Homeowner seeks class action
After years of delays and heartache with her earthquake insurance claim, Christchurch homeowner Pip Coory has decided to take a stand.
She wants to lead a class action against insurer giant IAG.
The business analyst this month created the Facebook group IAG class action lawsuit where Canterbury homeowners can register their interest in the action.
Within nine days, she already had nearly 200 members.
‘‘These people are broken and have no energy left to fight,’’ she said.
She was in discussions with lawyers about leading the class action but was waiting to gather more members before proceeding.
The Springston homeowner fought for more than three and a half years after the September 2010 quake to convince the Earthquake Commission (EQC) and her insurer State (part of IAG) that her house could not be repaired for less than the commission’s $100,000 coverage cap.
EQC first assessed the damage at $30,000.
After years of delays and reports, the parties agreed the damage was over cap in May last year.
Coory then decided to move into a caravan because her house was ‘‘damp, not watertight’’ and had a ‘‘horrible electrical pulse’’ running through it that made her sick. Vibrations running through the house woke her up every night with loud banging, she said.
She thought the move would be temporary while she reached an agreement with IAG.
But a year later she is still in the caravan, waiting for a resolution on her case.
IAG initially assessed the repairs at $120,000 but Coory said her quantity surveyor had assessed the costs at more than $900,000.
IAG spokeswoman Renee Walker said the company was aware of the Facebook group and monitored its membership.
‘‘Our experience is that claims are progressed and settled much more quickly and successfully when we are able to engage with customers directly, and in person. If any member of the Facebook group, or any other IAG customers, would like to meet to progress their claim they should request this via their case manager or loss adjuster.’’
Coory challenged IAG’s additional engineering report done last year at her request and arranged her own engineer, who provided a report in April 2015, Walker said. IAG had since costed both the repair and rebuild of the property and a meeting was set up on site this week to agree scope, methodology and cost.
‘‘While IAG believe the home to be habitable, we were aware that [Coory] felt unsafe and so paid her her accommodation allowance to enable her to purchase the caravan that she moved into,’’ Walker said.