Most unusual insurance claims for car and caravan

Specialising in policies for the over 50s, Saga Caravan Insurance has released details of their weirdest and most unusual claims from caravanners who have been less than fortunate when storing their tourer or prepping for a holiday.

The caravan insurance company has spent more than half a million pounds fixing caravans in the past year, with the below being some of the more crazy occurrences in the industry.

When you’ve gotta go…

One policyholder kept his caravan in storage over winter. However, when he got a call from the storage unit manager saying someone had broken into his caravan he soon made his way to the storage site to assess the damage.

At first sight, it appeared the thief had just stolen the usual items but, on closer inspection, the customer noticed that the robber had made off with the fridge and toilet.  

While it only cost £500 to replace the loo, the thief caused more than £7000 worth of damage ripping out the various fixtures and fittings.

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Extreme gardening…

A customer liked to park his caravan on his drive so he could keep a close eye on it. However he got a bit of a shock when he spotted a neighbour using a blowtorch to kill some stubborn weeds.

The overzealous gardener got too close to a nearby bush, causing it to catch fire and blister the caravan’s paintwork.

It cost more than £2000 to repair the damage and it’s safe to say this Saga customer probably won’t be visiting their neighbour for a cup of tea any time soon.

Bin on a big night out…

A customer parked his caravan on his drive for the evening so he could clean it the following day.

However, when he woke up he discovered a runaway wheelie bin had crashed into it multiple times, causing more than £4000 worth of damage.

A turn for the worse…

A policyholder popped to the shops and, while he was out, the weather took a turn for the worse.

When he got home he got a nasty surprise as he discovered his caravan lying on its side. The strong winds had turned his caravan over, causing almost £2000 worth of damage.

Expensive wake up call…

One policyholder and their partner were on holiday in their caravan when bad weather woke them up. When they peeked out of the window to see the storm in action, they noticed golf ball sized hailstones hitting the caravan. The dents cost almost £5000 to fix.

Put in a fowl mood…

A customer’s holiday ended rather unpleasantly when a pheasant tried to make a dash across the road. As well as damaging the customer’s car, the colourful bird bounced off the caravan, causing almost £2000 worth of damage.

Roger Ramsden, chief executive of Saga Services, commented: “Last year we were clearing up after Kamikaze pigeons, this year we’ve been fixing damage caused by runaway wheelie bins. It’s fair to say that owning a caravan and holidaying in one is more adventurous for some than others.”

For more details on policy options, visit the Saga website.

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