QBE is doing everything possible to mate with a termite infested home
March 17, 2021
QBE says it is doing its “best” to support a Gold Coast couple who moved into their new home and discovered a few months later that the property was infested with termites – even though they did not insure the home.
The insurer was criticized for handling the matter in a segment that aired Monday night of A Current Affair. A sales agency accused him of being a “heartless insurance company”.
The television program reported that QBE had offered the couple half the cost that the builders claimed to repair the damage. However, the insurer has made it clear that it is insuring a construction control company that has examined the property before buying it.
“QBE is the building authority’s insurer, not the one [owners of the property]”A company spokesperson told insuranceNEWS.com.au today.
“We are doing our best to help the family, however, and we realize that this has been a very stressful experience for them.
“We are in active negotiations with [the couple] and we hope to be able to make a mutual settlement decision soon. “
InsuranceNEWS.com.au believes that while QBE has limited its client’s liability, it has chosen to make good faith payment which it believes will cover the total cost of a professional to repair the damage.
But the offer was not acceptable to the couple, and negotiations continue.
It is also assumed that QBE has negotiated in good faith an additional six months in rental payments as part of the current settlement offer. His point of view is that there has been no discussion of the ongoing rent payments being suspended while active negotiations are still taking place.
The television program reported that QBE had stopped the couple’s marriage allowance until they accepted the settlement offer.
