Victim Harassment a new tactic of the Insurance Industry?
At a recent hearing of a personal injuries case in the High Court in Dublin we came to see one of the first public airings of what has become a new tactic of certain insurance companies in the ‘management of claims’.
Allegations were made that an insurance claims manager contacted the father of a woman involved in a car accident over 15 times to try to persuade the woman to accept a settlement arising from the accident.
It was claimed that there was a ‘campaign of harassment’ by Quinn Direct to persuade her to settle her case by way of numerous telephone calls and letters to her home a short time after her release from hospital.
The victim’s barrister told the court that his client was seeking aggravated damages because of the harassment she & her family endured.
Surprise, surprise the case settled a short time after commencement for an undisclosed sum.
The case highlights a trend where little regard is had for the interests of victims by certain insurance companies.
Some insurers have brought a whole new meaning to the phrase a ‘fast buck’.
Remarkable in all this has been the stony silence from government representatives who not so long ago were heralding the arrival of a shaft of reforms which would make insurance cheaper for all.
Unfortunately the victims seem to be the loosers in all of this!
With no requirements for independent advice, no cooling off periods and apparently no restrictions on this type of harassment by insurance companies it seems the industry’s profits are set to rise whilst victims are ‘short changed’.
What is most reprehensible is the abuse of foreign nationals which I have come across; many who have suffered significant injuries have been subjected to similar harassment by unscrupulous employers or insurers.
The growth of this trend says little for the ‘Corporate Conscience’ of the Insurance industry & its friends and requires to be redressed. In the meantime I believe solicitors have a role to play in protecting the interests of victims.
Paul Tracey is the principal of Paul W Tracey Solicitors 24 Marlborough Street Dublin
Comments
5 Comments on Victim Harassment a new tactic of the Insurance Industry?
-
Car Insurance on
Tue, 25th Dec 2007 7:19 am
-
Henry on
Fri, 1st Feb 2008 5:31 pm
-
Mary Jones on
Fri, 11th Apr 2008 11:32 am
-
Lee on
Thu, 31st Jul 2008 12:44 pm
-
Alan on
Thu, 4th Nov 2010 12:03 pm
Great Post. With any insurance, remember to shop around and get more than one quote. And don’t just accept your renewal from your current insurer.
If you are in the UK here are a few Insurance resources:
http://www.insuresupermarket.com
http://www.insurancewide.com
http://www.confused.com
Hi, You got a very nice site. I just bookmarked it.
I have recently had a house insurance claim with Quinn, I have received a phone call a day now for four weeks and feel completely harassed by them and to top it all off they are now advising that despite all of this hassle they will only pay out €300 on a burglary that cost me €1500. I will be transferring my insurance elsewhere immediately
I recently had an accident in my girlfriends car. Quinn Direct have offered her 2,000 euro the car is worth 7,500 and are pressuring her too take it or the car will have too be taken out of where they have it held. I spoke too the rep for quinn she said ” sure you could have crashed it on purpose too claim!! I am outragged by this especially since my girlfried had worked very hard for her car and paid 12,000! I will be taken legal advice from Paul W Tracy`s, And will never deal with quinn again.
While not a harassment, my experience with house insurance is a warning on what to expect.
A neighbours son drove his Mothers car into a perimeter wall on our property (front of) in q2 2008. The car was wrecked, so was the wall. I had my house insurance with Ulster Bank at the time. I needed the wall back up as we were planning to sell the house later in the year, and had two options – claim on the house insurance (and let them sort it out) or claim vs the car’s insurer directly.
The value was in the order 2000 to 2400 to get the wall rebuilt. I claimed on the house insurance – who recouped all their costs from the car insurer and i know they recouped everything as they paid back the Own risk up front amount also by cheque about 6 months later.
On the renewal of the house insurance, (same insurer), they doubled the house insurance price, and issued new terms removing external perimeter walls from the house insurance. Yet… they had not lost any money. And all other insurers apply a penalty to their cover as I made a claim in the last 2 to 3 years. Not much peace of mind in this process as you can see.
Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
