Rant rant rant rant rant

[adaese]

My mother's house got burgled a few weeks ago, while she was staying with us. The burglars damaged one of the back doors in the process, and my mother has already accepted a quote for replacing both that and the other two back doors with new ones, much stronger and with better locks. Because of the age and style of the old doors, new ones will be

Comments

[bunn]

I don't understand insurance. My car one insisted on paying out about five grand to repair a car that I had told them I could replace for a bit over three. Not to mention the cost of months and months of courtesy car.

I thought maybe someone was taking some sort of backhander, but without any real evidence to support the idea.

[adaese]

Inflexible rules enforced by a management who firmly believe they've thought of everything, and there's therefore no need to trust the minions with a little autonomy, seem more likely, on the whole. But it's very exasperating.

And on the subject of inflexible rules, Major National Installer of Doors and Windows wouldn't even come out to look at the site and give a quote until my father (who is the sole house owner) gets back from abroad. No amount of playing up my mother's age and frailty made a difference.

[rthstewart]

Ranting is completely justified. Did your mum lose much? I do hope not. It's such an upsetting experience.

[adaese]

Jewellery and a few items of similar size-to-value ratio. The jewellery was mostly pieces she didn't wear very often, but the haul included a few bits of sentimental value, naturally. It could have been a lot worse, but naturally it's left her very shaken - I gather she's lost over 10lb since it happened, two and a half weeks ago. Going to see her again tomorrow.

[heliopausa]

I despise insurance companies; dishonesty and wriggling is how they operate. (The difference between a flood and an inundation, for example - farmers in my area thought water gushing down a hillside taking out fences and some stock was a flood, but no... it was an inundation, and they weren't covered after all.)
Maybe just tell the builder the whole thing, and ask for a notional quote, as a kindness?

[adaese]

Good grief! That is appalling wriggling.

The first builders I spoke too asked me, outright, if I wanted them to pad the quote up a bit. I'm beginning to wonder just how many honest people there are left in the world.