Episode 20 Rip Off Britain

'We asked you to tell us who's left you feeling ripped off

'and you contacted us in your thousands,

'by post, e-mail, even stopping us on the street,

'and the message could not be clearer.'

It feels to me that I'm fighting a battle that I can't win.

It costs you a fortune and when you get through, you get fobbed off.

'You told us, with money tight,

'you need to be sure that every pound spent is worth it.'

We ploughed thousands into it and we had nowhere to turn.

'So whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake

'or a catch in the small print,

'we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do.'

'Your stories, your money.'

'This is Rip-Off Britain.'

Welcome to Rip-Off Britain,

where it's our job to investigate why you reckon you've had a raw deal

or haven't got what you expected.

Now, the insurance industry pays out millions of pounds every day,

but it's when they reject the claim that so many of you write to us.

While a lot of these claims are usually rejected for good reasons,

there are always some where the explanation given can be,

to say the least, a little unusual.

We only buy insurance to protect us in an emergency.

When it doesn't do that and it looks as if we've paid for nothing,

it can be a dreadful blow.

So throughout our stories, we'll have advice to keep in mind

to make sure the same things don't happen to you.

'On today's programme - pets at a premium -

'the rising cost of caring for your furry friends.'

This takes it to a whole new level

because the increases are unbelievable.

I feel they're holding us to ransom.

'Three years after this family business burnt to the ground,

'the frustrations of waiting to see if the insurance company will pay.'

I'm mentally strained and tired of it all -

it has put a massive strain on me and my family.

'Plus we tackle more of your issues face to face at our Pop-Up Shop.'

Of course, we all love our holidays.

But the number of people going abroad without any travel insurance

is on the rise

and it's reckoned up to a quarter of us will go away unprotected.

Then, if disaster strikes,

that can turn out to be a very expensive mistake.

Sometimes, of course, even when you DO have travel cover,

it's no guarantee that your policy will pay out in the end.

Barry and Jean wrote to us about an adventure they'd planned

to the other side of the world,

but when the holiday was interrupted in the most horrendous way,

their insurance claim was turned down

and they were given an extraordinary reason as to why.

New Zealand was somewhere I've wanted to go to for a long time.

Barry actually wanted to go to New Zealand as well.

Fiji was my little bonus -

I wanted to just chill out on a beach.

'But Barry and Jean never made it to Fiji

'and the end of their six-week holiday in February 2012

'was not all what they'd planned for.'

We had arrived in New Zealand and had a wonderful time,

travelling around, before disaster struck.

I'd begun to get a pain in my left side.

Unfortunately, the pain got worse

and, by five o'clock in the morning,

I was struggling to breathe at all.

I thought "This is serious."

'The couple's holiday of a lifetime came crashing to a halt

'and Jean was rushed to hospital.'

'But with the medical centre not really equipped to treat her,

'Barry had to take her by car to a bigger hospital

'about an hour away.'

It was a bit nerve-wracking

because I didn't quite know how bad she felt.

It wasn't actually until she got to the hospital

that she deteriorated quite quickly.

She was virtually not breathing

and they all rushed in and... revived her.

'Thankfully, the medical staff were soon able to get Jean stabilised.'

'The doctors believed she'd had a pulmonary embolism,

'perhaps brought on by deep vein thrombosis,

'but, to be sure, Jean would need a CT scan,

'which had to be done in a hospital five hours away in Dunedin.'

'She was taken there by ambulance.'

I just didn't know how long she was going to -

or whether she was going to be all right at all.

'It became clear that Jean's condition was not just serious,

'but potentially life-threatening.'

'Although caught in time, she needed to stay in hospital for treatment

'and obviously wouldn't be able to continue her holiday.'

'In fact, there was only one place she wanted to go to next.'

There was obviously no question of going to Fiji,

so it was a case of "How soon can I get out of here

"and get back home again?"

'After a week in hospital and a couple of further days' observation,

'Jean was declared fit to fly

'and the couple returned home.'

When we walked through from arrivals,

erm, at Heathrow,...

..my grandsons came running.

Erm,... it was marvellous.

It was absolutely great

because that was the point at which I realised

I might not have seen them again.

So relieved to be back home safely with their family,

'they were confident that, as they'd arranged travel insurance with AXA,

'one of Britain's best-known policy providers,

'they would get back the thousands of pounds they'd lost

'as they'd never made it to Fiji.'

