Sign up with GoogleSo a couple weeks ago my cottage was broken into (while I slept, thankfully behind a trellidor) and they took my TV, new PC, monitor, winter coat, two pairs of shoes, ipod, laptop etc etc.
Now the cottage is joined to the main house where my folks stay. The building looks like one residence from the outside but there is no interleading door between the two, just a window looking onto a courtyard that's in the middle of the building.
My dad used to be with a broker that took care of everything so my dad never paid too much attention to the details. 5 years ago we had to switch and are now with Santam and a new broker.
When Santam got back to me they said they are restricted to 2% of the total coverage because the cottage is considered an out building. Even though I live there and it's bigger than most apartments.
So instead of the 35k which it'd cost to replace my items, they can only pay 12k. Which is the final groin punch to an already devastating situation.
So it seems Santam just followed policy. And it's certainly on us for not knowing this stuff as well. But am I right to be really pissed off with the broker? My dad says he asks her to come visit like our old broker used to, at the end of every year but she always puts it off and just encourages my dad to sign.
If 12k is 2% of what the main house is covered for, regarding household contents, that is a huge mistake. My folks have a very modest amount of stuff. A fridge that's 5 years old, an ipad 1, an iphone, a 32" lcd that cost 3.5k, no jewelry or expensive clothes. I'm sure 50k coverage would be able to replace anything that robbers could take that doesn't involve a moving van.
And my cottage is also probably at (or rather was) around 50k for all household items, and that's actually pushing it.
Surely she would have seen this in 5 minutes if she had made the effort, unless I'm misunderstanding something here.
Has she been negligent or is it entirely on our shoulders? And if she has been...I guess there's nothing to do but find a new broker and this time make sure all our ducks are in a row?
Now the cottage is joined to the main house where my folks stay. The building looks like one residence from the outside but there is no interleading door between the two, just a window looking onto a courtyard that's in the middle of the building.
My dad used to be with a broker that took care of everything so my dad never paid too much attention to the details. 5 years ago we had to switch and are now with Santam and a new broker.
When Santam got back to me they said they are restricted to 2% of the total coverage because the cottage is considered an out building. Even though I live there and it's bigger than most apartments.
So instead of the 35k which it'd cost to replace my items, they can only pay 12k. Which is the final groin punch to an already devastating situation.
So it seems Santam just followed policy. And it's certainly on us for not knowing this stuff as well. But am I right to be really pissed off with the broker? My dad says he asks her to come visit like our old broker used to, at the end of every year but she always puts it off and just encourages my dad to sign.
If 12k is 2% of what the main house is covered for, regarding household contents, that is a huge mistake. My folks have a very modest amount of stuff. A fridge that's 5 years old, an ipad 1, an iphone, a 32" lcd that cost 3.5k, no jewelry or expensive clothes. I'm sure 50k coverage would be able to replace anything that robbers could take that doesn't involve a moving van.
And my cottage is also probably at (or rather was) around 50k for all household items, and that's actually pushing it.
Surely she would have seen this in 5 minutes if she had made the effort, unless I'm misunderstanding something here.
Has she been negligent or is it entirely on our shoulders? And if she has been...I guess there's nothing to do but find a new broker and this time make sure all our ducks are in a row?
