Boat trailer insurance claim knock back
thought I would put up the scenario I've just gone through and see what people's thoughts are on it.
earlier this year I had a bearing fail on the boat trailer (ally I beam 2009 so not old and maintained accordingly - new bearings were put in less than a year ago). The wheel bearing failed coming back from Augusta on the freeway and resulted in the complete wheel assembly coming off, along with the wheel arch and tearing the I beam, along with a lot of ally wearing away in the 600 metres it took to control the trailer and get to the side of the road. Needless to say once it was taken to a boat workshop it was deemed a write off and a new trailer was required (no damage to the boat except for sticker damage from the tyre making contact and thank god no one in other cars got hit by the tyre crossing the middle of the freeway and incoming traffic).
Got the ball rolling with the insurance company and before a quote had even been written they deem they would not cover due to 'mechanical failure'. Now this is where I am confused with why I bother with insurance (this is the first insurance claim of any kind I have ever had for anything). I spoke to a rep on the phone and explained that I agree that I wouldn't expect insurance to cover a failed bearing, as I wouldn't expect a car motor to be covered if it died from wear, however I would think that the trailer would be covered in a scenario like this. They repeated that they still wouldn't cover for this. So I asked the rep when I pick up my boat on the new trailer in 3 weeks time, and 2 months later the same scenario happened would I be covered, he stated that I would not, as would be the case with anyone else covered by them. The part that really irritated me was that they said that they would be able to cover the damage caused to the stickers! What a relief. Don't think that will cover the 9k for the trailer
thoughts on this?
Macca
holth
Posts: 812
Date Joined: 09/10/06
Thats f##ked. Damage should
Thats f##ked. Damage should be covered. They Wont cover mechanical failure but will cover stupidity.
Whos your insurance company.
Sometime lieing is best.
Stevo81
Posts: 1278
Date Joined: 16/04/12
PM Sunshine on here. He's a
PM Sunshine on here. He's a full bottle on insurance and has offered his advice to members in your situation in this thread.
fishwrecked.com/forum/drive-carefully
•••••••• Electrical Contractor NOR ••••••••
resurgence
Posts: 575
Date Joined: 23/04/14
Pretty standard
My understanding is that it is normal for insurance. They don't cover the actual failure but they will cover any incidental damage that occurs as a result of the failure. It makes sense, otherwise everyone would be making an insurance claim every time their car suffered a major breakdown.
Rob H
Posts: 5795
Date Joined: 18/01/12
That sucks
But yeah that is also my understanding Macca, as it generally covers only what is out of your direct control.
However if you had "hit a pothole" or "hit a cat" causing the wheel to come off, you would have been.
Its like your house, can't just let termites eat away the beams til it collapses then claim a new house.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
black gen
Posts: 762
Date Joined: 13/04/11
yes sometimes the truth may
yes sometimes the truth may need to altered slightly to have it working in your favour unfortunately....shithouse though sorry to hear
Bucko
Posts: 144
Date Joined: 08/05/10
So just to clarify, are we
So just to clarify, are we saying that if my car brakes fail, and I hit a tree I am not covered by insurance?
I could maybe accept that if the car was unroadworthy due to neglect, but if well maintained, surely you would be covered?
Seems similar to if a pipe bursts in your house and floods everything, would you also be covered for that?
Rob H
Posts: 5795
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Some don't cover that I
Some don't cover that I believe, or not if its from a failed appliance, can't remember which.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
dano83
Posts: 790
Date Joined: 25/05/12
Dunno, but if your ceiling
Dunno, but if your ceiling caves in 9 times outa 10 its not covered from insurance unless caused by water damage ect ect I've seen that a few times
little johnny
Posts: 5355
Date Joined: 04/12/11
Kangaroo
Good excuse. Seen it happen before. Car missed roo .hit boat, under wheel bang. Not mine, random coming back from cervantes .
dodgy
Posts: 4576
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Yep. All in the way its
Yep. All in the way its worded.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
wagyl
Posts: 219
Date Joined: 08/03/09
Tell us,
Which insurance company? I would like to check and see if my insurance would cover that as it is a common scenario.
