Dear Mabs
This past weekend I read the story of the doctor whose insurance claim was rejected because she failed to have a specific tracking device in her car. In her case, the ombudsman sided with the insurer and agreed that they were right in rejecting her claim. This triggered a memory from a few years ago. My boyfriend’s new car was stolen after he had it for less than a month. Apparently, the tracking device installed was not working and his insurance refused to pay out his claim. They suspected him of shoddy dealings and kept questioning him. He was left with a huge debt that almost killed him. I watched him suffer and could do nothing to help him.
Why is insurance linked to a tracking device and why are they important?
If you have done everything in your power to protect the asset but a provider does not meet their end of the bargain, can that be blamed on you?
Mabs Answer:
I am sorry to hear of what happened to your boyfriend, it is traumatic to have your car stolen and it leaves quite a deep scar. Having a tracking device installed in your car is important and can be one of the most efficient ways to protect and track it in the event of a crime.
It is a great security measure to have especially to monitor the whereabouts of your car and in an unfortunate event when it vanishes, it helps to find your car. In the long run, it could save you a huge amount of stress. Also, tracking devices are often linked to your insurance and can keep the cost of the insurance down. However, most insurances demand that you have a tracking system in your car to aid in the recovery, should your vehicle be stolen. It can also save your life in an event when your car is involved in an accident. However, there have been instances when tracking devices have been a complete failure as in the case of your boyfriend’s car.
In most instances, the onus is placed on you the motorist to check if the device in your car is in perfect working order. Most tracking companies will ask you to do regular tests and report to them if there are challenges. Without absolving insurance companies from responsibility, it is always important to carefully read their terms and conditions when taking short-term insurance. Understand the conditions they place and do your very best to abide by those. For example, if they have a condition that you should have a tracking device installed in your car and ensure that it is in good condition, follow up with the company’s routine checks to ensure that it works. In that way, you can be in a position to challenge them and demonstrate that you have done everything by the book. While it is not easy to forget, do not let the incident that happened to your boyfriend and the doctor skew your view of tracking devices. Those could have been isolated cases.
