A client who felt pressured to sign off on a repair they weren’t happy with has led to a lengthy court battle, and another national headline that ended in small-claims court.
A representative from
Intact Insurance told
CBC News that – although the company cannot speak to the specifics of a claim – it handles thousands of claims on tens of thousands of policies every year, and most are settled smoothly.
But for Newfoundland residents Juanita Scott and Larry Condon, it was a lengthy15-month battle involving small claims court to reach a settlement that began after she accidentally drove her own van into a ditch last year.
According to Scott, her insurance provider Intact underestimated the damage — and she says garage owners were afraid to say otherwise.
“It's unbelievable,” Condon told reporters. “Finally it might come to a resolution.”
The accident happened when Scott says she slipped while getting out of the van and knocked the gear shift, and the van rolled backwards into a ditch.
Intact told Scott which garage to bring it to – but that is when the problem started.
“I went in, I felt the adjuster was in my face,” Scott told
CBC News. “And I felt I had to sign this cheque, seriously, so I signed it. And I went out to take her, and I started her up… there was no brakes on her."
Scott also said that there were gaps in the back of the van, to the point where you could look down through the floors. (continued.)
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She told the insurance company she wasn't satisfied and took the van to another garage for a second opinion – but the garage owner wouldn't take the job. And other garages told her the same, as Scott said they didn’t want to contradict the insurance company.
Eventually she found a mechanic willing to give her an assessment, and with that she took Intact to small claims court.
In November Scott and Condon met with a lawyer from Intact and a judge, and within an hour all parties had reached a settlement that allowed Condon to keep the van and collect $5,000.
