the customer contribution is now £590.26 + VAT.
The customer is paying towards the removal of any sanitary ware.
The total tiled area is 16.60sqm of which the customer is paying for 11sqm that is not covered by the insurance. This leaves 5.60sqm of tiling that IS covered under the insurance.
With regards to the labour costs, we do not disclose this to the customer as this is an agreement between ourselves and individual suppliers.”
The customer is paying towards the removal of any sanitary ware.
The total tiled area is 16.60sqm of which the customer is paying for 11sqm that is not covered by the insurance. This leaves 5.60sqm of tiling that IS covered under the insurance.
With regards to the labour costs, we do not disclose this to the customer as this is an agreement between ourselves and individual suppliers.”
I reply to Mark to say that I take his point about it not being uncommon for customers to notice exactly what cover they have until such time as they actually make a claim but say that I would put forth the suggestion that this is not necessarily as a result of the customer not reading the policy document correctly. It could just as easily be because the policy document is hard to follow. The place I would naturally look for the level of cover I have is the schedule together with the section in the booklet that tells me what I am covered for. I tell him that as this section is where I would expect to see things that are excluded, it is here that I would expect to see information regarding exclusion of matching items, not a page later on in the booklet that explains about settling claims. I tell him that I think my booklet is particularly badly worded and that from what Jane at Asprea said when I spoke to her before Christmas, they have clearly had many issues with this before. I tell Mark that I have attached, for illustrative purposes, the relevant page from my policy document that was provided in 2008 together with a copy of the page that provides the same information in the copy policy that is available on the website today.
I tell Mark that with regards to the information I requested, I refute categorically that they have already provided this information. I tell him that I now have the entire history of this case detailed in full with all email conversations attached and so can prove that it has not been provided. I tell him that perhaps he would care to send me copies of the emails concerned if he maintains otherwise. In the meantime I tell him that I would respond to the information he has provided as follows:
1. I asked for the total number of square metres of tiling- I thank him and say that I acknowledge that this information has been provided as 16.6sqm
2. I asked which tiling will be classed as covered by the policy. I point out that he has not answered this question. I tell him that the reason I asked about this is that I would like to understand how the section of the clause that says "when damage happens to a specific part or within a clearly identifiable area." is being interpreted. I tell him that a particular example that needs clarifying are the walls that house the shower cubicle. I ask how much of them will be covered? I tell him I need this to be clear so that I can challenge any parts that I do not feel are fair. As a further example of something that needs clarifying, I point out the fact that the rebuilding of the stud wall will disturb part of the tiles that form the splashback surround of the bath and I ask whether the whole of this clearly identifiable area of splash back tiling will therefore be covered. I tell him that I have attached a plan of the main area of the bathroom so that he can see what I mean.
3. I asked how many square metres of tiling were classed as covered by the policy – I tell him thank you and say that I acknowledge that this information has been provided as 5.6sqm. I point out however that the email also says that the customer (me) is paying for 11sqm of tiling that is not covered by the policy. Given that there is a total of 15.6sqm of tiling in the bathroom with 5.6sqm being covered by the policy and the remaining 11sqm being covered 50/50 by myself and Aviva, I ask whether this shouldn't then be 5.5sqm I should be paying for rather than 11sqm? I tell him that if this information is wrong, it throws into question the quotation for the cost of the tiling I was provided with. I ask whether the quote has been worked out on 11sqm or 5.5sqm.
4. I ask (yet again) that he confirm that I will not have to pay towards the cost of the removal of the fixtures and fittings. I explain (again) that this is because the Surveyor at the initial visit confirmed that this would be covered by the policy as the entire floor has to be replaced. I tell him that you can see from the schedule of works that this has been allowed for in the scope. This latest response he has sent me still says that I will be contributing towards this cost and I ask him to provide a clear explanation as to why this is the case.
With regard to the cost of the labour charge for the tiling, I tell him that I feel that I have the right to know whether I am being charged at a reasonable rate for work that I am having to pay for. I also ask him to please explain why the quote for my share of the uninsured tiling is now £590.26 + VAT instead of the £651.36 +VAT that Nadine provided. There is nothing in the email to give any indication why this has changed.
Finally, I tell him that I should like to advise him that at the weekend my husband and I were considering options available to us to try and get the bathroom back to a similar state it was in before the leak occurred and that we had discussed possibilities that would be available to us by removing existing tiles for re-use. I advise Mark that having decided to see how easily the tiles could be removed, the tiles came off the wall incredibly easily despite us having no building experience whatsoever. I tell him that having left the tiles in a bucket of water over night we were easily able to remove the grout the next day and so with hardly any effort at all we now have 3 tiles in as new condition that could be reused. I tell him that this raises considerable doubt over claims that the reason they were not saved for re-use as agreed was because "it wasn't possible." I point out that in fact it was no problem at all to save them - either Safeguard just didn't bother or Asprea didn't tell them to. Either way I have been caused un-necessary expenditure and I would like to know who is responsible. I tell him that I have made a video recording of how easily the tiles can be removed and can provide it as evidence if necessary.
I also ask if he is honestly expecting me to pay my share of the contribution up front and before I even get to see the standard of the works completed to confirm that I am happy with them. I tell him that I doubt very much whether the Claims Management Company pay for the work before it is done so it is beyond me why I should have to do so! No one pays for work to be done until they have seen the standard of what they are paying for and I ask him why I am being asked to do so. I am fully prepared to use the internet to make enquiries of other Aviva customers to find out if it is standard practice to request up front payment in circumstances such as these. If it is not, then I shall be very annoyed and will take it as an inference that they think I am dishonest and a deliberate attempt to make this experience even worse than it already has been. I tell Mark that I hope he can understand that I cannot proceed until he has clarified the points I have raised and so I hope he will be good enough to provide an accurate and speedy response.
Day 110 - 1st February 2011
I review the current position. I have not received a reply from Mark at Aviva in response to my email dated the 28th January 2011. I have not received a reply to my email to the Customer Complaints Unit Manager at Aviva dated the 20th January 2011. I have not received a reply to my email to Nadine at the Asprea dated the 20th January 2011 and I have not received any progress report updates from my personal claims manager despite Nadine’s assurances in her email dated the 19th of January 2011 that I would do so.
Day 108 - 30th January 2011
My husband and I discuss how best we can achieve the same sort of look in our bathroom as we had before the leak occurred without us having to spend money that we would prefer not to spend. We note with regret that if it had been possible to save the tiles and re-use them we wouldn’t be having this problem. He asks how come they didn’t get saved. I tell him that they were supposed to have been saved as agreed with the surveyor when he visited on the 13th October 2010 but it just didn’t happen. I tell him that I suspect that Safeguard weren’t told to save them and so when they turned up, they just smashed them off the walls. Certainly when they started the stripping out process no one came down to tell me they had tried to get the tiles off carefully but couldn’t. You would think that if they had been told to take them off carefully for re-use they would have come to consult with me in the event of not being able to do so. I tell my husband that I queried with both Safeguard and Aviva about the tiles not having been saved but that the Contractors had claimed not to know anything about it and Aviva had said it hadn’t been possible. One of them is obviously not telling the truth. Out of interest we get a hammer and a chisel and see how easy it is to get the tiles off the wall. We have no building experience whatsoever, yet it is unbelievably easy to remove them and within a matter of minutes we have got three tiles off the wall without breaking them. We leave them in a bucket of water over night and the following day we are able to easily chip the grouting off them so that they are as good as new.
