High time the authorities do something.
Car Owners' grief, as reflected in Letters to Straits Times -
||
Must insurer pay out claim if vehicle is not damaged?
Published
Nov 4, 2015, 5:00 am SGT
I agree with Mr Kenneth Kong Kitson ("Greater transparency needed in motor insurance claims"; Oct 27).
I was in a similar situation when my car just "touched" the rear bumper of another car.
As there was no damage to either vehicle, I apologised to the other driver and assumed that everything was over and we would each go on our way.
To my surprise, I received a letter from my insurer NTUC Income that a claim had been made against me by the other party for $7,895.95.
I felt that the other party was trying to inflate the costs. So I disputed the amount and submitted photos to prove that there was no damage to the two vehicles.
Income sent me a second letter stating that it had negotiated a settlement with the claimant, and that my no-claim discount would be reduced.
My motor insurance premium would also be loaded as I had been blacklisted as a bad risk.
Must insurance companies pay out in damages even when there is no sign of damage to the other vehicle?
Is an insurance claim warranted when a vehicle merely "touches" another vehicle?
Such payouts are pushing premiums up.
Consumers need to know that insurance companies can be trusted and that they are working for their customers' interests.
Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye
||
Zero tolerance for fraudulent, inflated claims
Published
Nov 6, 2015, 5:00 am SGT
Mr Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye asked why NTUC Income paid out a third-party claim in an accident he deemed to be extremely minor ("Must insurer pay out claim if vehicle is not damaged?"; Wednesday).
We agree with Mr Lauw that the initial demand of almost $8,000 from the other driver involved in the accident was excessive.
That was why we negotiated for a much lower amount, including legal fees and miscellaneous charges.
We spoke to Mr Lauw and received his consent before we settled the claim in June last year.
With the claim settlement, Mr Lauw's no-claim discount (NCD) was reduced by 30 per cent.
The details of the NCD are stated clearly in the motor insurance contract, and is a standard practice among all motor insurers.
Regarding Mr Lauw's assertion that his insurance premium would be loaded, he was, in fact, offered a renewal of his motor insurance at the standard premium rate.
It is also untrue that Mr Lauw was "blacklisted as a bad risk" as it is not the practice of NTUC Income to blacklist any motorist due to bad claims experience.
Claiming against another party in a road accident is a civil claim that typically involves costly and time-consuming legal proceedings.
We advise motorists to make road safety their top priority when they are driving.
In the unfortunate event of an accident, it is advisable to settle minor accidents amicably.
For more serious accidents, they should contact their insurers immediately, or as soon as it is safe to do so.
NTUC Income policyholders can engage the help of our Orange Force riders to render assistance at the accident scene.
Under no circumstances should motorists allow their vehicles to be taken away by unknown parties.
Finally, NTUC Income has zero tolerance for fraudulent or inflated claims.
Any suspicious claim will be thoroughly investigated and referred to the authorities once we have sufficient evidence.
Over the years, a number of these cases have been prosecuted in court.
Peh Chee Keong
Vice-President
Motor Insurance
NTUC Income
||
Why was claim paid out when car was not damaged?
Published
Nov 16, 2015, 5:00 am SGT
I thank NTUC Income's Mr Peh Chee Keong for his reply ("Zero tolerance for fraudulent, inflated claims"; Nov 6). But a few points bear clarification.
First, I did not willingly agree to any payout, as I was trying to prevent Income from paying out a possibly fraudulent claim. But I was told that if I did not agree to its proposed settlement amount, I would have to represent myself in court to take up the case further.
Not wanting to take over the case myself, I had no choice but to agree with whatever payout Income had decided on.
Second, Mr Peh said I was offered a motor insurance renewal at the standard premium rate.
Before the accident, my insurance premium was $800, but after the accident, it went up to $1,400, even after the 20 per cent no-claim discount (NCD).
I have tried to obtain quotes from various other insurance companies, but was told that since a claim had been made against me, there will be a loading on my future premiums. Does that not make me "blacklisted as a bad risk"?
As the accident was very minor, I did try negotiating with the other party, as I did not want to lose my 50 per cent NCD, but the other party was very unreasonable and wanted an exorbitant amount from me.
From the very outset, I had informed Income many times that the other party would be trying to inflate the claim.
I submitted photos taken after the accident, which supported my contention that there was no damage to both vehicles.
Moreover, how could my vehicle have caused so much damage to the other party's vehicle if there was no damage to mine to warrant any insurance claim?
I appreciate Mr Peh's stand of zero tolerance for fraudulent claims but he still did not address my question: Must insurers pay out claims even if a vehicle is not damaged?
