Storm Damage

Lindsay D

Lindsay D

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I do hope that any damage you all suffered from storm Katie last night was minimal preferably absent. Unfortunately being in Sussex, many of us weren't so fortunate, although my own damage was minor compared to many. It has however been an eye-opener in terms of insurance and the effects of neighbours.

Aside from damage to my roof and porch, I lost my side fence, and my insurer (RSA) told me that they do not cover damaged fences from storms, and apparently that is commonplace. And another thing - the fence which was uprooted in the storm (it was in good order) landed against one of my neighbour's cars. I discussed this with my insurance company who said that storm damage is considered to be an Act of God and that nobody is held liable. They told me that any damage caused to a neighbour's property would require the neighbour to make a claim off their own insurance in the normal way, with the possibility of their insurance company making a counterclaim against mine. Fortunately my neighbour's car wasn't damaged, but if it had been my neighbour made it clear that he would have held me liable for his (very high) insurance excess - in fact he would not have wanted to make a claim at all with respect to the possibility of his premium going up. So even though I am not liable for damage caused by an act of God, it appears that neighbours would nevertheless expect one to pay for damage to their property so that they can avoid their own insurance claim. I sure as hell wouldn't be able to afford to do that, particularly as I have to replace my fencing out of my own pocket. Does anyone have experience of being in that situation?
 
So many different variables - my only advice is that you never agree to anything with a 3rd party which disadvanyages you to the benefit the said 3rd party, UNTIL, you take legal advice from a solicitor. Many of our local solicitors still offer a 'pro bono' 15 minute consultation on a number of legal matters, including demands from neighbours. Always a fraught situation but a simple stony face and a clear statement that you will 'take advice' is a way to press the pause button and ease back a knee jerk response by both parties.

Certainly some research into what cover (or not) you actually have currently in place would be useful.

The issues are a 'civil' matter and so never get into arguments that end up in criminal courts.
 
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Fortunately there wasn't damage, but it certainly made me very aware of these things for the future. I did some searching around the Internet and the advice was the same - that you are not liable for storm damage to a neighbour's property because it is not considered to be your fault, with the only possible exception being if the object which landed on their property not having been secure or in good condition. For example, if you had a rotten tree and you knew that it was rotten, and you didn't deal with it, and the storm caused it to break and land on your neighbour's property - in which case the advice is that the neighbour makes an insurance claim of their own, and their insurer then claws back the loss from the person who owns the tree.

Edit: one other interesting point which was raised in my research was the fact that if your neighbour is aware that you have suffered storm damage and that the damaged area may fall loose while you are waiting to get it repaired, and if the neighbour continues to leave his or her property adjacent to the area of damage, then it could be argued that your neighbour has not exercised 'due diligence'. Hence if a broken section of your roof fell off and damaged the neighbour's drive or car etc, an insurance company may not be proactive in reimbursing them, nor could they reasonably expect any form of private compensation.
 
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You can be liable if you are negligent.

True story: Several years ago my wife was working for British Airways at Heathrow, and she parked her car in one of the staff car parks next door to the engineering base whilst she went away for the weekend. Whilst she was away it was quite windy, and a big mobile gantry (like scaffolding on wheels, used to get maintenance access to tailplanes) toppled over in the wind. It took out the chain link fence and totalled four cars that had been parked the other side of the fence, including ours. It was crushed down to the level of the wheel arches and if anybody had been sitting in it then they would certainly have been killed.

Obviously our insurance paid out but they watned us that we would lose our no claims bonus. We objected to the effect that surely they should be claiming off British Airways, because it was their bit of kit that caused the damage, but BA said it was an acot of God and our insurers agreed with them, or at least couldn't be bothered to argue it.

Fortunately we have a friend who is a scaffolding engineer and he suggested some helpful lines of questioning that we could put to BA. What was the design wind loading of the gantry? What were the procedures for securing it against winds which exceeded its limit? What wind speed had been forecast and were the procedures implemented? That kind of thing. And it was at this point that BA shot themselves in the foot (although they didn't really have much of an alternative). They admitted that it was an old bit of kit and they didn't have the design specification, so they didn't know what its maximum wind speed rating was. It was the largest bit of equipment on the base and there wasn't anything bigger they could use to secure it. And they didn't monitor the weather forecast. In short, totally negligent.

