Insurance hold-ups leave car-theft victim stranded
Man charged in connection with thefts but IAG won’t settle claim and still collecting premiums. Rob Stock reports.
Six months after her two cars were stolen and damaged, Aucklander Sheleshni Naicker still has not had her claim settled by insurer IAG.
That’s despite a man being charged by police for one of the thefts.
Naicker, who has school-age children, said she was struggling without cars, and had begged IAG to get on and conclude the claim, but so far it had been to no avail.
IAG insists the police investigation into the crimes was still open.
In September last year Naicker loaned her Toyota Wish car to a friend to go out on a date with someone she had met on Facebook. During the date, her keys went missing, and so did the car.
The key to Naicker’s other car, a Mazda RX8 which her son refers to as the Batmobile because it is black and has a tail fin, was on the keyring, and that vehicle was soon stolen too.
‘‘He (the Facebook date) had stolen the car key, and he ended up making off with the car that same night,’’ Naicker said.
‘‘He got caught. He’s been charged with stealing my car.’’
Naicker believed the thief knew where she lived because of letters in the glove compartment of her car.
Police found and returned the Wish, but it was dented and damaged, smelt of chemicals and was a mess inside, including dirty men’s underwear, and multiple small plastic bags of rock salt.
‘‘I opened the door and there was a disgusting smell . . . a toxic smell. It was just yuck,’’ she said.
Naicker was left imagining what had happened in her car, and could not bear to drive it. She asked IAG for repairs and a deep clean.
‘‘I did not want my kids sitting in it. ‘‘That all happened six months ago, and I’m still fighting with IAG because they haven’t approved my claim,’’ she said.
Naicker continues to pay her premiums for cover on one car that’s damaged, and which she can’t drive, and the other, which she no longer possesses.
IAG sought her permission to carry out a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) check on her.
Naicker, who lives in Mt Wellington, said she had no convictions, and had been with her bank, ASB, where she bought the IAG policy, for many years.
She had requested IAG’s investigation report, but had not received it.
IAG would not discuss the case with the Sunday Star-Times, even with a privacy waiver from Naicker.
‘‘This matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation involving the police and therefore it is not appropriate for us to provide any comment,’’ IAG said.
Naicker said her claim had been moved to IAG’s complaints department, which has promised to look into her concerns, and come back to her after a week.
In a twist, Naicker said she briefly got the RX8 back, after it was found by a friend of her partner, abandoned by the side of a road, with the clutch badly damaged from racing.
Her partner pushed the car to the house of another friend close by.
Police were called, and Naicker said she asked for them to dust the car for fingerprints, which they did.
The RX8 was stored initially at a car repair business, but then was moved to Naicker’s partner’s home, from where it was stolen again.
The house was burgled at the same time, and a man had since been arrested, Naicker said.