INSURANCE FRAUD (30 august 2004)
One freezing day in 1997, I entered my apartment.
Of course, I do enter the apartment more often. But this time there was a difference: water came dripping from the ceiling.
It did not take very long before the drops had grown into a domestic waterfall.
Later it turned out that a waterpipe in the apartment above ours had frozen and burst. The woman who lives there claimed she didn't know where to find the cock to shut off the mains.
But instead of calling me and asking me to help her solve the problem, she didn't even pick up the phone when I called her. And she allowed the water to run for hours.
One of my worries was that the parquet in the living room would be damaged beyond repair. So I took great pain mopping up the water from the parquet.
I had done such a good job on the parquet that it did not warp. So when the insurance inspector came round, there was no visible damage to the parquet and I signed a receipt in which I waived any future claims.
But after some months, the chipboard that lay under the parquet and had been soaked, dried out. But the swellings did not disappear and caused the parquet to get stressed.
So now I'm saddled with a parquet floor that creaks with every step you set on it. But still you may wonder: what's the point of this story?
Is it that my upstairs neigbour is to blame? Well, I don't think you can blame anybody for being stupid.
No, the point is that the insurance company offered to pay if I waived my future rights.
Especially if it is is caused by water, damage is often discovered after months. By compelling the claimants to waive their rights, insurance companies often commit clear acts of intimidation.
It's time that this kind of practice should be banned.
