Don’t get caught out by the cold at home or on the road
AS THE leaves fall from the trees and winter creeps in, a decidedly cold snap has reminded the country to turn the heating on and dust off the warm jackets.
I made the mistake I make every year when I turned on my boiler. After a day it began switching itself off and despite attempts to repressurise it, fiddle with the thermostat and bleed radiators, it kept packing in. Then I remembered. I put a new battery in the thermostat and voila! Heating all round.
Forgetting a simple fix is a surprisingly common and expensive mistake.
But there are other things to bear in mind as the mercury drops.
WARM YOUR PIPES:
At this time of year we crank up the heating, but if you’ve been frugal, have an old house or just get unlucky, you might find pipes have cracked or blocked – or, the boiler packs in.
Having cash for emergency call-outs is essential at this time of year. If you’ve been affected, check your home insurance first. You may have some emergency cover for burst pipes or boilers.
You can avoid problems by easing up the heating by a notch or two first and bleeding radiators. If you’re going away for more than a few weeks, tell your insurer – they may require the heating to be on a timer during winter months.
Every winter, countless people warming up their car by leaving it running while they watch from indoors find out the hard way just how quickly it can get stolen. ‘Keys in car’ thefts occur outside the home, shops, post boxes, cash machines and even at petrol stations.
And when it comes to making an insurance claim, you might find you get a frosty response.
All isn’t lost though. While most insurers include clauses in
KEYS IN THE CAR:
their contracts about leaving your car unattended with the keys in (or even open) you can still appeal if your claim is turned down.
If you’ve left the car unattended on the road, your case is shaky, but if it’s on your driveway, it’s by no means straightforward.
Factors such as whether you have a gate, if your driveway is visible and how close you were to your car can all help you stand a better chance when it comes to making a claim.
As soon as you’ve reported the matter to the police, note down as much as you can about what happened. I can’t say it enough: the more information you give, the better your chance of winning.
BUMPS AND SCRAPES:
It won’t surprise you to learn that frosty weather always results in insurance claims going through the roof.
If you have a bump – or worse – your insurer will be taking a much closer look at what went wrong. So keep your distance and drive carefully.
If you hit black ice, the experts recommend taking your foot off the accelerator, not braking and gently guiding the steering wheel in the direction you want to go.
I get loads of people contacting me about no-claims bonuses after winter crashes. What can be particularly annoying is if you mention a claimable incident to your insurer but opt not to claim.
The fact that an accident has occurred makes you more of a risk in the eyes of the insurer so this can have an impact on your no claims bonus.
■ Resolver can help you sort out complaints about pretty much anything – so why not help a friend or relative sort out a problem, get a refund or make a claim. Check resolver. co.uk and share your experiences at yourstories@ resolvergroup.com