Captions by James Brown. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. - Tonight ` two households living with flood damage for months, desperate for answers from their insurance companies. - I was calling. Nobody answered. Was leaving messages. Nobody got back to me. - I think I've rung probably about eight or nine times. As soon as possible. I need to know about our claim. - Plus ` I've rounded up some cost-of-living hacks to make life that little bit easier. - Having a plan before you get into that environment where all the labels scream, 'Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!' is really important. - And we're testing call centre response times, and it's the insurance companies in the spotlight. - Oh, they're going on about the weather. - All their teams are experiencing wait times. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 Tena koutou katoa. Welcome to the show. Now, sadly, more than ever, we're talking insurance ` how much we need it, how much it's costing, and how much it hurts when it falls short. - That's right. Our email inbox and social media have told the story of people feeling let down by those paid to be their safety nets. - So I met two flood victims waiting too long for insurance pay-outs. (GENTLE MUSIC) This is about natural disasters and insurance. It's nigh on impossible to get through one without the other. Usually we start this sort of thing with pictures of flooding and cyclones, but this story is about those who are stuck in limbo land, waiting on the money to rebuild their homes while life around them moves on. So instead of looking at cyclones and devastation, instead feast your eyes on 6'9" Dylan Bruce, pounding the pavement in Auckland's CBD. His partner, Rebecca, had been waiting five months in an unhealthy house and Dylan has simply had enough. So he and his size-14 feet are heading to the head office of Tower Insurance. His plan? Simple. - Find out where they were and walk in there and just generally not leave until I got an outcome. - A sit-in. - Mm. Oddly, the Tower head office has no Tower signs on it. - I literally walked up to the receptionist and I just said, 'I'd like to speak to somebody about my partner's insurance claim, please. 'It's gone on for six months.' - This is Dylan's partner, Rebecca Rowe. And this was the scene at her house, that infamous Friday night in late January. - I came home from water polo. It was probably about 6 o'clock at night. Walked inside. Already ankle deep. Looked downstairs, and it was like water was just seeping in under the floorboards. It got up to about our knees. I've been here eight years, been on the planet for 46, and never seen anything like it. - This sort of flooding has become common. So has the confusion that follows. - I've got a couple of kids that I have half the time, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do after a flood. - Rebecca's insured with Tower, and initially, she says, they were great. But then her claim was passed on to a third-party contractor, and Tower's builders also got involved. - And so I was starting to get really confused about, 'Who am I supposed to be dealing with here?' So I ended up copying everybody into the emails. - She says she's heard nothing from Tower about her claim. - I was calling. Nobody answered. Was leaving messages. Nobody got back to me. I was really proactive. I got my own builder round to quote. And that was February. So the insurance company have had a builder's quote to fix it since February. And I've been following up, following up, following up every week. Nothing. - Tower's building contractors remove some Jib to help the drying, and they sprayed to remove the mould. - And once they're in there a little bit, they just multiply like crazy. - But when Rebecca's family started waking up with headaches, tests were ordered, and... - We failed quite substantially on moisture and mould. - Rebecca maintains the mould in her house is making her sick. - Waking up every day with headaches, still. There's three species of mould are living in the house. - Through all this, she's still not heard anything from Tower about her claim. - I've been completely gutted. I've been emotional. There's $80,000 worth of damage, and nobody... yeah, nobody seems to care. I mean, I probably shouldn't even be living here, but I can't even get replies from the insurance company to pay for temporary accommodation. - And with two kids in the house, the words of the mould specialist will not leave her head. - He came around again recently, and he said, 'If I was you, I wouldn't be living here.' Yeah, it's heartbreaking, really. - My... I've got stress. Stress is just... I get the shakes. - 200km away in Whitianga, Jill Hines has also had enough. - I've been treated as if I'm nothing. - During Gabrielle, she had water coming in the front, from the road, and from the back also, from the river. - I knew it was gonna happen, and I, yeah, needed to get out. - She's with Tower too. An assessor came through in March. She's been assigned a case officer. But still... nothing. - Hello? Yeah, it's Jill Hines here. I'm just wanting you to ring me back, please. I think I've rung probably about eight or nine times, left messages ` please ring, please ring. As soon as possible. I need to know about our claim. And then emails? Oh gosh. 20? 