Insurance Q

On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 00:16:32 +0100, Rob wrote:

> Hi - after a peculiar coincidence I found 'my' old stolen bike parked next
> to my new bike at work.
>
> I chained it up, left the key with security at work, and advised the new
> 'owner' to contact security via a note on the bike. He/she never did
> (although I know who they are), and I've now been advised by the security
> people that the bike is owned by my insurance company (I made a claim when
> the bike was stolen - quite how work security know I made a claim i don't
> know), so they've now locked it away.
>
> Does anyone know the legal position here, and the best tack for getting my
> old bike back?

I would contact the insurance people first of all. If it does belong to
them, then they have every right to reclaim it - and it would look pretty
bad if you were ever found / reported to be riding a bike that you had
reported stolen and made a claim for. And they may sell it to you - it
would save them the trouble of auctioning it. If your new bike is less
good than your old bike, perhaps they would do you a swap?!

I'm curious regarding the circumstances of the theft - assuming your
?colleague isn't the thief, they may be able to incriminate whoever sold
it them. I would suggest you don't feel too badly towards them unless you
know the circumstances under which it was taken - they may have bought it
in a police auction of stolen bikes, unless you know otherwise.

When my bike was taken, I found it quite cathartic to learn all about its
year's adventures.

AC

> Does anyone know the legal position here, and the best tack for
> getting my old bike back?

There was a chap that had a similar thing happen with his son's bike a few
months ago. He contacted the insurance company and they sold it back to
him very cheaply.

"Rob" <[email protected]> writes:

> Hi - after a peculiar coincidence I found 'my' old stolen bike parked next
> to my new bike at work.
>
> I chained it up, left the key with security at work, and advised the new
> 'owner' to contact security via a note on the bike. He/she never did
> (although I know who they are), and I've now been advised by the security
> people that the bike is owned by my insurance company (I made a claim when
> the bike was stolen - quite how work security know I made a claim i don't
> know), so they've now locked it away.
>
> Does anyone know the legal position here, and the best tack for getting my
> old bike back?


I think that it's correct that once they've paid out a claim it's
normal for the insurance company to become the legal owner of the
insured item - check the small print of your contract with them.


I'm not sure about how you can recover it - have you asked the
insurance company? I'd have thought that if you return the money you
got from them then they'd be happen to return the bike?


In any case perhaps you should report the theft, and circumstances of
the subsequent recovery, to the police, if you haven't already.

"Rob" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hi - after a peculiar coincidence I found 'my' old stolen bike parked next
> to my new bike at work.
>
> I chained it up, left the key with security at work, and advised the new
> 'owner' to contact security via a note on the bike. He/she never did
> (although I know who they are), and I've now been advised by the security
> people that the bike is owned by my insurance company (I made a claim when
> the bike was stolen - quite how work security know I made a claim i don't
> know), so they've now locked it away.
>
> Does anyone know the legal position here, and the best tack for getting my
> old bike back?

Security are right, whether by accident or design. The insurance
company does own the bike, unless of course they've already recovered
it and sold it on, which doesn't look likely in this case. As AC
advised, contact them and see if they'll play ball.

--
Dave...

Rob wrote:

> I chained it up, left the key with security at work, and advised the new
> 'owner' to contact security via a note on the bike. He/she never did
> (although I know who they are), and I've now been advised by the security
> people that the bike is owned by my insurance company (I made a claim when
> the bike was stolen - quite how work security know I made a claim i don't
> know), so they've now locked it away.

Interesting story (I still look at local bike racks to see if
my nicked MTB turns up)!

The insurance company do own the bike - make them an offer for
it as it'll cost them time & money to store it and to dispose of
it another way.

Actually, is anyone here aware of insurance companies selling /
auctioning off recovered bikes?


--
jc

Remove the -not from email

"Rob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi - after a peculiar coincidence I found 'my' old stolen bike parked next
> to my new bike at work.
>
> I chained it up, left the key with security at work, and advised the new
> 'owner' to contact security via a note on the bike. He/she never did
> (although I know who they are), and I've now been advised by the security
> people that the bike is owned by my insurance company (I made a claim when
> the bike was stolen - quite how work security know I made a claim i don't
> know), so they've now locked it away.
>
> Does anyone know the legal position here, and the best tack for getting my
> old bike back?
>
> Many thanks
>
> Rob
>
Many thanks for all your replies. I phoned the insurance company and they
offered to sell the bike to me for £20. I agreed - an 8 year old GT
Timberline. It's pretty tatty (ripped seat, broken cable, dirty) but I was
was quite fond of it, served me well (etc) and I'd spent quite a bit on
tyres, a rack and so on - still there.

As for the recent rider - they're actually on the staff where I work. I
really don't think s/he (trying to keep anonymous!) knowingly bought a
stolen bike, and they've taken their lock off, so I assume that's that.

