For the most part, insurance claims are no laughing matter. Mostly they’re humdrum affairs… You know, a rear-end here and a broken cellphone there. Sometimes they can be financially draining, stressful, and even emotionally tough to deal with. That’s where we step in and help you deal with the rough stuff.
Of course, we’ve also seen our fair share of weird claims, the kind which truly defies belief. Prepare for a look into the world of bizarre insurance claims, the kind that legends are made of.
Insurance claims are no laughing matter
- Sir, where’d you say your phone went?
Scenario: First up, we have a livestock farmer who, wait for it, claimed that his phone disappeared inside 1 of his cows, through the ‘back entrance’. Before you leap to any conclusions (sies, we know what you were thinking), apparently he’d been using the torch function on his phone during a midnight calving session. Thoughtfully, the cow made sure the farmer got his phone back, but alas it didn’t work.
Result: the claim was paid out.
- When it’s time to find a new calling
Scenario: There are times when you think you know what you want to do… Until you’re doing it, that is. This was the case for several trainees pursuing their safety training. The elevator they were using for demonstrations got stuck and this real-world experience didn’t go down well. The trainees claimed for the mental anguish they suffered… You know, for being exposed to what they were training for.
Result: the claim was paid out.
- A lick of paint
Scenario: Our next bizarre claim comes from France. Imagine that you and your partner are enjoying a holiday in the south of France (we can dream, right?), and you’re exploring the countryside… Now imagine that a herd of cows comes along and takes a shine to your car and gets a little friendly. Well, in this claim, the cows got so friendly that they licked the paint off the car.
Result: The claim was paid out.
- Fired up bride
Scenario: Next on the cards is the unfortunate bride whose wedding day took on a somewhat ‘lit up’ tone. A poor bride from Italy went to the trouble of having her dress handmade, only to have it all go up in smoke when she stood too close to the braai (or whatever they call it in Italy). Her dress caught alight and she became the possible inspiration for The Hunger Games’s ‘girl on fire’ scene. Thankfully, her husband doused the flames by dashing her into the nearby sea.
Result: 50% compensation was paid.
- Up in smoke
Scenario: A lawyer insured his expensive cigars against a heap of risks, including… Fire. Unfortunately his cigars went up in smoke within a month and his claim stated that the cigars were lost in a ‘series of small fires.’ The insurer rightly assumed he had smoked them and refused to pay, but a judge ruled in his favour because the insurer had never stated what was considered to be “unacceptable” fire.
Result: The claim was paid out, but the lawyer was arrested and earned jail time and a fine… For several counts of arson.
Look, we’re the first to admit that this industry of ours can be a bit dry and grey. It’s why we go to extremes to bring out the crazy fun in everything that we do, you know, like with our ridiculous notion of decreasing premiums which have our clients laughing all the way to the bank. Get a super cheap insurance quote now!
