Insurance firm to pay for snatched mobile phone

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 16

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed a an insurer and insurance company to pay Rs 61,000 along with compensation of Rs 5,000, besides Rs 2,000 as litigation expenses to a local person, whose mobile phone was insured by them.

The owner of the phone had asked the insurers to pay the claim as the handset was snatched from him by unknown persons. The insurer had failed to pay the claim.

Earlier, Lakhan Arora, a resident of Ranjit Avenue, had a filed a complaint against Smart App Shield having its office at South Model Gram, Ludhiana, and The New India Assurance Company.

In his complaint he stated that he purchased a mobile phone costing Rs 61,000 from a shop “Punjab Electronics”.

He stated that the shopkeeper convinced him to purchase the Smart App Shield, which had insurance arrangements with The New India Insurance Company. The mobile insurance cover purchased at a cost of Rs 2,299 was to cover the risk of theft, breakage, water damage etc.

The complainant said his mobile phone was snatched by unknown persons on December 3, 2014, after which he lodged a complaint at the police post on Majitha Road. He stated that he had submitted all documents demanded by the opposite parties, but insurance amount was not paid even after six months.

In its written reply to the consumer forum The New India Insurance Company stated that the complainant was not a consumer of theirs and as such he had not paid any premium to the firm.

The forum observed that complainant had produced on record the customer copy of the insurance policy and the police complaint along with untraceable report. It stated that the opposite parties failed to pay the insurance claim to the complainant without any reasonable excuse.