Insurance wrangle over wrecked Jag

The Jaguar car which was hit by rubble in the quake. Photo / Geoff Sloan

A father-of-six is in a battle with an insurance giant over his earthquake-damaged Jaguar car.

David Ellis wanted the opportunity to buy his 1985 XJ6 Jaguar from AMI Insurance, but he says the company auctioned it and about $2000 worth of tools that were in it without his knowledge.

The car was parked in an alleyway next to his work on Colombo St near St Asaph when the February 22 quake struck. It was badly damaged.

It had been given to him by his father-in-law and had great sentimental value.

AMI paid Mr Ellis the $7000 for which the car was insured. He was happy with that, but has contacted the police because he believes they had no right to sell what was in the vehicle.

Police have advised him to go to the Disputes Tribunal.

Mr Ellis said the day after the quake he contacted AMI Insurance and specifically asked to be contacted once the car was recovered from within the cordon.

However, he was not informed, the car was retrieved and put up for auction - along with Mr Ellis' personal belongings.

But the car's new owner claims the items were "missing" from the car when he purchased it.

Important documents were later returned to him by the car's new owner, who told Mr Ellis he paid $475 for "the lot".

"AMI sold the whole thing complete with my stuff and I wasn't even given the opportunity to put a bid in," he said.

"It's the principle. They promised me the chance to buy the car back and get my stuff out of it. Neither happened. I knew nothing had happened until the new owner arrived on the doorstep."

"The problem was they never notified me that the car had been recovered. I was relying on the police website (which showed which vehicles had been recovered) and the fact that AMI said they would call me."

Mr Ellis said he had been told by an AMI Insurance employee that his claim was being investigated and would take two weeks.

"It doesn't take two weeks to talk to the person that dealt with it. The facts are there. It's black and white."

He said he would wait until the AMI investigation was completed before deciding whether to go to the Disputes Tribunal.

An AMI Insurance spokesman was unable to comment last night.