Bilbo, the "Cruiser and the insurance company,,,

congrats on the win though it shouldnt have been a fight... maybe time for a change of insurance company??? good to see the little guy win for a change.

Mate I reackon everyone is happy for you , good on ya . SOOO now what ya gonna do , get another nice Wagon ,??? what ever you do Good luck and take it to bed with you so no mongrels can get it.

Doug

I love your work bilbo,standing up for what you believe in,never taking a backward step.My sister done excactly the same thing,and yes she had a win too...

congrats bilbo maybe now is the time to head off for this years "retreat " the trouble is you cant replace that detector you just got used to or the gps with the funny jumps etc etc you know what i mean but jeez its good to see someone win

steve

Congratulations.

A relief no doubt.

Well done.
Persistence pays.

Good onya Bilbo. Unfortunately insurance companies are money making big businesses, not service organisations. They have a vested interest in not paying you, and you have to keep on fighting to get your rights. I didn't see the original thread, but was told about your new vehicle by another forumite. I hope you are more than happy with the vehicle you have now.

Bilbo I have been following your story since your first post about the theft. You have had a great result. I do not agree with the comments made that you should change insurance companies - you have had a good result - even with a hassle - they have paid you what you are entitled to.
In a previous life I owned a small general insurance brokerage. You would be surprised at the number of claims where the claimant is after more than he is entitled to. Stats show that the majority of house thefts claim more than was stolen - how many people have a car accident and also want those other little dings fixed as well - so if you were the insurance company you might get a little defensive as well - wrong attitude, but maybe, maybe almost justified - just dont let them try it on you or me !!!
So you have had a good result - can you now name the company - For one I might insure with them (I have seen too many claims where they NEVER bend and are prepared to go that extra step, and let it go to court.) Who is the Company?

Hi Bilbo,
great news and well done.

Now when are you heading off to go for some of that yellow stuff?
Price is good at present........

All the best,
Mike

Well done Bilbo. Recently had a similar experience myself when my Cruiser was written off by a drunk. Got the same run around too. After much 'discussion' I eventually got the full amount.

Nice result Bilbo, but you forgot to give yourself a plug....What are your fees for negoitiating with insurance companies. You never know when we may need you hahaha.
Happy for you at last.

Regards Trevor.

Congratulations Bilbo.

Would you be prepared to name the company once the matter's settled, so that I can take that into "consideration" when comparing policies at renewal time? ;-)

The company was Western QBE. I didn't want any more than was on my policy. In fact I lost out on the Jaram Roof Rack, dual battery system and "Outback" drawer system that was in there. I beleive in being honest and fair and those things weren't notified to the company - stupid I know & my fault. All I wanted was what I paid for.

Apparently, Western QBE are one of the hardest to deal with in these situtations. One of the best is Wesfarmers Insurance. Or so I've been told.

I'll be off to find some yella to make up for losses as soon as I get this Nissan Chev sorted out well enough to "go serious bush".

I would seriously recommend that all of you go through your trucks and note anything that isn't standard fitting. Make a list and send it off - in writing - to your insurance company. Ask for confirmation that these things have been annotated on your policy, again in writing. It's the only way you have a hope that they will pay up for the extras.

Trev, I do have a reputation in my family of "writing complaint letters" about shoddy goods and services. I've never yet had a bad result. Bottles of HP Sauce, a months supply of bread rools, frozen food - hand delivered I might add, a new fridge, bottles of wine. Over the years, the list goes on. I pay good dollars for stuff - I want good stuff. Fair swap I reckon.

Take care all of you and immense thanks to all who supported me during this particularly bad period. It's nice to have someone to talk to.

Bilbo

Well done on achieving an acceptable outcome although I would have thought the proffesional valuation should have been enough.

Bilbo,
Excellent outcome. You did say you were a pretty good bush lawyer. I've been reading your about adventures with some interest. Keep them coming.

Tom

Good to here someone having a win.

We had insured with Western QBE until they got the written list of mods for the Troopy. Gave them a fright I think when they saw it all in writing. They said they would only insure us if the mods were no more than 40% of the vehicles market value.

Main reason we went with them was the 'unlimited windscreens' cover and their competitive price.

We have since gone with RACQ 'agreed' value after reading you original posts Bilbo. Market value is too risky. My brother was a loss assessor for one of the big companys and said they are trained to 'keep the overheads down'.

Bilbo, we are also looking at having the Carminder www.carminder.com.au GPS tracking system fitted. Cost $900 - it monitors location by GPS and if car is stolen sends an SMS to your mobile with co-ords and ubd ref then you ring the cops. It works on GSM but CDMA should be possible. Even so, when car reaches GSM area it sends the SMS. It can also work on a perimiter system so if car moves outside it, the system is activated. Only costs $30/yr for the phone card from vodaphone. It can also be programmed to unlock your car using SMS, handy when locking the keys inside.

Enjoy your victory.
John

I think for the cost it's worth thinking about. especially with the time we put into setting up our rigs.

I for one would love to see the content of that letter, could learn a thing or two.

Hey Bilbo - top result and only yourself to credit for the outcome. I have followed your various ups and downs through this whole exercise with great interest.

Please! Please! Don't sign off now, the exercise is not complete, I'm sure many members like myself have become intrigued with your Nissan/Chev. conversion.
Please keep us up to date with progress on this project. Yeah I know you have it on the road but would like to have some feedback over a period of time as all settles/wears in. Info on fuel consumption, vehicle weight loadings, performance, drivability, positives and negatives etc:
I would be particuarly interested in any after sales/fitment issues you might experience and how they are handled.
Just think of yourself as a rolling test bed. (LOL)

Once again, congratulations on the result achieved though I have a suspicion you would rather not have had the experience.

Ian W.

If anyone wants a copy of the letter, you can PM me or email me at:

leslowe@iinet.net.au

It may help one day.

Bear in mind, the letter was formulated from copious, detailed notes that I kept after each phone call from Western QBE's Loss Adjuster. It's vital not to rely on your memory. Keep notes, lots of 'em, time and date, every word that was said, etc, etc. It took me 5 hours to get it all in a logical order suitable for a letter.

That, plus some research and the application of a bit of contract law that I learned in my last job before I retired. We were bidding on oil & gas construction jobs and running projects under contract.

Bilbo