Flooded MH advice?

namwaldog said:
Thanks for all your help and support. Allianz have said the claims team will contact us am tomorrow.
Managed to get quite a bit of personal stuff out of the MH but will probably have to pay XS baggage if we fly home:). Best solution for us would be a write off asap and then a hire car to Calais but I can't see that.

Anybody any practical experience of a situation like this?
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An alternative to flying home would be to see if they would furnish you with a van instead that way you can still bring your stuff back to the UK with you, they'd obviously need to agree to pay for you stop en-route in hotels/lodges etc but you will probably be able to say which you prefer to do anyway.
 
gus-lopez said:
I just started here.https://www.parcel2go.com/

click on "get a quote" ,change 'pick up' country to Spain & it will redirect you to the spanish site where you can input details ,size, weights etc.
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Oh,just remembered out of the choice of quotes I got from P2go I chose one that didn't require use of a printer.So if you haven't one the pick up driver is bringing the labels.(y)
 
Just an update to this thread...
Our MH was flooded on Sun 4th Dec so we contacted Safeguard that day and gave them the brief details and was told that someone from International Claims would contact us am. Monday 5th. This duly happened and the claim was validated there and then. Due to the damage it was decided on the spot, to repatriate the MH to the UK. This was arranged through Safeguard Assistance (essentially AA European Breakdown Assistance) It was arranged that a recovery vehicle would pick up the MH and take it to a secure compound until it was repatriated. The Recovery truck arrived Monday 1400 and decided it wasn't up to the job due to the amount of debris around the MH. Arranged to be there 0900 Tuesday with heavier equipment. AA arranged a taxi to Marbella to collect a hire car, a brand new VW Tuareg. We collected this and salvaged everything that would fit from the MH into the car on Monday evening.

0900 Tuesday( a Spanish Holiday) came and went so a call to the AA resulted in a request from the recovery company to delay until Wednesday but this was politely declined as the clock on the hire car was already ticking (they had given us 4 days to get to Figueres on the Spanish/French border)

1330 Tuesday a big recovery lorry arrived together with a lorry with a HIAB crane on it. Between them they took took two hours to recover the MH. As soon as it was on the truck we let the AA and Allianz know where it was going to and we set off in the hire car and got as far as Nerja where we got a hotel for the night.

Wed. am got a good start and drove up to Peniscola. Thursday am set off again and got up to Figueres about 1500. Contacted the AA and let them know we were there and they arranged a taxi from Perpignan to collect us from the Avis depot in Figueres at 0930 on Friday.

This went without a hitch and a Mercedes Vito taxi collected us and our belongings and drove us across the border to the Enterprise office in Perpignan where we collected a Kia Sportage! The office was very apologetic but the 'large car' that had been booked by the AA for us had been taken. We managed to squeeze everything into the Kia and set off at 1145 through France. We went via the Millau and managed to get to Clermont Ferrand as it got dark.

Sat. am we got a good start after clearing the frost off the car and by using the tolls managed to get to Calais at 1800 where we went to the B&B Hoteles hotel at St Pierre that we have used, pre MH days, only to be told they were full, as were most of the other hotels in Calais due to the large Police presence there!

Managed to get the last room in the Ibis, Calais, booked the 1235 Sunday P&O ferry and arranged to meet the AA rep at the depot near the Port in the morning. This went without problem and we were given a UK regd. VW Transporter 7 seater. As the depot was next door to Calais Wine and we now had plenty of room it seemed silly not to fetch some wine back! Drove down to the Port check in and first stop was four armed French soldiers who searched the vehicle. Then UK Border Control who again searched the vehicle. Got on the ferry and headed to the Restaurant and had lovely Christmas dinner. We mentioned to the cashier in the Restaurant what had happened and within a few minutes, one of the ships officers found us and took us up into Club Lounge for the trip. Very Nice.

Off at Dover and made it round the M25 and up to Corley Services on the M6 before stopping at the Days Inn there overnight. Early start Monday morning up the M6 and despite delays in Staffordshire got home just before lunch on the Monday, Unloaded our stuff and returned the VW to Enterprise at Penrith.

The AA were great throughout the whole trip with regular daily contacts by phone and text to check everything was OK.

Our MH is being brought back to the UK as I write and should be back to Cranleigh in Surrey? on Boxing day. We have been asked by Allianz to forward any documentation together with spare keys for the MH to them and this has been done after I first contacted them by telephone to ask if this action was an indication that the MH was being written off? They replied that it would be written off.

We are busy now collating any information on like for like MH's that are for sale to try and get a current price.
 