D_d_001
Posts: 1522
Date Joined: 09/03/13
personally would not take no
personally would not take no for and answer easily on this one. As Bucko points out the actual mechanical failure of course not covered (wheel bearing) but damage that occurred after the mechanical failure (seeing as you can show it was well maintained) is covered .....they have already admitted the sticker damage after the mechanical failure is covered.
for me it would be push push push. As some said wording. the trailer damage is what occurred AFTER the mechanical failure.
macca85
Posts: 46
Date Joined: 05/06/11
The insurer stated that if
The insurer stated that if the exact same scenario happens with the new trailer in a couple of months time they woul not respond because it would be 'mechanical failure' that is the cause. I think a few comments above regarding potholes/ kangaroos hit the nail on the head. This would have been covered if I 'hit a pothole', which resulted in the bearing failing which resulted in trailer damage. Shows that being straight up about what happened doesn't always pay, and an expensive learning experience at that.
Boydy
Posts: 623
Date Joined: 26/09/12
That sux
But on the "pot hole story" not sure if it would fly if parts were inspected by the insurance mob.
I would have thought the failure mode of hitting a pot hole or roo (sudden impact/shock load) would look fairly different to that of a bearing that has some other type of issue, that being water ingress or something.
Not saying that this is your scenario, but just that the type of failure the bearing had would have to match what is actually found.
Could be over thinking it all but.....
Matt T
Posts: 875
Date Joined: 19/11/07
Insurance
Hi Macca,
I'm an insurance broker that works with Heavy Transport like prime movers and trailers. The guys above are on the right track, however not all policies are the same - the policy wording and your schedule notes what cover is available. In many fleet policies covering trailers the policy would not cover the actual damaged bearing but would pick up the resultant damage. In saying this there are still some insurer wordings that specifically exclude the resultant damage.
Send me a PM with your insurer and I can check your policy wording & schedule for you if you would like.
Cheers
little johnny
Posts: 5355
Date Joined: 04/12/11
As dodgy
Stated all in wording. Lesson learnt. Boating expensive as is . You don't really need extra costs. Let's hope doesn't happen again .
sunshine
Posts: 2600
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Macca ....pm sent
let's see if we can get this resolved quickly
Sunshine
macca85
Posts: 46
Date Joined: 05/06/11
Pm replied. Cheers
Pm replied. Cheers
quest
Posts: 248
Date Joined: 03/08/15
That sucks!
That is so wrong. I'd be very pissed to say the least. What's the point of having insurance in the first place?
Rob H
Posts: 5795
Date Joined: 18/01/12
so if someone elses trailer
so if someone elses trailer wheel falls off and wrecks your boat/car and they cant or wont pay...
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
sunshine
Posts: 2600
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Final outcome ......success for the good guys
After a lengthy dispute with Club I was successful in getting them to overturn their denial of the claim for the trailer and the fishwrecked member finally received settlement a couple of weeks ago.......
chris raff
Posts: 3257
Date Joined: 09/02/10
Well done Sunshine going in
Well done Sunshine going in to bat for Macca and getting a win for him .. I presume he’s very appreciative
“Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.”
z00m
Posts: 1086
Date Joined: 10/05/14
Great result
Good work Sunshine!
Stevo81
Posts: 1278
Date Joined: 16/04/12
Great Result mate! Love your
Great Result mate! Love your work!
