CanCERN s Positives / Questions and Issues for AMI July

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1 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July Personal Communication from resident to AMI; Phone call/s, reporting damage / Making a claim/s / asking for more information Personal Communication from AMI to resident; 1) Letter from AMI claiming that they were still solvent 2) A booklet from AMI explaining the quake process 3) A call and then a visit from Arrow (the assessors) doing an inspection on the property 4) Draft report from Arrow about their assessment. Positives D and I are with AMI and although the whole process from eptember seemed to take forever we were very happy with the way our meeting went with AMI regarding our house. Arrow, happy with process after a long wait Everything was explained clearly and the Arrow report on our house was extremely thorough and once we decided what offer to go with the process was very quick. We have had Arrow do a full scope of our property and the guy has been excellent with us Arrow scope excellent Yes we are an AMI customer. I have had two different experiences with them. First time I called the Call Centre useless & excellent they were useless and the second time I got someone who was excellent. AMI have been good so far, responsive, quick, friendly. We have had friendly conversations with them, but have been waiting since around Feb 24 th for an Call Centre friendly inspection of our property. I have contacted them, and I was well informed about my questions Call Centre informative We had full assessment by Arrow last week. Arrow been really helpful. They said about 6 weeks to get all options from AMI. Things are moving much quicker than I thought for us at the moment. Arrow helpful A: Assessments Themes. Possible olutions Assessments in the Red Zone have become a matter of utmost importance for both parties. Will AM allow full participation of the home owners in the assessment? What is the assessment process and how do residents engage in this process to ensure that the assessments are done thoroughly

2 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July and with transparency to instil confidence in the resident that they are being looked after? If a house has already been deemed uneconomic to repair will re assessments be made and, if so, why? Will all issues identified be pointed out, described, and any significance explained, at the time of assessment? If not, when will they be? Will home owners be permitted to submit their own list of issues or query assessments, and will this be added to the inspection file and form part of the decision making process? Will AMI/Arrow agree that at the end of the inspection there will be no obligation, or pressure, to sign any agreement? Does AMI agree to make available a full copy of the assessment, along with any and all associated documents, and costs before AMI or Arrow ask for consent to a project plan, to demolish, or to proceed with any other activity? Does AMI agree that time will be allowed for home owners to seek advice on the content of any agreement, acceptance, consent, or other document to be signed? (this process may include, but no be limited to, obtaining advice from building specialists, geotechnical engineers, insurance companies, lawyers, mortgage holders.) What process will AMI provide for questioning or challenging an assessment, the conclusions drawn from an assessment, or the recommended solution(s)? Where the Repair/Rebuild outcome of an assessment is a matter of comparative cost, will AMI provide the claimant with details of their costing? If not, why not? Will there be a mechanism for identifying and prioritizing clients who need to be assessed promptly? Is there a timeframe in place when the full house inspections are to be done? If they are doing these by suburbs can they advise the timeframe and which suburbs are being inspected when? Arrow assessed our $305,000.00, AMI Offered $253, They have not provided a breakdown, are they entitled to give us a breakdown? The insurance policy is for replacement value why there is so much difference? Our dealings so far with AMI have been reasonably positive HOWEVER... The building company they are Mixed communications using concerns me. We have a property on Mt Pleasant Road which is very badly damaged. We got our own engineer to do a report on it. His findings were that the building needed to be demolished with urgenc and that "no amount of repairs would bring the building up to a satisfactory standard," We then had a full

3 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July assessment with EC who recommended the building be "removed and replaced" and their costing for repair came to $862,300. The property is not worth that amount. Arrow International came around on behalf of AMI and the builder there said he might try to repair! After the 4th ept, things were going along nicely. We had the EC team out twice. We then had lady from AMI. (Australian from Adelaide). he looked through and like the four people before her, she advised that the house was not repairable and would be a rebuild. This lady also took all path measurements and her words were, This is going to take a long time to fix. I replied Do you think is fixable. No not at all was her reply. Then the 22nd Feb happened. ince then we had two people from Arrow on AMI s behalf. They spent over five hours here and lef telling us that we would here from AMI in about two weeks. Then out of the blue we get a further vi from Arrow who had a different person with them. He left with a comment You know this is fixable o what do we have: Yes the rules are changing and AMI have instructed the people that are in the field with new instructions. We have since left three messages with AMI asking that they contact us. No one has rung us back. Mixed communications Not acknowledging contact B: Repairs What engineering resources will AMI use to assess the state of the ground prior to repairs on land Process and time frames 1 that incurred damage? [Note: this is an insurance company responsibility see footnote ] Will the results of, and the recommendations arising from, these tests be made available to claiman before any agreements are entered into? If not, why not? What is this about external repairs having to go through Auckland? When will AMI come for the assessment of damages not covered by EC like drive way, garden fences, gates and garden wall, garage? Our claim is for driveways, paths and walls. Cracks and gaps between slabs have now started filling up with silt etc, and we re worried that when they finally get around to inspecting they are not going see the full extent of damage and may just rule they were existing. C: Rebuilds in situ What engineering resources will AMI use to assess the state of the ground prior to rebuilds on land that incurred damage? [Note: this is an insurance company responsibility see footnote 1] Process and legal rights 1 Department of Building and Housing, 2010 Guidance on house repairs and reconstruction following the Canterbury earthquake e.g. p50

