Home insurance IVAL

[monkeyboy79]

I'm quite new to home insurance i'm with barclays who go through I-val

recently i made a claim for a tv and laptop whitch i accidently broke so far i have had a good exprience with i-val thus fal they seem proffesional and customer orientated, but i am at the start of my claim so will keep you informed on progress.

[Sylvestarrr]

Morning all.

 

We recent were Burgled, and the insurance company turned out to be iVal. Basically I found this website via searching on google to see what the company were like. What I've read isn't particularly encouraging.

 

I just want to add my piece incase anyone comes across this thread in future.

 

Basically we were burgled on the friday night/saturday morning. We started the dealing with iVal that day. We were waiting to be contacted, and my other half ended up ringing on the thursday. They instructed us to send receipts for the most recent items, two laptops, one PS3 and a Casio digital camera. These were sent off by recorded on the friday. I am pretty hot on keeping receipts, so this wasn't a problem.

On Monday my other half was rang again and told they needed the receipt for a Sony MP3 player, so I am sending that off today.

 

Overall I can't complain too much so far, but I will keep you up to date with what goes on!

 

My main issue is that I get back the same spec laptop of mine I had pinched, and I want to get exactly the same model camera, as I chose it for features most others don't have!

[malgoode]

Currently having dwealings with Ival. They are the same as BeValued and I have a letter stating both names.

 

My insurer is Saga and I have a like for like new for old policy. My claim is for a television that has water damage due to a storm damaged leaking roof.

 

My first contact was Saga who said "have you tried switching the TV on to see if it works?". Water and TVs dont mix so I natuarally refused.

 

Next the loss adjuster visited and immediatly condemned the TV, authorising a replacement via Ival.

 

But now Ivac are offering to replace with a 26inch widescreen Goodmans value £249 to be supplied by Comet. The damaged TV is a 28inch JVC regular screen that cost £999. They claim that they don't supply JVC brand (Yet Comet do!) and that the size reduction is because widescreen sizes are a size down for comparison.

 

The opposite is the truth - for the same size standard TV you have to get a size larger!! 28 inch is nearer 32inch. A 26 inch equates to 24inch in the old format.

 

So not only am I offered a poor brand against a good brand, I am also offered a reduction in size!!

 

I now have to go back to the loss adjuster to see if he can sort this out because it seems to me that the claim is being double loss adjusted and I am the loser.

 

I might add that this is my first ever claim and I have had this policy for 9 years at a premium of over £800 a year. I am not happy.

[Sylvestarrr]

Morning all.

 

We recent were Burgled, and the insurance company turned out to be iVal. Basically I found this website via searching on google to see what the company were like. What I've read isn't particularly encouraging.

 

I just want to add my piece incase anyone comes across this thread in future.

 

Basically we were burgled on the friday night/saturday morning. We started the dealing with iVal that day. We were waiting to be contacted, and my other half ended up ringing on the thursday. They instructed us to send receipts for the most recent items, two laptops, one PS3 and a Casio digital camera. These were sent off by recorded on the friday. I am pretty hot on keeping receipts, so this wasn't a problem.

On Monday my other half was rang again and told they needed the receipt for a Sony MP3 player, so I am sending that off today.

 

Overall I can't complain too much so far, but I will keep you up to date with what goes on!

 

My main issue is that I get back the same spec laptop of mine I had pinched, and I want to get exactly the same model camera, as I chose it for features most others don't have!

 

Just an update. It's not even been a month and we have stuff back now, not all of it, but its getting sorted. I even received an exact replacement of the camera that I was worried about.

 

Overall, I am very happy with the dealings so far!

[mickymcd]

I had the misfortune week before christmas to be burguled they cleaned me out of a good 70% of my gadgets took some of my jewelery and most of my mrs`s jewelery too.Im insured with barclays so i made the call barclays explained a company called ival will sort out my claim etc within a day i got a call from there it value dept then the next day there jewlery dept.They requested many receipts i could find for items also any supporting photographs with jewelery in them of me and my mrs.At first i thought this was a bit rude but as you here about people putting in excessive claims this is understandable anyway after loads of phone calls letters emails to ival and barclays im finally getting somewhere ival have refunded me and replaced some items they could obtain but what im not happy about if the jewelery side of things a lot of the jewelery that was stolen was specific stuff you dont see in main high st stores but more indepenant outlets anyway ival sent a payment card for goldsmiths jewlers ive looked on there site and store and there stock line is more dainty fashion styled jewelery ive contacted them wanting an update to see if i can get the card to be used in more stores

[bernie129]

sorry to hear about your loss but unfortunately you now have to deal with the nightmare scenario of Aviva/Ival.Aviva are the company with the most complaints to the financial omnbudsman and what they usually do is pass you over to Ival who then give you the runaround.Your policy is with Aviva not Ival so if you are not happy with what you are offered take it up with Aviva and put a complaint in to the omnbudsman.

