I know I might have to eventually consult a lawyer, but I thought I'd first ask for any opinions here. My car was stolen several months ago. My auto insurance company reimbursed me for the lost, but I'm having trouble with my claim for items I had inside the car. I have the receipt, but the GST number at the bottom isn't legible. It's an old receipt and it's faded there. They're saying they can't honor the claim without the GST number. Does this sound like a legitimate reason to deny the claim?
Dealing with Insurance Company
- Thread starter LAS0023
- Start date
Exactly.
Best Buy for example, show up with your credit card and they'll pull out your purchase history.
Insurance= biggest legal scam on the planet. Especially car insurance.
Like others have said, they are feeding you a BS excuse, hoping you will stick your tail between your legs and go away. DON'T. There is NO reason they need the GST number if you have the receipt.
Best of luck to you LAS0023.
Like others have said, they are feeding you a BS excuse, hoping you will stick your tail between your legs and go away. DON'T. There is NO reason they need the GST number if you have the receipt.
Best of luck to you LAS0023.
Thanks everyone. I phoned the company's main number tonight (from private number) and asked about becoming a client. I said I've made an inventory of all my goods and scanned the receipts. I said that on one of them the GST number is faded away but all other details were clear. He said that was fine. I think I might call back tomorrow and record the call, showing that even an agent of the company acknowledges it's ok. If they still refuse to honor the receipt in spite of their agent saying it's ok, then I think they are acting in bad faith, which opens them up to further damages.
While you are at the dealer getting your GST number, ask them for a red book appraisal value of the car you lost and if it is higher than what you were paid you can put in a second claim.
Are you saying that the item for which you're trying to get reimbursed is over 15 years old? Did it appreciate in value? Did you get 15 good years out of this thing...what is its depreciated value?
That's what I was wondering. What was stolen and what was the original value. As a side note, many auto policies don't cover items in your vehicle (depending upon what it was) and may fall under your home policy.
I had some paintings I was going to get framed, each worth several thousand dollars. It was the day of the big ice storm. My car was never great in the winter but I thought I was going to be ok driving, so I was taking them to get framed. Half way there, it was obvious I made a mistake driving that day, so I parked my car and took a bus home. I didn't want to leave the paintings in the car, but that was still preferable to taking them with me, where it could start raining/snowing/ice pellets again or I could could fall and break them, or they could stolen. I thought leaving them in my car, out of sight was the safest idea. A few hours later the police showed up at my door and informed me my car had been found set on fire and there were no contents inside. My auto insurance wrote the car off, and paid me the black book value. My property insurance says the items would be covered under my policy but I that I haven't submitted enough proof yet since the GST number on the receipt I had has faded and with the store having closed years ago they can't go back to ask them whether it's a legitimate claim.
Not necessarily true, especially for the established companies.
I had a long conversation with an insurance adjuster and it was a real eye opener how people try to rip off the insurance companies by making false claims. He had become an expert in estimating how many cd's a person really had from a pile of melted plastic ("No sir, you had 50-75 cd's, not 200"). He explained that the insurance companies are plagued by 10-20% of abusers and fraudsters that drive up costs for the other 80%. When the 80% make a claim, they're perfectly happy to process it and move on. Competition amongst insurance companies is fierce and having a (legitimate) pissed off customer isn't good for business. The tricky part is separating the wheat from the chaff and sometimes they make mistakes.
That said, asking for a GST number seems a bit weird. My guess is that something about the OP made them suspicious and caused them to probe further. And as one by one the explanations couldn't be provided (receipt is faded, store is closed, etc.), it didn't do anything to alleviate their concerns.
Personally, I'm okay with insurance companies doing their due diligence. Keeps insurance rates down (or at least lower than they'd otherwise be) for the rest of us.
If you go through life with the attitude that everyone's out to screw you, well, don't be surprised when that's exactly what you get. Shit it = Shit out.
In general, insurance companies will pay out if you have proof of purchase and condition of goods lost. There are variables in every situation. I knew a guy that was a born again Christian and in his personal life he was a fire and brimstone judgmental bastard that use to yell sin at everyone that was not a BAC. In his working life as a insurance adjuster he would judge people on their looks and would pay them if he liked them and gave people a hard time if he did not. Being a BAC and an insurance adjuster gave him the power to sit in judgement of people.
I'm sorta surprised that they're not making trouble about such high value (and delicate) items as art not being individually listed. In your always polite conversations you might point out that many paintings actually appreciate over time, that there are well-established methods of determining present value on the day of destruction, and that a prompt settlement at the 15yr old valuation could be in their interest as well as yours.
The GST number has zero to do with establishing value. All it does is establish (sorta) that the business was legitimate and so its paper likely was too. Phone book and City directory records from the library do the same thing, as would testimony or letters from other gallery people who had done business with that outfit. Rules may be rules, but if their purpose can be answered some other way, you'd win before a judge. Be polite but clear that you will not give up your rightful claim and you should win with the adjuster too.
The GST number has zero to do with establishing value. All it does is establish (sorta) that the business was legitimate and so its paper likely was too. Phone book and City directory records from the library do the same thing, as would testimony or letters from other gallery people who had done business with that outfit. Rules may be rules, but if their purpose can be answered some other way, you'd win before a judge. Be polite but clear that you will not give up your rightful claim and you should win with the adjuster too.
Was curious and checked http://ibc.ca/en/You_Wanted_to_Know/index.asp
"Your automobile insurance covers the driver, the passengers and, depending on your policy, the car itself. It does not cover the stuff you carry around in your car. Typically, any sporting equipment (e.g., golf clubs), DVDs and MP3 players or other items that may get stolen from your car or damaged in a collision are covered by your home or tenant’s insurance. However, if you run a home-based business, your standard home or tenant’s insurance policy will likely not cover items related to that business (e.g., products or equipment) if they get stolen from or damaged in your car. Check with your insurance representative to find out what types of vehicle contents your home or tenant’s insurance covers."
Would wonder what the adjuster is doing asking for receipts if the paintings in the car are not covered by the auto insurance. Maybe the adjuster is thinking the story is hard to believe and trying to nail the OP for fraud?
I have a bit of a similar situation. I submitted an appraisal for stolen goods and the insurance company is complaining that the store is not is business anymore. I had to explain to them that it's not my responsibility to ensure the store is still in business and to subsequently get a new appraisal if the original store closes.
