Contents Insurance Cancelled by RSA / More Than - What can I do??

[shalzak]

Ok, please don't jump on me for making a mistake. It was an innocent mistake with no intention to defraud. And now to the details...

 

My freezer in my garage packed up in July this year and because I have also have a fridge/freezer indoors didn't notice it was casually defrosting over the course of previous week as had no need to go to it. Anyway, when I found the freezer had let all the food go rotten, I proceeded to dispose of and get rid of the freezer in the following week (we live near travellers/scrap merchants so if you put something outside the door and it contains metal it's pretty much gone by the time you've turned your back!). Thought that was the end of it and swallowed the loss - albeit that it had all my party BBQ food and lots of other stuff that I just filled up when I saw offers etc. It was a large 13.5 cubic ft freezer, so quite a lot of food!

 

Later that week, I mentioned to someone at work about being upset that the BBQ food had gone and I would have to borrow money to replace it as my birthday was in a couple of weeks and they said 'have you claimed off your home insurance?'. So I checked and I was covered but was sure that I read in the documents that it had to be reported within 48 hours of finding the loss. So here goes the mistake, rather than finding the loss on the 15th of July and reporting on 16th, I reported as the loss was found a week later on the 22nd July and the reported it on the 23rd. They asked me for photos of the freezer, which had tagged on the 20th (when my colleague had said that I could claim) so the mistake was discovered.

 

The insurance company paid me £280 minus excess of £50 but referred it for consideration of cancellation. They paid me this amount only because I didn't have any receipts OR pictures of the food - 1. because I've never made a claim before so wouldn't assume to keep receipts and 2. I had disposed of the food because it was rotten!! So I accepted this and learnt a lesson to keep receipts and regular photos of the actual food I do keep in my chest freezer!

 

I received a letter yesterday - 9th November - advising that they were cancelling insurance stating that 'the information you provided when registering the claim as to when the incident happened was not correct and based on this hey (sic) confirmed they are no longer prepared to continue providing you an insurance policy. Your policy will therefore, be cancelled with effect from 14 days of this letter i.e. with effect from 14/11/12.'

 

So wrong that they didn't post this prior to the 7/11/12 - date stamp shows date sent. I should've been given as near to the 14 days as possible to arrange other insurance, especially as I now have to go to specialist insurers because of the cancellation.

 

As I said, please don't jump on me for this, everything is true and there was no attempt to defraud, I was paid a lot less than the actual value as well - I would appreciate some really helpful insight on how I can gain contents insurance without having to take a new mortgage to pay for it. I wish now I hadn't even bothered listening about claiming - I've had home insurance since I was 20 and am now 43 and have had 2 minimal claims before this - £100 for my daughters portable TV which she trod on (don't ask!) 3 years ago and when I dropped an ornament worth £200 when moving house about 10 years ago. I have neighbours and friends that make at least annual bogus claims - I don't know how they get away with it!

 

Incidentally, the insurance was in my husband's name and I was named on the policy. It was me that made the claim and everything from start to finish of the claim was in my name, but the cancellation from RSA is in husband's name.

 

I would appreciate some help and thank you in advance for this - Sharon

[unclebulgaria67]

Have you tried phoning the Insurers to explain what had happened and why the dates were entered wrongly. Yes you have been a little dishonest, but does this merit cancelling the policy ?

 

If they don't change their minds then try the following.

 

Home Protect.co.uk

Bureau Insurance Services

Insurance Choice.co.uk