Victim’s payout woes are resolved
Godfrey lost more than 400 hours of research and writing towards her bioethics and health law masters thesis.
A mother of three is relieved her battle with an insurance company about stolen braille equipment is over.
After receiving a call from Tower Insurance on Thursday afternoon, Olivia Godfrey’s twomonth struggle to settle an insurance claim has been resolved.
But she’s still without hundreds of hours of irreplaceable university research.
Thieves stole a braille laptop and backup devices from her Palmerston North home at Labour weekend.
Godfrey lost more than 400 hours of research and writing towards her bioethics and health law masters thesis, leaving her unsure whether she could continue her studies.
The thought of having to reconfigure thousands of pages of articles into braille had her on the brink of giving up her studies, but now there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Following inquiries from the Manawatu Standard this week, Godfrey said Tower had processed her claim, which would be settled in full.
‘‘Their response was great. They apologised that it took so long.’’
Before the settlement, Godfrey was concerned the insurance company wasn’t taking her seriously or simply did not believe her.
But after the good news she was rapt Tower took immediate action. ‘‘They were really quick to act.’’ As the academic year drew closer, Godfrey was pleased her claim was settled so she could now decide whether to continue her thesis.
A Tower spokesman said the company was glad Godfrey was happy with the settlement and wished her luck with her studies.
‘‘Customers should also keep records of what they own, including photos and any other relevant information, especially for special devices that may be unusual.’’
Asking neighbours to keep an eye on the property when away could also keep thieves away.
At first, when Godfrey arrived home to find her belongings strewn across the ground, she thought there had been an earthquake.
It wasn’t until a friend told her the television was missing that she noticed her hard drives and laptop, also containing photos and stories written for her children, were gone.
More than two months down the track, Godfrey knew her belongings were unlikely to be found, but she was glad she could finally replace the laptop and other specialty equipment.
She was wary that thieves may return once her gear had been replaced, but with extra security measures in place Godfrey hoped the burglars would stay away for good.
Palmerston North police area crime prevention manager Inspector Dave White encouraged anyone with information about the burglary to get in touch.
Police had not found the thieves and were unable to retrieve any of the stolen goods.