Day 106 - 28th January 2011
I do a bit of research into other Insurance Companies policies and how their policy documents are set out. The Halifax
I send an email to Mark at Aviva. I tell him that I have now located the relevant wording relating to the exclusion and have taken some time to study it. I point out that it’s not very clear that I needed to take out separate buildings cover for matching items. I point out that in fact it doesn't tell me that I need to take it out at all - though it does tell me I need to take it for contents. I tell him that the fact that the Key Point Summary section near the front of the booklet clearly details Contents matching items cover as a significant exclusion from the policy but doesn't detail it under the Buildings significant exclusions section. You therefore draw the natural conclusion that it is not excluded for Buildings. This is reinforced by the fact that it is also not covered in the exclusions section of the Buildings cover. In fact it’s not until you get to page 28, hidden away at the bottom of a page and split over 2 columns in a section dealing with settling claims that you find any mention of it at all. I point out that I don't recall being told about matching items cover for buildings when I took the policy out and that the policy documents have done nothing to flag up to me that I should have asked about it. I tell him that by the time you get to page 28 of an A4 booklet of technically worded content, your brain is really starting to lose the grasp on being able to make sure there are no nasty surprises ahead.
I tell Mark that somewhere along the line I have been let down as a customer, whether it’s in the selling of the policy, the wording of the policy or a combination of the two. I tell him that when I bought the policy I was under the impression that I was taking a policy out with Barclays. I had no idea I was entering into a contract with Aviva. I ask whether Barclays act as agents for Aviva and whether I should be following through some sort of complaint process with Barclays about the way I was advised when I took the policy out. Since I made my initial complaint direct to Barclays Insurance it would be nice to think that Mark will refer back to them on my behalf but I have a feeling I shall have to do it myself.
I tell Mark that I will be pursuing this matter further but in the meantime, my bathroom is still in tatters and I still don't have the information I need to be able to make decisions on how to move forward. I tell him that I asked Nadine at Asprea for some information on the 20th January 2010 but have not received a reply. I ask if he can therefore provide me with the following information:
1. The total number of square metres of tiling I have in my bathroom. I tell him I don't know how to work out this information but imagine that the surveyor took the details when he visited on the 13th October 2010.
2. Which tiling will be classed as covered by the policy. I ask him to please bear in mind that the stud wall housing the shower unit will have to be rebuilt from scratch and has tiling on both sides. This information was requested from Nadine on the 14th December 2010 but has never been confirmed.
3. How many square metres of tiling is classed as covered by the policy.
4. What the labour cost of carrying out the tiling is. This information was also requested from Nadine on the 14th December but, again, has never been confirmed. I also ask if he can please confirm that I will NOT be charged for any of the costs involved in removing and refitting any of the fixtures and fittings in the bathroom as the entire surface area of the floor has to be replaced under the policy which necessitates the removal of the fixtures and fittings. I tell him that the surveyor confirmed this when he visited, but that the quote of £651.36 +VAT that Nadine provided me with for my share of the cost of replacing the uninsured tiling mentioned that I would be paying a proportion of the cost of removing the fixtures and fittings. I tell him that despite several attempts to get her to clarify this, she has not done so.
I tell him that I would be grateful to receive a speedy reply to these questions.
Day 104 - 26th January 2011
I receive an email from Mark at Aviva, he apologises and says he meant page 28 not page 29.
I check my policy. Page 28, is headed Conditions and as I check it out I see that these conditions relate to the Buildings section of the policy. Under the section headed ‘Settling a claim’, sure enough it states that they will not pay for the cost of replacing any undamaged items which form part of: a set (other than a pair), a suite; or any other item of a uniform nature, design or colour when damage happens to be in a specific part or within a clearly identifiable area and replacements cannot be matched.
I get such a feeling of outrage. This situation is so very intrinsically and fundamentally wrong. Not just for me but for all of us. We take out insurance in good faith. We think we will be covered in the event of a disaster happening and it gives us a sense of security and peace of mind that our belongings and our property is protected. This sense of security and peace of mind doesn’t come free, we pay for it. We pay a lot for it -in my case somewhere in the region of £500 a year. I could get cheaper cover, I know I could, but I want a comprehensive policy that will pay out when I need it. The leak was an unfortunate event. It wasn’t my fault, it just happened. My bathroom was lovely and I was happy with it. It fit with the general condition of the house and was a feature that enhanced its saleability. I can’t believe that with all the consumer protection and regulation we have to protect us as customers, I am faced with the prospect of having to stump up more cash (apparently to the tune of around £650+VAT) so that I don’t have to have un- matching tiles on the bathroom wall. How can the insurance company leave a job with such an unacceptable finish? They will obviously claim that it's there in black and white in the policy so there can be no argument about it but the way its been written is very misleading, if not downright deceptive. Yes of course they tell us we must read our policy booklet carefully but most of us are just ordinary people. We lead busy lives having to work long hours, manage homes and bring up our families. Even if we find the time to read the 40 page A4 booklet with its tiny writing and legal sounding tone, we’re either too tired to take it all in or we don’t really understand it anyway. I know we have to take responsibility for our own lives and the things we do but unless we take expensive professional advice on all these terms and conditions we are given when we transact any business, we really have to trust the companies to be honest, transparent and helpful with the information they give us and hope that they will provide it in a way that we can understand. I am probably more conscientious than most at reading my paperwork but even I couldn’t follow and understand all the information that is packed into that policy booklet. The best we can hope to do is to focus our attention on the main section of the policy that tells us what is covered and what is excluded so that we don’t get any nasty surprises. When I took the policy out, I did check to make sure that there was nothing in the exclusions that wasn’t covered that I would expect to be covered and from the list in the policy document it seemed very standard. I have been taking out property insurance policies since 1989 so I have a good idea of what tends to get covered and what doesn’t. The fact that matching tiling won’t get covered- leaving customers with a finish they would undoubtedly consider unacceptable once the repair work has been done, should surely be clearly covered in the exclusions section rather than hidden away in a later section of the booklet that deals with settling a claim. If it had been covered in the exclusions, I would at least have seen it and had the option to shop around to see if I could obtain a policy that would provide me with that cover. Even having been told once I had made the claim that I wasn’t covered for the undamaged tiling I wasn’t able to find the relevant section of the policy that tells me its excluded. Its worth noting that in fact it took Aviva quite some time to work out where the clause was too. I first raised my dissatisfaction at this exclusion on the 13th October 2010 when the Surveyor conducted the Loss Survey. Its taken until the 25th January 2011 (well over 3 months) for Aviva to finally be able to provide the information as to how my policy excludes the undamaged tiles from being covered. Its bad enough that its classed as an exclusion, but if it is, surely it’s not an unreasonable expectation that someone could have taken hold of my concern straight away and been able to explain very clearly that the exclusion is covered on page 28 of my policy document under the conditions attached to the settling of claims made under the Buildings cover. I shouldn’t have had to draw it out bit by bit like this over the course of three months!