Despite all this, BA still claimed it was an act of God and our insurers still didn't want to dispute it. So we started proceedings against our insurers for the recovery of our no claims bonus, and when they realised we were serious they started proceedings against BA. The day before it was due in court, BA caved in. Presumably it was only at that point that one of their proper lawyers reviewed it, and I expect that a quick look at it would have been all he needed to conclude that they didn't have a leg to stand on.
 
Yes, that sounds very similar to the situation that one of my neighbours encountered in the last place I lived with the tree on her neighbours property which had been struck by lightning a couple of years earlier and had rotted, it fell down and broke her fence. Her insurance company paid for her damage and then clawed back the loss from the other side.

My fence was in good order and there is no disputing the Act of God given that it happened during a well-documented and serious storm - but people just need to be aware of the fact that it is their own insurer they would need to claim from if something from their neighbour's side damages their side, because in a storm nobody is held liable. That is where the difficulty actually arises because the person making the insurance claim isn't going to want to pay an excess etc because they believe it is not their fault. Of course, it is not the fault of their neighbour either when it is storm damage! In my case, my neighbour made it fairly clear that if his vehicle had been damaged when my fence was ripped up he would expect me to pay for the repairs to his vehicle. That is a position which a lot of people will probably be in following storm Katie and I was just wondering if anyone else is going through that right now?

I'm in absolutely no rush to replace my f*cking fence - I'm fed up of the things, I can't risk a fence uprooting in a high wind. I'm quite upset and stressed today with all of this expense and the conversations with my neighbour. I hate living close to other houses and I just wish I was in a position to move, I'm really unhappy where I live. Sorry for the rant.
 
I've just had a horrible time with the two insurance men who came round to do an assessment. I took them outside and showed them the bits of damage. One area of damage was to the top of my porch where a roof tile had pierced it. They made it clear that they felt that was very unlikely and they said that they were struggling to see how a tile could have travelled 15 feet onto the porch. Well - it was a STORM where hundreds of people in the vicinity lost entire roofs. Since the damage was to that corner of the roof, and since the wind travels down our street and hits our corner, it seems fairly obvious to me why a tile would travel in that direction. I felt they were disputing my honesty and I told them that. The guy argued with me instead of simply apologising for giving me that impression, and when he persisted in his statement that it was an unlikely thing to happen I reinforced my view that I was not lying. And then he looked me in the eye and he said 'you are now being difficult'. I was absolutely gobsmacked that a so-called professional would come into my home and say something as utterly patronising as that. I know from many years of experience of being a businesswoman that whenever a woman is assertive or question something, she is invariably labelled as 'difficult' whereas a man is simply standing up for himself. I could not believe that this man thought it was okay to say that to me. I feel that my integrity was questioned and then my character. I will not have any suggestion that I'm making something up and quite frankly they can f*ck the claim, I'm inclined to pay for all of it myself just to avoid dealing with them - pretty sure I can go to B&Q and buy a fibreglass kit and have a crack at mending the porch.

I fully appreciate that insurance people have to deal with dishonest folk who try to claim for things that aren't real - but in my case I there was nothing whatsoever to suggest I was in that category. Aaaaaghhhhh !!!
 
