An Insurance Company that Doesn't Want to Pay Out. Help us get justice.

HOME INSURANCE. Home insurance that gives you peace of mind.

EVERY DAY MATTERS

Yes, having insurance should give us peace of mind - but with Legal and General it has given us anything but. They have turned down a claim for water ingress due to storm damage to our flat roof from two storms, one in January and the other at the end of March. 

And this was after previously accepting it; but they now say the weather was calm from March through to June and that we had plenty of time to get it fixed.  

That's not true; it was anything but, and I am looking for justice as the roofers replaced our roof as soon as they possibly could: on 6th July. Help, please.  Can you remember the bad weather then? We need plenty of corroboration as L&G have simply stated that their decision is final despite evidence to the contrary.

The Met Office cites a storm at the end of March, with slightly calmer weather beginning in the third week of April, although it was still generally showery. May was considerably better although the third week was unsettled, as was most of June.

So, this very important question: do you remember what the weather was like between April and June? Here is a photo taken in Hampshire on 22nd June, when the average rainfall for the whole of June fell in under two days.

 However, Legal and General declare that the weather was calm from March onwards, saying we failed to mitigate the damage. But roofing contractors can't work in the rain and they had a lot of work to catch up with. They did our roof as soon as they possibly could.

Declined - Accepted - Declined

 We had two household claims: one for damage to the kitchen ceiling due to faulty shower sealant in the bathroom above, and the other for water ingress caused by storm damage to our flat roof.

A contracted surveyor came at the beginning of July, immediately after we had had the roof fixed - and turned both claims down.  He said there was no evidence that there was any damage to the roof, so there was no claim.  Of course there wasn't; we had just had it fixed and we couldn't make a claim until we had done so.

He then said the kitchen ceiling damage was not covered under the policy, but I wrote to the company, referring to the policy document which clearly states that leakage through faulty sealant is covered - and they reversed their decision.

At the same time they accepted the claim for the storm damage as I had "mitigated any further damage by having the roof replaced."

Water ingress doesn't happen immediately

The thing to remember is that it is not possible to make water ingress claims immediately anyway, as water takes time to seep through, a fact seemingly ignored by the very people who should know: the independent surveyors employed by L&G.

This claim must be settled! L&G won't admit when they are wrong

So here is a case where insurers refuse to acknowledge that they are wrong.  I wrote to them by Recorded Delivery on 9th September, explaining to them why their decision was completely unacceptable; but they failed to reply. It was only because I was able to talk to a member of staff about the other claim that I discovered that their letter was final.  

This is a very clear case of Might is Right; but I say justice should be done and should appreciate your support.

• Please comment on your recollections of the weather between March and June.
• I should also appreciate comments on any similar experiences you may have had.

Cheaper to Self-insure

 The accepted claim for the kitchen ceiling and the declined one had a repair estimate of about £1,300, far less than our premiums over the ten years we have been with Legal and General. And now they have increased our premiums by 20% and imposed a £250 excess on any future claims - despite turning the bigger claim down.

LET'S HAVE JUSTICE

Vote Leave against Vote Remain

A friend said she voted Remain for these reasons. My response is under Vote Leave below:

Vote Remain because:
1) The EU is not undemocratic-90% of decisions are made by member states /elected MEP not unelected bureaucrats.
How democratic are we by the way - 37% of the population voted in the current government. The House of Lords is unelected.  We have our own unelected bureaucarts making decisions - Ever watched Yes Minister??PM.
Vote Leave

Between 50% and 60% of all laws are made in Brussels and our MEPs have little influence as the laws are decided by unelected bureaucrats.

The argument is made that our House of Lords is also unelected, but bills can be returned to the House of Commons if they are defeated by the Lords.

Yes, only 37% of the population voted in the current government but the first past the post system was confirmed democratically in a referendum conducted by the coalition government.

2) Turkey is not about to join - it does not and has never and is even less likely with its less secular gov to join.

Vote Leave

Turkey will be a member by 2025

David Cameron's policy has always been to admit Turkey as a member as soon as possible, although much of the country lies outside the continent of Europe and they don't share our culture or beliefs.  It is only now that he is running scared that he is saying that they won't join until the year 3000! The next seven states to join the EU will be Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. Turkey has been fast-tracked and will get visa-free access to the EU from this year. Citizens of all these states will have the right to settle in the UK.

3) The tabloid press - Express Mail Sun owned by Murdoch has his own agenda for leaving- he said -paraphase I want to leave because I can control Westminster but not Brussels I find that very alarming though entirely unsurprising.
Vote Leave

The tabloid press will NEVER control Westminster. Murdoch just makes these statements to sell papers. 