The list of things I’m not happy about just continues to grow. I still don’t have the information I need to be able to decide what to do about the tiles. Nadine at the Asprea Complaints department hasn’t bothered to reply to my request that she let me know how many square metres of tiling I have, neither has she confirmed that I won’t be charged for any of the cost of removing and refitting the fixtures and fittings. I also don’t know what proportion of the tiling they will class as covered and what they won’t. Whilst the policy says that it will not cover items that are undamaged where the damage has occurred within a clearly designated area, it is open to interpretation what is classed as a clearly designated area With everything that has gone on, I’m afraid I don’t have any faith at all that Asprea/Aviva won’t have tried to exclude sections of tiling that actually ought to be covered. For example, would they class tiles that make up the splashback surround of the bath as being a designated area? If one section of that area is affected by the damage, should they then cover replacement of all the splashback tiles surrounding the bath? And what about an entire wall? Is it reasonable to say that a designated area ends halfway across a wall? This is all information that needs to be clarified. It would be nice to think that I can just put the questions to Asprea/Aviva and they will come back with a fair, accurate and speedy response but I really don’t hold out much hope of that happening. No one seems to want to get involved. Even the Manager of the Complaints Unit at Aviva hasn’t been back in touch. I just seem to be constantly badgering and hassling people to try and get information and to get things moving. What with having to get up that much earlier everyday so we can all fit in having baths and washing our hair I am really starting to struggle with daily life. I’m fed up of feeling so stressed about all this that I am constantly grumpy and taking out my frustration on my family. I’ve got pains in my neck, shoulder and back that make it uncomfortable bending over the bath every day and God knows how we will pay the energy bills this quarter as they are going to be through the roof with us having to run water over the bath to wash our hair and then run water in the bath to get washed in. We must be using three times the amount of hot water we usually do.
I get such a feeling of outrage. This situation is so very intrinsically and fundamentally wrong. Not just for me but for all of us. We take out insurance in good faith. We think we will be covered in the event of a disaster happening and it gives us a sense of security and peace of mind that our belongings and our property is protected. This sense of security and peace of mind doesn’t come free, we pay for it. We pay a lot for it -in my case somewhere in the region of £500 a year. I could get cheaper cover, I know I could, but I want a comprehensive policy that will pay out when I need it. The leak was an unfortunate event. It wasn’t my fault, it just happened. My bathroom was lovely and I was happy with it. It fit with the general condition of the house and was a feature that enhanced its saleability. I can’t believe that with all the consumer protection and regulation we have to protect us as customers, I am faced with the prospect of having to stump up more cash (apparently to the tune of around £650+VAT) so that I don’t have to have un- matching tiles on the bathroom wall. How can the insurance company leave a job with such an unacceptable finish? They will obviously claim that it's there in black and white in the policy so there can be no argument about it but the way its been written is very misleading, if not downright deceptive. Yes of course they tell us we must read our policy booklet carefully but most of us are just ordinary people. We lead busy lives having to work long hours, manage homes and bring up our families. Even if we find the time to read the 40 page A4 booklet with its tiny writing and legal sounding tone, we’re either too tired to take it all in or we don’t really understand it anyway. I know we have to take responsibility for our own lives and the things we do but unless we take expensive professional advice on all these terms and conditions we are given when we transact any business, we really have to trust the companies to be honest, transparent and helpful with the information they give us and hope that they will provide it in a way that we can understand. I am probably more conscientious than most at reading my paperwork but even I couldn’t follow and understand all the information that is packed into that policy booklet. The best we can hope to do is to focus our attention on the main section of the policy that tells us what is covered and what is excluded so that we don’t get any nasty surprises. When I took the policy out, I did check to make sure that there was nothing in the exclusions that wasn’t covered that I would expect to be covered and from the list in the policy document it seemed very standard. I have been taking out property insurance policies since 1989 so I have a good idea of what tends to get covered and what doesn’t. The fact that matching tiling won’t get covered- leaving customers with a finish they would undoubtedly consider unacceptable once the repair work has been done, should surely be clearly covered in the exclusions section rather than hidden away in a later section of the booklet that deals with settling a claim. If it had been covered in the exclusions, I would at least have seen it and had the option to shop around to see if I could obtain a policy that would provide me with that cover. Even having been told once I had made the claim that I wasn’t covered for the undamaged tiling I wasn’t able to find the relevant section of the policy that tells me its excluded. Its worth noting that in fact it took Aviva quite some time to work out where the clause was too. I first raised my dissatisfaction at this exclusion on the 13th October 2010 when the Surveyor conducted the Loss Survey. Its taken until the 25th January 2011 (well over 3 months) for Aviva to finally be able to provide the information as to how my policy excludes the undamaged tiles from being covered. Its bad enough that its classed as an exclusion, but if it is, surely it’s not an unreasonable expectation that someone could have taken hold of my concern straight away and been able to explain very clearly that the exclusion is covered on page 28 of my policy document under the conditions attached to the settling of claims made under the Buildings cover. I shouldn’t have had to draw it out bit by bit like this over the course of three months!
The list of things I’m not happy about just continues to grow. I still don’t have the information I need to be able to decide what to do about the tiles. Nadine at the Asprea Complaints department hasn’t bothered to reply to my request that she let me know how many square metres of tiling I have, neither has she confirmed that I won’t be charged for any of the cost of removing and refitting the fixtures and fittings. I also don’t know what proportion of the tiling they will class as covered and what they won’t. Whilst the policy says that it will not cover items that are undamaged where the damage has occurred within a clearly designated area, it is open to interpretation what is classed as a clearly designated area With everything that has gone on, I’m afraid I don’t have any faith at all that Asprea/Aviva won’t have tried to exclude sections of tiling that actually ought to be covered. For example, would they class tiles that make up the splashback surround of the bath as being a designated area? If one section of that area is affected by the damage, should they then cover replacement of all the splashback tiles surrounding the bath? And what about an entire wall? Is it reasonable to say that a designated area ends halfway across a wall? This is all information that needs to be clarified. It would be nice to think that I can just put the questions to Asprea/Aviva and they will come back with a fair, accurate and speedy response but I really don’t hold out much hope of that happening. No one seems to want to get involved. Even the Manager of the Complaints Unit at Aviva hasn’t been back in touch. I just seem to be constantly badgering and hassling people to try and get information and to get things moving. What with having to get up that much earlier everyday so we can all fit in having baths and washing our hair I am really starting to struggle with daily life. I’m fed up of feeling so stressed about all this that I am constantly grumpy and taking out my frustration on my family. I’ve got pains in my neck, shoulder and back that make it uncomfortable bending over the bath every day and God knows how we will pay the energy bills this quarter as they are going to be through the roof with us having to run water over the bath to wash our hair and then run water in the bath to get washed in. We must be using three times the amount of hot water we usually do.
As a customer I feel very weary and badly let down by a financial institution that I trusted. I wasn’t told that I needed to take separate cover for Buildings matching items when I took the policy out. The policy did nothing to help highlight the fact that Buildings matching items cover is separate and the exclusion clause (if you can even call it an exclusion clause) for buildings matching items cover is hidden away in a section where it’s easy to miss.
Despite wanting to get things sorted, I know I need to take a break from this before I crack up altogether.
Day 103 - 25th January 2011
I review the current position. I have heard nothing from nadine at Asprea since the 20th January 2011 when I asked her to confirm how many square metres of tiling I have and whether or not the £651.36 + VAT quoted by her as my contribution towards the uninsured tiling costs includes a proportion of the labour cost to remove and refit the fixtures and fittings.
