700 University Avenue, Suite 1100
Toronto ON M5G 0A2

I am writing in regards to my mothers sewer backup claim that occured at 11 Royal Palm Drive, Brampton.

First of all I have worked in the Insurance Industry, Personal and Commercial Lines, Home and Auto, since 1995 so am very familiar with how Claims are handled. I have my FCIP, CIP, and CRM designations.

From 2007 to 2010 I was a Senior Property Underwriter at Aviva Insurance Plans and Programs Dept, Before that from 2002 to 2007 I was a Mid-Market Commercial Underwriter at Aviva's Central Ontario Branch. Prior to that from 1998 to 2002 I worked for RSA as both an IRC/Garage Commercial Automobile Underwriter and Small Business Property Underwriter. Finally I was with Zurich Insurance from 1997-8 as a Personal Lines Underwriter handling Home and Auto, and have held other junior positions back to 1995.

I have extensive experience Underwriting many types of Claims from all lines, personal dealings with Claims Adjusters and Brokers, ordering and reading Risk Inspection Reports, and visiting Insureds premises.

I have been to all the Customer Service training workshops during my time at Zurich, RSA, and Aviva, all the Town Hall meetings, seen the training videos, all reiterating the "Customer Touch Experience". I've heard all the speeches and video messages from Executive Board Members how the Company strives to excell in Customer Satisfaction and distinguish themselves from the competition.

We are told how during the Claims experience everyone works as a team to avoid further hardship during a time of emotional distress. A Claim can be an opportunity to 'wow' the customer, build lasting relationships, and customer loyalty. Our experience has been anything but.

Oriental Rug

When the Disaster Recovery Team and Adjuster first arrived they identified an Oriental Rug that was rolled up and not in use standing upright in the living room corner as a 'write off'. They insisted it was damaged and must be taken away as garbage.

The sewer backup only occured in the bedroom not in the corner of the living room where the rug was standing. Furthermore, later tests by your experts show that the cabinet it was standing against had no water damage. So how was the rug a write off when your experts are also insisting the cabinet it was leaning against had no water contact?

Regardless of whether it was Scheduled on the Policy or not, your Staff should be able to distinguish between a Wal-Mart rug and an Antique Rug. This rug was purchased in Istanbul Turkey in 2005 for a negotiated price of $1000. You have photos and can take those to the Persian Rug stores in the Antique District at Jarvis St who will tell you the local retail price is about $5000 plus appreciation so I knew what I was doing when I purchased this in Turkey in 2005.

Can your staff not recognize an antique personal item? Why were they so insistent it was 'garbage' when the cabinet it was standing against had no water damage? Or did they know what it was and were trying to take it so that they could privately resell it? The paper trail would just say it was soaked (which it was not) and discarded. If so, that is outright theft. How often are they doing this? I often saw Claims Recovery Items being sold internally at RSA and Aviva in company auctions, where do the rest of the items go?

Fortunately my Mother was able to stop them from taking it as 'garbage' so they instead insisted it be sent to be cleaned. What cleaners did they use? Again, were they cleaners who could identify and specialize in antique rugs, or did they also think it was a Wal-Mart rug?

Billy Bookcases

I have two double door three shelf Ikea Billy Bookcases. At either end were two end units with three half size open shelfs. This makes a total of twelve shelves. Also there were things on the top of the bookcases stretching end to end making another shelf.

They were full of books, magazines, dvds, bank books, passports, and other personal objects, including the receipt and Certificate of Authenticity for the rug bought in Istanbul. As an Insurance Underwriter who dealt with Sewer Backup Claims I placed them on the far wall away from any possible water damage, as was the position of the rug.

There was drywall damage on the wall touching the bedroom, not on the far wall where the bookcases were. Your people insisted the entire room needed to be repainted so everything must be moved away from the walls.

The person that came to empty the bookcases was moaning and complaining that we had too much stuff and needed a house clearance. So he was blaming the insured for making him do more work.

In what Insurance Customer Service Workshop are we told to vent our frustrations to the client? Even if you are in somebodys Personal Home in a professional or private capacity you should have the courtesy and good manners to keep your opinions to yourself.

When your Disaster Recovery people arrived the first day there was a bedroom bookcase in the water damage. They took photos, an inventory, and labelled all the boxes as to what items came from what shelf. The person emptying the bookcase did no such thing. Why was the same standard of care not applied when you already set an example?

How do you know what items from what shelf are in what box? How do we know items from different shelves werent mixed together? How does this person know how to put what item back on what shelf or is he just going to dump them all on any shelf and leave? How much did they bill you for this fiasco or to try to put it all back together? Nobody knows what box the receipt and Certificate of Authenticity for the rug is now in?

