Some flood-hit residents in Hull are still waiting for work to be completed on their homes. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty
Nothing short of disgusting. That's how a man who is working with families who were flooded in Hull last summer describes the treatment they are receiving at the hands of some insurers.
In a piece that will appear in The Observer's Cash section this Sunday, Peter Hendy who works for Hull City Council on insurance issues says some of the country's biggest insurers have been the worst offenders when it comes to carrying out work on flood-hit houses. "There is no consistency between insurance companies; the best ones do a thorough job while the worst ones skimp on everything," he says.
Problems range from loss adjustors failing to keep appointments to builders doing shoddy work or walking out because they have been offered better money by another insurer. Lloyds TSB was the notable exception, providing a thorough service through its dedicated damage restoration firm Rameses.
Shocking perhaps, but the chances are that if you've made a claim to an insurer in the last couple of years, this will come as no surprise. Last year the Financial Services Ombudsman received 15,730 insurance complaints - the vast majority of which were claim related, and the service found in favour of around 40% of claimants. That's an awful lot of people who are justifiably upset about the way their claim has been handled.
Insurers, like all other financial institutions, are very quick off the mark when it comes to selling you a policy. But for some consumers, the service they receive when it comes to making a claim - when they really need speed and efficiency - is far from good. The problem is that you can't tell how well an insurer will deal with a claim until it's too late. So do you have any tips on the insurers that do process claims efficiently? Or are you still trying to make a claim?