•••••••• Electrical Contractor NOR ••••••••
uncle
Posts: 9474
Date Joined: 10/02/07
Well done
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
bradz
Posts: 693
Date Joined: 29/10/07
Top work
Good on you Sunshine
I did then the best that I knew how. When I knew better, I did better.
craytail99
Posts: 76
Date Joined: 29/04/14
Onya Sunshine I would pay
Onya Sunshine
I would pay your launching fee anytime .....
squalis
Posts: 112
Date Joined: 23/11/14
insurance
Please let us know who the insurance company is so we can ensure we dont insure with these people.
thesupervisor
Posts: 1136
Date Joined: 10/06/09
good stuff sunshine so based
good stuff sunshine
so based on your experiance who is the best to get our boat insured thru?
getting the bottom line final answer from a bunch of blokes that use false names and put smiley faces at the end of paragraphs is not the best place in the world to get the information you seek.
squalis
Posts: 112
Date Joined: 23/11/14
insurance
I am with QBE and have had 2 no at fault claims .one a rear end collision while stationary at lights and one a broken drive shaft from hitting a submerged object at speed. They paid up with no sneaky attempts to avoid paying up. Straight shooters with no attempts to weasel out of paying . They did everything to get me back to fishing. My mates have had simular experiences with them.
Dale
Posts: 7930
Date Joined: 13/09/05
Way to go Sunshine, good karma to you.
"Just because you are a Character, Doesn't mean you have Character."
Mr Wolf
Rob H
Posts: 5795
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Awesome work Sunshine, though
Awesome work Sunshine, though suprised the OP didnt pop up to break the good news first?
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
sunshine
Posts: 2600
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Working on another if we can get the repairer to reply
It is time Club Marine wake up to the fact that their policy provides "Accidental Damage" cover and that the legal onus of proof to clearly and demonstrably show an express exclusion applies rests on their shoulders. If there is the slightest doubt then the policy holder should ALWAYS receive the benefit of the doubt.
I am sure George would have got around to mentioning the good outcome but I know he has been flat out at that four letter word that, now retired, I don't have to concern myself about
sea-kem
Posts: 14960
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Very nice work Gordon, ha ha
Very nice work Gordon, ha ha I was gonna mention about you being retired.
Love the West!
squalis
Posts: 112
Date Joined: 23/11/14
club marine
I used to be with club marine and in the past they have been very good and paid up on the claims that i made without any problems . Over the past few years several forum members have given examples of this mob doing thier best to avoid paying out on claims such a pity for a company that was looking after policy holders.
Cruise Control
Posts: 973
Date Joined: 03/11/10
Excellent work Sunshine.
Excellent work Sunshine. Another great example of members assisting others. May good karma come your way.
Gezzza
Posts: 15
Date Joined: 19/09/16
Sunshine you have impressed a "Newbie"
Being relatively new to the forum, but not to boating, I am impressed at how the forum works.
The example above is an absolute cracker in my mind. One member helping another member to the value of 9k is very impressive indeed.
I am currently trying to do my bit to contribute by seeing if I can help out a member chasing a Compact Flash Card, maybe about $5 worth. Just thought I would start out small no point getting over my head until the trainer wheel have come off.
As for the Pot Thief, well that is priceless and an outstanding result for the victim and if it was a mistake by the offender, that is a monumental one to make.
Nobody gets out of life alive, so make the most of it.
Swompa
Posts: 3871
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Well done, Sunshine.
Well done, Sunshine.
macca85
Posts: 46
Date Joined: 05/06/11
Firstly I must say if there
Firstly I must say if there were more people in the world like Gordon it would be a bloody better place! Without his help on this I would not have got the outcome we have achieved (I had succumbed to the fact I wasn't getting any help from the insurer when he first got in contact with me and turned it around). Being the first time in my life I had ever dealt with an insurance company I would not have known how to take the action needed to get a good outcome. As already mentioned above a prime example of some good that comes out of forums like fishwrecked.
Will give you a buzz tomorrow Gordon. Your definitely not wrong about work being busy!
sunshine
Posts: 2600
Date Joined: 03/03/09
Thanks for the kind commentary
Have always believed strongly in karma.....and bluntly it was nice to use skills acquired over 44 years in the insurance claims game to help get a total injustice to be overturned.
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15644
Date Joined: 29/11/05
Awesome
Makes me really proud of the community we have built on this site, good on you Gordon, great to see.
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