[mickymcd]

Thanks for that ive emailed them my concerns if they dont get back to me ill telephone them then next the ombudsman

[mickymcd]

Great forums by the way to day i received my ival jewelery payment card for goldsmiths i never had no email back from ival so i called them after a legnthy call i explained to them goldsmiths stock in my store and online dont have the items we need to replace.I have seen items similar to what we had stolen but these are from independant jewelers the value of the goldsmiths card was £4250 the guy i spoke to said he would look at a cash settlement anyway he got back to me with an offer of £2700 i explained to him that amount 4-5 items which were stolen would come to that amount as gold prices have more less increased a good 60-70% than when we bought the items i told him id get back to him.As ive never had to claim before were do i go from here? complain to aviva or the ombudsman ? help please

[bernie129]

No good talking to the monkey if i were you go to the organ grinder the person you paid your premium to.This is the problem with insurance companies they want 100% premium and then only want to pay you 50% of your claim they are worse than Dick Turpin.Read my other post on how they fiddle you when you make a claim.

 

The reason they dont want to give you a cash settlement is because they will be getting a massive discount by dealing with a few high street jewellery chains. Whatever you pay for your stuff in the shop with their card you can guarantee they will have a big discount on,thats why they dont want to give you a cheque for the value of what you got stolen.

 

When you come to renew your premium ask them if they will accept 50% off for cash and see what they say !.

[The Admiral]

Hi.

Just found this site when researching iVal & boy am I glad I did - I thought it was only me that was having problems. Briefly I claimed on my Aviva policy for accidental damage to my Dell laptop and was passed over to iVal. They offered me a Toshiba which I was happy with and after paying my excess was given a next day delivery from the supplier 'Buy It Direct' who contacted me straight away and gave me a phone number to call to track my delivery. This number turned out to be 'not recognised' so I couldn't trace the parcel. iVal phone on the afternoon of the delivery to apologise as they couldn't get the model offered & actually told me it was a discontinued model (alarm bells now starting to sound). Instead I was offered another Toshiba the C660-155 & after checking it's spec on line I phoned back to confirm my acceptance only to be told that it wasn't that model but the C660-115 as that was the one entered on their system. Despite remonstrating with them they would not change it to the model I had been told about. After sleeping on it I agreed to the 115 as it wasn't too bad a model and would suit my needs and arranged delivery for the following week. At 6 pm the night before the delivery was due iVal phoned to say that they couln't get the C660-115 and would call me back the next day after trying to sort it out. Bearing in mind that I had been reassured that there would be no problems getting this particular model as 'they supplied it' I am beginning to wonder what kind of incompetent outfit I am dealing with. Considering my simple accidental damage claim has now been going on for nearly a month, goodness only knows what sort of dogs breakfast they would make of a complicated one involving major damage to your home. I have used Norwich Union/Aviva for 30 years for Endowments and household insurance and up until the time Aviva took over NU I had no problems at all with claims, even ones involving call centres in India, being sorted out very efficiently and professionally. Guess who won't be renewing his policy in a few weeks time.

[h2oracle]

Really impressed with the cover that was given to my gf. She chipped the TV and Barclay's used ival who got in contact straight away and send an engineer from Comet.

 

The guy from comet was a bit moody and said they will just fix the TV by replacing the glass and said she will get a call from ival.

 

She received a call from ival next day and a very friendly guy said they are going to replace the TV. They gave her a couple of options which she declined as didn't meet the standards and eventually came to an agreement on a Comet card. They put £700 on a card for her and even added £25 to it for delivery charges. She then went and bought a Samsung 3D TV from the local comet store.

 

The Service was amazing and quick. No problems at all. 9/10

 

Well done iVal

[paxton_giant]

Just to get this off my chest.I too have had a poor experience with Ival. Unfortunately, my Aviva policy made no mention of them, so it came as a surprise to me to be passed over to them.Following a burglary last Christmas, I've made a relatively minor claim. Ival have so far refused to pay. They have used all the stalling tactics in the book; phoning me at fortnightly intervals to obtain the same information they have previously been given. They ask what was stolen, then 2 weeks later they ask for a crime number. Then they ask me for receipts. Two weeks later we start all over again at the beginning. They have even asked me for an appointment to speak to the person who discovered the burglary (I was away at the time). After over 6 months I am left very frustrated and can only conclude they are deliberately seeking to avoid payment. Now we are disputing the amount of excess I have to pay. They are adamant it is £125, whereas my policy clearly states £75. I have had the same conversation on this 3 times now, despite sending them a copy of my policy. Still no joy - it has all gone quiet again. They are just a bunch of scammmers. AVOID AT ALL COSTS ! There, I feel better now.

[shara]

Get an assessor on board as quick as possible they talk there language. I didn’t and it cost me dearly I only got 1/4 of what was owed under the policy

[bernie129]

Dear paxton,

you are now on the Aviva/Ival merry go round - note the efficiency when Aviva are collecting you premium however when you put a claim in it takes 3 Knockdowns or a submission to get payed off them.As i have stated before they rely on massive advertising to keep up a high turnover of new customers who dont know what they are like when it comes to paying out.

