jfm
Well-Known Member
I've inserted a few comments in colour. By the way, you don't have to agree or believe a word I write. I'm just saying what i think.
Surly they could only give you a manky old reliant robin, if you insured a manky old reliant robin, or something very similar, with them. That is misapplying the metaphor
If you Insured a Jag, you would expect a Jag back [No I wouldn't] and if the condition, miles, service history or optional extras were significantly different [I'm not at all suggesting the old boat and the replacement boat would be significantly different - you are missing my point completely], I would imagine it would be a easy option to turn down, and a case to win if they persisted. If you're happy with that, then go ahead. But if I lose my jag, I want money not a jag. That is entirely my choice, and anyone who wants just a used jag they didnt choose for a new jag they did choose, then go right ahead and choose craftinsure.
I am insured with Craft Insure, so have a genuine interest in this thread. This is the clause in my policy that I think you refer to [yes, that's the clause]:
In the event of total loss or constructive total loss, we will pay £My valuation or at our option, provide a replacement boat of a similar age, size and type.
Just how similar would the boat need to be. It wouldn't be difficult to prove that say, my £100k boat is being replaced with a boat worth only £70k. Boat values, unless a rare or unique boat, are quite easy to find. My central point isn't about how different or similar the replacement boat is, although that is an interesting and quite important sideshow. For sure, the replacement boat can be a bit different. My fundamental point is do you want new-for-old money (the £1m in my example) or are you happy with a second hand boat (worth roughly £600k in my example) that they choose? To state the obvious, that's a £400k difference even if they play nicely and offer you an identical used boat to the one you lost.
Has anyone every fallen foul of this clause? Someone in Holyhead must have been insured with Craft Insure I would have thought. I don't know, but it is a no brainer that they will hand you a £600k boat instead of £1m cash. You'd have to live on a very strange planet to think you'd get £1m. Indeed, they might well offer you £600k cash, using the leverage that this clause in the contract gives them, or they might say "Choose your own second hand boat of same spec and vintage, and we'll pay for it". But that's a £400k hit compared with other policies (using my hypothetical numbers).
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