I email Nadine and advise her that I don't appear to have received a reply in response to my request that she let me know from the scope how many square metres of tiling there are in the bathroom. I tell her that if I should be dealing with this with my personal claims advisor, could she please provide me with an email address for her and I will contact her direct. I do not want to start ringing up and running up my phone bill when I can email without incurring any costs. I also tell her that it has not been clarified yet whether the quote she provided of £651.36 (+ VAT) includes anything other than the purchase and labour cost of the tiles. I tell her I like to deal with things in black and white so that there is no room for confusion and misunderstanding. I want to be absolutely clear that I am not going to be charged for any of the work that involves the removal or refitting of the toilet, bath, sink and towel rail. Nadine does not reply.
I receive an email from Mark at Aviva. He tells me that the reason he had not responded to my letter of the 13th January 2011 was because he was still looking into it. He tells me that he understands that I have been in contact with Nadine at Asprea who has informed me that he would be responding to my email. He tells me that he believes that Nadine has informed me of the liability in so far as the tiling goes and he tells me he will look into the further issues I raise in connection to the service. He tells me he will contact me once his investigation is complete and will be in touch shortly in this regard. I’m not impressed. It’s taken 12 days for him to get in touch to tell me that he will look at the issues I raised in my letter. Nadine has told me nothing about the tiling. Infact she stated very clearly that Mark would deal with it and that she was unable to comment further about it.
I reply to ask if he could specifically look at the fact that my policy documents say very clearly that I have Home and Garden cover. The Home and Garden section of the policy document says:
"We will pay for the cost of any undamaged items of contents forming part of a pair, suite or other item of a uniform nature or design, when:
· insured damage happens to a specific part or within a clearly identifiable area;
· replacements cannot be matched and;
· repair cannot be carried out satisfactorily".
I tell him that this reads as though I am covered for the tiling and I can’t understand why I am being told that I’m not.
Mark replies to say that he has already looked at this in his earlier review of the file and this doesn't have any bearing on the outcome of his or Asprea's decision. He says this is because the wording I refer to relates to contents only. The damaged tiling is covered under my 'buildings' cover.
He adds that the reason he maintained Asprea's position in so far as the contribution goes is because they had made the correct decision. Everything is considered when reviewing the file, including the policy cover afforded at the time of the incident. He says that he knows I mentioned in my recent email that I felt his review wasn't thorough enough but says he had already considered the cover I had and did notice the 'Home & Garden' cover. As this didn't have an effect on the outcome of his review he couldn't reasonably overturn the decision made. He tells me that he does understand my situation and knows that the insurance industry can be confusing to customers. He says that in this instance it's clear there was some confusion over the tiling and what they were going to offer me so I could get things moving. He says he is pleased Nadine has now fully informed me of the liability in this respect. (This isn’t true. Mark says Nadine has dealt with it, Nadine says that Mark is dealing with it. I, in the meantime, am left sitting here struggling to understand how I am not covered.) He says that he can see I’ve put in a lot of time to note my concerns and whilst the outcome in respect of the tiling hasn't been what I’d wanted to hear he is prepared to offer me £100 as a gesture of goodwill to atone for any misunderstandings that have arisen over the time of my claim.
He adds that the reason he maintained Asprea's position in so far as the contribution goes is because they had made the correct decision. Everything is considered when reviewing the file, including the policy cover afforded at the time of the incident. He says that he knows I mentioned in my recent email that I felt his review wasn't thorough enough but says he had already considered the cover I had and did notice the 'Home & Garden' cover. As this didn't have an effect on the outcome of his review he couldn't reasonably overturn the decision made. He tells me that he does understand my situation and knows that the insurance industry can be confusing to customers. He says that in this instance it's clear there was some confusion over the tiling and what they were going to offer me so I could get things moving. He says he is pleased Nadine has now fully informed me of the liability in this respect. (This isn’t true. Mark says Nadine has dealt with it, Nadine says that Mark is dealing with it. I, in the meantime, am left sitting here struggling to understand how I am not covered.) He says that he can see I’ve put in a lot of time to note my concerns and whilst the outcome in respect of the tiling hasn't been what I’d wanted to hear he is prepared to offer me £100 as a gesture of goodwill to atone for any misunderstandings that have arisen over the time of my claim.
I’m still confused. If the section regarding the exclusion of matching items that I found in my policy relates to contents only, where then is the section that provides the exclusion for buildings? I’ve been through the policy booklet several times now and despite reading the exclusions section very, very carefully, I still can’t find it. I reply to Mark saying that when we spoke on the telephone just before Christmas he said that when he wrote to me with the outcome of his investigations he would be able to tell me where to look in my policy to find the wording that tells me that I am not covered for the undamaged tiling. I tell him that I have checked the policy and can’t find any mention of matching items in the Buildings exclusions section.
He replies to tell me that the wording is on page 29 of my policy booklet under the Conditions section.
I check page 29 of my policy. It relates to Home Emergency Cover and has nothing to do with Buildings Cover at all. I email him to tell him so.
Day 99 - 20th January 2011
I receive a reply from Nadine at Asprea regarding the queries I raised about the cost allocation of £54 +VAT per square metre for the tiles and the quote for my contribution to the cost of replacing the undamaged tiling. I struggle to understand what she means by:
“This is what we have allowed as part of the claims costs. Again I have allowed in the costs for the removing and refitting the basin, WC and heated towel rail. The contribution is correct if you do not chose anything more expensive that what we have allowed per square meter.”
In addition to this, she tells me that anything regarding the matching items section of my policy should be referred back to my insurance company. She tells me that she is unable to comment further and that if I require any further assistance I should contact Mark at Aviva.
I am still none the wiser as to whether or not the allowance of £54 + VAT includes labour or not. Why is it too difficult to just say "no, its doesn't include the labour cost", or "yes, it does include the labour cost?" And is she saying that I will have to pay for half the cost of removing and refitting the suite or I won't? I may be imagining it but it feels very much as though she really doesn’t want to have anything further to do with this. Wistfully I think to myself that I wish I didn’t have to have anything to do with it either. I have spent a huge amount of time and energy on this claim and well over 3 months since it happened I am still not able to get basic information that I need in order to make decisions on what to do.
Still, I need these issues clarifying so I email Nadine to ask her to confirm whether the figure of £54 + VAT is inclusive of the labour charge for removing and replacing the tiling. I ask her that if so, how much of it is the labour charge so I can work out the maximum figure to look for when looking at tiles. I tell her that this information does not form part of my complaint- it is needed in order to move the claim forward. From what she said yesterday it would be Asprea that would deal with this type of query rather than Aviva. I tell her that if she feels that providing this information is outside of her personal job role then by all means she can pass it to my personal claims advisor to deal with. I don't mind who deals with it- I just need the information!
I also ask her if she can please tell me who to contact at Aviva to discuss the effectiveness of staff members dealing with complaints? Even people who work in "the Chief Executive's Office" must have their performance managed and I can't imagine for a second that Mark has met required service standards in respect of the letter I emailed to him a week ago.
I receive a speedy reply from Nadine advising that the figure allowed for the tiles is for the tiles only. Labour is already added in the scope separately but forms part of the whole settlement allowance. More technobabble phraseology but I think I'm safe to interpret this as meaning that the allowance for the cost of buying the tiles is the full £54 + VAT (£64.80). She doesn’t mention whether or not I will be charged a proportion of the costs for removing and refitting the bathroom suite despite me having asked this twice now.