The insurer would not have disagreed with me if it had reviewed the photos I sent them.
Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye
||
Insurers shouldn't pay out claims too readily
Published
Nov 17, 2015, 7:06 pm SGT
A few years ago, I experienced an incident similar to Mr Jimmy Lauw Thian Chye's ("Why was claim paid out when car was not damaged?"; Nov 16).
A bigger car reversed into my car and damaged the left rear door which was subsequently replaced.
The other owner, a younger man, apologised to me and suggested that we settle our own repairs without claiming from our insurance policies.
His car was hardly damaged as its spare tyre was mounted externally, at the rear.
I claimed from my insurance company while the other owner engaged a lawyer to make a claim against me.
My insurance company's claims executive called me to inform me that the insurer had agreed to the payout to the other party even after my explanation.
The reason that many claims are paid out by insurance companies is very simple: They do not want to spend money on costly litigation. Any payout can be recovered from clients' increased premiums over the next few years.
Lim Jit Chaing
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Mr Tharman and the Jurong Hand-Severing Lift Incident
Exactly what we were thinking, and it takes a brave minister to say it:
"There’s nothing to hide, there must have been something wrong with the lift even if maintenance checks were done,” Mr Tharman told reporters after visiting Mdm Khoo Bee Hua, 85, at the National University Hospital.
There must have been something wrong, so we have to take responsibility. We will wait for the authorised examiner to do an independent report and then make sure on the basis of the report that this never happens again.” — Jurong GRC Member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Source: Today http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/jurong-town-council-take-responsibility-lift-accident-tharman?sc_customer=952c9467-31d3-4f90-83b8-e9fd114f4f78&sc_src=email&sc_llid=27205&sc_lid=33987208&sc_uid=19xVRsbQ0Q
Wish we had Mr Tharman as our MP when our Ama was beaten up while under observation for dementia at a local hospital in Singapore.
Hospital had tried to cover up; we had lost faith in our district MP; and when we tried to contact the Health Minister, and then the Home Minister for help with housing so the family can stay closer to look after her, we were blocked by the staff.
Ever since then, we realize that in spite of the niceties presented in the media, we are in effect truly on our own when problem arises.
Below are some pics from the 2010 incident which left us, and our Ama severely traumatised, and in perpetual fear thereafter (she was lucid on and off despite dementia)....
Our poor, poor Ama — beaten in the very place we thought would keep her safe....
Till this day, we cry at the thought of it.
Ama was 85 years old at the time of incident.
Her body took a major hit from the beating that arises from the negligence of the Singapore hospital.
The perpetrators brought her down to her knees....
Other parts of her body were whacked too, but as the pictures were too graphic, it will not be shown.
When such a thing happens, we really, truly, are on our own.
"There’s nothing to hide, there must have been something wrong with the lift even if maintenance checks were done,” Mr Tharman told reporters after visiting Mdm Khoo Bee Hua, 85, at the National University Hospital.
There must have been something wrong, so we have to take responsibility. We will wait for the authorised examiner to do an independent report and then make sure on the basis of the report that this never happens again.” — Jurong GRC Member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Source: Today http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/jurong-town-council-take-responsibility-lift-accident-tharman?sc_customer=952c9467-31d3-4f90-83b8-e9fd114f4f78&sc_src=email&sc_llid=27205&sc_lid=33987208&sc_uid=19xVRsbQ0Q
Wish we had Mr Tharman as our MP when our Ama was beaten up while under observation for dementia at a local hospital in Singapore.
Hospital had tried to cover up; we had lost faith in our district MP; and when we tried to contact the Health Minister, and then the Home Minister for help with housing so the family can stay closer to look after her, we were blocked by the staff.
Ever since then, we realize that in spite of the niceties presented in the media, we are in effect truly on our own when problem arises.
Below are some pics from the 2010 incident which left us, and our Ama severely traumatised, and in perpetual fear thereafter (she was lucid on and off despite dementia)....
Our poor, poor Ama — beaten in the very place we thought would keep her safe....
Till this day, we cry at the thought of it.
 |
| Ball formation on hand due to being plucked off shoulder. |
Ama was 85 years old at the time of incident.
Her body took a major hit from the beating that arises from the negligence of the Singapore hospital.
 |
| Physical injury is visible. The trauma that lives on is unseen. |
The perpetrators brought her down to her knees....
 |
| The knee area suffers excruciating pain when busted.... |
Other parts of her body were whacked too, but as the pictures were too graphic, it will not be shown.
