and then the sun came out

I’ve spent hours/days/weeks faffing around trying to get someone to pay for the costs of damaging our garage door.

To cut a long story short (ish);

Back in November someone’s car runs into our garage door and renders it useless.  The driver’s insurance company admit liability - it’s an open and shut case, unlike our garage door which no longer opens or shuts.

It’s electrically operated and apart from the dents, won’t go up or down.  It’ll take 8 weeks or so to replace.  (It’s a non-standard size, needs ordering from Germany and cutting to fit.)

The insurance company tell me to send them a quote.  Which I do.  They then tell me to order the door.  Which I do.

In December I get an email from a claims handling company saying that they’re now dealing with this.  They’ve found a much cheaper door on the internet and a man and a dog will fit it for £900 less than my quote.  Simples - you have 14 days to accept.

I say no - the door’s the wrong size - it’s too small.  And I don’t care how clever the dog is, it’ll never reach the switch.   Anyway - the replacement has already been ordered.

Then at the beginning of January they reply saying sorry about the door size - we’ve found a bigger one and we’ll upgrade the dog to a human.  New offer - £700 less than your quote - take it or leave it.  It’s your last chance.  

PS - it’s no good crying to the insurance company - they’ve given this job to us and we have the final say.  So there.

The above is a brief summary of lots and lots of emails which have flown back and forth between me and the claims handling company.  Some that I’ve received have bordered on rudeness - or at the very least treated me as if I’m stupid. 

What to do?

I check the cost of the door with the manufacturer just in case our installer’s quote was one of those ‘it’s an insurance job so stick a bit on…’.  But no - the quote we’ve been given is correct.

I contact the insurance ombudsman’s office for advice.  'We think you do have a claim for the full amount', they say.  'But we can’t pursue it for you because we only mediate between insurance companies and their customers - you’re just the victim in all this.  We can’t talk to you.'

Time is running out.  Do I contact the consumer finance pages of the Guardian/Times/Telegraph/Beano and ask for help? 

Accept the offer and sue the driver for the difference?  It’s a friend which makes it a bit awkward.  Not really their fault either - the handbrake on the car failed.  

I do the only thing possible and pass the baton (and phone) to Anniemay.  No one does phone calls like her.  Chris - a skilled negotiator and consequently earner of loads of money - says he learnt all his telephone skills from his mum.  
She goes into her room and shuts the door.  After about half an hour she emerges having clearly won round 1.  “It’s not finished yet.  Mrs Claims Handling Company has gone off to consult the insurance company”.  

I get her towel and bucket and give her a quick sponge down before she goes back in.  

She emerges poker faced.  It’s still not over.  She takes a couple of deep breaths and goes back in.

She eventually comes out beaming, the phone held high and does a victory lap round the coffee table.  

She refuses to speak to Mrs Claims Handling Company and demands to be put through to the insurance company.  The insurance company read all the emails I’d been sent by Mrs CHC.  They apologise profusely.  Not only are we to be reimbursed in full, it should never have been passed to the other company in the first place.  Mrs CHC is on the floor.  That’s a win by a knockout in my book.  Result.

If asked where this ability to make the even hardest wheeler dealer crumble at the end of the phone comes from, Anniemay will tell you “ I spent years dealing with naughty children”.