I thank her for the reply and ask her how many square metres of tiling I have as I want to work out exactly what the cost of labour will be. I want to do this to check that the cost is reasonable. Once I know the total number of square metres of tiling there is and can ascertain the % of tiling that will be classed as covered by the policy I will be able to calculate the cost of buying my share of the tiles and then deduct it from the total figure of £651.36 +VAT that Nadine quoted. Provided there are no other costs included, this should tell me what the labour cost is.
I receive an email from the Customer Relations Manager, Senior Management Complaints Team at Aviva. He asks me who the member of staff is that I want to complain about and what the problem is. He assures me that they take all complaints very seriously and my concerns will be investigated fully. He asks me what I want to happen now in order for the complaint to be resolved.
I forward a copy of the updated schedule of events together with copies of my letters of the 24/11/10, 18/10/10 and 13/1/11.
The email that I send points out that the fact that I had cause to complain on the 24th November should surely have been an indicator that things were going wrong and needed to be sorted out. I tell him that if anything, things have been worse than they were to start with. Mark replied to my complaint on the 12th January 2011. I sent a letter to him by email on the 13th of January 2011 explaining that he had not covered all the issues involved and asking him to respond. Now, a week later, I haven't even had an acknowledgement from him that he is investigating further. I'm still sitting here with a bathroom that’s been pulled to bits with no one caring whether it gets fixed or not.
I tell him that I know that the schedule of events is lengthy but ask that he take the time to read it properly as not one word of it is made up or embellished. It is a true and accurate account of what has happened. I cannot imagine that he will be anything other than horrified by the time he gets to the end of it. In terms of what I want to happen now in order to resolve things, I tell him that it is really very simple. Before the leak happened I had a very nice bathroom. I was very happy with it. I want to have a very nice bathroom again and be happy with it. This is the reason I have insurance - so that I am covered if something bad happens. I am an honest person. I don't want something I'm not entitled to, but equally I find it distasteful that every step of the way I am meeting attempts to fob me off with as small a payout as can be gotten away with. I want phone calls to be answered when I make them. I want letters and emails to be replied to in a speedy and accurate manner that recognises that this claim has gone on for long enough now without any progress being made. I want to deal with someone who knows what they are doing and who can answer my questions when I ask them, and most of all, I want to stop having to spend so much time on this that everything else in my life has become secondary.
Day 98 - 19th January 2011
I email Nadine to ask if Asprea will have no further involvement in processing my claim now and asking whether it will all be done by Mark at Aviva. I ask whether it will be Mark’s responsibility to make all decisions on the claim from now on and whether it will be Mark that I deal with to move matters forward. I point out that if so, it might perhaps have been a good idea to let him know that there is still the issue outstanding of reviewing the cost per square metre allowance for the tiling so that he could deal with it as its now over a month since she told me she was dealing with it and it would appear that nothing has been done. I ask her if Mark is not the one to oversee the claim moving forward, could she please tell me who it will be as no-one seems to be taking ownership of it at all. In addition, I ask her to please clarify what the cover is that she referred to in our discussion before Christmas. I remember her saying that I needed this cover if the undamaged tiling was to be replaced under the policy. I also ask her to advise me how and who she checked this with as from reading my policy it sounds like there might have been some sort of mistake.
I receive a reply from Nadine. She doesn’t offer an apology for not bothering to reply to my queries on the 15th December. She tells me that Mark is only dealing with the complaint. She says that my personal claims handler at Asprea will ensure that my claim moves forward as it should. Nadine tells me that she will request that I am kept informed during the claim process.
Nadine also tells me that she has amended the cost of the wall tiling within the scope to £54 per sqm plus VAT as she feels that this is justified after receipt of the invoice. She tells me that she has also added a new room into the scope for renewing the wall tiles to the unaffected walls (including removing and refitting the bath, basin, WC and heated towel rail) with me contributing 50% towards these costs. She tells me that my contribution, provided no unforeseen works occur when the works take place, would be £651.36 plus VAT.
Nadine finishes by telling me that she did confirm with Barclays the cover provided under my policy. She is sorry but she does not have the individual’s name. Any questions regarding the cover provided under my policy would need to be discussed with my insurer - Barclays. She tells me my policy schedule and policy booklet will provide me with all the information relating to cover provided in my policy.
I email Nadine to thank her for her reply. I ask whether the allowance of £54 + VAT per sqm for the tiles, needs to include the cost of fitting the tiles as well as supplying them. I tell her that this is a crucial point as it affects the price of the tiles I can choose. It is paramount that I have a clear understanding of the actual cost of the tiles. I do not want to choose something that is out side of my price range.
I also ask her if she can also clarify what she means by my contribution including 50% of the cost of removing and refitting the bath, basin, WC and heated towel rail. I explain that the surveyor agreed that I would not have to pay any of this cost. The fact that the entire floor area has to be replaced means that everything has to be taken out in order for this to be done. This means that putting it all back is covered by the policy and I should not be liable for any contribution towards it. I have checked the schedule of works and it clearly allows for the removing and refitting of the bathroom suite. I ask her to please check this and confirm. My understanding is that as things stand I will have no cost to contribute other than 50% of the cost of buying and fitting tiling that is not covered under the policy.
I tell Nadine that the reason I have asked who she checked with at Barclays regarding the level of cover I have is because I have now had chance to check out the wording that Mark provided in his letter dated the 10th January that he says excludes replacement of the undamaged tiles under the policy. I have cross checked his wording to the wording in my policy document. The wording under the significant or unusual exclusions or limitations section of my policy states as an exclusion: "the cost of replacing any undamaged items, which form part of a set, collection, suite or item of a uniform nature. But wider cover is available under Home and Garden"
I tell her that I have checked the Home and Garden cover section of the policy and it states " we will pay for the cost of any undamaged items of contents forming part of a pair, suite or other item of a uniform nature or design, when:
· insured damage happens to a specific part or within a clearly identifiable area;
· replacements cannot be matched and;
· repair cannot be carried out satisfactorily"
I tell her that I have checked my policy schedule and it states very clearly that I have Home & Garden cover.
As I still have not received a reply from Mark at the Complaints section of Aviva regarding my letter dated the 13th January 2011, I email the general Aviva Contact Us address on their website and ask them who I should contact to make a complaint about a member of staff in the Chief Executives Office that deal with complaints. It’s over a week since I emailed Mark and he hasn’t even bothered to let me know he is looking into things.
Day 97 - 18th January 2011
I have not received a response from Mark at Aviva so I email a copy of the letter and the schedule of events to Nadine at the Asprea complaints unit. I ask Nadine if she can make sure it is forwarded to Mark and ask him to deal with it urgently. I also remind her that she told me on the 15th December 2010 that she had said she would refer the tiling invoice I provided her with to a senior surveyor to obtain a review on the cost allowance per square metre for the tiles.
I check the exclusion wording provided in Mark’s letter and compare it to what looks like the relevant clause in my policy. I see that my policy tells me that cover for undamaged items that form part of a set/suite etc is only provided if I have Home & Garden cover. I check my policy schedule and feel confused. It reads as though I DO have Home and Garden cover.