AXA have been very good - you get through to them easily, premiums are good
(£235 for house, bike and contents in London - just renewed so that takes
into account the claim) and they settled the claim within 24 hours - new
bike with me in 3 days via wheelies.co.uk (not so good, another story). And
I think £20 is reasonable.

Now, what to do with 2 bikes ;-) ...

Rob

"Rob" <[email protected]> writes:

>
> Now, what to do with 2 bikes ;-) ...
>

Buy some more, obviously. Two isn't even close to being enough...

"Paul Rudin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Rob" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> >
> > Now, what to do with 2 bikes ;-) ...
> >
>
> Buy some more, obviously. Two isn't even close to being enough...

Does it depend if you've got a mummy bicycle and a daddy bicycle?

cheers,
clive

anonymous coward wrote:
>I'm curious regarding the circumstances of the theft - assuming your
>?colleague isn't the thief, they may be able to incriminate whoever sold
>it them. I would suggest you don't feel too badly towards them unless you
>know the circumstances under which it was taken - they may have bought it
>in a police auction of stolen bikes, unless you know otherwise.

At the local (Cambridge) police auction, the police were quite clear that
you really do become the legal owner of the bike, even if its earlier
owner later tries to claim it.

>> Buy some more, obviously. Two isn't even close to being enough...
>
> Does it depend if you've got a mummy bicycle and a daddy bicycle?

Don't they tend to reproduce asexually through some weird type of
'budding' process, hence trikes and unicycles, while the increased
mutations inherent in asexual reproduction occasionally give rise to
abnormalities like full suspension and freaks like recumbents?

in message <[email protected]>, Rob
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Now, what to do with 2 bikes ;-) ...

Only two? Buy some more.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

IMHO, there aren't enough committed Christians, but that's care
in the community for you. -- Ben Evans

Mark Thompson wrote:
>>> Buy some more, obviously. Two isn't even close to being enough...
>>
>> Does it depend if you've got a mummy bicycle and a daddy bicycle?

_Or All the Seas with Oysters_ Avram Davidson.


>Don't they tend to reproduce asexually through some weird type of
>'budding' process, hence trikes and unicycles, while the increased
>mutations inherent in asexual reproduction occasionally give rise to
>abnormalities like full suspension and freaks like recumbents?

"increased mutations inherent in asexual reproduction" ??

"Rob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Rob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Hi - after a peculiar coincidence I found 'my' old stolen bike parked
next
> > to my new bike at work.
> >
> > I chained it up, left the key with security at work, and advised the new
> > 'owner' to contact security via a note on the bike. He/she never did
> > (although I know who they are), and I've now been advised by the
security
> > people that the bike is owned by my insurance company (I made a claim
when
> > the bike was stolen - quite how work security know I made a claim i
don't
> > know), so they've now locked it away.
> >
> > Does anyone know the legal position here, and the best tack for getting
my
> > old bike back?
> >
> > Many thanks
> >
> > Rob
> >
> Many thanks for all your replies. I phoned the insurance company and they
> offered to sell the bike to me for £20. I agreed - an 8 year old GT
> Timberline. It's pretty tatty (ripped seat, broken cable, dirty) but I was
> was quite fond of it, served me well (etc) and I'd spent quite a bit on
> tyres, a rack and so on - still there.
>
> As for the recent rider - they're actually on the staff where I work. I
> really don't think s/he (trying to keep anonymous!) knowingly bought a
> stolen bike, and they've taken their lock off, so I assume that's that.
>
> AXA have been very good - you get through to them easily, premiums are
good
> (£235 for house, bike and contents in London - just renewed so that takes
> into account the claim) and they settled the claim within 24 hours - new
> bike with me in 3 days via wheelies.co.uk (not so good, another story).
And
> I think £20 is reasonable.
>
> Now, what to do with 2 bikes ;-) ...
>
Offer it to the person who bought it (directly or indirectly) from the thief
of course !

Hywel

Mark Thompson wrote:
> Don't they tend to reproduce asexually through some weird type of
> 'budding' process, hence trikes and unicycles, while the increased
> mutations inherent in asexual reproduction occasionally give rise to
> abnormalities like full suspension and freaks like recumbents?

As someone else recently pointed out in another thread, a recumbent is
what you get when an upright tries to mate with a deckchair.

d.

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 12:47:11 +0100, davek <[email protected]>
wrote in message <[email protected]>:

>a recumbent is
>what you get when an upright tries to mate with a deckchair.

Or what you get when a wedgie rider gets fed up with pushing 10mph
headwinds at 15mph ;-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Just zis Guy, you know? [email protected] opined the following...
> Or what you get when a wedgie rider gets fed up with pushing 10mph
> headwinds at 15mph ;-)

I thought he just got a long length of rope, a rock and a big cliff!

Jon