Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

a mate of mine got cleaned up at the reefton spur about 8 weeks ago he has full comp Q E policy,payed up in full,clean riding/driving history,un'modded SV650,wasnt his fault,police report puts him in the clear,witness statements put him in the clear.
8 weeks later major insurer is not paying out
it sucks they are on hand to take your money for a policy and when anything happens they wont cough up

So they must have a reason for not paying, what are they saying?

Mick C wrote:So they must have a reason for not paying, what are they saying?

yea..ussually they pay out then chase the clown who is at fault for reimbursement...

the insurer is claiming he was riding reclessly however the police and witness statements do not suport this.there was 3 motorcycle police and 11 witnesses reports filed to the insurer.
he was run off the road by a blue yamaha that failed to stop at the scene

Sounds like he needs to get a bit of legal advice then

yep his heading down the legal path now mick c.
they are also disputing the bike gear coverage aswell now they want to see recipts for all of his gear.i had a look at my policy and i doesnt say anything about holding recipts in the event of an accident

Mate what company was it?

In my experience (as a motorcyclist, a previous claimant and a long-time employee of the industry) sometimes people need to harden the fuck up. In dealing with any major company, be it insurance or a warranty claim on a shiny new TV that just wasn't quite right, it is common for things to get left undone until you speak to a manager. Sometimes I think people just need to take a degree of responsibility. No, you shouldn't have to but yes, this is reality.

Shifty's tips:

Base your initial decisions on your own investigations. If an insurer was actually dodgy and denied claims when they didn't have a right to, they'd be stripped of their license. Take any feedback from other riders with a grain of salt. Good or bad, it is likely taken out of context (eg 100 claims = two awful experiences, two awesome experiences and 96 claims that just sorta went how people expected... you'll hear about the 2+2). People are always emotional about this type of stuff because it is always a stressful time, so often stories are embellished, coloured, or one-sided.

Ask questions about your policy and about the claims process BEFORE you start a policy. Ask how your bike is valued. Ask if you should keep any documentation. Ask to see the policy booklet BEFORE you start a policy. READ THE BOOKLET and anything else they send you. A good 50% of complains come from a misunderstanding which could be avoided by reading the booklet in advance. It is a requirement that they are in plain English, and if you do not understand a section then they are required to explain it if you ask. Insurance companies aren't trying to withhold information from you, you just have to ask for it. Hell, the information they give isn't read by 95% of people anyway... it's very frustrating to be on the end of a complaint call where someone is just too lazy/dumb for their own good and most of the problem is because they didn't read or ask about something that they quite clearly should have.

When starting a policy or making changes, keep file notes of every conversation including the time, date, person you spooke to, and the details of the conversation. Make it clear to the person you are speaking to that you have taken their name - but do it in a nice way.

Do the same in the event of a claim. Establish time frames on each call - eg we will appoint an assessor withing 24 hours, we will be in touch within 48 hours, the cheque will be issued within 3 working days) and if this is not fulfilled, call up and ask to speak with a supervisor. Politely speak with the supervisor and explain the conversation you had and the time/date/person and the timeframe you were given. Explain that you are unhappy with the service and would like the matter addressed promptly. They will soon learn that you have high expectations.

When someone has done a good job, thank them. Even if you've just reported the claim, thank the person for their time and say you look forward to sorting everything out/seeing how good their claims service is. If the service is fantastic, send them a short fax/email thanking them. If the service is awful, don't just bitch and moan, instead TELL THEM. The decision makes don't know you're unhappy unless you put it in writing... do you think the consultant you bitched at on the phone, or the supervisor who is responsible for the work, is going to tell the state manager what a shit job they're doing? NOT LIKELY. Word a letter politely telling them where you were let down and how the service could have been better, and hilight any good points (eg staff were polite).

Honestly it would seem that all this stuff is common sense but I feel like a broken record after years on car & bike forums.

i agree with ya shifty 110% but like you said with 96% claims they probably go through no problems...
its just the 2+2% that just seem to be horror stories

ohh still no word from the insurer

Same mob just paid my claim on "Tiggr" out, no witnesses, Took @13 weeks to get the cash though. Hope he gets it sorted.

Which mob is it ???

I was insured for only 6mths with NRMA when I came off. No-one else involved, my own mistake. Bike was written off by assessor and I had payment into my account within 2 weeks.

I've never had problems with them with other insurance claims either.

Good luck with it all.

only time i had any slowness is when it was minor damage and they had a serious investigation into the accident (4 car pileups tend not to be cheap to sort out).