Dear Claudienne,

On September 9, 2022 I was travelling north in my 2008 Daihatsu car on Maxfield Avenue in the right lane. A taxi driven by a male travelling in the left lane, in an attempt to avoid running into the back of an SUV which had stopped in front of him, swerved to the right, thus colliding with my car as well as the SUV. I reported the accident at the Hunts Bay Police Station and to my insurance company, General Accident. However, to date (July 25, 2023), the owner of the taxi has not reported the accident to Advantage General, with which the vehicle was insured.

Through my broker I have made a claim for $173,500 on Advantage General for repairs on my car, but I have been given the run-around. My husband, who has been assisting me in this matter, was told by an Advantage agent on Monday, July 17 that my claim could not be paid as the accident had not been reported by their client. The agent, at his request, contacted the owner of the taxi who confirmed that an accident did indeed occur but that she did not report it.

The agent refused to provide us with contact information for the owner as “she had to protect her client”. The owner of the taxi has committed a criminal offence in failing to report the accident and Advantage General has refused to honour my claim as “there is no record of any accident”.

I would appreciate your help in this matter.

YR

Dear YR

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with Advantage General in respect of your claim and the company informed the column that they had sent the following letter to your husband:

“Reference is made to your letter dated July 24, 2023. We appreciate you writing to us regarding the issues surrounding the claim. We understand the inconveniences that issues of this nature can cause, especially when the information regarding the process is not forthcoming or readily available. We are aware of your interaction with our team and via your broker and are seeking to remedy the gaps that were not addressed in the initial communication regarding the process.

At present, the matter remains no-report from our insured. Contact was made to obtain the report, and it was confirmed that she is aware of the accident and is making attempts to obtain a full detail from the driver at the time of the loss. Our policy requires our customers to report all accidents and provide us with the relevant documentation along with a valid driver’s license for the driver of the vehicle at the time of the incident. In the event a report is not provided by our client, we require proof of involvement to confirm that the incident occurred, and to satisfy our policy conditions.

At present, we are without the report and/or proof of involvement along with relevant evidentiary support to determine if our policy conditions were met. We request that you submit pictures from the accident scene and any other supporting documents relating to the incident for our review and consideration.

Your request for our client’s information was noted and we confirm that by law we are not permitted to share this information with you.”

After you informed the column that you had met all of the Advantage requirements for the claim to be settled, on September 25, 2023, the company told Tell Claudienne that the matter had been resolved.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility company? Telephone 876-936-9346 or cell # 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail:edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.