Lindsay D said:
I've just had a horrible time with the two insurance men who came round to do an assessment. I took them outside and showed them the bits of damage. One area of damage was to the top of my porch where a roof tile had pierced it. They made it clear that they felt that was very unlikely and they said that they were struggling to see how a tile could have travelled 15 feet onto the porch. Well - it was a STORM where hundreds of people in the vicinity lost entire roofs. Since the damage was to that corner of the roof, and since the wind travels down our street and hits our corner, it seems fairly obvious to me why a tile would travel in that direction. I felt they were disputing my honesty and I told them that. The guy argued with me instead of simply apologising for giving me that impression, and when he persisted in his statement that it was an unlikely thing to happen I reinforced my view that I was not lying. And then he looked me in the eye and he said 'you are now being difficult'. I was absolutely gobsmacked that a so-called professional would come into my home and say something as utterly patronising as that. I know from many years of experience of being a businesswoman that whenever a woman is assertive or question something, she is invariably labelled as 'difficult' whereas a man is simply standing up for himself. I could not believe that this man thought it was okay to say that to me. I feel that my integrity was questioned and then my character. I will not have any suggestion that I'm making something up and quite frankly they can f*ck the claim, I'm inclined to pay for all of it myself just to avoid dealing with them - pretty sure I can go to B&Q and buy a fibreglass kit and have a crack at mending the porch.

I fully appreciate that insurance people have to deal with dishonest folk who try to claim for things that aren't real - but in my case I there was nothing whatsoever to suggest I was in that category. Aaaaaghhhhh !!!
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Definitely get back in touch with their office and vent your spleen about their attitude Lindsay.....It's unacceptable.
I completely understand why you'd be "AArrrgghhhhhh" -ing!
 
You are right Viv, it really is unacceptable. I have made a calm and polite complaint to my insurance company, who have told me they will refer it to the surveying company who the assessors are employed by. Neither of the men who attended today had business cards so I have no direct contact details for their firm. There was a very young man and an older man in his late 50s who came out. The young man quite clearly had absolutely no customer skills and really shouldn't have been in a customer facing position. You and I both know that when a customer feels aggrieved we use positive assertion to prevent the situation from escalating - he just kept arguing with me in a way which was inappropriate and unprofessional. He needs training, as a matter of urgency! My assistant was here at the time and witnessed the whole thing - he told me that if he had spoken to a customer like that in his day job he would probably have been fired.

I'm going to look for another insurance company. Currently it is RSA so any recommendations will be gratefully received!

As for the porch, I've repaired fibreglass before so I'm pretty sure I can make a fairly good job of it. I am now growing curious as to the content of their report, given the distinctly poor terms we parted on!
 
Thank you Nick - one presumes that insurance companies are answerable to some kind of governing body, so I will give that a go if necessary. When the large roof tile embedded itself in the top of the porch it also broke a fascia tile about 2 feet away - I showed this to the assessor and he immediately said 'there is no way the storm caused that'. Well it must have, it is a freshly broken tile with a bright white breakage line and dust exposed underneath it, and it wasn't broken the day before the storm. It's only a tile, but it's the principle - I'm really upset at someone telling me that the storm didn't cause my damage when it did. I told them they could speak to my neighbour who was the first person to come round when she spotted the damage. After the argument this morning I'm certainly not expecting a reasonable or fair report and it may be less hassle for me to just pay for everything myself to save the stress of dealing with the insurer. I'm not in the habit of making insurance claims but I guess the assessors just assume that everyone is dishonest. But what really gets me is the fact that we have just had quite a serious storm in my region so it seems odd they would think that my storm damage isn't real. Why would I stand on top of my porch and deliberately pierce it with a tile? They can see that nothing can fall on it from above but they were suggesting that tiles fall straight down and don't travel sideways - wtf?? That is complete nonsense in a storm - debris gets carried in various directions especially if the orientation of your house creates a vortex - and the direction of travel was consistent with every other storm incident I have had whilst living in this location. The plants also get blown over in that direction at the front of the house. Ggrrrrrrrrr !!
 
It's a bit late for this advice, but based on previous interactions with officials whose job appears to bully people into submission I would have recorded the conversation with the loss adjuster. As it is now I'd insist on everything in writing. Put in a complaint to the insurer that you felt threatened by their chaps and insist that they don't call on you without giving you sufficient warning to have a witness present. Make it very clear why you are forced to take this action and I bet they will get very friendly very fast.

They deal with a lot of crimmos in their job but they really shouldn't be treating you like one.
 