I receive an email from Nadine advising that she has forwarded my letter and schedule of events to Mark at Aviva and that he should be in touch shortly. She advises me that with regards to the tiling, all the relevant information has been given to Aviva as they are now dealing with the complaint and they will address any outstanding issues with me. She tells me she is sure that Mark will be more than happy to explain his decision in further detail should I require this
Day 92 - 13th January 2011
I send a letter Mark at Aviva and enclose a copy of the schedule of events. I tell him that I am disappointed that there is no acknowledgement of the poor service I have received and no apology for the fact that my Christmas was ruined. I point out that the issue regarding the allocation for the cost of the tiles has not been resolved and ask him if he could deal with the matter urgently.
Day 91 - 12th January 2011
I receive a follow up letter from Mark. It is 5 days past the deadline for reply of the 5th January. He tells me he has completed the investigations and is sorry I have had cause to complain but hopes his comments fully inform me of their position. He tells me that the date I logged the claim was the 8th October 2010 after I had noticed watermarks to the hallway ceiling. He adds that a further investigation from the appointed contractors found that the lounge ceiling and walls were also watermarked. The floor tiles in my bathroom were also lifting and cracking as a result of the leak. I can’t help wondering why he is telling me this. It’s my house, I was there when it happened. He tells me that I will be aware that Asprea were appointed to deal with this matter on behalf of the insurance company and that my complaint has been escalated to his office as I’m unhappy with the contribution in respect of the non insurance related works. I can’t help thinking that I am fully aware of all of this as I have lived through every single frustrating moment of it and have shed tears on more than one continued occasion. Mark goes on to tell me that Alison at Asprea wrote to me on the 14th December to explain that she had increased the contribution towards non insurance related work to 50%. I wonder if I am to learn anything new at all from this “full review” that Mark has done. Mark assures me that had Alison not already increased the contribution to 50 % it would have been the first thing he would have done. It does make me wonder why they ever tried to tell me it would only be a 30% contribution. If they know the Ombudsman’s view is that it is reasonable that they pay 50% of the cost it seems underhand and unethical of them to try and get away with paying less. Mark goes on to tell me that he cannot increase the offer any further and he quotes a section of the policy that explains why not. I note the wording and put it to one side to check against my policy when I get it out. I note with disappointment that Mark, despite having had since the 16th December to review my case, has made no acknowledgement of the poor service issues that I raised. There is no comment on the situation with the cost allowance of the tiles being less than I paid for them and there is no mention of how the claim will now move forward. I note with resignation that once again I shall have to be the one to kick start the process, despite not having the information I need to be able to make any decisions.
I sigh at the prospect of having to spend yet more time writing letters and chasing people up. I feel to be banging my head against a brick wall in an attempt to make Aviva understand just how frustrated and dissatisfied I am with this experience. I sit down and type from my notes, the full history of this case in chronological order. As I type it out, I am constantly astounded at the lack of customer focus there has been, whether it be trying to get me to settle for the cheapest wallpaper and tiles available to buy, fobbing me off with a lower contribution to the uninsured tiling than the Ombudsman has ruled is reasonable, failing to provide me with information I ask for, trying to limit the amount of the claim by not checking out the damage properly, not returning phone calls or just being downright slow in replying to my letters. No one seems in the slightest bit concerned that the special plans I had for spending the first Christmas in well over ten years with my mother were ruined. This has been a stressful time for me and no one seems to care whether things get sorted or not. It takes me the best part of the afternoon to complete the schedule of events and by the end of it I have eye strain, head ache and a severely aching wrist from an old repetitive strain injury. There are still questions to answer before things can move forward-the cost allowance of the tiles being a major one. How can I go out and pick tiles without knowing for certain how much has been allowed? Nadine was looking into this on the 15th December and to date I have heard nothing further. The schedule of events also makes it clear that I have concerns about the cost of the wallpaper allowance and the issues surrounding the decoration of the lounge. I have tended to focus on the bathroom situation as that is where the major work need doing but these other issues will also need resolving.
Day 74 - 21st December 2010
I receive a letter from Mark dated the 16th December confirming the discussion that took place that day and telling me that he will complete his investigations and be back in touch with me within 10 working days. I calculate this to be the 5th January.
Day 69 - 16th December 2010
I receive a call from a customer relations manager at Aviva. For narrative purposes I will call him mark. I’m a bit surprised that I’m insured with Aviva rather than Barclays. It seems that Barclays merely act as agents rather than underwriters. Mark is ringing to let me know that I shouldn’t get my hopes up about the offer of 50% towards the tiling being increased as this is not going to happen. He tells me this is an Industry standard that is adopted and is backed by the Ombudsman. He doesn’t put it quite so bluntly but he basically tells me that there really isn’t any point referring to the Ombudsman as he will find in the Insurance Companies favour. He goes on to say that the Ombudsman cannot change his decision just for my particular case as it would be setting a precedent for all future claims and would also cast doubt on previous judgements made. I ask where in my policy it tells me I am not covered. Mark tells me that he will confirm today’s discussion in writing and will review the case in full in due course. He advises that he will include in the letter where in my policy it tells me that I am not covered for the undamaged tiling.
Day 68 - 15th December 2010
Nadine acknowledges receipt of my email and the invoice and tells me she will refer it to the senior surveyor and get back to me
Day 67 - 14th December 2010
I receive a phone call from Nadine at Asprea. Nadine tells me that she just needs to check with Barclays to see whether my policy provides matching items cover. I ask what that is and she tells me that some policies stipulate that matching items will be replaced if necessary. If I don’t have this cover then she can only offer to increase the contribution to the non insured tiling to 50%. Whilst Nadine has been perfectly reasonable to deal with and is only working within the constraints of her authority level, I don’t feel happy with this approach. I point out that I don’t remember anybody mentioning that I had to specifically state that I wanted matching items cover. Nadine comments that this is a very common complaint and in fact in the New Year, there will be changes made to make sure that it is clearer to customers. I tell Nadine that if they had made it clearer to me when I took the policy out I might have made a different decision on whether or not to proceed. Its all well and good saying that it’s been recognised that it needs to be made clearer, but that doesn’t help all the poor policy holders that it wasn’t made clear to! I tell Nadine that I am not happy with the outcome today and would like my complaint progressing to Stage 2 of the complaints procedure. She agrees to do this and tells me she will confirm in an email what we have discussed.
Later in the day I receive an email from Nadine confirming that unfortunately, I do not have the matching items cover she referred to earlier and she confirms that all she can do is increase the contribution towards the cost of replacing the undamaged tiling to 50%. She makes some rather half hearted attempts to justify and gloss over the delays that have occurred and tells me that having spoken to the contractor it appears that it has not been possible to salvage the existing tiles. She confirms that she will progress my complaint to stage 2 of the complaints procedure. No mention is made about the point I raised in my letter that the tiles cost £30 +VAT when I bought them 4 years ago and that I have only been given an allowance of £20 +VAT which also has to cover the labour cost. I email her back to tell her that she has not covered this point and tell her that I can provide the invoice if necessary. I also ask her if she can tell me how much of the tiling would be classed as covered by the policy and what the labour cost of the tiling will be.