The main bulk of the claim was the loss of our holiday

to Fiji -

there was an invoice for £2,800.

'In went the claim

'and shortly afterwards the couple say they received a phone call

'assuring them that it would be paid out in full.'

I thought "This is great. I didn't think it was going to be this easy!"

'So Barry and Jean waited for the settlement to come through.'

'But their relief that all was being sorted quickly

'turned to bewilderment when, soon afterwards, AXA sent them a letter

'saying something different to what the couple say they'd been told.'

Two weeks later, the letter came

with the offer of a settlement

and it was far from a complete settlement.

'AXA now said that they'd cover the cost of Jean's stay in hospital.'

'But when it came to the Fiji trip, they would only pay for Jean's half

'because it was only her that had been hospitalised

'and had to cut short her holiday.'

They were happy to pay for Jean,

but they weren't happy to pay for me

because they said that my holiday wasn't curtailed.

We were quite stunned really

because we had carefully read the policy

before we put in the claim, a number of times,

and couldn't see what the problem was. We still can't.

'AXA's policy states

'that it would pay for "any unused travel and accommodation costs

'"if cancellation of the trip is unavoidable

'"or curtailment has been caused by illness of either you

'"or any person with whom you are travelling."'

'As Barry was travelling with Jean,

'they couldn't understand why AXA was saying

'they wouldn't get the full amount.'

I phoned up and queried it and their reply was that,

because I was not hospitalised,

it was only my wife,

my holiday wasn't curtailed.

Something major like this, potentially life-threatening -

this is what you have insurance for.

'Jean and Barry simply can't understand AXA's position.'

'But despite months of phone calls, e-mail and letters,

'AXA wouldn't budge, insisting that the right decision had been made

'and they wouldn't pay Barry's half of the cancelled trip to Fiji.'

'It means the couple have been left nearly £1,400 out of pocket.'

They were adamant that they weren't going to pay us any more money.

The moral of the story is - never go on holiday with someone

who you're not prepared to abandon should they become seriously ill.

I just cannot believe

how bad their performance has been, dealing with this claim.

'We asked AXA why they hadn't paid out for both Jean and Barry

'and finally there was good news.'

'They said the decision was down to...'

'Now, having "fully investigated" the case, the company has...'

'..and has apologised for any inconvenience caused.'

'And, although getting all their money back

'brings to an end months of worry for Barry and Jean,

'the experience has dampened their travelling spirit

'and their next holiday will be closer to home.'

Fiji's out, I think. It's a very long way.

Instead of that, I'll choose a nice, big holiday that's not so far

and have my time on the beach.

If you've had any travel experience that you'd like us to investigate,

then please do let us know.

We'll have a whole series looking at holiday horrors early next year.

So do send your stories to our usual address...

We're always here.

One type of insurance where the number of complaints is rocketing

is pet insurance.

We've seen a rise in the number of letters and e-mails on this topic

and the Financial Ombudsman Service

say that the number of people who have contacted them has doubled.

The problems you've reported to us

are typically to do with either soaring premiums

or policies that have not paid out,

which is why, however much you may love your four-legged friends,

some of you are questioning whether or not getting them insured

is actually worth it.

'There's no escaping the fact that we're a nation of animal lovers.'

'In fact, when money is tight,

'we're more likely to cut back on luxuries for ourselves

'than make our pets live without THEIR treats.'

'And with the lifetime cost of a dog ranging from £16-31,000,

'our pets are expensive.'

Come on!

'And last October, Peter, who owns Labradoodle Bentley,

'discovered that Bentley would become even more expensive to own

'when the premium for his pet insurance more than doubled.'

'But Peter had every reason to think that Bentley was in tip-top health.'

He's very sociable with other people, loves other people,

loves many dogs

and goes through life... He's also a very laid-back dog,

so he tends to be found relaxed in the corner.

'Bentley is now six years old

'and Peter and wife Penny have owned him for the last four,

'after seeing him at a rescue centre.'

Being a rescue dog, we didn't know what had happened to him beforehand.

All we knew is that, just before we got him,

there was some neglect,

because when we got him, his hair was in dreadlocks and matted,

so he hadn't been cared for quite as well as he might've been.