Making a recording sounds like good advice Jonathan. I didn't even think of that, it didn't occur to me that I would have problems with an apparently professional firm. But now that I think about it, insurance companies will want to minimise their losses when there is a storm - they dread storms. So I am guessing that their surveyors are probably instructed to do just that. When the guys arrived I took them out and showed them the damaged areas and then they told me to just leave them to it. On the one hand, I own part of the property so it is really up to me what I do on my land, but on the other hand I assumed they just wanted to get on with the job without distractions. I now suspect that the MO is to have a look around and then confer, and agree on what their strategy will be with each case. In my case it was probably 'middle-aged woman so we'll try a dominant approach'. I got the impression they are not used to people/women arguing back. I did have a witness with me at the time, who submitted his statement when the insurance company returned my call.

I have just had the second of the three recommended builders come round to assess and quote. So far both builders have said exactly the same thing - classic storm damage just like pretty much every other property they are currently quoting on. Whilst there is always some degree of existing wear and tear which gets taken into account in the reports, my house is in good condition and the damage to the tiles was caused by the gales hitting the corner - they have told me to go for the throat if the insurer is obstructive. I have already told RSA how disappointed I am and that I am considering moving to another insurance company. To be fair, so far RSA have been quite good to deal with, other than the people they send out. :eek:
 
I can understand fully you feel like making the repairs yourself to save the hassle, but that sort of behaviour is totally unacceptable and unprofessional. Johnathon's suggestion is the way to go on this one. Having a witness to the incident will be helpful but it could still take time and effort.

The insurance company cannot expect your custom after this, but I feel that they probably don't care about individuals.

All the best.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
I can understand fully you feel like making the repairs yourself to save the hassle, but that sort of behaviour is totally unacceptable and unprofessional. Johnathon's suggestion is the way to go on this one. Having a witness to the incident will be helpful but it could still take time and effort.

The insurance company cannot expect your custom after this, but I feel that they probably don't care about individuals.
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Thank you Dave - I think I was upset when I wrote that, believe me I fully intend to gain what I am entitled to from the insurer. When I think how much the insurance has cost over the last couple of decades, and there has never been damage to the house of any kind until this storm. I am just flabbergasted by the arrogant and fairly rude behaviour of these two 'surveyors'. In fact, given the things they were saying, they appear to have little property knowledge. I had assumed they were qualified in some way but I'm now of the mind that they are simply hired to document what they see and ask certain questions and take photos - then submit some kind of report. Because having had the roofer out straight afterwards (to make the corner safe, which I believe insurers require that you try to do asap), the builder literally laughed at what these guys had said. He said that many insurance companies will try to avoid paying out if there is a storm - apparently mostly due to the catastrophic effects of the storms and floods in recent years in the North of England affecting the insurance system.

I have been told that the company who employs the surveyors will be getting in touch with me directly - I will be asking about their qualifications and credentials. Because if they are anything other than accredited surveyors or builders, then they really should keep their mouths shut.
 
OldCarlos said:
(be aware that they'll probably want to know of any claims, even disputes, within a certain period :rolleyes: )
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Yes, I thought about that, ugh. When I was speaking to those two men today, I said that I'm not looking to take advantage of an insurance company - I'm not wanting a new porch, just advice on the hole in the existing one repairing etc etc. I said that depending on their report and the quotations I get, it may not even be worth making a claim. He then told me that I have already made a claim. I didn't know that by simply making a phone call and asking for someone to look at the house, it gets listed as a claim on official record even if you don't pursue it.
 
Yep, it's a con really. Bit like car insurance & having protected no-claims. Even if someone runs into you & it's their fault, they load your premium a bit at renewal.
Similarly, if your vehicle is damaged/vandalised & you don't claim ........ you're still supposed to notify your insurance!
 
I hope you get it sorted OK.
While I think the Halifax is possibly the most incompetent of financial institutions, based on my experience, I have to say when I had a home insurance claim they were fantastic. May be worth trying them when you renew.
 
Thanks Brian - I'll put them on the list. I did also think of John Lewis and Tesco, until I discovered that they use RSA. Still, I will give RSA every chance to come good on this - you never know. But I'm not all that hopeful.

