A Winnipeg senior says she’s unfairly on the hook to replace her car’s ignition after a Manitoba Public Insurance adjuster accused her of stealing her own vehicle.
The 65-year-old woman lost her keys while unloading groceries from her car in mid-February, but had a spare set. On March 3, her car was stolen from the parking lot of the seniors building she lives at. She was able to find the vehicle on her own using GPS, and the car was towed to an MPI lot after she reported the theft to police. Only the licence plates had been stolen.
She said an adjuster told her it would take MPI about a month to get to her report and offered no further details. Frustrated, she paid for replacement plates and phoned a local garage to look at her vehicle. After the garage contacted the adjuster, she said the adjuster called her and accused her of arranging the theft of her own vehicle.
“He phones me and wrings me out, tells me I have no business doing this … he says, ‘We can’t do anything till we investigate this with you and get a story from you, and how do I know that you didn’t arrange for a family member or friend to take it and hide it?’” Dianna, who asked only her first name be published, said this week.
“Pardon me? I said, ‘I’m a 65-year-old senior.’”
After repeated calls, MPI agreed to tow the vehicle to the garage on March 22. She said she didn’t know until the garage had completed its safety check that even though the car sustained no damage, her insurance would not cover recoding the ignition to ensure the thief — who was not caught — could not return and steal the car again.
“Now they want me to replace the keys and the ignition, but they’re not going to help pay for it, because as far as they’re concerned, I arranged for it to be stolen,” Dianna said.
She said despite having loss of use coverage — and the fact that the garage did not have to do any repairs to the vehicle — she was told her claim was closed because she took her car to a garage rather than wait for MPI.
An MPI spokesperson declined to comment on the specific case, but said the Crown corporation does consider recoding ignitions and replacing keys when key fobs are stolen.
“Each situation will be considered based on the circumstances of the claim,” Kristy Rydz said in an email.
Questions as to how Dianna’s claim could be voided went unanswered.
“Specific coverage decisions will be reviewed with the customer upon completion of the investigation. Depending on the customer’s chosen insurance coverage, in the event of a total theft claim, a deductible may be waived and loss of use coverage may be available,” she said.
Vernaus Autobody president John Vernaus said even if Dianna had taken her car to a shop that wasn’t accredited by MPI, she still had a case to get the fix reimbursed through her insurance.
“I would go to the supervisor, and I would definitely say, ‘If it gets stolen again, you guys are now liable, because I did the best I could,’” he said Monday. “They’re supposed to pay for that. And what happens when the car does get stolen?”
Recoding a vehicle’s ignition can cost anywhere from $200 to $500, but it could be more depending on the type of vehicle, Vernaus said.
Fewer autobody shops are taking in vehicles that have been stolen, Vernaus said, because the burden of proof is being put on the shop to prove drivers aren’t seeking free repairs outside of what was damaged by theft. Mistakes can cost garages their accreditation, he said.
In the meantime, Dianna said she’s not sure about her next steps. Desperate for a sense of safety, she bought a lock bar for her steering wheel.
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