Nadine emails me back to ask me to send in the invoice. She offers to send me a copy of the schedule of works but regrets she cannot give me a costing breakdown. I email a copy of the invoice back to her and advise her that having looked at the invoice, it can be seen clearly that I had been able to get a 33% discount on the cost of the tiles when I bought them as I used my father in law’s business account to get them. This means that the actual cost of the tiles was in fact £40 a square metre + VAT rather than £30 +VAT as I originally stated. To obtain a comparable tile in today’s market would cost considerably more. I advise Nadine that I need to know the costs involved to me so that I can make a decision on what to do. If I can’t afford to pay for the additional tiling, regardless of how bad it will look I will have no alternative but to accept that there will be different tiles in the shower cubicle than there are in the rest of the bathroom.
Day 62 - 9th December 2010
I receive an email from Asprea saying that they are catching up on the progress
reports on claims and should be in touch shortly.
Day 55 - 2nd December 2010
I receive an email from the Asprea telling me that due to adverse weather conditions I might not be kept as informed as usual on the progress of my claim this week
Day 54 - 1st December 2010
I receive an email from the Asprea. They have received my complaint and will be dealing with it. I should hear from them within the next 5 working days. In the mean time, they enclose their complaint procedure leaflet.
Day 47 - 24th November 2010
Having not heard from the Contracts Manager at Safeguard I am starting to feel really annoyed and stressed. Its one month to Christmas Eve and I am feeling anxious that we won’t have the bathroom completed by Christmas. It’s not the decoration side of things I am worried about but the fact that we have only got a bath and sink for washing in. This makes life hard with trying to coordinate three of us having to get up and bathed in a morning. Trying to wash our hair over the side of the bath is uncomfortable as well as inconvenient but we are just about managing since its only short term. My mother however has mobility issues and will not be able to use the bath. In addition her partner is 6ft 4” tall and my smaller than averaged size bath is too small for him to get into. In order for them to be able to wash properly and keep themselves clean for the week that they are here we really need showering facilities. There’s also the fact to consider that the three of us having a bath everyday is far more expensive than us having a shower each day. I ring the Asprea with a view to telling them that the delays with Safeguard really are not good enough. The person I usually deal with is not in the office. I ask if someone else can help and am put through to someone. I tell them about what has happened and tell them of my anxieties about getting things done in time for Christmas. They apologise and say that if I can hold the line they will try and get hold of the Contracts Manager at Safeguard and then put me through to them. I know this is racking up my phone bill but agree to hold.
It takes some time but eventually they have the Contracts Manager on the line to speak to me.
It is immediately apparent from his rather belligerent and unhelpful tone that he is annoyed at having to speak to me. I ask him about the possibility of skimming and painting the walls in the lounge rather than papering them. Off hand he tells me that it would be far more expensive. I ask how much more expensive. He can’t tell me. I point out that surely he must be able to work out a comparative cost to be able to deduce that skimming and painting will be a “far more expensive” option. He tells me that he doesn’t know how much it will cost to skim the room as he doesn’t know what the room looks like and what condition the walls are in. I tell him I understand that and that it is a fair comment. I tell him that I recently had the walls and ceilings in my dining room skimmed at a cost of £500. I acknowledge that my dining room is slightly smaller than my lounge but given that he has the dimensions of my lounge in his case notes from the Surveyors report, I ask him whether, assuming my walls are in good condition, he thinks the sum of £500 would be far removed from the cost of skimming the walls and ceilings in my lounge. He agrees that the figure of £500 sounds about the right sort of level but insists he would have to visit the property to be able to give a proper quote.
Talk turns to the tiling. I tell him that the tiles on the wall are no longer available to buy and the existing ones have not been carefully removed and saved as agreed. He tells me that the insurance company will only pay 30% of the cost of replacing the tiles that are not damaged. I tell him that I am not happy about this. I have checked my policy document and can’t see anything that tells me undamaged tiles won’t be covered. I ask him what the allowance is for buying the tiles. He tells me that it is £20 a square metre +VAT. I tell him that I don’t think that £20 a square metre will buy me tiles similar to the ones that I currently have. He tells me that I shouldn’t be looking for tiles that cost as much as £20 a square metre as the allowance has to cover the cost of carrying out the tiling as well as buying the tiles. I am starting to feel really annoyed now. I’ve gone from thinking all the tiling would be covered under the policy, to being told by the loss adjuster that the insurance company will only pay 50% of the cost of replacing undamaged tiles, to now being told by the Contractor that they will only cover 30% of the cost. On top of this, instead of having good quality tiles as I have now, I’m expected to have the cheapest tiles it’s possible to buy. I begin to wonder if there is some sort of strategy in place to force policyholders into accepting as small a pay out as possible rather than paying out to put their homes back to the same sort of state they were in before. As the Contracts Manager is not able to provide me with the information I need in order to move forward, I tell him that I will contact the insurance company to discuss the issues that have arisen and will get back to him.
I hang up the phone and am shaking and upset. I feel that I can’t take any more of this stress. It’s clear now that the bathroom is not going to get sorted in time for Christmas and my mother’s trip will be ruined.
After I have calmed down, I write to Barclays Customer Complaints department.
Day 46- 23rd November 2010
I ring Safeguard again. Still the person I need to speak to isn’t in. I ask if anyone else can help and am put through to someone who looks up my case notes and tells me that they are waiting to hear from me with choices of floor tiles/wall tiles and wall paper. I start to feel a little annoyed. No one told me that this was what was holding up the process. I ask about the tiles that were supposed to have been kept for re-use. She tells me she doesn’t know anything about that. I ask her what allowance she has in her notes for the wallpaper. She tells me £7 a roll. I advise her that Asprea have agreed to increase it to £11 a roll as I hadn’t been able to find anything for £7. She tells me she would need to veryify this with Asprea. I tell her that I had discussed with someone at their office previously, the possibility of skimming the lounge and painting it instead. She tells me I need to speak to the Contracts Manager about this. I tell her I know that I do and that he was supposed to have rung me to discuss it but didn’t. I ask if I can speak to him now. She tells me he’s not there but will arrange for him to ring me back. I tell her about my mother coming to stay for Christmas and stress that I really need to speak to him today. She promises that he will ring me later in the day. Again, despite staying by the phone for the rest of the day, I don’t receive a return call.
Day 45 - 22nd November 2010
I begin to get concerned that it is 11 days since I have heard from anyone. I have been mindful that time would be needed for the certificate to be issued and received by the relevant people but although I am trying to be patient, time is really ticking on now. I find a number for Safeguard and ring them to see what is happening. The person I need to speak to isn’t there at the moment but she will ring me back. I tell them I am anxious to get things moving as Christmas is getting close. They promise me that the person I need to speak to will ring me back by 4pm. I cancel arrangements to go out but despite sitting by the phone all afternoon I do not receive a return call.
Day 34 - 11th November 2010
One week later, Rainbow return to assess the drying process and confirm that from the reading they have taken they are happy to issue the drying certificate that is needed. I feel relieved that the repair work should be able to start soon now and that there is enough time to complete it in time for Christmas when my mother and her partner will be coming down to visit.
Day 27 - 4th November 2010
Rainbow arrives and install the drier. They tell me to leave it on day and night. I express concern about the amount of electricity it will use and how much it will cost. I am told not to worry, they take a meter reading before and after installing the drier and will pass them to the insurance company who will make arrangements to reimburse me.