I've now had four builders come and assess the damage and they all pretty much say the same thing. Although the damage to the top of the porch doesn't look too bad, actually repairing it and making it look decent may be difficult - they recommend a full replacement (way out of my own budget so that maybe a battle with my insurer) and the cost of the scaffold is quite a lot on top of the roof repair. Definitely there is more involved than I originally realised I just find it horrible that we have a substantial storm and insurance companies are apparently trying to evade or minimise legitimate claims. Still, it's early days - they may end up being fine in the end.
 
It would not surprise me if insurance companies were using any old bods to allegedly assess claims. It happens with things from work capability assessments to broadband 'Help' desks.

The suggestion that wind could not move a roofing tile 15 feet is ludicrous. This and the attitude of the representatives of the company might be enough to make RSA see reason. You might not want to go down this line but contacting a consumer programme often works wonders.

As an aside I think the Government (or whoever is responsible for regulating the insurance industry) should end the practice of insurers being able to say a claim has been made even if you just contact them.

Dave
 
Yes, some of the builders I spoke to said that insurance companies often send office bods out to look at jobs. That to me is very counter-productive - it's going to lead to ineffective and inaccurate assessment of damage and the likelihood of customer complaints taking up company time. If they don't know anything about buildings and they shouldn't be commenting on the ability of roof tiles to be thrown in a number of directions in a high gale. He couldn't seem to fathom how it could land on the porch. The fact is, in a gale which is gusting, it could literally land anywhere - there is no truly predictable location. It gusted off the corner (with the other tiles) and was then blown back in the direction of the house (consistent with how the wind behaves on my corner). I said I would be happy with a repair, but the builders I've spoken to have said that a repair would not look good and I should try to get it replaced - and that will be much more expensive.

We did receive a letter today from the company employing the 'surveyors'. It was a bog standard response saying that my report would be looked into and considered by their manager. If I was not satisfied I should refer my complaint back to RSA. I'm not looking for blood, I'm just looking for an acknowledgement, a sincere apology, and an indication that training will be improved. And of course, appropriate settlement for my claim.
 
Lindsay if the damage is within reach I.e access by a ladder I would go for a self repair ,I presume it's a flat roof being fibreglass ,,,easy job if it is get some filler paste and some glass filled paste p38 and p40 from motor world or similar ,,mix up the filler first and fill the hole ,then use the resin mix to waterproof it ,sand down when hard ,about 30 minutes this time of year ,and recolour if needed .grp is the easiest material to work with .
If it's a really deep hole to ensure watertighness fill the initial hole with fish tank silicon that will outlast the roof
 
the black fox said:
Lindsay if the damage is within reach I.e access by a ladder I would go for a self repair ,I presume it's a flat roof being fibreglass ,,,easy job if it is get some filler paste and some glass filled paste p38 and p40 from motor world or similar ,,mix up the filler first and fill the hole ,then use the resin mix to waterproof it ,sand down when hard ,about 30 minutes this time of year ,and recolour if needed .grp is the easiest material to work with .
If it's a really deep hole to ensure watertighness fill the initial hole with fish tank silicon that will outlast the roof
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Unfortunately the damage is to the main pitch roof - classic storm damage which has taken off one corner. The gable end needs to come off and be redone. The damage to the porch is actually the annoying bit as the house sits in a dip and the top of the porch is visible from the garden, road, and drive. Whilst I assumed it could just be repaired, all of the builders have said that matching in the colour will be a big problem and it will not look good - they have recommended replacement of the porch. Plus in order to repair it the brown fascia tiles around the porch will need to come off and then go back on - this means removing them up to first-floor window.

One thing I have learnt - things look simple enough to the untrained eye until an expert explains what is actually involved in fixing them! Whilst not major, none of this is going to be particularly cheap. I need to pursue the insurer.
 
Sad to hear what's happened.

