Emergency Home Cover is a Con! (Lloyds TSB insuredirect)

Member Name: soozonholiday

Product:	Lloyds TSB insuredirect
Date:	13/12/07 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: They take your money and run!

This is my first review. 6.30am this morning I discovered water dripping through my bathroom ceiling and telephoned Lloyds TSB Emergency Home Cover for which I pay £75 a year. Plumber arrived at 12pm and discovered water tank in the loft had a tiny hole so he phoned it in and surprise surprise (although not to him) they refused to let him repair. He switched off my water and left me with no water and no heating (although he was very apologetic!) and then left, although not before telling me that that they always do this.
20 calls later (mostly to the emergency number) and I got no further and had to call a plumber out at my cost to make the repair.
My policy covers me for emergencies where damage to property is occuring and apparently will give me peace of mind! Just imagine burst pipes in the middle of the night they say in the blurb. Well let me tell you that all they would do if that happened is come and turn the water off and then leave (I can do that myself!). This is despite the promise of up to £300 cover for the call out, parts, labour and VAT. They even promise that "If your needs exceed the cover provided by this policy we will still offer you assistance but you must pay any excess costs to the tradesman at the time the service is provided." I don't mind this but I didn't even get a fiver's worth let alone £300.
The truth is, as one Complaint's Officer admitted, if they do not have the part in the van then they are not allowed to fetch it and come back to repair. I wish I had insisted on seeing the inside of the van that came to my house - I wouldn't be surprised if it was empty!
My policy is with Lloyds TSB, underwritten by Royal Sun Alliance and "delivered" by Homeserve. Frankly it is not worth the paper it is written on and I am immediately cancelling this policy as well as my Lloyds TSB Home and Buildings policies.

Summary: Vote with your feet, that's what I say!