'Peter had no hesitation in taking out pet insurance for Bentley.'

We've always been insured with our dogs

because there's the medical aspect,

but there's also if the dog causes an accident -

the third-party cover, we think, is essential.

'In November 2009, Peter insured Bentley with Argos pet insurance

'and paid just under £140 for their Platinum cover.'

We'd used Argos with our previous dog and had had no problems,

so we went back to them because their quote was good.

'Six months into the first year of cover, Bentley fell ill.'

He had a problem with his hearing,

which made him shake his head a lot, and we took him to the vet

and he wouldn't let the vet inspect his ears because they were painful.

The vet anaesthetised him and found out he had a perforated eardrum

on one side,

so we had to have all the treatment for that.

'Peter made a claim for the treatment and Argos sent a cheque.'

'Later that year, they also covered Bentley's follow-up treatment too,

'but this had very little impact on Bentley's insurance premium.'

'When Peter came to renew, it had only increased by nearly £50.'

'A whole year passed, with no more medical emergencies.'

'So the next time Peter came to renew the policy,

'he was surprised to see that the premium had increased

'by another £100.'

'Nevertheless, he renewed again because he was happy with Argos.'

'But last October, after another healthy year for Bentley,

'he was more surprised to see that, this time,

'his renewal quote had more than doubled -

'from £287.59

'to £594.73.'

We were shocked. We'd had an increase in the previous year,

but this one seemed to be totally out of proportion,

particularly as we hadn't claimed in the previous year.

We'd only claimed in the first year.

'And, as there had been no claim on Bentley's insurance for two years,

'Peter asked Argos to explain the increase.'

Their main explanation was it was based on an increase in vet fees.

When I said "We hadn't claimed", they said "That doesn't matter"

because they didn't base it on your history,

they based it on the average for the area

and hence the fees within the area.

'Unhappy with the rise, Peter started to shop around

'for a more affordable quote,

'but he discovered that doing so would be harder than he thought.'

Basically, if you move to a new insurer,

they will not cover you for anything the dog has been treated for.

'Because the problems that led to Bentley's perforated eardrum

'are common in dogs of his type,

'Peter would have to declare it as a pre-existing condition,

'so most insurers Peter contacted said Bentley would not be covered.'

If we'd stayed with Argos and we had a recurrence of his ears,

that would've been covered.

But going to any other insurer, that would not occur.

'So Peter could pay Argos twice as much for the same level of cover

'or swap to another insurer and save hundreds of pounds -

'just so long as Bentley's ear problems didn't come back.'

I feel they're holding us to ransom

with the way they deal with you.

You suddenly get a quote come in,

vastly greater than the one you had before

and you've got this dilemma

of "Do I just pay it to continue my cover

"or are we prepared to risk

"that his pre-existing condition will not reoccur?"

'With other people also telling us their pet premiums have rocketed,

'is pet insurance really worth it

'or is it better to put money aside just in case of an emergency?'

'One reason Argos had given for the rising cost of cover

'was that vets' bills are becoming more expensive

'and whilst smaller procedures have not seen a dramatic rise in price,

'Alan Sim, who's a vet in Dorset, not far from where Bentley lives,

'says it is true that the high-tech end of animal health care

'is costly.'

There's certainly been an obvious escalation in veterinary costs

as more high-tech procedures become available

for the pet population.

Even as little as ten years ago, such things as MRI scans

were highly unusual to be done on pets.

Now it's really quite a common procedure,

along with things like CT scans, radiotherapy -

all the sort of high-tech science

that has improved human medicine

is coming into veterinary medicine in a big way.

'And high-tech treatment means high prices.'

For simple treatments and surgery,

you may be able to treat minor problems for £50 or so.

For a major orthopaedic operation, it is not unusual,

particularly if the animal has to be referred to a referral centre,

to pay several thousand pounds.

'It was potential costs of this size

'that influenced Peter's decision over Bentley's insurance.'

'Ultimately, he decided that Argos's renewal quote was too expensive

'and went with a quote from somewhere else,

'even though Bentley would not be covered for every eventuality.'

If we'd have carried on with them,

paid this big amount,

we would be covered for something,

but we'd still have to pay this enormously increased premium,

whereas, going to another insurer, we haven't got the same cover,

but we've got less than half the amount to pay.

'We asked Argos why Peter's renewal quote had risen so much.'

