A Surrey man battling thieves who keep stealing car catalytic converters is urging others to take a closer look at their insurance policies after ICBC increased comprehensive coverage payments by more than 700 per cent. Warning people.
Ken Hansen, 71, of Cloverdale, had his 2016 Hyundai Sante Fe converter stolen three times between 2022 and 2023. He has filed multiple reports and received a notice from police in December. Public insurance company tells him comprehensive payment It had gone from $300 to $2,500.
“[It was] “It’s kind of a shock to receive this letter,” he told City News.
Ken Hansen, 71, had his 2016 Hyundai Sante Fe converter stolen three times between 2022 and 2023. (Provided)
Hansen added: “We didn’t expect the rates to increase this much, probably because the claims value of these three catalytic converters has reached some peak.”
Hansen now worries that if something were to happen to her car, she wouldn’t be able to afford to repair it.
“If my car’s windshield cracks, I can’t afford to spend more than $1,000 to replace it. So I choose to ignore everything that has to do with such an all-encompassing problem. We can’t afford to replace the windshield for the money, so this becomes a bit of a safety issue for us.”
Hansen added that he has cameras installed in the driveway where he stores his cars to deter criminals, and he thinks they are helping.
Meanwhile, ICBC said it warned Hansen about the policy change two months in advance and told him that if he renewed his voluntary insurance in early February, his premium would increase from $300 to $2,500.
“This matter arose after an investigation revealed that he had reported four comprehensive claims to ICBC totaling $13,112 (excluding deductible payments) within one year.” ICBC said in a statement.
The fourth charge was unrelated to the theft of the catalytic converter.
ICBC further states that “the deductible expansion will no longer apply after three years unless another comprehensive claim is reported during this period. This means that unless Mr. Hansen files a comprehensive claim within the next three years. , the deductible amount may return to the previous amount,” it added. He also explains that his new policy lowered his overall premium by $85 because of his higher deductible.
Theft of catalytic converters, primarily for the precious metals they contain, continues to be a problem in the lower mainland.
In 2022, the BC government will tweak the Metal Dealer and Recycler Regulations to address this issue, requiring registered metal dealers to report each transaction, including information about the seller, to police on the day of the sale. introduced new regulations to address the issue. Products that are being resold illegally.