Day 26 - 3rd November 2010
Asprea ring me to make sure that I have heard from Rainbow about installing the drier. I confirm that they have been in touch and that it’s all arranged. I take the opportunity to raise concerns about the allowance that has been given for replacing the wall paper in the lounge. I have been out to look at wallpaper recently and have not been able to find anything other than very poor quality/basic lining paper for £7 a roll. Straight away I am told that they will authorise the allowance to be increased to £11 +VAT a roll which should enable me to find something. I feel slightly better until I carry out an assessment of wall paper for sale on the Homebase website. They have 410 wallpapers to choose from. The average cost is £14.30 a roll – a considerable amount more than the allowance I have been given. Less than a quarter of the wallpapers on sale fall into the price range I have been given. The most common price for a roll of wall paper is £16.99. I note that had I stuck with the original price allocated of £7 a roll there are just 14 wallpapers for me to chose from, representing less than 4% of the total wall papers on sale.
Day 24 - 1st November 2010
Rainbow ring and arrange to come and install a drier on the 4th November.
Day 14 - 22nd October 2010
Safeguard visit to begin the stripping out process ready for the drying stage. Very little is said. They take a little over an hour to rip up the floor and hack off half the tiles in the shower cubicle. No one comes to tell me that it will not be possible to take the tiles off to reuse them or asks me what I want to do about it. With hindsight, it is clear that they had no such instruction to remove the tiles carefully
Day 13 - 21st October 2010
A representative from Rainbow visits to do an investigation and survey into what is needed to do the drying out process. The investigations using damp meters reveal that the stud wall has the highest meter reading that it is possible to get from the equipment and is in actual fact, sopping wet- as is the surrounding floor area. Given what my father in law and the plumbers said about the tile adhesive, the floorboards and the joists I am very relieved that I persevered with getting it all looked at properly.
Day 12 - 20th October 2010
I receive a call from someone at Asprea. For Narrative purposes I will call her Alison. She tells me she will be handling my claim. I tell her that whilst it is not urgent that the lounge and hallway are sorted out, it is vital that the bathroom be sorted out before Christmas as my mother and her partner are coming to visit. My mother has recently retired due to ill health and this will be the first time we have been able to spend Christmas together in over 10 years as she lives 260 miles away and has had to work at Christmas every year. Alison tells me not to worry. A company called Rainbow has been appointed to carry out the drying out process and another company, Safeguard has been appointed to carry out the contract work. The companies will ring me within 2 working days to arrange appointments. Both companies phone later that day and appointments are made. When I speak to Safeguard they tell me that I will need to pick out wallpaper and tiles. I tell them that I can’t pick tiles at the moment as I don’t know what the position is in respect of paying for the undamaged tiles. They tell me that what normally happens is that the insurance company share the cost of replacing the undamaged tiles on a 50/50 basis with the policyholder. We discuss the allowance made for wallpaper and I express my concern that the insurance company have only allowed £7 per roll for wallpaper. I tell them that I am worried that this won’t be enough to get a wall paper that I like. I tell them that I am thinking that it might be better to skim and paint instead and ask if this is possible. They tell me that it is possible to do this and that in fact people often do, but I need to speak to the Contracts Manager to discuss it. I ask if I can speak to him but they tell me he is not there. I ask if he can ring me and they say they will ask him to do so. I do not however get a call from the Contracts Manager.
Day 11 - 19th October 2010
The Surveyor rings and tells me that the shower tray and stud wall will be removed and replaced as part of the repair process.
Day 10 18th October 2010
Armed with the information from the plumbers to back up what my father in law has told me I feel more confident to challenge what the Surveyor has said and write a letter to him re-iterating my concerns.
Day 7 - 15th October 2010
I receive a letter from the Surveyor enclosing a copy of his report and telling me that if he does not receive confirmation that the repairs have been completed by the 10th November he will assume I no longer wish to proceed.
I arrange for two separate plumbers to come round to give me a quote for fixing the shower. Both tell me that the shower cannot be fixed from the front and that the stud wall will need to be broken into in order to be able to access the shower unit and repair it. Without any prompting from me, both tell me that before fixing the shower it would be sensible to lift the shower tray up to check the condition of the floorboards and joists. In addition they tell me that the leak will have compromised the tile adhesive and that whilst the tiles might not fall off the stud wall straight away, they are extremely likely to do so at some point in the near future.
Day 4 - 12th October 2010
The surveyor from Asprea visits to assess the damage.
At this meeting the Surveyor tells me that I should be able to get the repair work done to the shower without causing any further damage to the stud wall and that all the wet will dry out using industrial driers. I express my concern that the shower tray and more of the stud wall is not removed to assess the damage. I am concerned that there could be damage to the joists underneath. The Surveyor tells me that this shouldn’t be an issue. I also express concern that the stud wall beneath the tiles might be in very poor condition. Again the Surveyor tells me that this won’t be a problem. The driers will make sure everything is ok. I’m told I should go ahead and get the shower repaired from the front and get in touch with Asprea once this has been done. After persistent questioning I manage to get the Surveyor to admit that if further damage does have to be done to the stud wall in order to carry out the repair, the policy covers me for this. He warns me though that the full cost of replacing the undamaged tiling outside of the shower cubicle area will not be covered under the policy should it be necessary to replace it in the event that the tiles can no longer be obtained. He tells me that the Insurance Company will only cover 50% of the cost of the tiles that have to be replaced outside of the shower cubicle area. I express deep concern. I do not remember seeing anything in the exclusions section of the policy telling me that undamaged tiling wouldn’t be fully covered. I am not rich. I am reluctant to have to find the money to pay for the tiles myself and I am not at all keen on the thought of having to have tiles that don’t match. The Surveyor tells me not to worry and that if in the unlikely event the stud wall does have to be rebuilt, the company doing the stripping out work can take the tiles off carefully and save them to be put back later. I tell him that I think I have a box of tiles left over from when the bathroom was done 4 years ago that can be used in the event that one or two tiles get damaged.
When the report is finished, the surveyor gives me a sweeping glance of his laptop screen showing what he has typed up and asks me to sign it off to say that I agree with what he has written and that I understand it. I point out that I feel a bit uncomfortable signing something that I haven’t been able to read properly as I don’t actually know what it contains. Having been assured that it’s just all the things we have talked about I feel foolish insisting on reading it properly and do what is required to “sign it.
Later that night, my father in law calls round to see how things went. He is shocked that the surveyor has not insisted on removing the shower tray to check the condition of the floorboards and joists underneath. He is a retired professional builder and knows what he is talking about. He is adamant that it all needs checking out properly before going ahead with repair work and feeling inclined to believe what he says I ring the surveyor up to tell him yet again of my concerns. The Surveyor is insistent that there will be no problem and that I should be able to get the shower fixed without any further damage being done.
Day 1- 8th October 2010
This is my blog of my insurance claims experience that resulted from my shower leaking and causing damage in the bathroom and the two rooms directly beneath.
I notify my Barclays Insurance of the claim I wish to make. They confirm I am covered. I am told that a company called Asprea will be appointed to manage the claim. Later the same day, I receive a call from Asprea to make an appointment for one of their Surveyors to come and see me.
I notify my Barclays Insurance of the claim I wish to make. They confirm I am covered. I am told that a company called Asprea will be appointed to manage the claim. Later the same day, I receive a call from Asprea to make an appointment for one of their Surveyors to come and see me.
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