Lindsay D said:
...my neighbour made it clear that he would have held me liable for his (very high) insurance excess - in fact he would not have wanted to make a claim at all with respect to the possibility of his premium going up...
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This is the kind of thing that makes my blood boil. He set his own insurance excess when he signed the policy. He is trying to sidestep the insurance company. If it'd been in the region of £50-100 and a trustworthy neighbour, it might be okay. Anybody like that I would have told to claim through insurance. It's what it's there for.
 
Yes, for a manageable bill I would do what I could to help a neighbour (even though I'm not obliged to) but I was told within the first minute of seeing the storm damage that I'd be held liable for a huge excess and/or a bill involving specialist paint. His truck is in fantastic condition and I know he's very proud of it so I can understand him being worried about storm damage, but the dialogue carried over to our chat later in the day. I said the protocol was to contact his insurer had anything happened (and I would have done my best to help with the XS, but the XS figure he quoted me was £700) but I was reminded that they did not consider any outlay to be theirs. I also feel that had the situation been in reverse and they certainly would not have responded well if I had taken the same view!
 
After chasing my insurance company today to find out what's supposed to be happening about my roof claim, they said it was nothing to do with them now and was in the hands of the surveying firm they had sent out a week ago (the ones I ended up making a formal complaint about). I have now spoken to them and the sum they're prepared to offer is less than half of the quotes I've been receiving from recommended local builders (and all of these quotes are very close to each other). So as predicted, I now have a fight on my hands and will be writing letters and sending copies of the quotes to the relevant people. What on earth is the point of having insurance if they're prepared to only pay out a pittance? I'm so fed up with it, it's been an ordeal from start to finish.

It seems to me that the insurance company wants a botch job to be done on the roof - just repairing the corner. But according to all the builders, you can't do this - if you have damage at the bottom of your roof you have to lift and re-lay the row of the tiles above it because of the way that tiles are laid over each other, and because tiles once lifted can only be bedded back into fresh mortar. The work requires a scaffold - the quotes for just the scaffold are more than the entire settlement I've just been offered!

I'm starting to wonder if this is punishment for the complaint I made against the surveyors.
 
Get in touch with the insurance ombudsman, Lindsay. (tell your insurers & the surveyors what you intend to do first, they just may look differently/more favourably at your claim)


Maybe instruct your insurer to send out one of their own/recommended builders to do the job. (Some ins companies used to stipulate only using workmen on their approved lists)
 
Thanks Carl - I will put that in the letter I will be drafting this afternoon. The insurance company passes building claims to a surveying and building company who acts for them, I am apparently now obliged to deal with them over this rather than the insurance company itself. I can use one of their recommended builders, but unfortunately the figure they have offered still leaves such a catastrophic shortfall that irrespective of whether I use their builders on my own, I simply cannot afford to progress the work unless this is settled in full. The other concern I have about using one of their builders is that it will be a patch up job and not done as all of the other builders have recommended. That's why I'm so stressed at the moment - especially with my roof being right next to my neighbour's drive, and my neighbour wanting me to sort this out as quickly as possible. Insurance companies - grrrrrrrrrrr !!
 
Lindsay D said:
Thanks Carl - I will put that in the letter I will be drafting this afternoon. The insurance company passes building claims to a surveying and building company who acts for them, I am apparently now obliged to deal with them over this rather than the insurance company itself. I can use one of their recommended builders, but unfortunately the figure they have offered still leaves such a catastrophic shortfall that irrespective of whether I use their builders on my own, I simply cannot afford to progress the work unless this is settled in full. The other concern I have about using one of their builders is that it will be a patch up job and not done as all of the other builders have recommended. That's why I'm so stressed at the moment - especially with my roof being right next to my neighbour's drive, and my neighbour wanting me to sort this out as quickly as possible. Insurance companies - grrrrrrrrrrr !!
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Your contract is with the insurer Lindsay, not their sub contractors.
Mine tried a similar tack when I lost ridge tiles a few years ago.
They want you to deal direct with the surveyor because it mean less for them to have to do.
You're entitled to deal with everything through the insurer.
Also, make is clear to the insurer themselves how poorly you were treated by the surveying company, and that they should perhaps have second thoughts about retaining the services of companies who will accuse a client outright of lying to further a claim.
 
