It’s fair to say us Brits can be a “funny lot”… known around the world for being overly polite in even the most extreme circumstances, being great at queueing and constantly talking about the weather, it now seems we have another odd trait: we’re too embarrassed to make insurance claims.
At least that’s the verdict of new research from Direct Line, which has found that one in 20 people who have lost or damaged things were too embarrassed to claim on their insurance – specifically in terms of admitting they owned the item or explaining how the incident took place.
The study highlights nearly half (43%) of Brits do not claim insurance on items they break or lose, with 37% of these stating it is because they didn’t think it was worth the hassle. A further 14% claimed they did not realise they could.
Mobile phones (19%), kitchenware (11%) and laptops (10%) are the most common items broken or lost but unclaimed. Most ‘non-claimers’ lost or damaged their item due to their own clumsiness (40%) while 12% simply forgot where they had placed it. A further 11% admitted that they had caused damage by falling with the item.
“It’s interesting to see that some Brits are too embarrassed to claim for items and would rather replace them out of their own pocket than admit to what the item was or the situation that led to it being lost or damaged,” commented Rebecca Clapham, head of household product at Direct Line. “Human error is often an unavoidable consequence of our busy lives so it’s perhaps not surprising that so many of us have accidentally broken something or forgot where we put it. With the right insurance you don’t need to worry if you spill a drink over your laptop or break your item in an embarrassing scenario.”
The report also notes that people spend over £130 replacing the item themselves, with men spending more (£141) than women (£128). Those living in the East Midlands front the most, spending £176 on replacing items. In comparison, those living in Scotland spend the least (£112).
Related stories:
Millions of UK motorists aren’t being honest about this…
I’ll take the fridge and the TV…
