Insurance companies and leaving your keys in the ignition

[steveb64]

The whole point to me posting this, and for my own commitment to not do any work for this company, ( which is buisness suicide, but I like principals in life) was to try and stop any one else from forgetting there keys, and to remind all that we now live in a society where theft is almost legal, and to try and eliminate anyone else from making the same mistake, and being treated this way


After all, he really loved his bike, and did not leave the keys for some one to steal his car and bike for him, he honestly thought that he was safe in a place like a petrol station, which normally have security camera's every where


Honest mistake by this injin me thinks

Total bummer for him, but man, the cops are far too busy saving lives by being really busy chasing '12k over' speeders to bother about petty things like theft or assault. Ya gotta be a pessimist these days - you never know WHO is going to try and rip you off, or when, and if you don't look after your shit, nobody else is going to.
And as for the feckin insurance companies - they're just trying to max their profit margins, and if they can get off without having to pay out - they will. Well, most of them will - I've heard that there is an occasional one that'll pay out, no problems - I've just never had a policy with them...

On the thread of bikes on trailers being nicked - a mate of mine had his kids 80 on the trailer, on the way to get it serviced, stopped to do some business at the post office, came out, and some low life had unhooked the trailer and bike, hooked it up to their vehicle, and gone.

A lot to be said for towball couplings that can be locked...

[AllanB]

The whole point to me posting this, and for my own commitment to not do any work for this company, ( which is business suicide, but I like principals in life)

Nice idea but face it your friend made a silly mistake and is responsible for the end result - why should you lose $ because of this?

Consider the situation if he had borrowed your bike, left the keys in it and it was stolen, would you not consider it his fault?

I believe your protest will only affect you and yours in the long run - the insurance company will just go to someone else.

Does the petrol station have and security cameras, it would be very rear not to as ironically most insurance companies insist on it!

If you want to get one over them keep doing the work for that company and charge a bit extra on each job and donate that to your friend.

[Shaun]

Does the petrol station have and security cameras, it would be very rear not to as ironically most insurance companies insist on it!

Apparently the cameras were not working



If you want to get one over them keep doing the work for that company and charge a bit extra on each job and donate that to your friend.[/QUOTE]


But that is also like theft, and I am not a thief or a liar!

[Edbear]

Due care yes, but how about the power of the human mind, ie, mistakes happen, and some people are quite blind to how the world works ie thieves etc
\

Apart from all that, surely the people who sold the policy, must be legally responsible to explain what the details of the insurance contract are? they do have the persons money for his policy after all

If we sell anything to anyone, we are obliged to make sure they understand what they are signing. Public Liability Insurance doesn't cover negligence in our duty of care.

... once i was a 30 min wander around the warehouse. wasnt till i came out and they werent in my helmet that i realised, lol.

Been there, done that...

It's all about taking due care and all reasonable steps to secure property / minimise loss.
Leaving your keys in an unlocked vehicle is inviting trouble really. We know we "shouldn't" have to worry about these things but times have changed from the days you could leave your house / car unlocked all day and no one would touch it.

Don't blame insurance companies, blame society.

Well said, but the companies we deal with are usually open to negotiation if you've taken reasonable care. Having said that, we do have to take more responsibility for ourselves and due to my job, I always lock my car at Gas Stations. I carry personal documents and a laptop, have a GPS, etc. I'm naturally security-conscious.

But should you lock the front door of your house if your in the lounge in the summer lest someone walk in and steal something?


There is due care and there is practicalities. Should you also remove all your tank bags etc before heading inside to the counter lest someone walks off with them?


Being 15 feet away from your unlocked vehicle with it in sight is due care in my view.

I agree. Unfortunately, you hear far too often of house burglaries while the householder is inthe back garden or upstairs, or elswhere in the house. Not to mention home invasions and rapes.

they did actually get away with it, and apparently, it has happened at this station many times, but no extra signage any where to warn people that may make the simple mistake of leaving the keys in the ignition

Excellent idea, we have signs at rest areas and beaches about locking vehicles and keeping valuables out of sight. Should be simple to have a sign reminding customers.

...Apparently the cameras were not working!

That sucks! And would really annoy the Police if there had been an armed robbery there...

[Usarka]

Funny how insurance will cover you if you fuck up when you're riding or driving and end up in a ditch or buried in a mercedes, but you make a small mistake like leaving your keys in the car for 2 minutes and they throw a fit and refuse to pay out......

[AllanB]

Apparently the cameras were not working

But that is also like theft, and I am not a thief or a liar!

Man that really sucks regarding the cameras, regardless of the keys being in it (in a perfect world you should be able to do this) your friend has had a shit run of luck!

Fair comment re increasing prices as well!

[karla]

Man that really sucks regarding the cameras, regardless of the keys being in it (in a perfect world you should be able to do this) your friend has had a shit run of luck!

It sounds like bad luck... but I'll wait to see what the outcome is before I make any judgment. This may turn out to be better than it looks at first glance (the insurance company still hasn't made a decision, right?).

Most of the run-ins I've had with insurance companies have turned out well. You just have to be prepared to keep going back to them.

I was prepared to argue the point when my insurance company
said they wouldn't pay because I couldn't prove my computer crashed because of a power surge. I would have fought on the basis that they couldn't prove it had, but ended up not having to. They are generally pretty good. Time will tell ...

[Ixion]

Excerpt from a State Insurance policy, from the paper cited by Mr Matt_TG

The insured shall take all reasonable steps to safeguard from loss or
damage and maintain in efficient condition, any vehicle described in the
Schedule hereto…

What impertinence. If I do not have my car tuned up (so it is not running efficiently), or if the engine is worn and smoking (also inefficient), the insurer is at liberty to deny a claim when it is stolen ! By their logic they are entitled to deny a claim if they can show you have missed a recommended service.