'Though concerned to learn that he was unhappy,

'after "an urgent investigation",

'they concluded that the premiums Peter was quoted -

'the highest level of cover - were...'

'Argos say pet insurance is a type of health insurance...'

'Other factors that impact on cost include claims history

'and, as they said at the time, increasing vet costs.'

'The company also point out that, in 2012,

'it changed its underwriter to offer additional benefits

'to ensure that customers...'

'Peter's new cover is underwritten by the same company that Argos use,

'but, at £250, it's well under half the cost he would have to pay

'by keeping his old policy.'

'And while he no longer has the same level of cover,

'Peter is happy he made the decision not just to renew for another year.'

You see on the telly people who've renewed their house insurance

without looking at the figure.

This takes it to a whole new level

because the increases are unbelievable in this case

and you're almost duty-bound to go with it

if you want to retain the cover.

'We've been on the road again,

'opening up another of our Pop-Up Shops.'

This year, we're in Liverpool.

For one weekend, we've taken over this space in the shopping centre

and this time, our shop is bigger and better than ever.

You're right, because we have more experts to give free advice

to people who come along with their consumer problems.

We also have street workshops to help people avoid being ripped off.

And I think we'll be inundated, so shall we get cracking? Let's go.

Morning, everybody! Yay! Good morning. How are you all?

'Outside the shop, we had a complaints corner,

'where you could come and get things off your chest.'

That makes me feel as if I am being ripped off.

'Insurance was a real bugbear

'and we heard a lot about one particular kind.'

Do you know what annoys me? Mobile phones.

Phone companies overcharging on the insurance.

Me phone contract is like £36 a month

and that's with insurance as well.

'But it wasn't just insurance you came to see us about.'

'Therese asked financial journalist Sarah Pennells

'about collective energy saving,

'an increasingly popular way of buying energy as a group

'so you can negotiate a better rate.'

I've heard about collective energy saving -

will it benefit me because I live on my own?

Bills keep going up and up and up and it's not funny any more.

The advantage for you is you don't have to shop around

and hopefully you should get a good deal.

The disadvantage is you might not get the best deal

for you as an individual, but it's worth investigating further.

'Another of our money experts, James Daley, had some help for Marion,

'who came to see us about pensions

'after worrying that she'd be overcharged for advice.'

What would normally happen when you buy an annuity,

you'd get charged for the advice up front,

which can come out of your pension pot.

That should be a few hundred pounds.

But I really doubt whether or not

you should be paying anything like £3,000 for the advice

and certainly not an ongoing fee.

'Our experts have put together some free factsheets with their advice

'from our Pop-Up weekend

'and you can find them on our website.'

'Still to come on Rip-Off Britain -

'the consequences of not fully understanding an insurance policy.'

I just want my home back.

That's all I want - my home back.

Next, another Rip-Off viewer who's ended up a very unhappy customer

and wrote to us to tell us why.

'Steve Grant has been in the panel-beating business for years,

'repairing damaged vehicles for customers,

'including big-name bus companies.'

I started business in 2003

doing cars, buses, coaches

and numerous other things that needed painting.

If a car has a scratch down the side or the bonnet

or there's dent in the wing, my staff get the dent removed

and then give it back to the customer in a perfect condition.

'But this isn't Steve's first panel-beating business.'

'That one has ceased trading,

'thanks to an incident three years ago in July 2010,

'which he's been battling with his insurer Aviva

'to resolve ever since.'

Business wasn't bad.

It wasn't fantastic as there was a recession in 2010

but we just finished a big contract with a major company

and we were about to start another one with another company

and we had six buses due in on the Monday.

'At the end of that midsummer Friday,

'Steve went home for the weekend.'

'But a few hours later, he received the sort of phone call

'every business owner dreads.'

I was called about ten past, 20 past ten by the security

up on the trading estate.

His words was to me "Steve, your premises have got a fire."

'20 minutes later, Steve arrived at the entrance to the trading estate,

'but couldn't get close to his building.'

'He told the fire brigade there were flammable paints inside,

'then all he could do was watch as his business went up in smoke.'

I was absolutely, er, gobsmacked.

It took away...

I felt that it just ruined my life overnight

because it had taken me ten years to build a business up

and to lose it in two hours -

it... it destroyed me.