4 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July Will the results of, and the recommendations arising from, these tests be made available to claiman before any agreements are entered into? Where the entitlement is based on a sum of dollars per square metre (e.g. $1,400 per sq m), will the purchasing power of that sum be: based on the retail price (i.e. the price an individual would pay for a house) leveraged to the full extent that AMI can use its purchasing power to reduce prices? Ie. an insurance company could say a particular building has a retail value of $200,000 but negotiate a much sharper price. That way it saves itself from making a full payout. This is why claimants want to take the cash don't get the full value. What are the legal standings on this point for the resident? D: Rebuilds elsewhere Will AMI being offering or facilitating land and building packages? Most home builders direct their work at the upper end of the market (big and expensive houses). Wi AMI provide assistance with finding designs and builders for the modest end of the market (in the 90 to 150 sq range?) How long will a claimant have to decide where they want to build? E: uality / Warranty / Guarantee As the insurance claim is between the claimant and AMI, will AMI warranty the work done on its beh for the claimant? There is a long chain from AMI as insurer through PMO, contractors, sub contractors and possibly further. Does AMI accept responsibility for the quality and longevity of the methods, materials, and workmanship employed at all levels of the chain? If not, why not? Will AMI/Arrow allow claimants the opportunity to vet the nominated contractor and to disagree if the feel the contractor is not suitable? If not, why not? F: Project planning, timetables, delays and problem resolution for repairs & rebuilds Will AMI/Arrow provide home owners with a project plan showing the work to be done, the projected start time, duration, milestones and completion date? Will the project plan also provide a list of eligible contractors so a selection can be made on the bas of the home owners preference for quality and suitability?

5 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July Will AMI agree a mutually suitable start time with the home owners, with no pressure to fit into a wid PMO project schedule? Will AMI agree that where home owners are to vacate their property no work will start until accommodation suitable to home owners needs have been found, and that no pressure will be applied where suitable accommodation proves difficult to find? Will AMI/Arrow provide regular written weekly reports for any projects that will take more than four weeks?. Will AMI/Arrow give adequate notice when the project is behind schedule and unlikely to be completed on time? Will AMI/Arrow provide additional (actual and reasonable) accommodation costs when the project falls behind schedule and the initial accommodation monies are exhausted? Will AMI provide a fast track mechanism for investigating situations where the home owners, or thei agent, consider there has been a deviation from the project plan or that the quality of materials or workmanship are unsatisfactory? G: Insurance Policy Does floor area mean real floor space (inside measurements) as I understood the AMI Agent when I took up the insurance or does floor area mean foot prints (outside measurements)? Will AMI provide full insurance cover for the property being repaired or rebuilt from the start of the project until the moment of hand over? Will AMI provide full insurance cover for all repaired and rebuilt properties once they are completed? Is it true, that a total replacement policy only operates if you house was destroyed by fire and the ne house could be built on the same land? We have lodged 3 claims with EC (1 after each earthquake) and notified AMI. We understand that as our house is considered structurally OK the full assessment is not a priority but we have concern about the grounds retaining walls and steps and the front fence. Whose responsibility is this? H Buying an existing property If we want to buy an existing property, can we have the same amount of money as if we were to hav our house rebuilt? How is the amount of money available to purchase an existing property calculated and why is it

6 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July calculated this way? I Red Zone issues Prior to February 22 (or June 13 as the case may be), emergency work was carried out on propertie Process, options to enable residents to continue living there. This work was related to one or more of the following: safety, structure, heating, sanitation. When checking with AMI claimants were told this would be at n eventual cost to them as the amount would be deducted from their accommodation entitlement. Will this be honoured for those in the Red Zone? If a home is considered repairable, and the owners choose to remain in the Red Zone, will AMI repa 2 the house and subsequently provide full insurance? ome Red Zoners have been told they will have to wait until eptember for Arrow to send someone to assess properties and do the scope of works. Factor in the behind the scenes paperwork, inevitable delays discussions about findings, assumptions and costing, plus statutory holidays and it may not be December or January before claimants will know where they stand. Can AMI/Arrow give a timetable of where assessments will be carried out, when, how long the process wil take, and at what point claimants will receive Arrow's assessments? A crucial factor for some claimants will be the coincidence of Arrow and its activities and school examinations. Can AMI/Arrow consider this with its contacts of residents? Residents would like to negotiate ownership of certain chattels in their homes is this a possibility? When looking at the pricing of a repair if the resident takes the govt offer for the land and insurance company offer for repair will this include the price to repair up to the building code as required on that specific date, e.g. double glazing? Who then is responsible for the demolition costs? If a house is not badly damaged will removing it to another piece of land be an option? When will we receive our packs with our figures? What will the insurance offer with respect to a rebuild, cash settlement or buying an existing house be like and how will a mortgage affect these options? Would AMI produce a list of all of the items that could appear on a scope of works so that when homeowners check their scope of works the chance of missing something is greatly reduced? J AMI 's relationship with claimants Will AMI work with residents groups, or CanCERN, to agree a code of conduct setting out the needs FA page, logging and 2 including obtaining all necessary permits and compliance certificates

