Insurance Warning

It has come to my notice today that an old friend has had his extensively modified expedition vehicle vandalised, and a number of fittings stolen in the process; and his insurers have refused to reimburse him for much of his losses as they claimed he had not notified them of modifications to his vehicle.
He sent them pictures of his vehicle prior to his insurance quote, and subsequent cover, so they had a visual reference to ALL THE MODIFICATIONS to his vehicle, and they based their quote on this information and his pictures.

This is a case of beware of vehicle modifications, before undertaking vehicle modifications always contact your insurers and get any responses in writing, keep copies of all documentation, and always ensure you do not modify your vehicle until you have the appropriate written response confirming insurance cover for this modification.

His insurers have agreed to repair the stock vehicle back to the original manufacturer specification, but it means many of the modified aspects will not be replaced, and include:

6 X uprated heavy duty alloy wheels with off road tyres.
Front hydraulic winch.
Two bumper mounted driving lights.
Front roof mounted light bar and four lights.
Two rear mounted work lights.
Roof rack.
Rear swinging wheel and jerry can carrier.
Snorkel.

Damaged items include:

Underside long range fuel tank
Stainless steel chassis mounted water tank and pump.
Uprated aftermarket front bumper.

Stolen items from inside the vehicle are:

Fridge.
Gas cooker.
Spare water and fuel cans.
Petrol cooker.
Battery split charging display (digital)
Tool kit, and numerous spare parts.

Clearly there is a massage for us all here.

Most of his correspondence was by E-mail, as were confirmation of the approval by his insurers, here is the problem, E-mail. Letters and Facsimile is a legally binding document in law, E-mail is not, so anything sent via E-mail is not worth the print on the screen, and it is impossible to prove who sent the E-mail.

Thats Shocking!

Thats the worst thing to happen! - Can he get a court case?

I would be devastated, spending most of my income on my truck, accessories and fishing gear etc, if any of It was stolen I would be really upset, and gutted if my insurance that covered it refused to pay up.

This was clearly a targetted attack of his vehicle as the perpitrators clearly knew the vehicle, where it was to be stored for about a month, what modifications had been done, and went equipped with considerable tooling to break in and dismantle it for its numerous components, and the Police are investigating, and have suspects.

The issue is with the insurance cover, his insurers refused to cover many of the modifications even though they had photographic evidence of the modifications, and they charged the premium accordingly, meaning if he was inadequately covered it was their fault, not his.
They had an engineers report (which they asked for) to ensure the modifications were sound and legal, and they appear to be clutching at straws to get out of paying by using any means possible.

This has now been referred to the Ombudsman and the regulatory bodies for the insurance industry, and they see he has a good case, it will go through the legal system if necessary, and if nothing else it will cost his insurers considerably more than paying out for what is nothing more than there ineptitude.

Here is the warning for owners of modified vehicles, list all modifications and photograph them, submit them to insurers for quotes, ensure cover is adequate for carried items and not restricted by clauses (£250 for mobile phones for example) and covers anything carried on an expedition. Ensure you notify your insurers of all modifications, and get them itemised in a written quote; if anyone is in a similar position it ensures the insurers have fewer obstacles to hinder your claim.

Be also aware that some insurance companies will steer clear of anything done by Land Rover Special Vehicles. They say it is not as it left the factory. Which in a sense is true.

Another good point, and very valid.

Frank Pickles insurance will only insure modified vehicles and are probably the only insurer who charge less for the more mods you have, they believe people who modify take better care of there off roaders.

Maybe a bit late for your friend, but I would highly recommend them.