It destroyed me.

'The police and fire service started to investigate the possible cause,

'but found nothing suspicious.'

The fire report came back saying

that the cause of the fire was accidental.

The police came to me and said to me

"Mr Grant, there's nothing suspicious here,

"so good luck in the future" and they went.

'The fire brigade concluded that the fire was an accident

'and the police did not see fit to make further investigations.'

'So Steve thought claiming on his insurance would be straightforward.'

'He called his broker to ask him to make a claim.'

He did contact Aviva,

who were my insurers at the time,

to let them know that I'd just had a major fire

and there's been a catastrophe and obviously there's a major claim.

'Steve estimates that around £160,000 worth

'of materials and equipment was destroyed in the fire.'

'He was also insured for disruption to his business,

'but it became clear that claiming for this

'and the expensive contents of the building would not be simple.'

When I was interviewed by Aviva's loss adjusters,

I was interviewed for many hours -

four to five hours. Intense.

Some of the questions were - locks on doors? Locks on windows?

Where was the key? Were you the key holder?

Did anyone else have keys?

'Like anyone wanting a big claim resolved,

'Steve was impatient for it to be settled.'

'It can be frustrating having to wait for a decision on a big claim,

'but it's necessary that every avenue is investigated

'before a payout can be made.'

'But, as the months went by,

'Steve became increasingly unhappy

'as Aviva began to raise other questions about the business

'and whether he'd included all relevant information

'when he took out the policy.'

'He had to move to new premises and try to keep the business afloat

'while £160,000 out of pocket.'

Being me

and strong-minded and things like that,

I just didn't sit back.

I just went and started up again,

using my own personal money to start back up.

I was one of the lucky ones who had a bit of money to do so.

'Steve opened his new panel-beating business so he could keep working

'while his solicitor and broker tried to get closer to a decision.'

'But when, nine months after the fire, there was still no sign of it,

'Steve felt the only way forward was to start legal proceedings

'in the hope that it might force Aviva to pay out.'

I've spent a lot of money, personal money,

after the fire,

due to setting up again

and also paying legal fees and solicitors' fees...

..in the excess of

£86-87,000.

'Steve's started legal proceedings against Aviva,

'seeking over half a million pounds

'to cover what he says is the damage to his business and loss of earnings

'plus the value of the equipment and vehicles lost in the fire.'

That's affected me massively,

with work, my family life,

my friends - all my friends have noticed a change in me.

I'm not the same guy I was three, four years ago.

'Steve's insurers Aviva

'say they can't really comment on his case because...'

'But they point out that at the time those proceedings began, they...'

'They went on to say there were...'

'..when Steve took out the policy

'and, if they'd know these then,

'it's "unlikely" Steve's business would've been insured at all.'

'If you've ever thought it's getting tougher to make a successful claim,

'you're in good company.'

'Research earlier this year

'from the British Insurance Brokers' Association - BIBA -

'found that 89 per cent of brokers asked thought so too.'

'So what should you do

'if you're concerned about how your claim is being handled?'

Talk to the insurer and hopefully the issue will then be resolved.

If not, every insurer has a formal complaints procedure.

At that point, the insurers are legally bound

to respond to you within eight weeks.

If they don't or you're not happy,

an individual could take their complaint

to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

That's an independent body and they will investigate the claim.

A business can't go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Their only option is legal action.

'Which was what Steve did.'

'He's due to go to mediation in the autumn

'to try to resolve his case.'

'He says he'd never have expected that making an insurance claim

'would've taken so long and had such an effect on him.'

I've still got a business to run and a family to look after

and it has put a massive, massive strain on me and my family.

'Most companies you tell us about haven't set out to rip you off,

'so when you feel that has happened,

'it may be that their terms and conditions weren't clear enough

'or that there's been a mistake that they've been slow to put right.'

'Whatever the situation, you need to know what to do and where to turn.'

'So we've put together a guide of tips and advice.'

'You can find a link to the free guide on our website...'

'Or, for a hard copy, send a stamped, A5, self-addressed envelope

'to the address that we'll give you at the end of the programme.'

Perhaps the most common frustration

when you're making any sort of insurance claim

is how long it can take to get the whole thing resolved.

And that can make life especially difficult

if you've got a problem that needs putting right urgently.

For example, if, like our next family,

you're stuck with a gaping big hole in the ceiling.

