Financial Services Royal Commission - General Insurance

Solve My Claim has assisted many hundreds of Australian families fighting their insurance companies for a "fair go" over the past 4 years.


David Keane, founder of Solve My Claim, will be attending the Royal Commission this week, and one of Solve My Claim's clients will be giving evidence at the Royal Commission as one of their official "Case Studies" later this week, and is very keen to speak to the respective media organisations about some of the major problems in the industry that he hopes the Royal Commission will address.
Cyclone Debbie struck Nth Qld on 28th March 2018, and has been estimated as the most costly disaster in Australia since Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
To date, Solve My Claim has taken on around 300 Cyclone Debbie claims collectively valued at over $50 million, and we have managed to overturn denied or reduced claims by over $10 million so far, with well over 100 claims still unresolved at this time.
During our involvement with Cyclone Debbie claims, we have discovered a number of very concerning issues with insurers that need to be made public, including:
* Bullying of clients
* Use of unlicensed building consultants
* Use of unregistered and/or unqualified "engineers" who then have their reports signed by a qualified and registered engineer
* Some insurers have two separate price structures for their "panel builders" and cash-settlement claims, withholding money (up to $120,000 in one case) from their clients, for the 'crime' of seeking to use their own builder instead of a panel builder.
* Lack of independence, accountability, 'arms-length' etc in the entire claims process
* Lack of transparency, with insurers withholding information and documentation from their clients, making it virtually impossible for a client to properly ascertain whether a settlement offer is genuinely fair & reasonable.
* Using builders as "assessors", and other cost-saving measures that are having catastrophic effects on clients and claims settlements.
Mr Keane made representations to the Royal Commission about many of the systemic flaws and problems in the insurance claims industry. As a claims professional, loss adjuster, insurance risk surveyor and claims preparer over the past 23 years, Mr Keane has witnessed first-hand the many tactics and strategies insurers use to "mitigate their losses". He formed Solve My Claim 4 years ago in response to the many alarming situations he had become aware of in which people were mistreated by insurance companies, or had their claims unfairly reduced or denied.
Due to time constraints, the Royal Commission has chosen not to address any of the issues raised by Mr Keane, nor to allow him to take the stand as a witness in the current round of public hearings, aside from one specific case in which he will potentially be appearing later this week.
As Mr Keane's testimony has not been utilised by the Royal Commission, he is very willing to share these facts, along with supporting evidence, to the media. He also has many "everyday Aussies" - current or former clients of Solve My Claim - who would love their stories to be told.
Mr Keane will be in Melbourne tomorrow (Tuesday 17th Sept) and Wednesday and is available for any media interviews - newspaper, radio, TV or internet. He is also willing and able to provide interested media with specific case studies that the Royal Commission has chosen not to highlight due to their time constraints.
The General Insurance industry is long overdue for a "shake-up" and accountability and exposure is required, to ensure the rights of everyday Australian families are protected. Solve My Claim is committed to fighting these battles, with or without public exposure and support, but we also understand that public revelation of some of the insurer's tactics can be an effective means of restoring justice to the insurance claims process.
Mr Keane can be contacted on
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) may be of a point-in-time nature, edited for clarity, style and length. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s). View in full here.