Across the Claims Desk

Offbeat, unusual claims that cross insurers desk‘s everyday!

SPLASH OF PAINT

Unrestrained items in the back of a vehicle can cause more damage than a collision. The claimant driver of a car had a minor collision resulting in tins of paint on the back seat moving freely around the inside of the vehicle, flipping their lids and coating the upholstery with an attractive but unwanted colour scheme. The cost of replacement of the interior resulted in the car being uneconomical to repair.

Outcome: Car written off. Claim accepted.

PLASTERED!

Dinner at home was an interesting occasion for one family when parts of the ceiling fell in on them. It seems that the glue holding the plasterboard ceilings in their older home did not have a lifetime serviceability.

When their house was built, ceilings were held in place by both screws and glue and if there was a shortage of screws, the ceiling fixing would rely on the glue, which can deteriorate over time.

Generally, unless there has been a contributing factor e.g. water ingress, these repairs tend to be excluded under ‘wear and tear’ gradual deterioration exclusions.

Outcome: Claim rejected.

UNBROKEN… BUT REPLACED ANYWAY

With the recent replacement of many hail damaged roofs in the Brisbane area, it is interesting to note that whilst many solar panels survived the impact of the hail, some had to be replaced anyway because were not fire rated.

Outcome: Claim accepted.