4) The days of the great British Empire are gone.  We are not a super power. We are a tiny island with a tiny population in comparison To US Russia China India. The single market really does give us the best deal. The alternative is to keep in it but have no control over any rules or be a very small fish in a big sea the world is not the same place it was 40 years ago. 

Vote Leave

We are the world's fifth largest economy.  In fact we were the fourth until Blair and Brown dropped us one place.  We  have some of the highest growth and lowest unemployment rates in the developed world, not to mention the EU. We also receive the most foreign investment in Europe.  Leaving the EU will improve our quality of life.  With its right to make deals restored, the UK will be able to gain better access to those markets that buy most of our goods and services.

Our language, English, is the international language and we are a member of the Commonwealth, with which we shall be able to deal fully once more.

5) Does anyone really believe all the money is going to go into the NHS? - the cost of re-negotiating all our trade agreements and totally restructuring our legal system will probably suck up much of that.

Vote Leave

There is no answer either way to this question, but there is no doubt that money will be saved. That £350m plastered over the Vote Leave bus is somewhat misleading as it is just what we pay the EU each week.  Yes, we get a large amount of it back, but the point really is that we shall be able to make our own decisions on how to spend it without the shackles of the EU.

6) There is a very long list of politicans worldwide and economic experts who think we should stay viz Farage and Johnson and Gove  each with their own political agenda........
Vote Leave
Actually, the support of world politicians has obviously been orchestrated by Downing Street.  It is evident that Barak Obama was actually reading a note from Downing Street when he said we'd go to the back of the queue, instead of using the American 'line'.  This also true of all the support from big business leaders who, it has emerged, have been offered deals and honours for supporting the government, and from military chiefs.

Regarding facts

Both sides have been guilty of hype.  I have mentioned Vote Leave's £350m; and there is the dreadful immigration poster put out by Nigel Farage and disowned by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.  However,  the Remain campaign was rightly named Project Fear. Just three of the claims are: 1) Brexit would mean the end of Western civilisation 2)It would lead to World War 3. 3)Britain will be devastated.

Oh and for me as a Christian I am voting Remain because I personally believe it is what Jesus would do - his creed of love one another does not sit well with me in terms of xenphobia and distrust of anything not British - he wouldn't have liked the corruption and undemocracy but I think he would have stayed and tried to change.

Vote Leave

This just doesn't hold water at all. Brexit does NOT mean turning our backs on the world. In fact, it means embracing the whole world after having deserted the Commonwealth forty years ago.  Indian doctors working here have been refused renewal of their visas because they're not European, and they are having to go home to the detriment of the NHS. Brexit means we can ex;pand our cooperation with other nations and oversees aid will continue, although many of us believe that there are many needy people at home who need it more than corrupt governments abroad, but that's for another day.

Why I Voted to Leave the European Union

I used to think that the status quo would be better.

I liked the idea of an EU passport and driving licence and being able to share the same basic laws and freedoms, which gradually developed from the Common Market I voted for in 1975.  The idea of free trade across Europe appealed to me.  I have always said that we have a lot in common with our European neighbours and I have always enjoyed travelling around the continent.  In the '50s my best friend at school was a German which, would you believe, surprised some people.  

But what we have now is very different

However, that Common Market is developing into a bureaucratic superstate, where corruption is rife and its books have not been balanced for nineteen years running. Between 50% and 60% of all laws are made in Brussels and our MEPs have little influence as they are decided by unelected bureaucrats.

The argument is made that our House of Lords is also unelected, but bills can be returned to the House of Commons if they are defeated by the Lords.

The government made a "deal" with the EU - but it is not guaranteed.  The renegotiations have to be presented to the European parliament for approval - after we vote to stay in - so they could be rejected by 700 MEPs who don't particularly like us due to our hovering on the edges of the EU for years - after we have voted to Remain!!  Some new laws are deliberately being held back until after the Referendum; and the "emergency brake" on migrants' benefits expires after seven years.

Our Forces under EU  command

Under the 2009 Lisbon Treaty the EU is creating integrated European military forces - a 'common security and defence policy'. The EU Naval Force, EU Air Transport Command, EU  Military Staff, battle groups and rapid reaction forces already exist.  Generals Sir Michael Rose and Lord Guthrie, who were persuaded by 10 Downing Street to sign a 'better off in' letter with other defence chiefs, have now withdrawn, with the former saying he was coerced into doing so.

