Author Topic: Bathroom insurance nightmare drags on til the end of time (Read 40503 times)

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #75 on:** 23 December, 2009, 06:01:19 pm »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 23 December, 2009, 05:38:34 pm

I'll open the bidding with "more than a very expensive bicycle"

Kirst, I hope this gets sorted soonest and with the least hassle for you.

You don't need this.

How expensive is a very expensive bicycle? I only have a not very expensive one.

I was speaking to the contractors today and he was saying that once they've got it all ripped out it needs to dry - and that could take anything from a couple of days to a couple of months. Doom. Gah.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #76 on:** 23 December, 2009, 07:30:28 pm »

Can they stick a dehumidifier in?

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #77 on:** 23 December, 2009, 07:48:06 pm »

I think that's the plan, but it could still take yonks. No guesses for the quote?

£7600 +VAT = £8930.

delthebike · « **Reply #78 on:** 23 December, 2009, 07:55:33 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 23 December, 2009, 07:48:06 pm

£7600 +VAT = £8930.

That was my second guess.

Although my first one is also correct.

PS Is the above before or after a sharp intake of breath over the teeth?

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #79 on:** 23 December, 2009, 08:28:43 pm »

Figures - you're not so much getting a new bathroom fitted, as a new room built, and then a bathroom fitted in it! So £500 on replacing your tiles isn't such a huge chunky, relatively....
(You can tell I'd make a rubbish inswerance assesor, eh?)

Tim Hall · « **Reply #80 on:** 23 December, 2009, 08:32:26 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 23 December, 2009, 07:48:06 pm

I think that's the plan, but it could still take yonks. No guesses for the quote?

£7600 +VAT = £8930.

So more than an expensive bicycle, more like an extremely expensive bicycle

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #81 on:** 23 December, 2009, 08:32:46 pm »

Well, I know how much they charge for doing a wetfloor shower in a bathroom, and they're undercutting lots of other companies all the time (one of the others we use was complaining that they were losing £1000 profit on every job and SCB are still undercutting them), and this will involve much more work, so I think it's probably a fair price.

Hole in my suspended ceiling revealing the minging ceiling above

See how wet the wood is in the bottom right?

See the fungus?

And the floor is rotting beneath my lovely Amtico tiles

andrewc · « **Reply #82 on:** 23 December, 2009, 09:34:30 pm »

Repeat after me:

I'm not paying, I'm not paying, I'm not paying.........

Then go and get drunk...

Be careful in your dealings with the insurance company, they are sharks, they employ people who's entire purpose is not to give you money....... I used to work for one before I joined BT.....

simonp · « **Reply #83 on:** 23 December, 2009, 09:37:36 pm »

3rd attempt:

3 metres square is not the same as 3 square metres.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #84 on:** 23 December, 2009, 10:11:34 pm »

I'm a maths dunce and I admit it.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #85 on:** 23 December, 2009, 10:15:59 pm »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 23 December, 2009, 08:32:26 pm

...more like an extremely expensive bicycle

I liked the first "review" on t'Evans site:

Quote

My dear old gran needed something to get to the shops and back so I saved up the pennies and got her one of these. At first she was angry and accused me of pandering to an industry which has turned simple and efficient transport for the working masses into an overpriced style icon. However she has now changed her tune and is the envy of all her friends!

Hope it gets sorted out as painlessly as possible Kirst.

Adrian · « **Reply #86 on:** 24 December, 2009, 09:30:29 am »

Have you shown those photos to the upstairs landlord yet?

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #87 on:** 24 December, 2009, 10:16:10 am »

No, I have written to him advising him of the assessment by my contractors and the insurance assessor and telling him he'd better bloody well make sure my contractors have access to the upstairs flat if they need it, and I will be in touch in due course about the excess on my policy. I don't have email for him so I can't email him the pics. My colleagues talked me out of finishing the letter with "ya cunt ye."

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #88 on:** 29 December, 2009, 06:21:27 pm »

I've had a letter today from Beachcroft LLP, who are solicitors acting for my insurance company. It's their job to recover my insurance company's costs from the bloke upstairs, or his insurance company if he has one. I will probably have to give a witness statement and might have to go to court. I've also got to give them a list of all my non-insured costs that I will incur as a result of this. The guy who's dealing with me isn't in till Monday so I've just emailed him all the info. And I've booked Wednesday next week as annual leave so I can trek round tile shops. $:-\$

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #89 on:** 04 January, 2010, 08:08:48 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 18 December, 2009, 10:21:04 am

Alistair and Kenny have just been out. Half my bathroom ceiling and half my bathroom floor are rotten through, and the entire bathroom has to be ripped out, made good and put back together and I'll probably have to move out while it's done.

And the thing I'm most upset about is my beautiful matt white bathroom tiles which are the only tiles I have ever seen that I really like and they're all going to have to come off.

Oooh! Oooh!

My bathroom wall tiles came from Bathroom Planet in Edinburgh which doesn't exist any more, so I emailed the Aberdeen and Elgin shops to ask if they still had any of the same, or if they could get them - can't find any by googling. They've just emailed me back to say they'll get one of their sales reps to contact me, which isn't great, but is a lot better than "no, no chance."

little miss mac · « **Reply #90 on:** 04 January, 2010, 08:16:55 pm »

Those pics are hideous. Hope the mould spores aren't making you ill

Jaded · « **Reply #91 on:** 04 January, 2010, 08:17:37 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 04 January, 2010, 08:08:48 pm

They've just emailed me back to say they'll get one of their sales reps to contact me, which isn't great, but is a lot better than "no, no chance."