7 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July and expectations of both parties to govern the processing of claims, repairs and rebuilds once they have been passed along from EC?(something like a mutual FA). Also apparently we have 4 new case managers and our other case manager is no longer in charge our claim. How can you deal with 4 people? Why can t we have one qualified person to deal with? Why are not AMI stores open aturday & unday? Can you also please ask if the insurance options can be made available before or at the same time we receive CERA offer so residents can make informed choices? Can advice be given on making offers on a new place while we are waiting for assessments etc? need clearer communication seems a lack of returning calls etc especially to people who work fulltime and require to speak to an AMI rep after 6pm. We have had next to no communication from AMI. However they did phone us within a couple of hours of the zoning announcements to see whether we had made our mind up which I thought was very insensitive especially since it had only just been announced and we had/have nothing in writing yet. o far we have not been contacted by phone at all. We are with AMI but we are very confused as after eptember EC and AMI both said house not fixable. Arrow international came after February and now house can be fixed. How can that be? No after June have just been told arrow have to come back to do it all again. But have no idea how long that will be. We are in the red zone and spoke to AMI yesterday, we re in a Pod... said that we would be assessed by end of eptember My sister and I share a house in Mt Pleasant and have both house and contents insurance with AMI Our experience is that communication is very poor. Though the reception/call centre staff are courteous and undertake to pass on concerns there is no response to these. Even when messages are sent to the address these are not acknowledged. We are with AMI... when I called the day after the announcement we were told we would be seen acknowledgement of calls communication by a homeowner and time period for reply, time frames for processing claims, 1 AMI person to go to, consistent information, prioritizing customers

8 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July within the next 8 weeks. I had some questions which a lady answered. When I called the following week as we are now in a POD, I was told we would be seen by the end of eptember and was given very different answers to my questions the week before, I was asking what happens with the re build ie can we change anything around or add another bathroom etc. We are handling my son's claim and his insurer is AMI. The level of service is absolutely appalling. His is a red stickered property and coincidently their first visit to the property to assess it is this morning. (July 8) I've spoken to AMI several times and each time they claim to have lost the record of the previous conversation/interaction. Ironically, this last time a representative called me and "apologised" for the poor communication and said this is their attempt to improve communications. he then proceeded to an "interview" that had been done a week earlier and when I pointed that out, sure enough she could find no record of the previous interview, nor did she follow up with me as promised! We are in somewhat unusual situation of being here on a visa that will expire soon, so we need to resolve thes insurance issues as soon as possible. K AMI and Contents Insurance We have a contents claim in with EC since March. Which will total over $20,000. Will AMI pay for the claim that goes over this amount and can AMI speed up EC? House, contents and car don t seem to be in the same place. Why can t I talk about all my different insurances with AMI with one person? With regards to the contents from AMI, we are not getting any clarity about our claims! o just abo to them again L AMI and Accommodation Payments and Rented Properties Could payments for accommodation be more efficient? Also statements on how much we have used up and when our accommodation runs out so that we can know when to start applying for the government support. Does each new event mean that the accommodation payments could start again if we claim for eac new event? We are AMI customers and own a house in the red zone which we rent out. Our very good, long ter tenants have just moved out as they are fed up with having no sanitation, no water pressure, intermittent services such as power and water, silt under the floor which is making the house very damp, and also the house seems very unsafe as it shakes terribly when buses etc go past. Legal standing. What is liveable? How long do the payments last? Effect of multiple events on

9 CanCERN s Positives / uestions and Issues for AMI July We have advertised the house for rent, but understandably not one person has been interested, so we have Loss of Rent Insurance with AMI, we assumed that as we are unable to put a tenant in the property due to all of the above issues, that AMI would immediately start covering the weekly rent un such time as we settle the sale of the property. o far, AMI have denied that the house is un rentab M Green Zone Customers When will the process begin? What is AMI doing on our behalf to support EC to get through the process? rent ability?