Brake light pedal switch

Thanks Guys,

this was a copper hose in the roof that ruptured.... luckily when it froze it split at the bottom, not top, so it immediatly blasted a hole through the roof plaster and the water went downward. If the top of the pipe had split, it would have been a fountain into the roof of the house. THis would have soaked all the insulation in the roof ..... and the weight of this would have caused all the ceilings to fall in ... So we were lucky.

Yes insurance... I'm about to do battle with them. My brother was letting them into the house. Steamatic in Ballarat has been drying the place out, they removed all of the carpets.... THey have done a bloody brilliant job given how bad it was. The assesor my brother did show through. He rang me straight after and said he was one of the most miserable bastards he's had to deal with in a long time. His first question as soon as he was let in was "How long have they been away" ( more than 35days and he would have turned around and walked out saying "not covered"). He then said "everything looks fine". He never contacted me, rather sent an email saying everything looks fine and a tag and tester would be through soon".... I replied saying "don't bother tag and testing, all testing and tagging proves is there is no earth leakage. Unless you can supply me with manufactures gurantees in writting that there electrical appliances are rated to be immersed in water for at least a week, I will NOT be accepting anything ... I don't care if it still happens to work".

My brother couldn't help himself, 'cos the guy was such a miserable bastard. "You will be replacing the stereo" .. the guy said "that's ok there worth nothing" .... So my brother gets his phone out ... "here you go, richter speakers, $2600 rrp, and that is only the main speakers ... there is the center and rears as well"..... My brother then rings me 3 days later saying the sound sytem and all the electronics from the lounge room are gone. This was sunday, so I rang my insurance company and they couldn't explain this, so I replied again to the assesors email and said if I'm not contacted first thing monday morning, the police will be called and the stuff removed will be reported stolen... Yes, they had been removed, no doubt to attempt to repair them and say "they are fine". My brother said water was running out of the front of the TV and down the walls.... so him trying to repair this stuff by stealth is bloody ridiculous.

See what I mean by fun and games ahead ... sigh. The only communication other than this I have had with the assesor is a demand for $500 left on the table in the house. I'll be having very blunt words with that guy when I meet him. All the stuff he has said "looks fine" ... ie: wooden furniture etc... I have found considerable moisture damage too.

seeya,
Shane L.

That is crap, do doubt about it. You're the paying customer - can you argue for another assessor? Preferably a human one?

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Originally Posted by Davo

That is crap, do doubt about it. You're the paying customer - can you argue for another assessor? Preferably a human one?

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We'll see what happens when I finally talk to him. I haven't contacted them yet. I want to clean up the house and identify all the of the water damaged items so I can point it all out to him... At the moment everything from all the cupboards, draws, off the floors ... is just thrown over every surface to get it dry. Like I said above, the company driving the place out has done a brilliant job. Now is the aftermath to clean up. THe few trademen brother has let in for quote has said "bloody insurance company, we need to fix the entire roof, not just the hole, it'll have to be painted either way" .... the builder for the skirting boards ... "bloody insurance company, why only change two rooms ?? that's ridiculous" .... Yep, I'm going to have fun. The trick will be not to loose my temper and physically throw the guy out of the house.

If the assesor proves difficult I'll put in a complaint to my insurance company. You see the assesors are brokers that are hired by the insurance company. If he causes issues that land them in court, it will cost them more... and he will get no repeat business.

seeya,
Shane L.

Yep, side step the assessor, and contact the insurance company again - after speaking to Steamatic - they are the experts and will support you in your claim - although they are paid by the insurance companies, they are good to deal with - my Mum went through all this last year and Steamatic got some stuff replaced that the insurance company originally said no to including electrical goods and 2 mattresses.

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Originally Posted by Homestar

Yep, side step the assessor, and contact the insurance company again - after speaking to Steamatic - they are the experts and will support you in your claim - although they are paid by the insurance companies, they are good to deal with - my Mum went through all this last year and Steamatic got some stuff replaced that the insurance company originally said no to including electrical goods and 2 mattresses.

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Thanks,

that IS good to know. The couches are my biggest concern as they appear to be fine. This concerns me as it means they will not be replaced... My worry is the stuffing inside the couches will be moldy and I have no way of checking for this. The couch backs (that touch the wall where water was running down) you can't unzip/remove the coverings to check. They are all stapled together and built "as one". My wife is an asthmatic so this is more of a concern to me than the other furniture. At least other furnture can't hide mold.
seeya,
Shane L.

Make sure you document EVERY conversation Document every detail in writing.
go to the police and file the stolen goods report.
Also, it could be break & enter, since your brother did not give them permission to re-enter the property without him being there.
Contact the insurance ombudsman after you register the police complaint and mention this to them - you will have a very very interesting conversation with them.
Ring the insurance company AFTER you call the police and filed the stolen property complaint, and spoken to the ombudsman.

Have your brother with you when you go to the police.

When you contact the insurance company, before you mention the stolen property report, ask them who removed the goods without permission and then notify them that the police will be taking fingerprints and contacting your assessor.

They do not have the right to remove any goods or chattels from your property without your consent.

be wary of any traffic in your area - the assessor may be looking to have other goods 'removed'.

This sounds very very dodgy. go to the police asap. tonight even.

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Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

Thanks,

that IS good to know. The couches are my biggest concern as they appear to be fine. This concerns me as it means they will not be replaced... My worry is the stuffing inside the couches will be moldy and I have no way of checking for this. The couch backs (that touch the wall where water was running down) you can't unzip/remove the coverings to check. They are all stapled together and built "as one". My wife is an asthmatic so this is more of a concern to me than the other furniture. At least other furnture can't hide mold.
seeya,
Shane L.

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I have had two major events. One was a fire, when we were out of our house for nearly twelve months, and the other was a flood. Not as bad as your flood, but bad enough. Ring your insurer and tell them your concerns. It's your house, and you have the right to refuse to accept the assessors word. You have the right to refuse him access if you choose.

Your claim will be divided into two parts, building and contents.

For the building claim, your insurer should engage a builder, who should come up with a Scope of Works. Under no circumstances should you agree to that scope without first working through it with the builder ( Builder, or other professional contractor ). You are not obliged to accept what they say first up, and you shouldn't if you are even a little unhappy.

Contents should mostly be in the hands of, in your case, Steamatic, in mine it was Amtec. Everything that has been wet should be removed and taken away by them. They have processes to deal with wet, or in our case on one occasion, smoke affected furnishings. They are excellent at doing this, and quick to admit when the items are too far gone. Tell them of your concerns about your wife's asthma. As Gav says, they are in the best position to support your claim, so make use of them.

I feel for you, as I am only too aware of the traumas involved. But, you need to be proactive, as they will take the path of least resistance, so you need to resist as much as is reasonable.

Good luck with it. In our case, after the fire we were devastated, but in the end we lost little, and used the time and the need for rebuilding works to improve our home. Think about that, as if you had something planned or on your wish list that is in the area the work is needed you can turn this event to your advantage. We did.

I'm not concerned for now. I need to talk to people and see what is going on. It is entirely possible steamatic has removed the electrical items, and had not been told I'd requested our contents all be left intact until we returned. I certainly would not involve the police.

seeya
Shane L.