30? - The reply? Always generic. - 'Thank you for contacting Tower Insurance. This is an auto reply.' - What's worse, her neighbour had her insurance claims settled in three weeks. - And that's a bach. It's not even a home. This is our home. Just wondering, could you give me a ring back? - All Joe Hines really wants... - I mean... - ...is human contact. That's the nothingness. That's the hardest thing to bear, is to just be treated like nothing. - Inside Tower Insurance's headquarters is chief claims officer Steve Wilson. - Due to the enormity of this event, our responsiveness as an industry, or even as Tower, hasn't been where we would want it to be. It isn't where we normally would be. - OK, so what's gone wrong? - Well, it's just purely the volume. I mean, to see that volume that came from those weekends, it's unprecedented. And even though we do have plans, and we do have the resources to tap into, this is really putting pressure on us as an industry. - Tower received five years' worth of large-loss claims in just two weeks. They pulled staff from where they could ` overseas, even. They tell us so far they've completed half of the 9000 claims. See, here's the thing, cos it's impressive to hear about all the efforts that you've made and the systems that you had in place for these events. But yet customers who are waiting by the phone, they're waiting by the computer, they can't get anyone on the phone, the emails go unanswered. The two just don't line up. - Uh, currently, it is difficult to get through to some insurers, and it has been difficult at times to get through to Tower. And one of the things that we got feedback on early on was customers were getting quite confused between when they should talk to Tower and when to talk to a contractor. And so immediately we're already reinstigating that we're gonna have our claims handlers manage those customers directly. And over the next few weeks, we'll be contacting all of our customers to let them know who that is as a claims manager. - It's great if they have a claims manager. But Jill in the Coromandel, she rang her claims manager and rang her claims manager and rang her claims manager ` five months, never heard back from her once. - So, we acknowledge that, and I really empathise with Jill. I had a chance to have a chat with Jill this morning. And she was extremely grateful for the personalised contact. And what I really got from that message was that she wanted to talk to Tower. - And Tower's first personal letter to Jill in five months... - I got an email! - ...was a good one. - It looks like they're paying me out. So it must be your doing, Haydn. Thank you very much! (CHUCKLES) - Several hours after we contacted Tower, Jill's claim was settled and when we got to her house, there was $28,000 in her account from Tower. - I think I'll be looking at this phone of my bank account, knowing that I've got all this money, I can actually get our house fixed. I was rapt. I should have rung Fair Go earlier. - Is everyone looking confident and ready at your end? This is not, of course, just a Tower problem. Are you busy? - Am I busy? We have been inundated with complaints inquiries over the last few months. - Insurance Ombudsman Karen Stevens says complaints have more than doubled. - The majority are all about the length of time it's taking for insurers to get back to them. - Under their own code, insurance companies have to update customers every 20 working days. But that rule doesn't apply in a disaster. So what can you do? - Probably best to avoid Mondays. And afternoons are actually a little bit better of a time to get through. - Other insurance companies suggest fronting up at their hubs in affected communities. Let's finish where we started, with desperate Dylan Bruce at Tower's national head office. - They looked at the pile of paperwork that Rebecca had put together for me, and they said, 'Ooh,' and I said, 'Yep.' And literally within five minutes, they were offering to cash settle. - Wow! Five minutes? - Within five minutes. - Rebecca's got her money, and crucially a payment for temporary accommodation, so she and her two kids can move out. - They've actually been quite good since then ` like, really good. It's been amazing. - And Dylan can let you in on his secret to success. - It may have been the fact that I left her email to Fair Go on top of the pile for them to see. - (LAUGHS) - Who knows? - He's the best boyfriend ever. - Good work, Haydo. What a great outcome. - Thank you. - Now, if want to report an issue with your insurance company, our Facebook has some very useful links. - E Haere Ake Nei, coming up ` it's the Call Centre Olympics. The heat is on. Who will answer first? - It's ringing. - Ooh, ooh! - Plus ` hacks for making your money go further. There's a bunch of apps and websites that can help you find the best deal on pretty much anything. - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai, welcome back. - The Call Centre Olympics are back, and as you heard in our last story, insurance companies are in hot demand. So this year we are testing how long they take to answer the old telephone. - Yes, each reporter will call one insurance company. Fastest to reach a real human wins the gold. - Remember last year, post-Covid, we phone-tested travel companies and airlines. Some did well and some did not well. The longest time? Two and a half hours ` Air New Zealand. So anyway, this year, here goes. (AC/DC's 'BACK IN BLACK) - After last year's marathon Phone Olympics, the reporters are looking for a rematch. This time it's insurance companies in the spotlight. - I'm riding for team State. And I'm going for a personal best, cos last time it was two and