When such a thing happens, we really, truly, are on our own.
Monday, October 12, 2015
GrabCar, Uber Brings Relief to Decades-old Taxi Shortage
All the King's Horses and All the King's Men could never solve the critical shortage of taxis in Singapore.
For decades, you can see the look of frustration - some even bordering on panic - in the eyes of locals and tourists alike, as they stood in hour-long queues, or running up and down the road vying with one another for the scarce cab that comes along, all figuring out if they should pay the hefty booking fee or tolerate the one to two hours wait standing in line for a cab.
Then there is the constant "Change Shift" drive-by; the cabs which magically appear around the corner only after you activate the booking fee; disappearing cabs during rainy days; and the cab drivers who put the green sign on yet zoom past on their own errands.
The scene still persist, but there is noticeable relief for consumers in the more agile alternatives of GrabCar and Uber.
Just hope that competitors rise to the challenge in terms of service standards, and not try to kill a good thing.
For decades, you can see the look of frustration - some even bordering on panic - in the eyes of locals and tourists alike, as they stood in hour-long queues, or running up and down the road vying with one another for the scarce cab that comes along, all figuring out if they should pay the hefty booking fee or tolerate the one to two hours wait standing in line for a cab.
Then there is the constant "Change Shift" drive-by; the cabs which magically appear around the corner only after you activate the booking fee; disappearing cabs during rainy days; and the cab drivers who put the green sign on yet zoom past on their own errands.
The scene still persist, but there is noticeable relief for consumers in the more agile alternatives of GrabCar and Uber.
Just hope that competitors rise to the challenge in terms of service standards, and not try to kill a good thing.
Friday, October 2, 2015
American Express ~ Making Life Easier
Customer Service Officers at American Express Hotline are known to provide exemplary standards of customer care.
We put their standards to the test:-
January to September 2015 : 5 stars all the way.
October 2015 : 2 stars. Polite and helpful. But gave wrong information.
October 2015: 1 star. Impersonal, promise to call back on wrong information, but went MIA.
We put their standards to the test:-
January to September 2015 : 5 stars all the way.
October 2015 : 2 stars. Polite and helpful. But gave wrong information.
October 2015: 1 star. Impersonal, promise to call back on wrong information, but went MIA.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
New Taxi "Operators" on the Road
Other than Uber, Grab Taxi, and other taxi app services, there appears to be a new class of operators on the road. We call them "Zippies".
No fear of competition, however, since these cabs have the Green Light on, i.e. no passengers, yet choose not to stop. No matter how we hail, they simply zip by blatantly, thus we call them "Zippies".
We hope this is not a new tactic to beat the authorities at their game, because ever since the Land Transport Authority (LTA) impose taxi availability standards for the major operators (Comfort, CitiCab, TransCab and Premier), we are experiencing an increase of taxis driving around with Green Light on and not picking up passengers, where prior to this, they would have the Red "Hired" sign on to indicate that they are not available.
The current taxi availability mileage counters that monitor the minimum daily mileage of 250 km that the cabbies have to log in, may not be sufficient to curb some cabbies' habit of using their cabs for private use.
No fear of competition, however, since these cabs have the Green Light on, i.e. no passengers, yet choose not to stop. No matter how we hail, they simply zip by blatantly, thus we call them "Zippies".
We hope this is not a new tactic to beat the authorities at their game, because ever since the Land Transport Authority (LTA) impose taxi availability standards for the major operators (Comfort, CitiCab, TransCab and Premier), we are experiencing an increase of taxis driving around with Green Light on and not picking up passengers, where prior to this, they would have the Red "Hired" sign on to indicate that they are not available.
The current taxi availability mileage counters that monitor the minimum daily mileage of 250 km that the cabbies have to log in, may not be sufficient to curb some cabbies' habit of using their cabs for private use.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
POSB's Puzzling Overseas Spend Promotion
Despite voicing the puzzle to POSB Hotline, there has been no clarity to this computation in relation to POSB's 2% rebate for Overseas Spend.
Promotion link:-
https://www.posb.com.sg/personal/cards/credit-cards/posb-everyday-card
In the promo link, it says:-
Get 2% Cash Rebate on your Overseas Spend
Your POSB Everyday Card now lets you enjoy more savings when you travel. Charge to your POSB Everyday Card when you travel and get 2% cash rebate5 on your overseas spend!
However, in the T&C, it says:-
Full terms and conditions
5. Subject to a minimum total spend of S$1,000 on your POSB Everyday Card within the same calendar month and capped at Daily$10 per Card account per month (effective 01 February 2015).
?!?