Strewth! That's a mammoth bit or organising! At least you know it's going to be written off so can at least plan ahead and be fore-armed with info for when they come to replace/pay you for it. Did you get a chance to remove all your chattels, eg TV etc that you can transfer to a new MH, or will the cost of replacing them be included in the settlement figure too? Remember to make a list of all items you've lost including your normal 'day to day' living stuff (cutlery, pots, pans, coasters, furnishings, cushions etc), try to imagine yourself in the MH and 'look round' it as if you were there, opening cupboards, drawers etc so you don't miss anything ... even your shower room cupboards!

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Very sorry to hear of all your problems. Makes interesting reading and thanks for sharing. If it had happen to me I think I would prefer to have it written off. It would never be the same again. I do hope you find something that you like soon. Perhaps next time you go there you should invest in a Defender. Mine has been under water several times when crossing rivers. But then the Defender is not make of wood. Good luck.
 
Minxy Girl said:
Strewth! That's a mammoth bit or organising! At least you know it's going to be written off so can at least plan ahead and be fore-armed with info for when they come to replace/pay you for it. Did you get a chance to remove all your chattels, eg TV etc that you can transfer to a new MH, or will the cost of replacing them be included in the settlement figure too? Remember to make a list of all items you've lost including your normal 'day to day' living stuff (cutlery, pots, pans, coasters, furnishings, cushions etc), try to imagine yourself in the MH and 'look round' it as if you were there, opening cupboards, drawers etc so you don't miss anything ... even your shower room cupboards!
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Thanks for your reply Mel. We took what we could from the MH based on a value/space available basis. The Motorhome Insurance make it clear that they are not responsible for anything not fixed in on on the vehicle. So we have approached our Travel Insurance provider and they say that we will be able to claim for any of our 'possessions' that we left with the MH that are not able to be recovered. We made a list, with photographs, of everything that was left whilst we were waiting for recovery.
 
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Thanks for reporting all this! I hope everything goes well for you. We had some wonderful times just looking for a mh to buy! It was all very enjoyable!
Now we have one on order, I'm a bit at a loss, nothing to do!!

But as a newbie, not owned anything like this, the most helpful point is to read carefully what you are actually covered in the insurance policy. I'm not sure what to make about the storage bit at home? I guess 30 weeks of the year, the motor home will be parked up on my drive, so will the insurance policy cover this?

The RAC / AA get me home bit, was this covered by the insurance policy or an AA / RAC type policy?

I have ordered new, so engine failure should be covered in all Europe, I think.

April / May is the delivery date so I'll be looking for policies closer to the time.

Best wishes with your search
Cliff
 
Cliffdale said:
Thanks for reporting all this! I hope everything goes well for you. We had some wonderful times just looking for a mh to buy! It was all very enjoyable!
Now we have one on order, I'm a bit at a loss, nothing to do!!

But as a newbie, not owned anything like this, the most helpful point is to read carefully what you are actually covered in the insurance policy. I'm not sure what to make about the storage bit at home? I guess 30 weeks of the year, the motor home will be parked up on my drive, so will the insurance policy cover this?

The RAC / AA get me home bit, was this covered by the insurance policy or an AA / RAC type policy?

I have ordered new, so engine failure should be covered in all Europe, I think.

April / May is the delivery date so I'll be looking for policies closer to the time.

Best wishes with your search
Cliff
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Thanks for your reply Cliff,
We were with Safeguard Insurance which includes Safeguard Assistance (via AA European Breakdown) by default. Can't comment on parking on a driveway as we are fortunate to have a secure barn to at home to park our MH in.

We are looking forward to having another MH as we feel completely lost without ours!! We are rattling around the house without purpose at the moment as we were due to be in Spain until March and the inevitability that nothing will happen with the claim until after New Year grates a bit, but we are getting on with Christmas here & it will soon pass.:xThumb:
 
Good news that Safeguard seem to be looking after you well as we are also insured with them.
Lets hope their valuation is sensible and you don't have to fight for a fair settlement.
Please keep us updated.

Richard.

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It's good to read an account of the recovery from beginning to end.
Helps decisions re insurance companies to choose based on how effective they are.
Not always down to price!
 
Thanks for the update . Im with Safeguard good to see you've been looked after by them.
Hope all goes well with claim etc.
 
Is the insurance paying for the hotels?
 
klaatu said:
Is the insurance paying for the hotels?
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Thanks for your reply,
No. The Assistance conditions specify two different sizes of Motorhome, Under 3.5 tonnes and over 3.5 tonnes but then described the two sizes...

