How can I make a watertight insurance claim for flood damage caused by Storm Bert? DEAN DUNHAM answers

My house flooded during Storm Bert, causing quite a bit of damage.

I contacted my insurer but they said they will send an assessor to determine if I qualify for a claim.

What does this mean and is it trying to get out of paying?

By email.

Dean Dunham replies: When your insurer sends an appraiser, it is sending a professional to assess the damage to your property and determine whether it falls within the terms of your insurance policy.

The appraiser will inspect the extent of the damage caused by the flood, check your insurance policy to determine whether the damage caused is covered and ultimately determine whether your claim is valid and how much you may be entitled to.

Insurers also use reviewers to ensure claims are legitimate and to identify fraud.

I have five tips for successfully filing an insurance claim for flood damage to your home.

1. The appraiser inspects your gutters and drainage on your property and wants to know whether they have been kept clean. Be prepared to answer this question as this is a common excuse insurers give when denying a claim, saying your negligence in not keeping this clear contributed to the cause of the flood.

2. Obtain weather reports from reliable sources such as the Met Office to show that a storm was occurring in your area at the time of the damage. It may sound ridiculous given the media coverage of Storm Bert, but saying a particular storm was not in your area is another common excuse insurers use when denying claims.

3. Collect evidence of the damage to your property and personal belongings, including photos and videos where possible.

4. Make a detailed inventory of all damaged items, including their estimated value. This will help speed up the claims process.

5. Keep a record of all communications with your insurance company, including phone calls, emails and letters. Ask for written confirmation of any agreements or decisions.

New TV was too big for my front door

I ordered a television, but upon delivery it did not fit through my front door due to the large packaging.

I asked the delivery team to take it out of the packaging, but they refused and wouldn’t leave the TV behind because I had opted for an installation.

The retailer has now charged me a £200 failed delivery fee to my credit card. Can it do this?

By email.

Dean Dunham replies: Before you take any further steps, make sure that the television will indeed fit through the door outside the package.

The online advertisement lists the dimensions of the TV so you can confirm that it would fit. If you’re right and it fits, your next step is to tell the retailer and ask three important questions.

Firstly, where in your terms and conditions am I required to check whether the TV will fit through my door whilst in the packaging? Secondly, when did you tell me the dimensions of the TV in the package?

Third, if your terms state that it is my duty to ensure that the TV fits through the door into the package, how did you make this “key term” prominent for me before I decided to buy the TV?

If the retailer cannot confirm and prove that, before you made your purchasing decision, it has highlighted a provision in its terms and conditions requiring you to ensure that the TV fits through your door ‘in the package’ and has provided you with such dimensions, it may will not require you to pay the failed delivery charge and will have to redeliver the TV free of charge.

If this is the case and the retailer still refuses to reverse the failed delivery charge, file a chargeback claim through your credit card company, explaining everything I said above and concluding that the retailer had no contractual right to charge the charge so that you are entitled to your money back.