Caravan: ChCh residents vent their frustration

18/07/2011 10:28:20 p.m.

adrian fleming wrote:

what happened to 1/2 million dollar debt from eqc the plumber had or have you been silenced on this matterive asked people n they think government as got to u

21/06/2011 10:29:57 p.m.

karla wrote:

@alien i have contents insurance threw state, EQC are covering my contents as i am insured my claim is for $11,000, $4,000 of which is for a tv that i had for 2 weeks, i agree with the lady that wants her contents paid out, i am currently paying each month for hps that i cant even see, besides the fact my daughters clothes are in a cardboard box as her dutchess broke,like most people in chch i cant just pull money out of my pocket, i dont own a credit card nor a cheque book, and already paying for the things i brought why should i have to pay 2 hps for the same thing.i understand there are people worse of than me, mine is just minor, but people do want to move on.I would like to move houses but at the mo, i have no furniture for another house until EQC get their S##t together.when you get told by the manager of EQC that you will be paid by a certain date then get told another by someone else you soon get pi##ed off.

20/06/2011 3:13:56 p.m.

ken wrote:

LAJ,the goss on the street is that 'normal' insurance companies are about to begin proceeding against the EQC. That is just rumour so take it for what it is. However, if true then your story may provoide a reason for their move. They would/are undoubtedly being caught as 'piggy in the middle'. I for one have never heard a good word spoken about the EQC by any main stream insurance company. Once again, the whole mess leads back to the EQC...

20/06/2011 12:28:54 p.m.

LAJ wrote:

Another phone call to EQC this morning, more excuses.. they can't find a piece of paper they need to finalise the claim. This is costing us over $1000 per week in interest payments.
I have been scanning our insurance policy documents and find some interesting clauses: Our insurer belongs to the Insurance Council and has made a commitment to the Council's Fair Insurance Code..... which requires the company to 4. settle all claims fairly and promptly. We are insured for Natural Disaster Insurance and the insurer says they will pay the difference between the cost of reinstatement and the amount received by us under the EQC Act 1993 not exceeding the amount that would be paid under the policy if the cause of loss was other than natural disaster. (EQC have paid a big fat zero and we've been waiting since Feb). The basis for settling claims and all other policy terms and conditions will apply" (ie timelines???). Does the insurer have the obligation to pay out the claim and recover the cost from the EQC??

19/06/2011 7:31:30 p.m.

ken wrote:

Alien, you are trivialising a realty-whether the money is owed direct to Mr Whitehead or to his customers who need it to pay their bills isn't worth quibbling about in the current climate. The reality is that a mess is being made worse because EQC is failing to pay out. LAJ has shown your ignorance of the law so I will not. Mike, did Ian Simpson 'put the record straight' or just make himself look foolish? A point not mentioned yet(as John Campbell finally did on the show) is that the whole raison d'etre of the EQC is to prepare for a situation that we currently have. The utter failure to have any plans at all in place is an absolute disgrace. The 'massive task we face' you bleet Mike? Yes, it is massive, but as just stated that is what EQC is there for. I find it quite offensive to be told 'we are facing an unprecendended situation and we're doing our best!' Well, if this is their best then it just ain't good enough! LAJ, your opinion on the reason behind their failings is interesting and may be true but I prefer a simpler explanation-plain incompetance. I am still learning never to underestimate the sheer amateurism of people and organisations, especially govt organisations. The old saying still rings true-those with ability try to change things but then leave for pastures greener. Don't forget, its virtually guaranteed money for those working in govt/council bodies like this. My experince of what is happening at ground level (many hours a day) is that there's huge wastage out there, of money and time, and nearly all of it can be traced back to EQC. It is only a matter of time before legal action is taken against the EQC. What good will that do? Not much perhaps but it will at least give others in the civil service a wake up call. I would like to see Mr Simpson resign now, even at this late stage. We desperately need someone with the foresight and charisma take the helm. For the sake of our city we need new blood at the top! What do we have now? A shambles?

19/06/2011 3:08:07 p.m.

LAJ wrote:

Actually Alien, EQC does pay contents insurance. See the EQC act: "EQCover also insures your personal belongings and gives cover on the same basis as the fire insurance. So, if your personal belongings are insured against fire on a replacement basis, EQCover will also be on a replacement basis; but if they are insured on a less favourable basis than replacement value, then EQCover will be on the same basis. The limit of EQCover for personal belongings is the lesser of: •the amount for which your belongings are insured against fire; •$20,000 (+ GST)." I suspect the rest of the $500,000 owed to the man is probably indirectly owed by EQC too as they probably haven't paid the people who owe him money. I know lots of tradesmen in serious trouble as they can't pay their workers or suppliers. We are also waiting patiently for EQC to pay us- they phoned more than 7 weeks ago to say they were finalising our claim (our block of 12 flats has been written off as unrepairable). We are still paying the mortgage, rates insurance premium and have no rents coming in. Our loss of rent cover is running out and we will not be able to rebuild with no income once it runs out so that's 12 less homes in Christchurch. Soon we won't be able to pay the mortgage or rates either. The act needs to change so EQC is required to pay penalty interest on money outstanding on a claim after a reasonable period eg 60 days. That might incentivise them to hire more staff and process claims more quickly. At the moment they are stalling as money in their bank account is earning them interest. Possibly they don't have enough liquidity to pay (have they paid out all their cash reserves and have all their assets in share now??) Why else after agreeing to pay our claim have they not paid it 7 weeks later???

18/06/2011 7:20:47 p.m.

Nancy wrote:

People who are not living with the effects of being in a very badly damaged area do not understand what it is like. You try to keep a happy face for your children but are falling apart inside. Constant after shocks and no water, unreliable power and eqc... where are you? We need answers. And where the heck do we get a chemical toilet from??

18/06/2011 4:53:13 p.m.

Amy wrote:

It's even harder to watch now when they are your friends and family. These people are patient and make do. The situation in the eastern suburbs is BAD. Especially after Monday. There are areas in Christchurch where there is no visible evidence of the earthquake like no cracks and bumps in the road and no liquefaction- I know as I work in these areas. Driving into the eastern suburbs and experiencing living there you sit up and realise the emotional pressure and strain these residents (family and friends) are under when they come home every night to broken houses, lack of basic resources and the uncertainty of their future. This is the 3rd major natural disaster to hit the same place. Patience has run out. People are scared and frightened as their lives are falling down around them. Someone please help us with answers.

18/06/2011 3:47:49 p.m.

hamish wrote:

wow.... alien you must be be from Auckland

18/06/2011 9:08:35 a.m.

Matt (Chch) wrote:

After the program with EQC CEO the other night one just has to wonder what sort of outfit they are, and if they even know what they are doing… Our friend had their house assessed the other day in an area that was not affected by the earthquake where they had very minor damage. We and others in our area have not even seen EQC!! I would like to know why they are assessing these houses when they were not going to be until September, or after the first two stages were assessed?!