Ikea Wall Unit

The wall perpendicular to the bookcases has a floor to ceiling and wall to wall Ikea unit. Again here was no water damage. Housed inside is a flat screen TV, VCR, DVD Player, CD Turntable, and Surround Sound Receiver, and five speakers. There is a complicated wiring system to connect all items and speakers to the Surround Sound Receiver.

In order to move the wall unit the cabinet was emptied and all cables pulled out. They did not label where any cable came from, take photos, or notes. How do they know how to wire everything back? Who is going to test the VCR, DVD, CD player, and TV, to make sure the surround sound is properly working for each option, or will they just hide all the cables in the back and leave?

Even if you send an 'Audio Specialist' this is just move billing that will be added to our Policy Incurred and Paid Losses affecting our Loss Ratio for your own contractors unprofessional service.

Again all items from the wall unit were dumped into boxes with no labelling, photos, or notes. Now how do you know which box comes from wall unit and which from the bookcases? Were items mixed together? Who is going to sort thru this jigsaw puzzle? Or will they just dump everything on the shelves leaving a mess and send you the bill?

Basement Carpet and Repainting

Our basement was carpeted in 2009. At that time we found our own contractor who completed the job for $1500. When your contractor arrived he was bragging this was a $4000 job. My mother asked what he was talking about, we had it done ourselves for $1500? Then he became quiet and played dumb.

After emptying the whole basement upside down by emptying all cabinets and wall unit, they only applied one coat of paint and left. What was the point of moving all the furniture then when they didnt do a professional paint job, and how much did they bill you for this?

Sewage Pipe

The underlying cause of the loss was the sewage pipe. We have fixed this ourselves at a cost of $4000 by having a new membrane inserted inside which expands to seal the pipe. How much more would your contractors have charged for this by digging up the driveway? Are you even going to cover the repair to the pipe or are your contractors too busy running up their own bills where work still needs to be done?

Loss Ratio

I would like to know what the Incurred, Reserved, and Paid Losses are applied against our Policy for all your Contractors and 'Experts' who only see the opportunity for their own billing with no regard for the Insured? We know the basement was recarpeted for $1500 when we did it ourselves. Have you run up a bill of 10x that at $15,000 or is it even higher at $25,000 or more?

As an Underwriter I would look at the 1 Yr, 3 Yr, 5 Yr, and YTD Loss Ratios and Account Loss Ratio with the Auto Policies. What have you done to our account loss history and why should we be held liable for all the overbilling of your unprofessional, discourteous contractors? They should be paid by Ex-Gratia payments and this should not be applied against our policy.

What are you going to do on our renewal? You should be Subrogating against your contractors, not us. We suffered once during the loss, again during your "restoration", and awaiting the final shock during renewal. We have fixed the sewage pipe which was the underlying cause thereby improving the risk.

Insurance is for "Peace of Mind"

The first thing you are taught in C11 Principles & Practices is that "insurance is for peace of mind" and the the Claims Experience should be worry and hassle free. We have had nothing but since we involved your company.

My Mother has told your Adjuster she has a Medical Disability and can not deal with the stress of contractors coming and going, turning her house upside down, not giving proper answers and reffering her to another person who refers her back to the first person, leaving the place in worst state like a tornado hit the inside.

Since we fixed the pipe ourself it would have been so much easier if we did the recarpeting, drywall, and painting, ourselves too. How have you made anything better for us since the original loss? Has it just been a win-win situation for all your contractors and us left with the bill? What 'Peace of Mind' have you offered my Mother who has a Medical Disability?

I have instructed my Mother once the carpeting is done not to let anyone into the house again. Leave everything in the boxes, I will come and sort out the bookcases and everything myself, reassemble the wall unit, and wire up the stereo system.

Your contractors do not know what they are doing, and if they do put in the time, they are only running up their own billing which will be applied back against our policy. They still wont do a proper job and I'll still have to redo everything myself. How have you indemnified us to the position prior to loss when you have just created more problems and mess for us to sort out?

If I was an Underwriter working for Intact and my Broker had a submission he was shopping because the Insured was not happy with Claims Service how would I in good faith persaude him to come to the Intact Family of Companies?

This is all such a farce and why I left a Senior Career in the Insurance Industry in 2010. I have seen the "Excellence in Customer Satisfaction" you provide. Can you explain what the "Customer Touch Experience" has been in this case?

As someone who has worked in the Industry extensively, knows the standard of care expected, who and how to complain, I should not have to be taking this route. The question is what service is being provided to other customers that don't know any better?

I would like all specific items addressed properly in detail or I will be taking the matter next to FSCO Office of The Insurance Ombudsman.

Asif Quadri, FCIP, CRM