a half hours. - I've got IWA. Oh, wait ` AMI. And I reckon they've got a good chance. - And I've got Tower. W ` for the win. - All righty. I've got Vero, or 'vero' ` Italian for 'true', so truthfully, truly hope that they're gonna be quick to answer. - Haydo here. Defending champion. Not a big deal. Hardly talk about it. Looking forward to winning. I'm ringing AA. - Quickest to get answered takes the gold. And don't worry about a photo finish. We've got cameras all over the place. - Three, two, one, hit it! - And they're off. (LIGHT MUSIC) Everyone's expecting a wait. - Oh, they're going on about the weather. - Oh, hold on. All their teams are experiencing wait times. But I'm a priority. - And it sure seems like he is, because only a minute later... - Hello. Wendy speaking. how can I direct your call? - Wendy! Haydn Jones from Fair Go. You have won the Fair Go Insurance Call Olympics. Congratulations. - (LAUGHS) That's nice. Thanks. what have I won? A day off? - AA Insurance says it moved quickly to bolster the number of customer consultants after recent weather events. Five months on, call volumes have settled, and this is being reflected in current call wait times. - Well done, AA. Good job. - From there, things start moving quickly. Hi. It's Pippa here from Fair Go. Look, we were just checking call waiting times, and you answered really, really fast so thank you for that. Stunning effort from Vero, I have to say ` a minute 35. Second place, but so close. - OK, well, um, that's it. - Mate, off we go. Haydo. - See you, guys. - Have fun. - Have a nice day. - Come on, Tower! - Things are heating up between the remaining contestants. - I know your phone line's busy, but you need to answer my call. - It's ringing. - Ooh! - It's ringing. It's ringing. I don't have hold music. I'm waiting! (GASPS) Hi there, Georgie. Thank you so much for answering my call. I'm so happy that you answered. - And as Star was celebrating... - Third ` not too bad. Third. - Ooh, ooh, ooh! I have got some great news for you. This is Garth Bray from Fair Go. - No! - We're checking call wait times, and you guys are fourth, which is like the New Zealand equivalent of a bronze medal, so well done. - And with that, it's only Kaitlin and State left in the race. - Oh, look at you. - I feel like you need a bit of a massage. You OK? How are your legs feeling? - You good, Kaity? - While the rest of us have a nice cuppa,... - If you need one to sub in, Haydo's ready. - He's even got the legs. - It's nice we can all hang out like this. - What's your secret, Hadyn? Come on? - He pays them off. - Um, well, you can't coach this sort of ability can you? - All right, look up. (PHONE CAMERA CLICKS) Ooh! (APPLAUSE) - Hi there. It's Kaitlin from Fair Go, doing our Call Centre Olympics. - Unfortunately you and I lost. - We've heard from the winner. What about the rest? They've all added additional call centre staff. Tower credits that for their current low wait times. Vero's June figures show most calls answered within 30 seconds. AMI and State ` both under the IAG banner ` say they've received over 51,000 claims, but acknowledge that long call waiting times can be frustrating. IAG and Vero both say these claims are often complex and require additional input from councils and experts. The final standings are State in last place at 12.22, AMI, Tower and Vero in the middle, and the winner, with a time of 1 minute and 16 seconds ` well done, AA Insurance. We weren't quite expecting that, to be honest. And some of the feedback we have been getting is that as the process goes along, people have been feeling like they've really had to wait. Now the only thing left to do is to crown the winner. - Thank you very much. I'd like to thank Mum and Dad for winning two times in a row. (APPLAUSE) - # You're simply the best. # Better than all the rest. # - A bit of a hot streak. Is that two in a row I've won now? - Where's your medal? - The medal's beside my bed, by my other medals. - Of course it is. - So many other medals. We understand some of you may not have been so lucky on the telephone with the insurance companies, so please let us know how you're getting on, if your experience isn't quite the same as ours. - That's right. E haere ake nei, coming up ` I've been talking to some of you about your cost-saving hacks. - Go back to your statements. Go back to your credit card bills, your debit card bills, whatever you use, usually, to spend money on, and figure out how much it's really going towards. - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai, welcome back. Now, the cost of living ` we all know it's an issue with no easy answers. - Yes, but we're a practical show, and we want you to have some news you can use now. - So we've gone to the experts, and to you guys as well at home, for some daily hacks to make your money go further. (GENTLE MUSIC) - We're all feeling it. Life is really expensive right now. - People are really doing it tough. And sometimes I even see people walking around shopping for food with a calculator sometimes, and really trying to avoid that moment of 'gotcha' at the end, when you're at the till. This is, yeah, a tough time for many. - House prices, food prices. Our children have gone overseas now. They've gone to Australia, for the reason that it is so much cheaper to live. - I find it hard with three kids. - I definitely see my weekly shop at the Pack n Save or New World going up substantially. - So we reached out to you, our wise viewers, for your best advice on how