Insurance claims soar after Auckland takes a weather hit

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Auckland, 11 April 2018 – Hurricane force gusts and heavy rain in Auckland overnight have kept AA Insurance’s claims team busy, with over a week’s work of claims in just one evening.

“Our team has seen a large increase in calls to lodge home and motor claims related to storm damage, which is far more than we’d expect in a typical week,” says Amelia Macandrew, Customer Relations Manager, AA Insurance. “Claims have included trees falling on roofs, windows being sucked out of houses and roofs collapsing.

“We won’t know the extent of the damage or the cost until our customers are able to make a full assessment of their property, but we expect the number of claims to rise over the coming days.”

“In the meantime, we want to hear from those who need urgent assistance, including repairs to keep their homes watertight and warm,” says Amelia. “We also want to hear from customers who have been able to assess the damage to their home, contents or car.”

However, safety should be the priority for people affected by the weather, so there’s no rush to make a claim, but the sooner customers get in touch the sooner our team can help, she says.

“Our experienced team is ready to help with any weather-related claims and get things sorted quickly.”

AA Insurance advises its customers to:

  • Make sure you, your family and pets are safe first. There is no rush to make a claim for your home or contents, so once you have had a chance to assess the damage, get in touch with us if you need to make a claim

  • If you need urgent repairs to make your home safe, or if you need temporary accommodation, call us on 0800 500 216

  • Do not attempt to inspect or repair any damage until it is safe to do so

  • Keep damaged items if they are safe to do so, or take photos – this is useful to confirm what needs replacing

  • If your vehicle has been damaged or suffered flooding it may be unsafe to drive

  • Getthru.govt.nz suggests that if you’ve experienced a power cut and perishable food has been exposed to temperatures above 4°C for more than two hours then throw it out. Check everything is working in your fuse box, reset alarms and clocks, and re-stock your emergency kit.

  • If your home is without power, turn your appliances off at the wall in case of a power surge.

About AA Insurance

AA Insurance is an independently operated, New Zealand-based joint venture between the New Zealand Automobile Association Limited (NZAA) and Vero Insurance New Zealand Limited (VINZL). Since 1994 we have demonstrated trusted expertise in home, contents and car insurance in New Zealand, and in 2018 introduced commercial small business insurance. We underwrite our own policies and sell direct to New Zealanders. Our 1000+ employees look after 500,000+ customers with more than 1,000,000 policies.

We proudly partner with Variety New Zealand – the Children’s Charity (as the lead partner of its Beds for Kids programme), Student Volunteer Army and support grassroot school sports via our Big Little Sponsorship sports grant in partnership with Eden Park. We are consistently recognised in industry awards and honours, including being voted the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted General Insurer for 13 years running, named Canstar’s 2023 Home and Contents Insurer of the Year and Outstanding Value Award winner, and currently ranked 7th amongst 100 of New Zealand’s most successful companies in the Kantar Corporate Reputation Index (since 2015).

Find out more at www.aainsurance.co.nz

For more information please contact:
AA Insurance Media Team
027 406 1787
mediacontact@aainsurance.co.nz