Up to 3.5 tonnes
Length up to 7 metres
Height up to 3 metres
Width up to 2.3 metres

Over 3.5 tonnes
Length over 7 metres
Height over 3 metres
Width over 2.3 metres

Our MH is under 3.5 tonnes but 7.2 metres long and 3.1 metres high so we fall in the second category which does not qualify for hotel costs.

Both sizes of vehicle qualify for total overall costs up to a maximum of £750 so if they paid for hotels they probably wouldn't pay for all the car hire

We are quite happy with this as we would have had to pay site fees if we were returning in the MH.

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@namwaldog Thanks for the update , interesting read , and seems safeguard has done well SO FAR..
Lets just hope you get a settlement that you feel is correct and can get a replacement ASAP and get back to Spain :)
 
Good post.... feel for you at what's happened and if the insurance do what we all hope they should do you will soon be on another adventure...

Let's hope it's a happy ending....:xThumb:
 
Okay ... enough of talking about what you've unfortunately 'lost' ... what MHs are you looking at ... c'mon, spill the beans you've told us you've been gathering 'intel' on them already!!!! :xgrin:
 
Well it's an adventure ( of sorts) I guess. I'm sorry you lost your MH, but glad your home safe and sound. I can imagine how 'lost' you feel too. I hope it's all sorted out very soon so you can get on with your travels.
 
Minxy Girl said:
Okay ... enough of talking about what you've unfortunately 'lost' ... what MHs are you looking at ... c'mon, spill the beans you've told us you've been gathering 'intel' on them already!!!! :xgrin:
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Thanks Mel
Something A class with twin beds over a garage. £ 30-40,000
Have to keep in mind vehicle weight , in that I'll need to apply for my C1 before end of April so will be going to get my first D4 medical done in the New Year. Retaining my C1 will get me a wider range.

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@namwaldog. Sorry to hear of you woes Barry :( but glad that you and yours are okay, and that Safeguard appear to be doing right by you. Good luck with t all, and finding a suitable replacement MH. Good luck with the medical for your C1 retention. (y)

Regarding the clause by Comfort Insurance, about the MH being left unattended at a location other than the home address. I had a bit of a ding dong with them, over the fact that the MH wasn't insured whilst on my driveway, undergoing general maintenance, just because it wasn't occupied. :eek: They got in touch with the underwriters, Aviva, who agreed to insure the MH at both the home address, as well as the storage address, whilst unoccupied......................because both addresses used the same post code. A result for us (y) but it is something folks do need to be wary of. :(

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
namwaldog said:
Thanks Mel
Something A class with twin beds over a garage. £ 30-40,000
Have to keep in mind vehicle weight , in that I'll need to apply for my C1 before end of April so will be going to get my first D4 medical done in the New Year. Retaining my C1 will get me a wider range.
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One option if over 3.5.. is to down rate the plating ... if they can be uprated via a paper exercise - I would imagine the opposite is possible :)
Baring in mind payload requirements etc...
 
Given your previous experience what about one of these as a replacement? :xsmile:

terrawind_water640.jpg
 
It will almost certainly a Write off. and in in any case I would not want it back!.

Case In question:- Friend of mine, his BIL, bought a Volvo, and subsequently had all sorts of issues with it, Primarily electrics, but others as well. My friend, was was a great guy and something of a pedant, did some research for him and discovered that this car along with several hundred others had been submerged or partially submerged in sea water when the Car ferry they where being delivered in went aground (off the German coast if I remember correct). They had been salvaged, stored in a warehouse, written off by the insurers. BUT where sold to a dealer "as Cat3 damaged" NOT for scrap or breaking as should have happened. The end result was that many (least obvious) ended up on forecourts in the UK. This being one of them!. Took them over 3 Years to get anything back, in the end it was a threat of court action which led to an "acceptable" payout "Without admission of liability".

Take note of the Details Vin no Etc and when it has been sorted to your satisfaction, do the Motor home community a big favour a make sure the details are in the public domain, as some fly by night will eventually decide to put it back on the road for sale!.

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PeteH said:
Take note of the Details Vin no Etc and when it has been sorted to your satisfaction, do the Motor home community a big favour a make sure the details are in the public domain, as some fly by night will eventually decide to put it back on the road for sale!.
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I personally think that is an excellent suggestion Pete. (y)

Cheers,

Jock. :)
 
@namwaldog This is a very interesting thread, as it gives a first hand account of what could happen to any of us, as we are all at mercy of the weather. Thankfully you were not in the van when it happened and no one was injured. The journey back home was of epic proportions and very well planned. Fingers crossed you find another a suitable van for future travels very soon and the insurers pay you a fair sum.
Hopefully, you will be able to look back on your unexpected 'adventure' and smile.
If anything your experience will get Funsters checking their insurance and recovery cover to ensure it is as good as you had.
Merry Christmas and I hope 2017 is good for you all.
 