'Knowing what is and isn't covered under any insurance policy

'can be tricky, as Edna has found out to her cost.'

'As a mum of three, she's used to handling what life throws at her,

'but, for the last nine months, she's come unstuck

'by some of the terms of her home-insurance policy.'

I was disturbed in my sleep at about 2am, 2.30am,

by drip, drips, drips, you know.

I just couldn't figure out where the drips were coming from.

I had to wake my husband up

and we put the light on and noticed that it was coming from the ceiling.

It was raining in my room.

We didn't know what to do, who to call, it was 2am.

'Edna had to move fast to minimise the damage.'

I had buckets,

bowls, pans everywhere.

My bedroom, the hallway

and my sitting room. It was raining.

We couldn't sleep. I don't know how morning came, but it came.

And first thing I did was I was on the phone to my insurance company.

'It turned out that that boiler tank in the loft was leaking,

'dripping through the ceiling.'

'But as Edna had home and contents insurance,

'she was confident that all would be resolved relatively quickly.'

When you own a property,

it's paramount that you have... you have your policies right.

Peace of mind, safety measures -

we know that things are very expensive,

so it's good when you have things in place,

then you don't have to worry, you know that you're protected.

'At first, it did seem that Edna's prudence was paying off.'

I rang the insurance company

and they sent their men out to establish the facts.

There was a ring in the hot-water tank that snapped

and that caused an overflow.

Hence the leak.

Now, in order for me to control the leak,

we had to start running water.

'The boiler-breakdown company told Edna to drain the leaking tank,

'so the family had to manage without heating or hot water in November!'

'The only source of hot water was an electric shower downstairs.'

It was upsetting. It was frustrating for myself and my husband.

'Edna's insurers said they were willing to pay Edna £1,171

'to fix the damage caused by the leak to the ceiling and the floors.'

'They usually offer a choice between them finding someone to do the work

'or giving customers the money to get it sorted out themselves.'

'The company is confident that Edna was given both options,

'although Edna says she wasn't.'

'Either way, the claim was settled with a cash payment,

'leaving Edna to get the damage repaired.'

'But before she could start on the ceiling, the tank needed fixing

'and there was a problem with that -

'her water tank was lined with asbestos.'

'It would have to be completely replaced

'and repairs to the water tank were not covered in her home insurance.'

'Edna would have to find a specialist in that sort of thing

'at her own expense.'

I never knew that we had asbestos in the hot-water tank

and that came as a shock.

We were asked to get a private... company

to come and remove the tank.

'By now, it had been five weeks since the initial leak.'

'Edna felt her insurance company should help with the tank's repair

'and had taken her case to the ombudsman.'

'But before a decision could be made, disaster struck.'

'Despite her efforts to minimise the use of the boiler,

'the tank continued leaking and the pressure of the water on the ceiling

'had got so great that it finally gave way.'

It felt like a loud noise -

the whole house was in dismay.

Things damaged,

my husband's clothes,

bed sheets ruined...

I can't find the right word to describe the unpleasantness.

It was... It was hell.

It was a nightmare.

'This time, the damage was extensive,

'affecting the loft, two bedrooms and two rooms on the ground floor.'

'Edna got on the phone to her insurers - again -

'to tell them about the incident and she was relieved when they told her

'they would give her an additional £2,700

'to repair the latest damage.'

They were very prompt and I must compliment them for that.

They came promptly to assess the damage.

I'm not a builder, so I thought that was a reasonable offer.

And it kind of reassured me

because they were so confident.

'But Edna's relief was short-lived.'

'Because they'd given her a cash settlement for the first claim,

'her insurer assumed she'd want the same with the second,

'so it was down to Edna to find a builder who could fix the damage

'for the amount the insurers had said they'd be willing to pay.'

'Edna didn't want to find someone - she wanted her insurer to do it

'and she asked them to reconsider, but the company refused.'

'And they were entitled to do so.'

'Edna had not realised that, under the terms of her policy,

'her insurer was not obliged

'to identify or organise anyone to do the job for her.'

'In fact, it's common practice

'for companies to offer cash to settle claims.'

'But although her insurer has paid out on both of her claims,

'Edna still feels disappointed and confused.'

'She hadn't realised that her water tank was not covered by her policy

'or that SHE would have to find the contractors to repair the damage.'

