Insurance company rejected Claim on my 2 day old phone!

Bill-e

Hi,
Please advise me on what I should do here? :eek:

Bought a HTC Hero from Meteor on Wednesday (€80 plus contract for 12 months @ €25pm)
Really liked the phone!
Was in the gym yesterday, I took it out of my locker to check my msgs and put it back in while i jumped into the shower for 4-5mins. Went back to my locker and it's gone. All that's left are the headphones:mad:

Rang CPP phonesafe and told them(truthfully) step by step what had happened. She asked me if the locker was locked while i was in the shower and I said I didn't lock it cause is was only 10 meters away and could see the locker from the shower area. The locker was closed and the latch engaged but i didn't pad lock it cause I cant bring keyinto shower.

She then told me I wasn't going to be covered as I had "left my phone untended in a public place"! I nearly got sick! It's about 450 euro to replace the phone!

The documentation says I'm covered for loss and theft. Technically isn't this kind of both? It's lost (I don't know where it is...) And I believe it is most likely stolen.

Please help me with this one boardsies?

P.S: If your about to tell me I should have just lied then don't, I know that now!

Nody

Sorry OP but you are protected from theft but have to take reasonble precautions to prevent it (this is a standard clause for any item). Clearly since you did not see it get taken you did not have it under view at the time. Now since it was in a public location with out being locked up the insurance company don't think you did take due protection. Same would be true if you had left it in a car outside Tesco or in your jacket which hang at the front door of a resturant for example.

Now if you had the mobile in your front pocket and it got stolen you would most likely have gotten the insurance to kick in but in this case an expensive lesson to learn I'm afraid (I've had a argument with VISA over a stolen credit card where they kept coming back with different ways to prove that I was neglient to not have to compensate me).

eightyfish

OP, sometimes it's possible to be too honest.
Hard luck.

Miaireland

I'm sorry but the insurance company is correct in this regards. You left your phone in an unlocked locker which violates the terms in your policy.

funnyname

http://www.tellmehowto.net/howto/disable_a_stolen_mobile_phone_7118

Bill-e

The gym changing rooms aren't really a public place tho is it? You need a passkey to get in there.

I know im clutching at straws but this is unreal.

cruizer101

Sadly I don't think there is a whole lot you can do about the insurance.

Have you told the gym and asked them to check the cctv, the sooner the better as they probably get overwritten. You might be able to catch whoever it was, I think that is your best hope.

Edit: if you need a pass key to get in the gym might even have a record of who entered and left while you were there.

thebiglad

Lodge a complaint with Gym and Garda - there may be CCTV in the corridor into the locker rooms, after all you know the time of the theft - that is a slim, but only hope.

Of course, phone is long gone

TBH how many of us lock our stuff away when taking a shower in the gym!!

Nody

Bill-e wrote: »

The gym changing rooms aren't really a public place tho is it? You need a passkey to get in there.

It is as you have no possability to restrict the access to the room.

As a side note the fact you took out your phone and checked the SMS also was most likely not a smart move as this showed of that you had something expensive and when leaving with the locker unlocked...

rubadub

thebiglad wrote: »

TBH how many of us lock our stuff away when taking a shower in the gym!!

I would if I had €450+ worth of stuff in it!

gpjordanf1

Bill-e wrote: »

The gym changing rooms aren't really a public place tho is it? You need a passkey to get in there.

I know im clutching at straws but this is unreal.

Sorry to ear about the phone Bill

Keep an eye out here for some douche asking how to unlock a HTC Hero.

Cabaal

You didn't lock the locker so your at fault.

Its like trying to claim on your car insurance if your car is stolen but you left the car unlocked with the keys in it....its not going to fly

cojomo2

as some1 else said, I think you were a bit too honest...

if you do manage to get your phone back;), and it gets stolen again in a similar way, make sure u just tell the insurance company that it was pick pocketed from you or similar;), that way you will get it replaced.

Cabaal

rubadub wrote: »

I would if I had €450+ worth of stuff in it!

Fully agree, I'll only leaver it unlocked if I have nothing of value in a locker

If my watch is in a locker I'll its either locked or I'll bring the watch with me, I've seen too many people look through lockers to leave anything of value around

Cabaal

gpjordanf1 wrote: »

Sorry to ear about the phone Bill

Keep an eye out here for some douche asking how to unlock a HTC Hero.

Given how popular Meteor is they'll either use it on Meteor or sell it on

Run_to_da_hills

Cabaal wrote: »

Given how popular Meteor is they'll either use it on Meteor or sell it on

Not if the OP informs the service provider to block the IMEI immediatly, it would be no more than a paper weight after that.

RangeR

OP, did you give your phone number or phone IMEI to the insurance company as identification. If not....


If so, ring Meteor and blacklist the IMEI. This will make your phone useless in any country in Europe. It won't help you but will piss off the thief or final party.

What do the t's & c's say about theft?
The locker may not have been locked, but the phone was out of plain site. Flimsy I know...

tony1kenobi

Don't you have a 7/14 day cooling off period? Could you opt out of the contract due to no service due to you not having a phone, then direct meteor to the insurance company and let them fight it out between them?

krudler

tony1kenobi wrote: »

Don't you have a 7/14 day cooling off period? Could you opt out of the contract due to no service due to you not having a phone, then direct meteor to the insurance company and let them fight it out between them?

what a ridiculous suggestion:rolleyes: part of the 14 day cooling off for buying a new phone is you have to return the phone if you dont like it, it doesnt count if it gets stolen, by that logic you could buy a car for 100 grand, set up a payment plan then drive it off a cliff and say you "cooled off" and didnt need to pay the rest as you had no car!

tony1kenobi

The guy has no service.Isn't that a valid reason to opt out?Isn't his insurance company part of the reason he is without the equipment needed to avail of the service he signed up for?

