French insurance cant be this bad!??

Carolski · January 7, 2005

We have moved permenantly to France and for the most part love it. However, everytime we seem to deal with insurance over here, we experience real negatives and hassle. Latest situation, having had handbag stolen 2 days ago and made a long 'deposition' at La Police, and some of the contents being found in the local park, I went today to sort out insurance with our well known French insurance company ( In UK we have always taken insurance out for everything, here being no acception), only to find that there is no cover if you have things stolen outside the house or car!!! Unbelievable, also I gather there is no cover you can take out to guard against this in the future? Would greatly appreciate any contradictions to this please.....in desperation

Carole

Teamedup · January 7, 2005

Everything will be in your contract. It isn't the same here as the UK. That is another reason why I think that the crime figures are perhaps way off the mark here as some things are simply not worth reporting unless one's ID cards have been stolen.

It is the same with contents in your car, the amount that the insurance will fork out, for us at least is very low if we are robbed. In fact next to nothing, although in our case isn't nothing either.

A couple of year's ago we bought a mobile phone with a contract from Bougyues (sp)and took their insurance. My son had the phone stolen in the street* and the insurance would not pay out and we had to continue paying for the contract. I had asked, if this is stolen in the street are we covered by this insurance policy and the lad in the shop had said yes. It most certainly was not the case. The insurance said that they would only cover theft from our home, which, is not the reason we wanted a 'mobile' phone. I wouldn't touch Bouygues products again in principle. (*We had done the declaration with the Police etc).

I hear a lot on here about it being cheaper in France, well, it wasn't when we first came. And the cover is usually not the same as the UK either, in general I accept that it is different and that the cover is not as good.

Morris · January 7, 2005

To be honest, it never crossed my mind that belongings would be covered by insurance when taken outdoors... Are you sure this is the case in the UK ?

I'm one of those people who has never claimed anything on insurance though.

Russethouse · January 7, 2005

I think things outside the home are include on most household policies to some extent in the UK, sometimes its an optional extra too. (often there is a limit which is not very big)

I know my father successfully claimed for a camera and jacket stolen in a hotel on one occasion and a watch he lost on the beach on another.

Dick Smith · January 7, 2005

I once claimed for a laptop I dropped down a flight of stairs at school - the insurance company paid out £1000 (about £500 short of a replacement) - the limit for 'outside'.