I had a claim with Axa just over two years ago, I was in a customers car when a motorcycle hit me and wrote the car off. I could not claim any loss of earnings, car was valued at "trade" although vehicle had only been bought a matter of weeks before at retail and I would have lost my no claims until claim was settled in full by motorcyclists insurance, so I eventually decided to instruct solicitors (on a no win no fee basis) to pursue a claim against the motorcyclist directly. Still waiting for settlement after 25 months!! His insurance company is now being taken to court.
But all this is nothing compared to my claim back in 1991 when two lads broke in and stole lots of equipment, £36,000 claim and I was offered £12,000 in full settlement. Took two and half years but I got £34,500.

All in all, putting it very politely, I would not trust a word an insurance company said and if they were on fire - - well!

Graham

The next problem was I received a letter saying they wished me to take my business elsewhere, nobody and I repeat NOBODY would insure me. I traded with out insurance for weeks but eventually managed to get insured again with the Prudential. Cost before claim was £1800, after claim - quote was around £12,000. Paid my own claim over the next few years. Prudential was bought out by Provincial and then a few years later by Axa and that is how I became an Axa customer.

I recently looked at a lot of companies but when they came to assess me they all wanted toolboxes chained to walls, secure rooms building for hand tools, etc etc and I was not prepared to have all the exclusions that came with them so I stayed with Axa.

You just have to look at everything to do with insurance as a "Contract" and get everything clearly stated and explained. I found out about one term commonly used called "Reinstatement of sums insured following a loss" which simply put - if you paid £1000 for cover of £100,000 of stock and then after 1 month you had a claim for £50,000 worth of stock then the remaining stock is covered for the remainder of the year but any new stock bought to replace the missing is not insured for the remaining 11 month of that year. You can't really claim again and if you do you would only be paid a proportion in relation to the original claim unless there is Automatic "reinstatement of sums insured" or you pay to cover the new stock.

Last claim I had with Axa about five years ago was a car I was driving with trailer behind and a car on trailer, all wrote off. Although values were low they settled claim very quickly - as in days not even weeks. To be fair you could go out and buy replacements at the price they paid but the condition was not as good so I did feel a little bit robbed.

Graham

As for your mates claim, he should be able to claim of his neighbour if it was the neighbours car that set alight first, irrespective of how it set alight.

Graham