I read in Insurance Times recently that the financial Ombudsman had decreed that it would, in certain circumstances, back a policyholder against an insurer excluding claims for leaving keys in or near a car. I can’t help but wonder if the same would apply for a motor home. As an insurance broker, I almost feel that this story is not one to publicise.
The family and I had a late night in our motorhome playing cards and went to sleep very tired. As a result, when we woke up the next morning we were already late for a rendezvous that we had arranged with our close friends and fellow motor homers, the Wilsons. The usual queue for the shower ensued and by the time we were finally ready to go, our friends had decided to explore the country-side without us.
I then realised I had no idea where the keys were so I looked for them, and couldn’t find them. My family then joined in the search and in my usual calm and patient manner I accused each family member of stealing them, then moved on to accusations of half-hearted searching before finally accepting my son’s version of events which was that aliens must have come from mars and stolen the keys to our motorhome. So I then went to the cab to get my mobile so I could call my insurance company for help. I was stranded in a field with a grumpy family and to make matters worse, it was about to rain.
There in the middle of the cab, sitting next to my phone, were the keys! I couldn’t believe that I’d left the keys to my beloved motorhome in the cab. Being an insurance man I couldn’t help but wonder if my motorhome would have been insured if it had been stolen under those circumstances. And so my mind drifted back to the Insurance Times article.
If my motorhome had been a car the ombudsman would have considered
Location
Was I in a position to deter a thief
Was I recklessly ignoring the risks
Mitigating factors
Whether I knew about the exclusion in the insurance policy
I would like to think that this kind of thinking would have applied to me and my motorhome. If you use an insurance broker there is a much higher chance of finding a comprehensive insurance policy to cover you whatever your situation.
For a class leading service in motorhome insurance contact Coversure. Their motorhome insurance is a cut above the restand you’ll leave with peace of mind that you need when you’re on your holidays.
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