A Woodland farmer who was robbed of his van at gunpoint while selling vegetables outside his stall is now calling for help after his vehicle insurance company rejected his claim for compensation.
Mohan Premchand, of 6 Nancoo Trace, said he took out a fully comprehensive insurance policy for a Nissan Navara vehicle which he purchased on December 13 last year.
The insurance was granted by the Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI) and Premchand said he paid $4,021 for his policy.
On July 13, while he was at his vegetable stall with his wife and daughter, a gang of robbers pulled up in front of his stall and ordered him to hand over the keys for the van.
Shortly after the robbers drove off, Premchand said he flagged down a passing police vehicle and told them his van had been stolen.
However, the officers never pursued the robbers but went on their own business. The vehicle was never recovered.
After lodging a report at the San Fernando Police Station, Premchand said he went to his insurance company and informed them that the van was stolen. He said he expected compensation as the van had fully comprehensive insurance. He provided documents to them as well as the police report.
Premchand said he spoke to several officials and was under the impression that the claim will be honoured. However, he was later informed that he was not entitled to a claim because he had failed to declare on his insurance form information details of previous accidents.
In a letter dated October 14 and signed by the Claims and Legal representative Alex Richards, Premchand was informed there was a breach in his policy because he failed to declare that another vehicle had been stolen from the same premises the year before.
Saying his failure to declare the theft amounts to a material non-disclosure meant that the company will not settle the claim.
Premchand said in a no claim letter issued to the company he had informed them of previous accidents. But he admitted that he never disclosed the theft of the previous vehicle saying the agent never asked and when he signed and paid for his policy.
“I didn’t even read it. She ticked off those answers and I signed it, paid and collected my policy. I am a farmer and it is difficult for me since I lost my van,” he added.
He noted that the van was mortgaged to Scotia Bank and he was obligated to pay $2,677 monthly for a van which he no longer had.
Premchand said he went to his MP Dr Roodal Moonilal as well as his councillor hoping that they could intervene and help him.
“I plan to also go to the Ombudsman and make a complaint. I need to get back a settlement because without my van I cannot maintain my family,” he added.
Contacted for comment, an official from ICWI said he was familiar with Premchand’s claim. However, he said questions will have to be answered by ICWI’s technical manager Michelle Robinson. In an interview Robinson said in December 2018 Premchand went to the San Fernando Branch and asked for a quote. She said he did not inform them about his claim at the last insurance company and this constituted a breach in his non disclosure form.
“If he had informed us about the last claim he made we would not have taken his business. He deliberately withheld information from us and because of this we have cancelled the policy and will give him back a reimbursement of his policy but we will not settle his claim because he failed to declare information to us,” she added.
Premchand said he was now seeking the assistance of an attorney. (RDS)