The EU is collapsing

Its Euro currency doesn't work, its borderless regime - the Schengen Agreement - is breaking up, the migrant crisis is overwhelming and European solidarity is coming to an end.  On 24th February Greece withdrew its ambassador from Austria.  The EU wants our weight and money to try and shore things up and prevent other countries from leaving. 

The EU-US trade agreement threatens the NHS

A trade agreement being negotiated in secret between the EU and the USA (TTIP) will open up the NHS to US corporations, who apparently be able to sue for access to our health services.

Turkey WILL be a member by 2025

David Cameron's policy has always been to admit Turkey as a member as soon as possible, although much of the country lies outside the continent of Europe and they don't share our culture or beliefs.  It is only now that he is running scared that he is saying that they won't join until the year 3000! The next seven states to join the EU will be ~Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey. Turkey has been fast-tracked and will get visa-free access to the EU from this year. Citizens of all these states will have the right to settle in the UK.

A Southampton to be built every year

If we remain in the EU it will be necessary to build a new town the size of Southampton to accommodate the immigrants.  And it is inevitable that it will get worse due to the admittance of even more countries.

I am not opposed to immigration; in fact I'm pleased to say that I am married to one.  However, the policy of an Australian or Canadian style points system is much fairer.  Various Indian doctors have told me that they are unable to stay in the UK because of preference given to unqualified immigrants from Eastern Europe. We are thus losing staff from the NHS at  a time we can least afford to.  Government policy has endorsed EU rules by making it more difficult for non-EU students to study  here, thus badly affecting our  universities.

IF WE VOTE TO LEAVE THE EU

We shall continue to trade freely with Europe and the World

It won't take 'years' to negotiate a trade agreement with the EU. We are their most valuable customer. As a former CBI chief said, we could have all the trade deals we need "within 48 hours". 

The love affair between David Cameron and Angela Merkel might be souring, but we Brits can't get enough of German goods - the UK has just recorded its largest ever trade deficit with Germany.

Germany has long been our largest trading partner, both in terms of exports and imports. But between August and September increased by £200m taking it to an all-time high of £4.9bn.

We shall stop 'free movement' and control our borders fairly

We can save billions of pounds to fund the NHS

Our food will be cheaper

The Eu makes our food about £45 per month more expensive for the average family, according to the IEA. Professor Patrick Minford of Cardiff University predicts that food prices would fall 8% "on day one" after Brexit.  Also, the EU is considering VAT on our food, medicines and children's clothes.  We should also be able to recover our fisheries and save millions of fish having to be dumped at sea because of EU rules, although this is supposed to be coming to an end by the end of this decade.  However, being able to fish in our own territorial waters can only happen if we leave the EU.

So let's be on the safe side - outside the EU.

The EU failed in Yugoslavia, provoked a war in Ukraine, can't control its borders or manage the migrant crisis.  Security experts say the reason a Paris-style terrorist attack hasn't occurred in the UK yet is because we are an island and can police our borders - up to a point. We have the best secxurity and intelligence services in Europe by far.

 

Fryern Arcade Landlords have bottle Bank Removed

This morning when I went to the bottle bank at Waitrose, Chandler's Ford I found it was full:

So I went over the road to the one behind  the Co-op and this is what I found:

This is where the bottle bank behind the Chandler's Ford Co-op used to be.  Now it's just parking.

I therefore wrote ton the council and this is what they wrote back:

Good afternoon Mr Read

Unfortunately, the landlords of Fryern Arcade will no longer allow us to site a bottle bank in their car park.  We have been able to arrange with the Co-op to place some smaller public glass bins on their land and these will be delivered in the next couple of days. 

We apologise that the bottle bank at Waitrose is full and confirm this will be emptied tomorrow.  We appreciate that the absence of the bank in Fryern Arcade has put additional pressure on the Waitrose site.  Unfortunately, we did not receive sufficient notice of removal to be able to make immediate alternative arrangements or post notices regarding the relocation of bins but hopefully the situation will be resolved shortly.

Kind regards

Waste & Recycling Team

Eastleigh Borough Council

Tel: 023 80688440

recycling@eastleigh.gov.uk

This means, of course, that the bottle bank at Waitrose will fill a lot more quickly as the small bins at Fryern won't compensate fully.  It'll therefore be necessary to keep a close watch on this situation, which I shall do.

Save the United Kingdom

Canvassing with Steve Brine in Chandler's Ford

Yes, I've returned to the fold!!  Early last year I left the Conservatives and joined UKIP, as I felt they had become the true Conservatives.  

However, a few months ago I realised how incredibly dangerous it would be to split the Conservative vote in the General Election - now in just two days time - so I rejoined the party to which I had belonged since the age of 18, as a Young Conservative.  I am really terrified of a left-wing grouping  that could destroy all the work the Coalition has done to rebuild the economy over the last five years.