The insurance company are using the terms and conditions to not pay out and I am just suggesting if he delves a little deeper there may be cause to opt out of the contract using a similar tactic.

However if you think that is ridiculous I'll assume you know far more about such things than I do and apologise for trying to help.

Guy:Incognito

tony1kenobi wrote: »

The guy has no service..

Meteor will replace the Sim and he will have service again.

January

tony1kenobi wrote: »

The guy has no service.Isn't that a valid reason to opt out?Isn't his insurance company part of the reason he is without the equipment needed to avail of the service he signed up for?

The insurance company are using the terms and conditions to not pay out and I am just suggesting if he delves a little deeper there may be cause to opt out of the contract using a similar tactic.

However if you think that is ridiculous I'll assume you know far more about such things than I do and apologise for trying to help.

Yeah but he is out of service because he took an expensive mobile phone out of a locker in a gym, checked a text message and then placed said phone back into the locker while he went for a shower and leaving the locker unlocked. It's his own fault (sorry OP) that he's without a phone. Of course you don't think something will get robbed but in this day and age you have to take precautions.

tony1kenobi

Stekelly wrote: »

Meteor will replace the Sim and he will have service again.

Not without a phone,was my point.Appears to be a non starter though so I concede. I'd have given it a shot though...even taking a hit on the phone would be cheaper in the long run. Pay the 370 difference on the phone vs a minimum 300 over 12 months contract plus shelling out for a new phone......ah it makes sense in my head anyway.

Cabaal

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Not if the OP informs the service provider to block the IMEI immediatly, it would be no more than a paper weight after that.

Agreed, if he informs then and if they actually bother to block it

Cabaal

tony1kenobi wrote: »

The guy has no service.Isn't that a valid reason to opt out?

Nope and both companys will laugh at him if he tries this, he has no leg to stand on, he doesn't have a service because his actions meant the phone was stolen

Isn't his insurance company part of the reason he is without the equipment needed to avail of the service he signed up for?

Nope he's the reason he's without a phone, he left the locker unlocked not the insurance company

The insurance company are using the terms and conditions to not pay out

Your kidding me right?
The insurance company isn't using any sort of fancy T&C's, they are using logic and fact....even a motor insurance company wouldnt pay out if you left your car unlocked with the keys in it and thats effectively what the OP did here

dudara

OP, you didn't lock the locker. There's really nothing more to be said.

Take this one on the chin, and buy a combination padlock for your gym locker.

Nonoperational

I know the feeling, I dropped a new bill phone into a cup of coffee the day I got it before. Unlucky.

Guell72

Lesson learned. If you you;re phone gets stolen in future then answer questions like this.

"How did your phone get lost?"

"I dont know it just wasnt there when i looked in my pocket. Cant tell you anymore than that."

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Blade Wex (post deleted) - it shouldn't have to be said, but please don't suggest fraud.

Cabaal - hope you don't mind but i also deleted your post because it was quoting Blade Wex

delop

jez go easy on the guy, he was honest, and is being punished for it....

Oh BTW, have you ever met anyone who got a payout from an insurance company in the mobile phone area? Few and far between I reckon...

trellheim

In the last 10 years 13 years I've had 3 phones replaced on insurance.


Can't understand why people nick em though. IMEI block will paperweight them [ unless I'm wrong and people can burn in a new IMEI ? ]

Bill-e

Update on my situation:

I'm not even going to bother appealing the phone company insurance cause I've googled them and there's hundreds of things online about how most people have to figtht for months to get anywhere with them. My gym's insurance won't cover it either.

I can't understand how they can say that they insure for loss and theft when if they can put it in a grey area between the two they dont have to pay up...

The gards still havent been in to pick up the CCTV footage. I didn't expect much out of them in the first place.

Anyway, small bit of good news. My gym have given me my next years membership for free. They are embarrassed about the whole thing and are upgrading security policy asap. I'm going to use the money that I normally save up for the gym to buy a new phone and a pad lock!

Bill-e

trellheim wrote: »

In the last 10 years 13 years I've had 3 phones replaced on insurance.


Can't understand why people nick em though. IMEI block will paperweight them [ unless I'm wrong and people can burn in a new IMEI ? ]

Someone said that some people are sending them off to the phone recycling websites for 50 - 100 euro a pop.

I did loose a phone many years ago and cancelled the imei number on it. I found it since and it works no problem.

jimoc

Bill-e wrote: »

Anyway, small bit of good news. My gym have given me my next years membership for free. They are embarrassed about the whole thing and are upgrading security policy asap. I'm going to use the money that I normally save up for the gym to buy a new phone and a pad lock!

Also don't wash your runners and wear the same socks every time you go to the gym, don't wash the socks either.
Place your valuables inside the socks inside the runners in the locker.
Then at least if someone does rob your phone again, just grab the nearest dog and send him on the hunt

Pythia

Blocking the IMEI only works for UK and Ireland, you can still use the phone in other countries. Or certainly that's how it used to be a few years ago.

Del2005

Bill-e wrote: »

I can't understand how they can say that they insure for loss and theft when if they can put it in a grey area between the two they dont have to pay up...

There is no gray area. You are insured if you loose your phone or get it robbed. Loose is easy in that you just say I can't find it. For theft you need to take reasonable precautions against theft, such as keeping it secure at all times. Leaving it in an open locker isn't secure.

You unfortunately where too honest when you made the initial call.

Thoie

Bill-e wrote: »

I'm going to use the money that I normally save up for the gym to buy a new phone and a pad lock!

If you're buying a new padlock, consider buying a combination lock - I always use one in the gym as it saves the hassle of figuring out what to do with the key while showering.