Indeed - I had that very conversation direct with the insurer today Ruth - it was frustrating. They know about the problems I had with the surveying firm and I was again told to deal with them directly, however I insisted the complaint was also lodged on my main file at the insurers end. I have also made it clear that I'm unhappy with the service to date and that I'm gaining quotations with a view to switching insurance providers. To be honest, I don't think they give sh*t. I have wasted so much time in the last week trying to sort this out, writing letters, sending off quotations, meeting with builders, making calls etc - my working days are being thoroughly disrupted and that is another thing which is so annoying.

In the letter I am drafting right now, I am questioning the competency of the surveyor - because their settlement offer is unlikely to even cover the full cost of the scaffold (which has to comply with relevant health and safety regulations) let alone any work! It's a complete insult. I think they feel that many customers can't face a protracted complaint process and will probably just roll over and accept which ever derisory offer they make. Well, there is no chance that I will be doing that. Two of the builders who came out to see me have heard of the surveying firm used by my insurers - and their parting words were 'good luck'. :eek:
 
Lindsay D said:
Indeed - I had that very conversation direct with the insurer today Ruth - it was frustrating.
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I learned a very long time ago, when you start to get into a "loop" like this, to go straight to the CEO of the company concerned.
(Your'll be surprised who I am on first name terms with now :D )
They don't like it, and end up kicking butt below them, till its sorted.

You don't say what the name of the insurance company is, but this list should help.

Good luck.

http://www.ceoemail.com
 
Fantastic - thank you! I'll let you know what happens.

I'm going to give them a few days to wake up and agree a realistic settlement, because I don't want to sound unreasonable, but if I get nowhere I will go straight to the top with this, exactly as you suggest. Quite frankly it doesn't seem worth paying insurance premiums when this is all you get - along with a ton of aggravation.

Incidentally, isn't that the same guy who was the CEO of RBS?
 
Lindsay D said:
Fantastic - thank you! I'll let you know what happens.
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No problem and please do
Lindsay D said:
I'm going to give them a few days to wake up and agree a realistic settlement,
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TBH this has been on going for 10 days and you are no further forward, I'd have been "at him" after the first p*** take, but
obviously you need to do it the way that you feel comfortable with.

Lindsay D said:
Incidentally, isn't that the same guy who was the CEO of RBS?
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It seems that he may have been about 3 years ago.
 
Right - if I haven't had a satisfactory answer by next week I'm going to take further action. I'm a bit surprised that I had no acknowledgement of the complaint letter I submitted by e-mail on the 2nd. If I hear nothing from the surveying company by Monday with respect to the quotes I have sent and my comments on their pathetic offer, I will tell my insurance company that I will not deal with the surveying company directly anymore. I also sent an e-mail complaint direct to the insurance company yesterday saying that the service so far had been worryingly poor and their surveying company was doing a good job of alienating customers. I highly doubt I will even get a reply to that to be honest.
 
Let them know you are a VERY active member of a couple of social media sites, one of which investigates & publishes consumer complaints. ;)
 
It may come to that Carl!

I have just spoken to my insurance company to ask whether there is anything else I have to do and to point out the fact I'm still waiting for a report. I said that if I haven't heard back from the surveying company by next week then I will not be prepared to deal with them directly again, and will instead pass all matters directly through the insurer. The lady I spoke to on this occasion was quite helpful and she said that if that is the case they can escalate things for me. I did tell her that I would not hesitate to take matters to the highest level if this wasn't resolved appropriately.
 
I would be very tempted to say by close of business on Tuesday [ since it's now Thursday and your chances of talking with them again today are not very good ]

If you say next week they are likely to sit back and do nothing till the following week.

You have been waiting far too long as it is.

Also send an email, and follow that up with a special delivery letter, to the Surveying folk asking for the long awaited report by close of business on Tuesday . Point out you are prepared to receive it by email but for your permanent records wish them also to send you a hard copy.

Send the email this evening and get the letter in the post to them tomorrow. If it goes SD they will have it at the latest on Monday morning and you will be able to see it has been received.
 
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