Hurricane hit residents take to social media about slow payment of Insurance Claims

By Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

#TurksandCaicos, November 28, 2022 – Just over two months after Hurricane Fiona, residents are still languishing they say, waiting for reasonable insurance payouts and the frustration is giving way to public outcry on social media, where adjusters and at least one insurance company is named as being unfair and unresponsive when it comes to the claims process.

“…clients of  ——  have yet to receive their claims.  The insurance company is not communicating effectively nor responding to emails and telephone calls,” said one report.

Just a few weeks ago, Edwin Astwood, Leader of the Opposition issued a statement calling for a national education campaign on home insurance.  In the report, the Grand Turk South, Member of Parliament uncorked a string of dilemmas facing home owners who are being told they are underinsured.

“The experience of seeking a pay-out from the insurance companies has been a stressful, disappointing, and an eye-opening experience for many homeowners. Many expressed the feeling of being grossly uninformed and lacking needed knowledge about their insurance policies, especially those who got insurance through their banking institutions.

A common mistake that some homeowners make is not to insure their property for the full replacement value, thus creating the issue of underinsurance, and as a result, if an insured peril causes damage to the home or its contents are stolen, the claim may be subject to the application of the average clause.”

The Grand Turk resident said some are having to dig into life savings and come up with tens of thousands of dollars to replace their homes which were damaged in the September 20, Category one hurricane. He was concerned that so many residents find themselves ill-equipped to bounce back, within reasonable time from a severe encounter with hurricane or other emergencies.

“Insurance data points out that many homes in the Turks and Caicos are underinsured, with there also being many homes uninsured. That should be a major concern for the Government, the homeowners, and for the insurer, especially given that risks from climatic events such as hurricanes and flooding become more adverse annually,” said Astwood.

There was some advice to avoid underinsurance from the MP; he said, “Insure your property for its replacement value rather than market value; ensure that all of your contents are included in your policy and Review insurance policies annually.”

On the latter point, the LOO shared “given that the replacement value of the property may change due to inflation associated with construction costs or home improvement projects implemented.  This regular audit of your insurance, at the time of your renewal or at any point during the policy year, assists to ensure that your property is fully covered in the event of loss by an insured peril.”

While the TCI Government participates in the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, (CCRIF) it is not in the practice of handing out funds or materials for reconstruction of personal dwelling homes after a storm or fire.  It may be among the reasons the Opposition Leader and others are now demanding attention for the issue; calling for concerns to be elevated and public understanding to be taken on as a national priority.

People also believe insurance companies need to be held accountable or exposed when dealing unfairly with policy holders.

“One client/customer of ——— insurance for many years told us they were shocked and embarrassed when they submitted their claim for their property after the hurricane to receive an insulting response that they have no claim to receive after losing the majority of their properties in the hurricane.”

Astwood informed the public education and awareness could be led by the Ministry of Finance or regulated through the Financial Services Commission for the banks and insurance companies servicing the marketplace.

“I cannot underscore more the importance of having complete home insurance, as I learned the lesson personally in the past.  It is a bad idea for homeowners not to have insurance or to be underinsured.

More must be done and should be done in protecting against our people being blindsided by insurance adjustments, and more must be done in educating our people about insurance claims, policies, and procedures. In this vein, after essential discussions with relevant stakeholders the necessary consumer protection legislation will be introduced, passed, gazetted and relevant information will be published on the appropriate government website to ensure greater protections and transparency for the people of the Turks and Caicos.”

Astwood, as leader of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) promised his party would make the matter paramount.