'But, as all of these exclusions were stated in Edna's policy,

'there is little she can do.'

'In the meantime, as she hasn't yet found anyone to do the job for her,

'the hole in her ceiling and the damage still remains.'

So you can see the impact of the damage.

This is very, very awful.

'The leaks have left their mark in the kitchen as well.'

There's the impact.

In December, January, the whole ceiling was discoloured

and it's drying now,

but you can see traces.

You can see how bad it was.

I just want my home back.

That's all I want - my home back.

'Edna's insurance company told us that they...'

'But, to be fair to all of their customers...'

'In this situation, they're...'

'..where the damage is covered under Edna's policy.'

'But this does not extend to making further payments

'or arranging for contractors to do the repairs that are not covered.'

'They say...'

'..who have provided a reasonable estimate to do all of the work

'within the cash payments that she will receive,...'

'Edna's situation is a reminder that, with any insurance,

'you need to double-check you're happy with what you're covered for

'and what exclusions there might be before you have to make a claim

'so you can be sure you'll get the cover you expect.'

'Edna's insurer has given her a payment of £200

'in recognition of the inconvenience that she's experienced,

'but she remains unhappy with the way her claim has been handled.'

It's disappointing. I'm very disappointed.

'Every day, UK insurance companies pay out £108 million in claims

'on everything from home contents to life insurance

'and cancelled holidays to stolen computers.'

'That may sound like a lot, but even the insurers themselves

'believe they're becoming stricter when it comes to paying out

'and complaints about insurers not paying are on the up.'

I had an accident many years ago on a pushbike

and I'd had insurance for if you have an accident

and I had one on a credit card and another insurance

and didn't pay off for either.

They paid out the right amount, but I had to go through court

to prove that I'd actually had it stolen,

erm, and it was quite a gruelling... a gruelling interview.

They owed me some money and it took me six months to get the money back.

Most insurance companies, they promise you the earth,

then, when you try and get the earth, you don't even get gravel.

So if you want an insurance policy

and you don't want to fall foul of the small print or rules,

what should you look out for?

The first thing is to shop around.

Insurance policies vary really widely,

so get one that's right for you.

If you want household insurance,

make sure the policy will pay out to find the root of a problem

and not just to repair the damage.

If you have a flood in the kitchen,

it could be expensive to rip up the floor or take out the units.

And check what the insurer will ask for in terms of evidence

because some insurance companies set the bar higher than others.

One company may expect you to keep receipts of everything you own

and another may expect you to file a police report,

even if something's been lost rather than stolen on holiday.

It could make a claim much harder if you choose the wrong policy.

Well, while it my feel harder to make a claim,

because of a change in the law,

the odds are stacked in favour of the consumer

and not the insurance company.

Up until earlier this year,

it was your responsibility to tell an insurer anything they should know

and if you didn't disclose something relevant,

they could turn down your claim.

But now insurers must ask you specific questions.

If there's something they want to know, they must ask you

and if they don't, they can't refuse your claim.

But insurance isn't a one-way street.

It's crucial you are honest in what you tell your insurance company,

that you read the small print and that you stick to the rules

because that could make all the difference

between getting the payout you need and having your claim rejected.

'At Rip-Off Britain, we're always keen to hear more of your stories.'

'And we're particularly interested in ones to do with food

'for a new series next year.'

'Confused by all those different labels on the supermarket shelves?'

'Worried that products described as "healthy"

'may be nothing of the kind?'

'Whatever's worrying you about the things we put on our plates,

'you can write to us at...'

'Or send us an e-mail to...'

'The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your story.'

We've been hearing today about situations

where your insurance hasn't worked out the way you expected.

But it is rather good to be able to report that it's not all bad news.

For years, we've been talking about the sky-high cost of car insurance.

So it's great to see that the cost of that, in particular,

has been falling in recent months.

That has to be good news.

But while premiums are still a lot higher than they were six years ago,

it's fantastic to see them finally coming down

and at a record rate, according to the AA.

Perhaps some of the other areas where you've told us you think

that your insurance is too expensive may be next on the list.

That's all we have time for today, but do keep your stories coming,

about not just insurance, but anything you spend your money on.

We'll be back to investigate more of them very soon.

Thanks for joining us today. From all of us, bye-bye.

Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd