photographic gear stolen from car , camera gear is insured for theft from vehicle , but clause states if only?

Question

OK car was locked up and parked on my drive way ,  I  have a policy for my camera gear and have paid for for three years , ( including theft from vehicle ! ) police CSI checked for finger prints , found none , there was a spate of car thefts in the area 13 cars over a 48 hr period , I  do not have a police report a such , however they state entry unknown , my insurance company photo-guard / JTL online insurance are  saying they will not pay out as it has to be forced and violent entry ?? has any one had dealings with these people , and is there any advise ,  I  told them that there is a small mark on door frame / door ! they need proof , police will not issue a report due to data protection , the thieves have been caught and are facing court hearing july / august , they admitted selling gear but won't say where , surely  as this is theft proven should they not pay out and also should I  stop payments to insurance company ? any help welcome cheers in advance

charterman · Accepted Answer

What are the police messing about at. Get them to explain their reasoning in writing and be prepared to make a formal complaint if they don't. I am getting fed up hearing the police abdicate their responsibilities because they are misapplying the Data Protection Act. It sounds to me as though you got the same brainless plod I did when my car was broken into.

Check the small print in your insurance policy. See if it says they will only pay out in forced or violent situations. Again, someone is trying to pass the book. They took your money quick enough I bet.

The insurance Ombudsman will prove useful.

K_Trinity22 · Answer

Hi, 

Whenever I find myself in sticky (and usually unfair) situations like this, I go straight to the Citizens Advise Bureau. They are great at helping people out of difficulty in such circumstances. 

If they dont have a legal advisor on the premises, they should give you a number for a solicitor who will provide the first hours for free and will explain the basics to you about how to resolve the problem. Just make sure you take all the documentation with you when you go to Citizens Advise

Best of Luck

Anonymous · Answer

get the crime report number /case number from the police and send it to the insurance company and get them to contact the police,but what i cannot understand is why the data protection act is being used by the police , the data concerned actually concerns you, and police are duty bound to give details of findings out to the insurance company.Unless they think your scamming a break-in or have left the doors unlocked,in which case they answer the insurance company  direct,and they can then claim you for trying to defraud them.

oldshoe · Answer

Half my dealings with the Police are excellent, the other half are truly awful, usually because they are just making it up as they go along. This certainly sounds like the latter, but your insurance company are trying to play smart as well. Time to get tough with both I'm afraid.

I can't advise you to break the law, but on my loss they replaced the lenses without fuss, but screwed me on my laptop only paying about half. Do bear that in mind when you're listing exactly what went.

screwdriver · Answer

So if a thief 'tickled' a safe open by listening for the tumblers to fall on the combination dial they would not pay up, if He/She blasted it open with gelignite they would!!

The 'data protection' thing is the Police are not allowed to release details of a case that is pending in the courts. (I think)

Chris

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photographic gear stolen from car , camera gear is insured for theft from vehicle , but clause states if only?

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