Just an update to this thread and a timeline to show how the claim progressed…

Please bear in mind that this is our only experience of this and every claim will be different.

4 Dec MH flooded Insurance contacted and brief details given.

5 Dec International Claims dept. at Allianz contacted us and said MH would be removed to a place of safety but due to the circumstances told us to call Safeguard Assist (AA Europe) to facilitate removal. This was done and they arranged for recovery truck and a hire car for us to get to France. Recovery truck arrived about 1300 but immediately realized it was not big enough for the MH so alternative arrangements made for next day.

6 Dec Two heavy duty trucks arrived, one with a HIAB on to lift the MH whilst the other pulled it out of the rubble. 3 hours later, the MH was on the back of the truck and away to a place of safety at Los Barrios near Algeciras and we set off with the hire car.

7 Dec We were contacted by AA Europe regarding details of the insurance company as they were going to bill Allianz for the extra costs involved in the recovery of the MH. AA Europe confirmed that they would let Allianz know the location of the MH so that onward recovery to the UK could be arranged.

12 December Arrived home in third hire car (see previous message in this thread)

13 Dec Contacted Allianz international claims to get a progress report to be told that they , Allianz, did not know where the MH was to arrange onward recovery! Breakdown in communications summed it up …..but once Allianz had the details they arranged onward recovery.

14 Dec Received letter dated 5th December from Allianz, via Safegard, asking that the Log book, Cert of Ins, Test Cert , spare keys, proof of purchase etc be forwarded to Allianz ASAP. Contacted Allianz by phone and they confirmed this and said that “it was a good indication” that the MH would be written off. Package sent to Allianz by recorded delivery.

23 Dec MH arrived at the recovery agents depot. Norman Marshall at Cranleigh, Surrey. Link Removed

28 Dec Contacted Norman Marshall Ltd and was told that they had photographed the MH inside and out and sent the imaged to Allianz. They also, at my request sent the images to me as well. A note at this time that I found Norman Marshall Ltd to be courteous, helpful and very efficient.

4 Jan Tel call from Allianz confirming that the MH would be declared a total loss based solely on the forwarded images and any vehicle flooded were declared a bio-hazard! The MH would now be recovered to Allianz’s salvage depot, Car Transplants at Winsford Cheshire. Now the frustration starts!!

6 – 20 Jan Almost daily calls to Allianz Claims helpline to be constantly told that the onward recovery had been put in to the hand of a recovery company and Allianz could not give an assessment until it reached Car Transplants. I eventually found out that this recovery company were The Mansfield Group and started contacting them on a regular basis!

20 Jan MH is uplifted from Cranleigh and taken to Car Transplants.

23 Jan MH arrives at Car Transplants where we arrange to go down and collect the personal possessions still in the MH.

24 Jan We drive down to Winsford with a hire van and collect all or property including the two bikes still strapped on the back, everything was there as we left it in Spain , we arrived home about 3pm just in time for a call from the Allianz engineer who is based at Car Transplants. Having been told so many times that we would have to fight for a decent valuation I wasn’t looking forward to this part but had thought it through and was forearmed with any information I thought I would need. The Engineer was very pleasant, ( apart from the flood debris obviously), complimented us on the overall and well kept condition of the MH and made us an offer! Bearing in mind that we had paid £X for the MH two and a half years ago, his initial offer was £X +£2500. I pointed out a few of the extras on the MH and he increased the offer to £x + £3000 which we settled at. More than pleased. He asked if we wanted paying by cheque or BACS and obtained our bank details and said it would take 3-5 working days to process. All over with in about 5 minutes.

31 Jan email from Allianz notifying us that a BACS transfer had been instructed.

1 Feb Payment arrives into our account.

2 Feb Letter from Alliance saying that the claim was now closed and the MH belonged to them!

To sum the experience up we were very happy with the way AA Europe organized things and fairly happy with Allianz with the exception of the handling of the onward recovery in the UK as we had to chase this up ourselves.

Having spent the last eight weeks or so looking at other MH's we settled on this one...

A 2010 Burstner Solano with low mileage that meets most of our needs. Picking it up on 15th February

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Busy planning our new adventures now! Cant Wait!!
 
Pleased it has all worked out to your satisfaction. Nice to hear a happy ending (y)

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