First off, to qualify for the promo, spending $1,000 is a must.
So happily, you would think that you are getting $20 as rebate based on the promo of 2% on $1,000.
However, according to the T&C, your rebate is capped at $10 (Daily$10 per Card account per month).
So after spending a minimum of $1,000 to qualify for the 2% rebate promo, you can only get a maximum of $10 rebate.
The effective rebate is therefore 1% and not 2%, as claimed in the promo.
The Customer Service Officer agrees with me.
I've asked for a revert confirmation from POSB Marketing in May.
But there has been no clarification till now.
Promotion link:-
https://www.posb.com.sg/personal/cards/credit-cards/posb-everyday-card
In the promo link, it says:-
Get 2% Cash Rebate on your Overseas Spend
Your POSB Everyday Card now lets you enjoy more savings when you travel. Charge to your POSB Everyday Card when you travel and get 2% cash rebate5 on your overseas spend!
However, in the T&C, it says:-
Full terms and conditions
5. Subject to a minimum total spend of S$1,000 on your POSB Everyday Card within the same calendar month and capped at Daily$10 per Card account per month (effective 01 February 2015).
?!?
First off, to qualify for the promo, spending $1,000 is a must.
So happily, you would think that you are getting $20 as rebate based on the promo of 2% on $1,000.
However, according to the T&C, your rebate is capped at $10 (Daily$10 per Card account per month).
So after spending a minimum of $1,000 to qualify for the 2% rebate promo, you can only get a maximum of $10 rebate.
The effective rebate is therefore 1% and not 2%, as claimed in the promo.
The Customer Service Officer agrees with me.
I've asked for a revert confirmation from POSB Marketing in May.
But there has been no clarification till now.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Furniture Movers
Yesterday was a day of drama.
Auntie Pearl finally got the key to her resale apartment, and a mover was supposed to move her furniture from the apartment she sold to the one she bought.
Repeated queries as to whether he can handle two truckload's worth of furniture met with no objection. In the end, despite us waiting till close to midnight, the mover was a no-show.
A blessing in disguise because when we opened the door to the resale apartment, we had the shock of our life. Bundled up black plastic bags and items were strewn everywhere. The stench of musty, old stuff was pervasive throughout the house. This was surprising because the house had looked and smelled completely different during house viewing day. Guess we didn't eyeball each nook and corner and sniffed enough during house viewing. Now it look like we had wandered into a hoarder's smelly compound.
Either the seller ran out of timeline to clear the space, or simply junk the stuff onto us.
It took us a full night to clear just one portion of the seller's loot, sufficient to create space for the furniture to be shifted in. As it turns out, it took another few days to complete clearing the loot from every room. That's how much stuff was left behind for us to clear.
We are lucky that the gentlemen who bought Auntie Pearl's house was obliging enough to allow the massive haul of furniture to reside there though the house now belongs to him, till we locate a new mover. Many movers could not fulfill last minute requests or would charge a premium.
Thankfully, mover Jervis (Mobile 94899985) came to the rescue, moving the stuff across the very next day. His team of workers were polite and resilient despite the two truck's loads of hard work.
Now, our journey towards turning this house into a livable space begins..
Auntie Pearl finally got the key to her resale apartment, and a mover was supposed to move her furniture from the apartment she sold to the one she bought.
Repeated queries as to whether he can handle two truckload's worth of furniture met with no objection. In the end, despite us waiting till close to midnight, the mover was a no-show.
A blessing in disguise because when we opened the door to the resale apartment, we had the shock of our life. Bundled up black plastic bags and items were strewn everywhere. The stench of musty, old stuff was pervasive throughout the house. This was surprising because the house had looked and smelled completely different during house viewing day. Guess we didn't eyeball each nook and corner and sniffed enough during house viewing. Now it look like we had wandered into a hoarder's smelly compound.
Either the seller ran out of timeline to clear the space, or simply junk the stuff onto us.
It took us a full night to clear just one portion of the seller's loot, sufficient to create space for the furniture to be shifted in. As it turns out, it took another few days to complete clearing the loot from every room. That's how much stuff was left behind for us to clear.
We are lucky that the gentlemen who bought Auntie Pearl's house was obliging enough to allow the massive haul of furniture to reside there though the house now belongs to him, till we locate a new mover. Many movers could not fulfill last minute requests or would charge a premium.
Thankfully, mover Jervis (Mobile 94899985) came to the rescue, moving the stuff across the very next day. His team of workers were polite and resilient despite the two truck's loads of hard work.
Now, our journey towards turning this house into a livable space begins..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)