As to the keys thing. It may be valid to say that if a person habitually leaves the keys in the car all day parked in the middle of the city by the roadside, then that is careless and stupid. But leaving them in the car while one walks a few feet , with the vehicle in full sight seems another matter. And if the iinsurance companies argument be accepted, then arguably taking the keys with you is not enough. After all, what if you put them down on the counter while paying for the petrol and Rangi McLowlife snatches them and runs out to your car and drives off? Claim declined I imagine. What if Rangi snatches them from your hand? The insurance company will no doubt claim that you have been negligent in not putting them in a buttoned pocket.

Do you always put a chain through the wheel of your bike when you go to pay for your petrol? If not, I suspect an insurance company would decline a claim if Rangi aand a couple of strong mates grabbed the bike (no keys in it but not chained), and threw it onto his ute and drove off. Not hard to do with a small bike.

Insurance companies are the greatest knaves unhung. They are without exception total crooks and scoundrels, and that industry is massively overdue for legislative sorting out. In my opinion an insurance policy is like as not a waste of money, because insurance companies will ALWAYS try to evade their responsibilities.

[Ixion]

Incidentally, people sometimes talk of the Insurance Ombudsman as if that were an independent arbitrator like the real Ombudsman.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The Insurance and Savings Ombudsman is a front organisation created by the insurance companies themselves, and run by them.

From their own web site


The ISO Scheme was set up in 1995 by the insurance industry to resolve disputes between consumers and insurance and savings companies.

Its board consists solely of appointees from the insurance companies.

You would have a snowball's chance in hell of them finding in favour of an insured. Even worse than the Police Whitewash Authority .

[Shaun]

You're a wry little man Shaun, i'm starting to understand the way you operate.

do ya, how is that mate?

[Shaun]

#34 Today, 10:02
Edbear
Forum whore

Bike: 2007 Suzuki C50T Boulevard





Apart from all that, surely the people who sold the policy, must be legally responsible to explain what the details of the insurance contract are? they do have the persons money for his policy after all


If we sell anything to anyone, we are obliged to make sure they understand what they are signing. Public Liability Insurance doesn't cover negligence in our duty of care.


The part about this that has really got me very angry, is the fact that the person who sold my great friend his policy, was 100% AWARE THAT HE HAD SEVERE READING PROBLEMS, AS WAS HIGH LIGHTED IN HIS LAST INSURANCE CLAIM FOR A ACCIDENT HE HAD, AND THAT SAME PERSON HAS LIED TO ME, BY SAYING THAT A CERTAIN CONVERSATION THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THEM, NEVER HAPPENED! AND I KNOW WHO I WILL TRUST FROM NOW ON FOR SURE

[Edbear]

#The part about this that has really got me very angry, is the fact that the person who sold my great friend his policy, was 100% AWARE THAT HE HAD SEVERE READING PROBLEMS, AS WAS HIGH LIGHTED IN HIS LAST INSURANCE CLAIM FOR A ACCIDENT HE HAD, AND THAT SAME PERSON HAS LIED TO ME, BY SAYING THAT A CERTAIN CONVERSATION THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN THEM, NEVER HAPPENED! AND I KNOW WHO I WILL TRUST FROM NOW ON FOR SURE

An all to often-heard complaint! Most brokers, and especially most, if not all, insurance reps are commission-based and the pressure is on for sales. We have come across far too many clients who have been oversold, sold the wrong policies or had the insurance mis-represented to them, my son included.

There are honest brokers out there, but too many who are as you describe. I like the advantage of being salary-based and genuinely independent. My company insists on being straight-up, transparent and doing what is in the client's interests. It makes commercial sense in the long term, as it can only take one disgruntled client to go to Fair-Go and our rep goes down the toilet.

So while I may not get rich doing this, at least I can sleep at night!

[Shaun]

An all to often-heard complaint! Most brokers, and especially most, if not all, insurance reps are commission-based and the pressure is on for sales. We have come across far too many clients who have been oversold, sold the wrong policies or had the insurance mis-represented to them, my son included.

There are honest brokers out there, but too many who are as you describe. I like the advantage of being salary-based and genuinely independent. My company insists on being straight-up, transparent and doing what is in the client's interests. It makes commercial sense in the long term, as it can only take one disgruntled client to go to Fair-Go and our rep goes down the toilet.

So while I may not get rich doing this, at least I can sleep at night!

I believed the person who sold the policy was very/extremelly honest and caring ( he made me an extremelly fantastic offer when I got back out of hospital) But his actions of last week, and lying to me, has now shown me his true colours, shame.

And, I to can sleep at night mate, good on ya.

[Edbear]

I believed the person who sold the policy was very/extremelly honest and caring ( he made me an extremelly fantastic offer when I got back out of hospital) But his actions of last week, and lying to me, has now shown me his true colours, shame.

And, I to can sleep at night mate, good on ya.

Another incentive to be honest, is that insurance companies/brokerages have what is known as "claw-back". If a policy is cancelled within 2 years, the commission is to be refunded. Naturally it will happen from time to time for genuine reasons, but if you have oversold or misrepresented, it's much more likely and then family and friends of the disadvantaged person are also likely to quit their policies and switch companies.

I just find that long-term, it pays to be honest. Anyone can make a mistake, (even me...), but then the onus is to put it right, not avoid your responsibility.

[Shaun]

I just find that long-term, it pays to be honest. Anyone can make a mistake, (even me...), but then the onus is to put it right, not avoid your responsibility.

Exactually man, applause to you

to the people that have phoned me about this and to any one else who may think the same


NO I WILL NOT NAME ANY PARTIES < IT IS NOT MY WAY OF FIGHTING FAIR