 

Take my advice insure with another reputable company and get the insurance you are paying for.Do what I have just done (see my other posts for details) do a subject access report with Aviva and get copies of all relevant information regarding your claim then issue proceedings at the county court.Its no wonder Aviva are the insurance company with the most complaints to the financial omnbudsman.

 

P.S dont forget to tell at least 10 people you know of the atrocious service you have recieved spread the word so others have the chance to avoid the same experience as you and I.

[paxton_giant]

Thanks very much for the advice Shara & Bernie.I have something to take forward now. I'll update on any positive developments.I have already cancelled my Aviva policy and used someone else.

[Simmeydee1967]

I have just made a claim via my insurer, Aviva, who instructed these guys.

Having had an intial hiccup, which resulted in me emailing a complaint, they seemed to get their act together.

They have replace three items, with no arguements, with superior quality goods, under the new for old policy, plus a cash settlement.

There has been some chasing after them, and a bit of harrasment on my part, but three and a half weeks later, claim is settled, and a happy bunny.

Not sure if I would use Aviva again, as they are a bit laisse faire, but job done.

My tip, is ring, ring, and if in doubt ring again. They soon get the message, and seem to want to get you off their backs.

A mixed experiance, nothing like some I have read on here and other sites, but overall, a C+ could do better.

[combatboy]

Hi, I am after a little bit of advice and help, as I am having some problems with IVAL.

 

3 weeks ago, I was playing with my 4 year old daughter, when she accidentally knocked my laptop off the table. The laptop was open and on at the time and when it fell the screen cracked quite badly. i immediately rang Santander (my home contents insurers) to ask about claiming. (My laptop is extremely important to me as you will see later)

Santander were very good and took all my details.

IVAL contacted me the next day and arranged a collection of the laptop. So far so good.

I waited a week after collection with no news from IVAL, so rang them. They told me that the laptop was damaged beyond repair and they were just awaiting the engineers report.

A week later I rang them again for an update, they arranged a telephone 'interview' with me to discuss and gain all the information regarding the damaged laptop. During the 'interview', they interrogated me like I was a criminal, then told me at the end of the call that they couldnt take my claim any further just yet, due to indescrepancies with the engineers report.

I rang again early last week for another update, they now tell me that a letter is in the post to me as they dont believe what I told them regarding how the laptop got damaged, as the engineers report states that the laptop is broken due to it containing a lot of liquid!! (I have never spilt anything over the laptop during the 4 years I have owned it)

 

I am a soldier in the British Army and having a laptop,at times, is my only means of communication with my family, when away on 6 month tours in Afghanistan. IVAL have made me feel like a criminal for a simple home accident.

So I am currently laptop(less), have not been offered a replacement or settlement by IVAL and the whole process is becoming a real drag. I didnt really want a replacement, all I wanted was the hope that my laptop would get repaired.

 

Could anyone tell me what direction I should go now? I must have spent a fortune ringing IVAL in the past 3 weeks and the 'service' they have provided me so far has caused me and my family nothing but grief.

 

I am due to deploy back to Afghanistan at the end of August and will NEED a laptop to take with me to keep in touch with my family. I simply can't afford to buy a new laptop, especially when I am paying an insurance premium for these type of situations.

[paxton_giant]

Update as promised.... Woohoo!Claim eventually settled today, as last item arrived (over 8 months after filing claim). Had one final battle - something for folks to look out for; I was sent an Amazon voucher for the value of the goods, as agreed by phone and checked at the time. But guess what - by the time the voucher arrived, the items could no longer be bought at the agreed prices! On going back to Ival, I eventually managed to get a bit more to cover the increase, and I was inexplicably told that although it was not my fault (very generous) they do not recommend using Amazon! "But you sent me an Amazon voucher, I have no choice" was my natural reply. They still persisted with this statement, but fortunately it mattered little as my claim has FINALLY been settled. One mighty lesson learned. When I next take out insurance, I shall determine whether the company has dealings with Ival, if so I shall walk. Never again

[lockley78]

Hello i was wondering if someone could give me some advice, I am insured with nationwide, I have made a claim with bevalued which i believe is part of IVAL, I am claiming for a laptop and an iphone that was stolen, i purchased these items second hand so was only able to provide a hand written receipt, which bevalued claimed did not arrive (even though the letter that was sent along with the receipt arrived) so i went back to the people i bought them off (luckily there address was sill in satnav) and got duplicate receipts, even though bevalued requested that i got the duplicates, bevalued then said nationwide wanted further proof of ownership and to go back to the people i bought the items off and get a handwritten letter with their personal details on, i was able to do this for laptop but the man i bought the iphone off didnt want to write a letter with his personal details on (i don't blame him i wouldn't want to either) but now bevalued are saying that nationwide is saying that the letter is not proof enough and unless i can provide the original receipt they will not payout. I have looked in my policy and cannot find anything about proof of ownership. i would be grateful of any advice.

[paxton_giant]

lockley78:All I can say is hang on in there. Keep going and stick to your guns. YOU'RE the victim here, not the criminal as IVAL seem to like to treat you.It's worth going back to your insurer and reminding them that you pay them, not IVAL and tell them you're not happy with the way your claim is being handled.It took me months before I got what I was entitled to.