to live well when the cost of living is skyrocketing. Meg suggested a move to Australia. Philip said a strong rubber band around your wallet would do the trick. And surviving in these times is easy, according to Christine, as long as you don't eat, don't drive and don't heat your home. Oh, yes, we hear you. But we were also inundated with some more practical suggestions. So with your help and help from our friends at Sorted, here's a wee guide to make your money go further. Knowing exactly what's happening with your money is the best place to start. - Go back to your statements. Go back to your credit card bills, your debit card bills, whatever you use, usually, to spend money on, and figure out how much it's really going towards. And it needs to be really accurate, because lots of times we do these psychic maths, and we're like, 'Oh, yeah, it's about that, and it's about that.' But actually it's typically a lot more than we think it is. - Then make a plan for your money. - We advocate paying yourself first, which is actually for those things that are really important. - Obviously the roof over your head, that sort of thing. But if you get a lot of joy from your cup of coffee or a monthly trip to the movies, that can stay. But maybe there's some subscriptions or takeaway dinners that you can live without. - You want to keep those things that really make a meaningful difference to you emotionally. - Our viewers are big fans of hunting down a bargain. Linsey is all about factory shops. Matthew makes the most of clearance sections. And Lynley says using an insurance broker saves her money. Tom agrees shopping around is one of the key things we can do to make a difference. - We talk a little bit about a lazy tax, which is actually paying extra if you let things go on longer than they should without realising that there are better deals out there. And so you don't wanna be stuck paying that. And it's not that hard, actually, to shop around and to get the best deals out there. - And the good news is there's a bunch of apps and websites that can help you find the best deal on pretty much anything, whether it's petrol, supermarkets, insurance, retail items or power. And while we're talking about power, make sure you're not wasting it. Winter-proof your home ` things like stopping draughts, closing blinds and curtains. And save power by switching to LED lights, insulating your hot water cylinder and using a low-flow shower head. And make the most of any perks your power company provides. AJ gets free power from Contact every night. Making the most of that has led to savings of $200 a month. And of course, insulated homes are cheaper to keep warm. So check on the EECA website if you're eligible for a grant. Remember too, it's easier to cut back on spending when you're not tempted. For me, it's been great to have a wee digital purge, so I have unsubscribed to certain newsletters and I have unfollowed certain Instagram accounts that I know may have led me to push 'buy now'. As they say, out of sight, out of mind. And remember too, it's not a bargain if you don't need it. As Rose says,... But the biggest area our viewers found savings was food. - It's one of the biggest variable expenses that we have, and it's where we have a lot of leeway, actually, on making decisions. But it's quite difficult when you think about walking through a supermarket and having to make about 50 decisions, good financial decisions in a row. So having a plan before you get into that environment where all the labels scream, 'Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!' is really important. - We had lots of tips about menu planning, sticking to shopping lists, buying in bulk and cooking in bulk. Justine's advice is to shop less frequently. Marion's a fan of click and collect to keep her from buying stuff she doesn't need. Trudi suggests writing a menu for the week based around specials. And finally, although times are tough, maybe there's a silver lining. - I think it is an opportunity for people to really get a steering wheel on their finances. But I also think it's another opportunity for us to keep our spending as happy as possible and for us to really check in with all the things we spend money on ` how much happiness are we getting out of them, really? And sometimes it's a lot, but lots of times it might not be too much. - That was really good. And also, odd socks ` just stick 'em together, save yourself some money. And get a peanut butter jar and just put stuff in it, put it in the pan, you got peanut sauce. - Amazing tip. Can't believe I didn't include those in the story. - You're welcome. - We've put lots of great links on our Facebook page, including a link to MoneyTalks, a free budgeting service that you can use anonymously if you wish. And that is it from us, but if you only caught part of the show, you can catch all of it, past episodes, handy consumer information, on the Fair Go page on TVNZ+. - It's a great page. I'm gonna put some recipes up there soon. Also, if you've got a consumer issue, large or small, just get in touch with us. We're standing right here waiting for you. - Yes, we're on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. You can go to our webpage, tvnz.co.nz, email us ` fairgo@tvnz.co.nz or write to us ` PO Box 3819, Auckland 1140. - Thank you for watching. You wanna come over for dinner? It's satay night. It's gonna be amazing. Until next week... - BOTH: pomarie. I've got this peanut butter jar, and I'm trying to make satay sauce.