Non payment of Van stolen August 17
Anyone else still waiting for Caravan club /Devit to pay out on stolen van? I had a van stolen in August 17 from a site in Oxfordshire, after so many irrelevant questions, the latest being where was our van advertised and who did we buy it from, I am still awaiting payment......I have probably done more in trying to locate this van than the Caravan Club, Devit, the Police and the assessors put together including contacting Highways England to search on their cctv cameras as well as to this day scouring for sale ads throughout the country!!! We remain out of pocket in excess of £12500....
Moderator Comment - Moved from the Story Section
Comments
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How did it happen, Petal1026? Was the caravan being stored on the site or were you actually using it at the time? If you were using it, did you have an awning erected?
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Have you taken this delay in payment up with the insurance department? None of us here can second guess what the issues are that are causing the delay. Comments I have seen in the past about Club insurance claims have in the main been very positive often praising how quickly it was dealt with.
David
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if you were using it, did you have an awning erected?
I fail to see the relevance to the opening post, Malcolm. What difference would it make to the non payment of the claim?
With regard to Petal's problem then if she has supplied all relevant documents to the insurer and the police are satisfied that an incident took place then I see no reason, apart from negotiating the final value, why this claim has not been settled. If you have given over all paperwork and have yet to receive an offer then I would suggest you consult a solicitor and sue both the club and Devitts.
If you have not supplied everything that a normal insurer would need to proceed to settlement then perhaps you could inform us on here as obviously we have only been given your version of events. I am not casting aspersions on your story but there may be reasons unknown to us as to why this hasn't been settled.
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I'm just interested to know the circumstances, Wherenext. It's relevant to the rest of us to know how best to reduce the risk of such a thing happening to us.
It could be that if an awning is erected, that this might act as a deterrent because of the time and trouble required to remove the awning, for example.
We can learn from this story about what we can do to keep our own outfits safer so that we don't have this problem.
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I've also come across a situation once before where an awning was in place and used to conceal the presence of the offenders whilst they removed the wheel lock.
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It might still be a deterrent because they would prefer to go for one without an awning, especially as the awning would indicate that it's being occupied and that someone might notice. Furthermore, the poles might present a problem and what about the ground pegs? It would look obvious that something untoward was going on and I doubt that thieves would want to draw attention to themselves!
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It has happened, cannot remember on which site, so it would seem if they want a particular van, they will do whatever it takes.
Anyone taking a fancy to a particular van would observe the occupants habits, work out when they will have a window of opportunity.
Best plan is to make sure your insurance is sufficient, especially if you have new for old cover, review it annually, and use the required security devices.
Remember to add on all the extras fitted to the current replacement cost which the Club will provide you with.
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On this site there are people constantly walking past, even if it's just to walk their dogs, that would surely notice someone cutting off an awning with a sharp knife, even if we are out shopping at the time! Also the security barriers are there. Yes, we do have Super 5cs insurance but hope we never have to use it.
Also no-one knows,including myself, in advance, how long I'll be out for. There have been times when I have arrived at work and told to go home half an hour later because of it being a quiet evening. Although I have a rota, they seldom stick to it, often letting me off either earlier or later and sometimes cancelling a shift altogether and giving me that day off instead. So I think any potential thief would have a high risk of getting caught if they targetted our caravan that is continually occupied 365 days a year!
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There's obviously some risk but much less risk if the caravan is on site and occupied every night.
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That could be for several reasons. The most obvious being that they have not logged in since posting. The fact that it was originally posted in the Story Section may have an impact or the fact that some posters seem to be going off at a tangent? At the end of the day no one on this forum can really answer the OP's question as they don't have access to the necessary information. Even a Staff member would want to deal with it privately. I got the impression the OP was just asking if anyone was in the same position, as yet no one has come forward to confirm that.
David
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I have only ever made one total loss claim and that was last year on our red pennant insurance, when we had to cancel a planned non vanning trip, due to bereavement.
The burden of proof required by the assessor was quite high. As well as the obvious things like death certificate and original invoices, cancelation invoices and a doctors report from the GP were also required. I would never have thought about the cancelation invoices, as none of the costs were refundable as we were close to departure date. As I was able to supply all the information the claim was quickly paid in full.
Clearly a totally different scenario to the OP. I just mention it to show the assessors are going to want some proof positive that the caravan actually existed. As they needed proof that I had actually booked and then cancelled a holiday without any refund. That is why I find the OP's comments re providing information on who they bought it from so strange. Why would they think it an irrelevant request. The assessors do need to establish a claim is genuine, before parting with a large sum of money.
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I've wondered before why this isn't the case! The wheel lock would always be visible - and hopefully act as a further deterrent.
I think the answer will be that Al-Ko only put it on one side - for ALL markets. They won't want to change it just for the UK!!
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