And I also value the work our local (Winchester) Conservative MP  Steve Brine has done.  Here in Chandler's Ford, the resurfacing of the M3 has drastically reduced the traffic noise, as well as making it a much more comfortable drive. In addition to transport issues, he has campaigned successfully on school places and the local NHS. And he is an effective MP at Westminster. 

The Conservative led coalition has given:

• Competent leadership
• Employment at a record high
• Tax cuts for workers and savers
• The offer of a seven-day NHS
• Pensioners being allowed to keep benefits
• Benefits cap leading more into work
• 2.8% rise in growth

An unforgivable mistake

In today's Daily Telegraph Ian Duncan Smith says that anyone considering backing UKIP is making an"unforgivable mistake." 

And this is exactly why I returned to the Conservatives. He says UKIP voters will be ruining their chance of getting to vote on Britain's membership of the European Union if the Conservatives aren't returned.  IDS  has always been very Eurosceptic and voted for a referendum back in 1993.  Like me on the doorstep he says to Ukip voters that the only way we'll get the referendum is to have a Conservative government.

None of the other parties will countenance a referendum, so a vote for Ukip could prevent a Conservative government from being elected, hence no referendum.  An unforgivable mistake, he says.

A left-wing government

I am terrified of our having a left-wing government consisting of Labour, SNP and Greens.  Although the polls predict that the Tories will be the biggest party after Thursday's election, with the support of the SNP, Miliband could still become Prime Minister despite having fewer MPs than Cameron.

This would feel to voters that the election had been stolen from them.

A rag-bag of left-wingers with demands for more spending, leading to more borrowing and higher taxation, would be a nightmare.  Nicola Sturgeon will also demand that we give up our nuclear deterrent, and defence itself will become subject to more cuts than under the Coalition.  We mustn't forget that we have a resurgent Russia on NATO's borders and which is also making pacts with Argentina regarding the Falklands.  

And we have a real threat from ISIL, which would be compounded by Miliband's policy of banning "Islamophobia," thus through inference making any reference to Islamic extremism a criminal offence.  People will find it impossible to report suspects.

Labour governments never have worked.  The Conservatives have always had to clear up their mess.

Destruction of the UK?

But there is one mess they could make that would never be cleared up: Scottish independence and the breakup of the UK.  Miliband says it would never happen if he were prime minister - but with up to 50 MPs the SNP could force another referendum leading to the possible destruction of our 300 year old Union.

In Eastleigh, Mike Thornton had a majority of 1771 at the by-election in 2013.  His vote was just 13,342, while the combined UKIP and Conservative vote was 22,130.  

Ukippers, please think very hard about this.  The only way to vote is Conservative to keep the LibDem out and get our EU referendum.  AND TO PRESERVE THE UNITED KINGDOM

Traffic Nightmare in Chandler's Ford

Oakmount Road closed between Constantine Avenue and Hillcrest Avenue

Despite saying that they were closing the road between Carisbrooke Crescent and Constantine Avenue in one go, the contractors have been more sensible and done it in two stages.  Oakmount Avenue is now closed between Hillcrest Avenue and Constantine Avenue.

However, this has caused a tremendous traffic jam southbound along Winchester Road and Bournemouth Road.  The only practical way into Southampton from Chandler's Ford is up Winchester Road to Junction 12 of the M3.  There is also a considerable delay for traffic heading towards Junction 5 of the M27, with a queue the length of Stoneham Lane/Stoneham Way and also right along Twyford Road and Southampton Road up to Junction 5.  It's apparently caused by roadworks between J3 and J7 of the M27.  So - a nightmare all round, which suggests bad planning there as well as with the Oakmount Road work.

Surely the answer to the Oakmount Road work would have been to close one side of the road at a time and regulate the traffic flow by traffic lights.  I should like to know who masterminded this shambles and shall be doing all I can to find out.

Oakmount Road - the Saga Continues

 The Oakmount Road roadworks are back on again despite my having been told that they had been abandoned due to complaints and the weather.  The road is closed between the junctions with Carisbrooke Crescent and Constantine Avenue until 4.30pm

The man who was so helpful on Wednesday was abusive this morning when I tried to ask what the arrangements were, telling me to get off the road or he would call the police.

I had to ask several of the contractors just which section was to be closed and I got a different answer from each one, finally ending up with a definitive answer:  "between Sites 1 and 2."  I finally worked out that it is closed between Carisbrooke Cres and Constantine Ave.  They blame the Council for the confusion, but I'm sure it's not as simple as that.