Premia Solutions, UK
Complaint 141549 Details

Customer Services Manager
Customer Relations Manager
Claims Department
Premia Solutions Limited
3 Corunna Court
Corunna Road
Warwick
CV34 5HQ



Dear Sirs

Tyre & Alloy Wheel Insurance Policy No. FT/LK/TAW0615096
Your Reference: CL/78/13025

A. DEFINITIONS IN LETTER
You / Your: AmTrust International Underwriters Limited and Premia Solutions Limited
I / My / Me: a UK resident who is eligible for and has applied for this Insurance.
Insurance: A form of risk management primarily used against the risk of a uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. The transaction involves the insured assuming a guaranteed payment to the insurer in exchange for the insurer's promise to compensate (indemnify) the insured in the case of a financial (personal) loss. The insured receives a contract, called the Insurance Policy, which details the conditions and circumstances under which the insured will be financially compensated (not refused!).

B. PARTICULARS
After submitting My claim form to Your offices I heard nothing, so when it approached the 14 day claim period I telephoned Your offices to find out what was happening with My claim. I was told that a letter was sent out to Me on 22 May. I informed Your claims department that I have never received any such letter. I was told over the telephone that My claim had been declined. I was very surprised by this and defended My claim. I was told that because the Wheel / Wheels are bent they have been deemed un-repairable and the Insurance policy does not do replacement of Wheel / Wheels. I was surprised by this as I have read the Insurance policy document and Your wording lead Me to believe repairable is repairable, which is why I took out the Insurance policy! You do not state anyway in Your Insurance policy that certain Damage will automatically be deemed un-repairable. Your claims department said they would send the letter again but if I was disputing the decision on My claim I had to do so in writing. Subsequently receiving Your letter dated Tuesday 22 May on Saturday 2 June 2012 (arriving whilst I was on holiday) I hereby write to dispute Your decision and to inform You of three reputable companies that I am currently aware of whom are able and capable of repairing Damage to dented Wheel / Wheels – “Alloy Innovations”, “Wheel Genie” and “The Perfection Group”.

There does not appear to be any “careful consideration” or even “reasonable assessment” of the information I provided in the claim form. As I explained, I could not provide photographs of the damage as I believed the tyre would have to be removed in order to achieve this at a cost to Me before My claim would even be considered. Therefore, not being in breach of the Terms and Conditions of the Insurance policy document I believed this to be a straightforward repair of Wheel / Wheels as stated in Your Insurance policy document. As You have not seen any photographs of the damage sustained to the Wheel / Wheels or even an assessment of the damage how can You derive that the Wheel / Wheels are un-repairable? How does this constitute as “careful consideration”? You also deem the Wheel / Wheels to be replaceable, but the expert approved garage that re-aligned the Wheel / Wheels believed the Damage was only minor and repairable and had helpfully given me telephone numbers of garage names that would be able to repair the Wheel / Wheels (as above) as it was not something they were able to do at their own garage.

I have taken the following from Your Insurance policy document, which you kindly attached with your letter dated 22 May 2012 despite the fact that I requested an additional copy on the 31 May(?):
Part 2 – Alloy Wheels - The Damage to the Wheel / Wheels fitted to the Vehicle AmTrust International Underwriters Limited will cover the cost of repair to the Wheel. Repairs will be undertaken by an authorised Approved Repairer who will ATTEMPT repairs to the Wheel / Wheels to their BEST ENDEAVOURS. The Maximum Amount for Wheel / Wheels claims being £100 per Wheel subject to the Claims Limit being £1,000 (inclusive of VAT). This would be a usual and not unreasonable Cost Of Repairs / Replacement. After reading your part D. WHAT IS NOT COVERED – nothing in My claim form comes under any of the alphabetical points you make in your Insurance policy document. Keyfact – Significant Features and Benefits 2. Alloy Wheels – In the event that sudden and unforeseen Damage occurs to Wheel / Wheels this Insurance will cover the cost of repairing the Wheel / Wheels by an Approved Repairer who will repair the Wheel / Wheels to their best endeavours. Under Your Conditions You state that You reserve the right to examine the Vehicle.

Subsequently having washed the Vehicle and looked at the Wheel / Wheels Myself I have attached a claim form for each Wheel Damaged along with a photograph of the Damage as I have become aware that the front Wheel / Wheels are not only dented but as you can see from the photographs noticeably Damaged. As I have stated previously, I cannot take a photograph of the Damage to the Wheel / Wheels itself as I believe I would have to remove the tyre and in order to do this I would have to take the Vehicle to a garage at a possible cost to Myself for which I would also claim back under this Insurance policy.

Taking into consideration the above, I ask that either Your Approved Repairers or You examine the Damage to the Wheel / Wheels at no extra cost to Myself and make an accurate judgement of the Damage and whether repair is achievable. If this is not done then I feel you are in breach of Your Insurance policy document and not committed to achieving and maintaining the highest levels of customer service You proclaim in Your letter.

Yours faithfully




Michelle Hillier