Cracked Panoramic Roof

(06-01-2012 05:13pm)Mr P Wrote:  My insurers are NFU, when i originally contacted them they said it would be covered as a glass claim and to contact their authorised repairer, i did this but their repairer (autoglass) said they dont do Panoramic roofs and to contact Ins co, i did this again and they said it would have to be treated as an accident and claim that way .

Mr P

As Woody says check your policy docs for glass coverage. Unless there is specific mention of a panoramic roof being excluded from the Glass coverage you're covered under that section. If the fact that you cannot use NFU's approved repairer because they don't have the skills to replace the panaoramic roof then you shouldn't be penalised for lack of skills in their approved repairer network.

I've just checked the sample policy doc for NFU and there is no mention of a requirement to use an approved repairer. In fact the approved repairer section explicitly states "If WE are unable to locate a convenient approved repairer WE can assist YOU to identify a suitable alternative repairer."

I would hazard a guess that NFU are at a loss how to help and so expect you to find a repairer for the roof. You may potentially have to pay upfront for the roof and then claim back the cost from your insurer less ONLY the windscreen excess. Bear in mind that because you're outside of their approved repairer network that you may not get a courtesy car.

If you need any more questions answering feel free to PM me. I work for a large insurance co and am well versed in claims. My wife is a claims quality manager for another large insurance co.

I can see a raft of insurers making some swift changes to future policy docs once they cotton on to the cost of repair for a pano roof!!!!

(06-01-2012 08:44pm)mywillia Wrote:  Mr P

As Woody says check your policy docs for glass coverage. Unless there is specific mention of a panoramic roof being excluded from the Glass coverage you're covered under that section. If the fact that you cannot use NFU's approved repairer because they don't have the skills to replace the panaoramic roof then you shouldn't be penalised for lack of skills in their approved repairer network.

I've just checked the sample policy doc for NFU and there is no mention of a requirement to use an approved repairer. In fact the approved repairer section explicitly states "If WE are unable to locate a convenient approved repairer WE can assist YOU to identify a suitable alternative repairer."

I would hazard a guess that NFU are at a loss how to help and so expect you to find a repairer for the roof. You may potentially have to pay upfront for the roof and then claim back the cost from your insurer less ONLY the windscreen excess. Bear in mind that because you're outside of their approved repairer network that you may not get a courtesy car.

If you need any more questions answering feel free to PM me. I work for a large insurance co and am well versed in claims. My wife is a claims quality manager for another large insurance co.

I can see a raft of insurers making some swift changes to future policy docs once they cotton on to the cost of repair for a pano roof!!!!

Thank you for your time and effort on research with regards to my current issue, i shall speak to my NFU agent on Monday and make them aware of the "small print" . When i spoke to the claims dept today they asked if i felt responsible for the damage and stated even though i say i am not, when the claim info comes through it will state it is my fault

Do you have any idea how much the repair is going to cost? If not covered by NFU as a glass repair, it's unlikely you will want to claim, but will depend on your excess and whether you have protected NCD. Really bad luck though.

Mr P, unlucky with the roof!

Just out of interest, when you took out the policy, did you state that the car had been modified to include the panoramic roof or does it not matter as it is manufacturer fitted option?

Reason for asking is that my last car had tinted windows as an option and my insurance company at the time said it had to go on the policy as a modification as it was not "standard" on the car? (even though it was an option fitted at the time of build)

If it leaves the factory with it fitted then its not a modification.

(06-01-2012 09:26pm)mark_n Wrote:  Do you have any idea how much the repair is going to cost? If not covered by NFU as a glass repair, it's unlikely you will want to claim, but will depend on your excess and whether you have protected NCD. Really bad luck though.

Hi Mark, the cost of replacement is £1440 plus fitting, whilst my excess isn't that great, i feel that it is unfair to apportion blame to myself and be penalised for future cover.

(06-01-2012 09:31pm)ED209 Wrote:  If it leaves the factory with it fitted then its not a modification.

That's what I thought but my insurance co. wanted me to identify every item within the Lux pack and included them as modifications. There was no additional premium, they just had to record it this way so that all the 'extra's' over a standard car were accounted for.

(06-01-2012 09:33pm)Mr P Wrote:  Hi Mark, the cost of replacement is £1440 plus fitting, whilst my excess isn't that great, i feel that it is unfair to apportion blame to myself and be penalised for future cover.

Unfair buts thats the way insurance is im afraid. I got hit whilst stationary by a bus a couple of years ago, I wasnt even in the car. My insurance still went up because i had made a claim.

Did you continue to drive it with the chip for any distance before it cracked?

(06-01-2012 09:35pm)ED209 Wrote:  Unfair buts thats the way insurance is im afraid. I got hit whilst stationary by a bus a couple of years ago, I wasnt even in the car. My insurance still went up because i had made a claim.

Did you continue to drive it with the chip for any distance before it cracked?

Hi,
Chip, crack happened at the same time

(06-01-2012 09:14pm)Mr P Wrote:  Thank you for your time and effort on research with regards to my current issue, i shall speak to my NFU agent on Monday and make them aware of the "small print" . When i spoke to the claims dept today they asked if i felt responsible for the damage and stated even though i say i am not, when the claim info comes through it will state it is my fault

Just out of interest is yours a Car policy or a 4x4 policy? I checked the Car policy online but can't find a sample policy for the 4x4 cover which suggests that the wordings are the same. If they give you any hassle just ask them to tell you where in their GLASS policy section a GLASS roof is excluded. Their policy wording states that:-

"How to Claim
Any event which might become a claim under the policy must be reported to US as soon as possible. (you've done this from what I can gather) WE will require written details of any claim, except where the only damage is broken glass in the CAR’S windscreen, windows or sunroof.

Landrovers own definition of the Pano roof is "Choose between a range of contrast colour roof options* or a panoramic sunroof to further personalise your Range Rover Evoque."

NFU will pay you out for the claim and you won't lose your NCD and you should only have to pay the windscreen excess, you just might have to remind them of the terms of their policy. If you are going round in circles with the claims handler then mention the word "Complaint" and throw in "I don't think you're treating me fairly" for good measure. Those phrases should guarantee that 1. You've just raised a complaint that has to be investigated by someone with far more knowledge than the claims handler. 2. They now know that you're aware of the rules surrounding "Treating Customers Fairly". This basically means that they can't change the wording of your policy to suit them. That's not fair!

As before the offer is open to PM me. If you want to talk further I'm happy to talk you through things on the phone.