I write to concur whole-heartedly with the sentiments expressed in the latter from P. Jennings, as I have also recently received shabby treatment from an insurance company.

On April 12th this year I was involved in a minor collision (total repair hill 4:60) which was not my fault and, to avoid any argument with my own insurance company over any ” knock for knock ” agreement (1 went through all that a couple of years ago), I decided to deal with the claim myself. The other driver is insured with Essex & Suffolk Insurance CO, Ltd, and it took them three weeks even to have the courtesy to acknowledge receipt of my notice of claim, and then only after I had threatened legal proceedings. Since then, the quickest reply that 1 have had to a letter is 8 days and the longest, which still remains unanswered, is something over 4 weeks at the time of writing. It is significant that those letters which have received

relatively prompt replies have been those threatening legal proceedings. I suppose I shall have to issue more threats to get a reply to my latest letter.

It took three weeks for the company to agree as reasonable the estimate that I obtained, even though the damage was not inspected and, although they have agreed to settle a reasonable account for the repairs, it is now 4 weeks since I sent such an account. On telephoning the company’s Canterbury office, I was informed that the delay in settlement was for their engineer to initial the account, this even though it is in exactly the same words and at the same price as the estimate which has already been agreed. Their attitude throughout has been off-hand and discourteous„ and even, on occasion, downright offensive.

If this inefficient treatment is typical, is it any wonder that premiums continue to rise, in spite of (or is it because of) the ” new deal,” and that insurance companies continue to moan that they cannot even break even on motor insurance? Also, is it not time that some agency was established to investigate complaints against insurers? This could be the first step in restoring their rather battered public image.

Margate. M. J. WRICati.