Plus the sales rep could be a Chris Hoy lookalike!

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #92 on:** 04 January, 2010, 08:18:13 pm »

And maybe he'll have rainlegs!

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #93 on:** 05 January, 2010, 06:36:28 pm »

Our office was closed today because the boiler is broken so we were all sent off and told to work from another building or from home. I had tomorrow booked as annual leave for looking round tile shops, so I agreed I'd use today as annual leave instead and go in tomorrow. So I've spent the afternoon trekking round Homebase, Ceramic Tile Warehouse (where inspiration comes in boxes), Tile Clearing House, some other place I don't know the name of and Victor Paris. I didn't make it to CTD, Collinson Ceramics, Edinburgh Ceramics or Original Tile Company, and I did make it to Ceramic Tile Centre but they were shut.

I spent £17 on 9 tester paints in Homebase, only for 5 of them to turn to institution green on the wall, and I've seen more hideous tiles than I could shake a stick at. But I think I've found some I can live with, I just need to decide which of the 3 plain white matt tiles and 2 metallic borders I prefer.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #94 on:** 13 January, 2010, 06:19:22 pm »

They're refusing to pay out. They say there's a general exclusion cause in the policy which means they don't have to pay out for anything they call "gradual damage." So even though the gradual damage was invisible until it became so severe it was dripping through the ceiling, and I had no way of knowing what was happening, they're refusing to pay. Even though the bloke upstairs was negligent and they'll be able to pursue him for their costs, they're refusing my claim. Apparently I'm supposed to have been able to see my ceiling rotting through the suspended ceiling and I'm supposed to have been able to see my floor rotting under the tiles.

I have lodged a complaint with their complaints department and I will pursue it as far as I can, but if they don't cough up I'm going to have to pursue the flat owner for the costs, which will almost certainly mean going to court. I'm using my union's free legal advice - waiting for them to phone me back tomorrow - to find out what my options are with ZURICH CUNTING INSURANCE and to find out what my options are re the owner of upstairs. If I can't get ZURICH BASTARD INSURANCE to pay up, I'm going to have to either remortgage, get the work done and pay for somewhere else to live while it goes on (which could be anything from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on how long it takes to dry out) and then sue the arse off cockwomble upstairs, or I'm going to have to sue the arse off cockwomble upstairs and then use the money to put it right and pay for alternative accommodation.

I can't stop crying.

border-rider · « **Reply #95 on:** 13 January, 2010, 06:23:14 pm »

Can you just slaughter all concerned ? That might solve the temporary accommodation issue too, after they catch you.

Commiserations, Kirst. That's a real sod.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #96 on:** 13 January, 2010, 06:28:23 pm »

Quote from: Kirst on 13 January, 2010, 06:19:22 pm

They're refusing to pay out. They say there's a general exclusion cause in the policy which means they don't have to pay out for anything they call "gradual damage." So even though the gradual damage was invisible until it became so severe it was dripping through the ceiling, and I had no way of knowing what was happening, they're refusing to pay. Even though the bloke upstairs was negligent and they'll be able to pursue him for their costs, they're refusing my claim. Apparently I'm supposed to have been able to see my ceiling rotting through the suspended ceiling and I'm supposed to have been able to see my floor rotting under the tiles.

I have lodged a complaint with their complaints department and I will pursue it as far as I can, but if they don't cough up I'm going to have to pursue the flat owner for the costs, which will almost certainly mean going to court. I'm using my union's free legal advice - waiting for them to phone me back tomorrow - to find out what my options are with ZURICH CUNTING INSURANCE and to find out what my options are re the owner of upstairs. If I can't get ZURICH BASTARD INSURANCE to pay up, I'm going to have to either remortgage, get the work done and pay for somewhere else to live while it goes on (which could be anything from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on how long it takes to dry out) and then sue the arse off cockwomble upstairs, or I'm going to have to sue the arse off cockwomble upstairs and then use the money to put it right and pay for alternative accommodation.

I can't stop crying.

The clause is common to nearly all policies, and I would have half expected it. Your course of action will indeed be to sue the bloke above for the damage. Small claims court if under £5000, but he'll probably pay up before it gets that far.

Jurek · « **Reply #97 on:** 13 January, 2010, 06:28:57 pm »

Oh Kirst!

ScumOfTheRoad · « **Reply #98 on:** 13 January, 2010, 06:29:19 pm »

Kirst, here's a virtual Kleenex. There, there.
It can't be as bad as that.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #99 on:** 13 January, 2010, 06:38:11 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 13 January, 2010, 06:28:23 pm

The clause is common to nearly all policies, and I would have half expected it. Your course of action will indeed be to sue the bloke above for the damage. Small claims court if under £5000, but he'll probably pay up before it gets that far.

Why the fuck can't the insurance company sue him? My guys' quote is just under 9 grand so that's 3x what the small claims courts in Scotland will deal with, and that's just for doing the work, it doesn't cover alternative accommodation or any other expenses. I'm asking other companies for estimates too so I can present him with 3.

Author Topic: Bathroom insurance nightmare drags on til the end of time (Read 40503 times)

simonp

border-rider