ICBC question

[catchthewind]

A friend of mine was in an accident today. ICBC claims they won't replace the booster in her van because her daughter is 9 and doesn't need it anymore. That seems ridiculous to me, because regardless of her daughter's age, the seat was in her van and is no longer usable. She can't even pass it on to her younger daughter now. Anyway, am I wrong in thinking they should pay to replace it? Any resources I can pass along to my friend?

 

[QuassEE]

They're covering property losses. If she has the original receipt and the new one, they will reimburse per their own policy.

-N.

 

[bubbaray]

They tried this with me when I was rear ended. I sent them a letter quoting Transport Canada's policy, which is to replace after any crash.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-more-tips-1090.htm

•Always replace a child seat that was in a car that had a crash. Even if your child wasn’t in the child seat when the crash happened, the child seat could be damaged.

 

[tam_shops]

I know people that have had seats replaced w/ out the bill. The draw back on that is the amounts they use to reimburse you is crazy. Something like $50 for a baby bucket, and $75-100 for a 3 in 1 seat.

In addition to what was suggested above, I would also print off the page on their page and re-bold their bolded *AT LEAST* 9yo.

Then, I'd ask to speak to someone else and say that your child used one before the crash and has the right to use one after the crash.

Though, I might just try re-purchasing it (you have to anyway) and then handing the bill off and see what happens, as a more passive way to do it...

tam

 

[canadiangie]

Wow. I can't even type the words rolling through my head right now.

I'd be FURIOUS.

 

[selinajean]

It doesn't matter who the booster belongs to. I have boosters in my van that are spares for car pooling and should I be in an accident they would need to be replaced, regardless of who they are designated for.

I would tell her to not even waste her energy arguing with that agent and just escalate it to a supervisor. That is the most ridiculous thing that I have heard from them yet. (It's comparable to saying that they won't replace a RF seat if it is being used for a child over 1 year and 20 pounds. How silly!)

 

[bubbaray]

I didn't need the original receipt, just the replacement receipt. They never asked the ages of my children once I sent my letter with the TC info. I had a cheque withint 24hrs of me faxing the replacement receipts over. They also let me keep the covers off of the crashed seats (I had to turn in the crashed seats to pick up the cheque). I didn't have to escalate to a supervisor, but I did write to them with the TC info and followed up with a phone call. At the second phone call, they said to go ahead and replace the receipts, they would reimburse them.

 

[tam_shops]

I didn't need the original receipt, just the replacement receipt. ... faxing the replacement receipts over. They also let me keep the covers off of the crashed seats (I had to turn in the crashed seats to pick up the cheque).

It truly amazes me how different each agent is about the same thing!! Not only did I have to go to absurd lengths to find the receipt for one of my seats (bought my RN at Canadian Tire and couldn't find it), but they KEPT the original receipts and then gave me a photo copy. Given the trouble I went to, to get the CT receipt, I knew the date b/c it was a d/c seat, phoned Visa, got the date, that was not good enough for them, so I then phoned CT, they used that time/date/location and got a copy of something they had from the original till. It didn't even LOOK like a bill, but oddly they accepted that...Of course, I was replacing $300 seats so maybe that makes the difference.

Though, I did get to keep my covers, so that was nice! And, it was certainly longer than 24hr before they mailed me a cheque, but it was before the Visa bill came, so I didn't complain!

I don't think a friend's mother had her reciepts, but she was replacing AOEs w/ TFs so they didn't seem to complain. Could ask if you can't find your reciept...

And, as for the child over 1yo and 20#, they *required* that I replace my baby bucket w/ a baby bucket, even though I was almost done w/ the baby bucket in the first place. So, I did. And, I might have gotten a gift receipt and I might have then returned it and bought what I needed

tam

 

[catchthewind]

Thank you all, I'm going to link her to this thread so she has the info about it. Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks this is ridiculous! We had private insurance when we got into a crash. It was actually a very minor parking lot accident into a pole and I'm not positive the seat even needed to be replaced, but the adjuster had no problem with us replacing the seat, didn't need the original receipt (just told me to send a link to an equivalent model), and let us buy a convertible instead of the bucket seat that got crashed. I am so glad now that we didn't have to deal with ICBC!

 

[bubbaray]

Of course, I was replacing $300 seats so maybe that makes the difference.

Not sure that made the difference. I was replacing a Britax MA (at the time $300) and a SK Monterey (at the time ~ $150?).

 

[tam_shops]

Got me Melissa, the only case I'd heard of that went through ICBC w/ out receipts were the friend's mother's AOEs, so I wasn't surprised when they made me hand over bills given the price difference, but if you had the same seat then I guess that some agents are a stickler for the rules and others are not....

Though, I also wouldn't expect them to kick up a fuss over a LBB, so who knows what the agent is thinking or which rule(s) have changed!

tam

 

[Keeanh]

In my experience, it has nothing to do with rules, policy, etc., or which company you're with. It's all in who you talk to. Most of them just say the first thing that comes into their head, LOL.

I had a huge argument with a guy at Canadian Direct. He WOULD NOT hear of insurance covering car seats. He was adamant that they were my personal property and had nothing to do with my vehicle insurance. He also told me I was stupid to have $1000 worth of seats, and would not let me talk to a supervisor. All this when I was only renewing insurance, not trying to make a claim at all.

So I phoned again, talked to someone else, and was told that they followed ICBC's policy, which he read out to me. I also tattled on agent #1 .

Although, after all that, I realized that CD had raised their premiums while ICBC had dropped theirs so I just went back to ICBC anyways, LOL.

 

[FS2011]

I have also been told that apparently if icbc refuses to replace your seats you can ask for a letter in writing and signed by that agent stating they have told you your seats are perfectly fine after a crash and to keep using them. They would be crazy to write the letter, hopefully the pressure would be enough to change their minds.