Insurance claim made impossible

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 15:21

Hi all,

I accidently broke my N95-8GB when I tripped and fell. The phone is covered under a 'free' policy supplied by my current account subscription. I've tried to claim on this policy but it has been rejected as I have been unable to provide proof of the phone being in use at the time it was broken. I've sent off a copy of the original invoice (sim free) and a photocopy of the IMEI sticker from the box, but this is insufficient evidence. What the insurance company wants is an invoice listing the IMEI, or proof from Three of the IMEI being used on their network.

I have tried speaking to Three, and all they can supply me with is a copy of the original invoice, which is for a Nokia 6500Slide, so is obviously completely useless. I have already tried the shop where I originally bought the phone, and all they can supply is an identical copy of the invoice I already have (which doesn't list the IMEI).

Basically, I have all the evidence to document that I purchased and own the phone, yet the insurance company have still refused the claim. How can I provide them information that I don't/can't get? Meanwhile, they have cashed my excess cheque of £25, and have provided me with nothing.

Where do I go from here? The insurance company are basically making it impossible for me to claim.

Thanks,

Michael.

James07 · 17 Jan 2009 at 15:24

mrochester said:
Hi all,

I accidently broke my N95-8GB when I tripped and fell

LOL

Right, trading standards is yur best option, you may have to write a few letters but itll be worth it, it dosnt matter how u break it usually, your covered and you shouldnt have to proove that it was in use, they should take yur word for it thas why u pay them.

Trading Standards Online

Morba · 17 Jan 2009 at 15:42

when i worked at t-mob it was possible to see the imei of the calls that had been made with the sim card. i would hope that this would also be possible from Three, however, it was a request from the insurance company to get that info, not from the customer.

steinooo · 17 Jan 2009 at 16:06

why would the insurer be allowed access to such data Morba?

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 16:07

Morba said:
when i worked at t-mob it was possible to see the imei of the calls that had been made with the sim card. i would hope that this would also be possible from Three, however, it was a request from the insurance company to get that info, not from the customer.

I tried to request that information from Three, but it's not something they can give me. As they advised, all they can give me is a copy of the original invoice for a Nokia 6500 Slide.

Goberpiles316 · 17 Jan 2009 at 17:34

With the way mobile phones work now photos, music, videos etc how the hell can you make sure you were in a phonecall at the time it broke, surely it should cover anything the phone can do not just making calls.

gumbald · 17 Jan 2009 at 17:36

Yeah, Three should be able to say what IMEI was used to make the calls, get the insurance company to put pressure on them.

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 17:39

gumbald said:
Yeah, Three should be able to say what IMEI was used to make the calls, get the insurance company to put pressure on them.

I've spoken again to the shop that I originally purchased the phone from, and they might be able to send me a one-off letter that details the transaction along with the IMEI number. I have to call back tomorrow when one of the customer service agents will hopefully be able to get hold of a manager.

PhillyDee · 17 Jan 2009 at 17:44

Have you read the T&C and that it says anything of that sort?

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 17:56

PhillyDee said:
Have you read the T&C and that it says anything of that sort?

Yes, they've quoted the section of the T&Cs which allows them to deny the claim which is 'Where the IMEI number cannot be determined from the phone or proof of purchase cannot be provided to prove ownership of the phone'.

I supplied them with proof of purchase, and a copy of the box label, which shows the IMEI. This wasn't good enough for them. But unless I can get the original purchase shop to send me this special document, it is impossible for me to claim for this phone, and that just doesn't seem right to me since it is specifically insured with them.

leaskovski · 17 Jan 2009 at 17:58

Is it Lloyds TSB who give you the cover?

Have you tried sticking one of the IMEI stickers onto the invoice below the line listing the phone? They might accept that as some companies do this when shipping the phone.

The problem here is that you are unable to prove that you own the phone, this is why the claim was rejected, not because you werent on the phone surely!?

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 18:02

leaskovski said:
Is it Lloyds TSB who give you the cover?

Have you tried sticking one of the IMEI stickers onto the invoice below the line listing the phone? They might accept that as some companies do this when shipping the phone.

The problem here is that you are unable to prove that you own the phone, this is why the claim was rejected, not because you werent on the phone surely!?

I can prove I own the phone as I have the original invoice, and the box with IMEI number on it. But apparently that combination isn't good enough for this company! The cover is through the Co-Op Bank, and is provided by Lifestyle Services Group Limited. They haven't even returned my £25 excess with the rejection letter!

leaskovski · 17 Jan 2009 at 18:15

Yep, they are the same company lloyds do it with. I have managed to sucessfully make a claim with them in the past, but I fear that if I loose my current device that I will not make a good claim as I never received an invoice with the IMEI number on it (ebay purchase, though the phone was brand new).

As I say, see if they will accept a copy of the invoice with an IMEI sticker on it under the phone description.

As for the excess, they should have returned that. Did you pay it on a credit card?

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 18:16

leaskovski said:
Yep, they are the same company lloyds do it with. I have managed to sucessfully make a claim with them in the past, but I fear that if I loose my current device that I will not make a good claim as I never received an invoice with the IMEI number on it (ebay purchase, though the phone was brand new).

As I say, see if they will accept a copy of the invoice with an IMEI sticker on it under the phone description.

As for the excess, they should have returned that. Did you pay it on a credit card?

No I sent them a cheque. I will contact them tomorrow and see if they will accept the sticker on invoice approach. Otherwise I will be back on the phone to Play.com

Energize · 17 Jan 2009 at 18:22

This is why I avoid these dodgy "all in one" current accounts with insurance and breakdown cover etc, when you read the t&c things don't seem so good. I'd imagine this is illegal under the unfair contract terms act though, what they are asking you to prove is essentially impossible.

mrochester · 17 Jan 2009 at 18:24

Energize said:
This is why I avoid these dodgy "all in one" current accounts with insurance and breakdown cover etc, when you read the t&c things don't seem so good. I'd imagine this is illegal under the unfair contract terms act though, what they are asking you to prove is essentially impossible.

Yeah, that would be my course of action if it has to go any further since I can already reasonably prove my ownership of the device.

philjohn · 17 Jan 2009 at 19:03

James07 said:
LOL

Right, trading standards is yur best option, you may have to write a few letters but itll be worth it, it dosnt matter how u break it usually, your covered and you shouldnt have to proove that it was in use, they should take yur word for it thas why u pay them.

Trading Standards Online

Nope, even better than trading standards is the Financial Ombudsman Service - they have a much smaller remit than trading standards and can be quite useful. When my wife's motor insurance didn't want to pay out for her car being stolen and written off we went to them and got a grovelling letter of apology from the head of the insurance company.

"andy" · 17 Jan 2009 at 19:14

everytime ive ever had major hassle with insurance companys theyve soon jumped into gear when the insurance/financial ombudsman is mentioned.

its quite funny how quick every can be sorted when they make an effort actually

Werewolf · 17 Jan 2009 at 19:37

How many places actually put the IMEA on the receipt?

I'm fairly sure that when I bought my phone from Tesco it didn't have the IMEA (it just had the product name/code/barcode).

As mentioned if no luck with the insurance, contact the ombudsman, and point out that it is potentially an unfair clause as not all retailers put the imea on receipts, but that you've got the receipt and the IMEA from the phone's packaging.

daz · 17 Jan 2009 at 19:45

Read through the insurance terms and conditions.
Make an official complaint (in writing) to the provider of the insurance. Mention that if the matter isn't resolved sufficiently, you'll be left with no choice but to take the matter to the Financial Ombudsman service.