You won't believe what this homeowner is doing to get Coles Insurance's attention: ‘I’ve had enough’
- Replies 10
Bad customer service experiences are an unfortunate part of life — something you probably know all too well at this point.
Maybe it’s not getting a call returned in a timely manner, failing to get a refund for a faulty product, or dealing with rude customer service agents, chances are it’s happened to someone you know, if not you.
Usually, and whether intentional or not, customers shrug off these little indignities — but every now and then, one proves to be a step too far.
This has been the case for one Sydneysider who has turned to a rather eye-catching act of protest in a bid to get his insurance company's attention.
For months now, Damian Palisi has been stuck in a drawn-out waiting game with Coles Insurance, which he says has refused to cover damages to his house after a fire.
And so, he put that frustration out there for the world to see.
In huge red letters, the 58-year-old put up a sign on the side of the road in front of his damaged house which reads:
'You wouldn't think you'd get treated like s**t paying a policy for so long,' Palisi said.
'I've been here for over 25 years, my kids were brought up here.'
He’s been living in a ‘cockroach-infested’ motel while he waits for the payout he believes he’s owed.
Palisi added that the sign was something his daughter made to publicly protest Coles Insurance. If nothing changes, he already has his mind set to make a few additions.
‘It’s going to be “Slow, Slack, Dangerous”,’ he shared.
‘It’s wrong what they have done — all I want is my home. I have been treated with that much disrespect.’
Palisi’s ordeal started in August of last year when he woke up one morning to the sound of ‘banging and crackling’ outside his home.
He tried to put out the fire, but all for naught. By the time the ensuing blaze was over, the back of his house was severely damaged — leaving him homeless and suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.
Much to his dismay, Palisi claims Coles Insurance has ‘done f***ing nothing’ to shell out money for repairs or even to secure the asbestos left exposed by the fire.
He says the insurer went to inspect the fire-damaged house and ultimately denied coverage upon seeing boat motors on his property, which led to Coles Insurance to assume he was running a business on the premises.
‘It’s because I’ve got too much s**t there,’ he summarised.
In their 2021 Product Disclosure Statement for Home Insurance, Coles tells customers it won’t cover liability for property damage ‘arising from or in connection’ with ‘the use of (their) home or the site for any business purpose… unless we agree to the cover, and this is specified on your Certificate of Insurance’.
But Palisi swears this isn’t the case, as he claims he’s only been using his home as a place to store odds and ends related to his previous boat repairing business which shut down in 2017.
Asbestos products or any products containing asbestos also aren’t covered, according to the document.
It is unclear when Palisi purchased his home insurance policy under Coles.
‘I sold a lot of crap and kept what I wanted to keep,’ he explained.
‘I’m a bit of a hoarder as you can see… I do admit it looks like a boatyard, but they’re my bits of s**t.’
‘They reckon I’ve been running a business from here but that’s not true — all of these motors have been here for five years, nothing really has moved. You look at Google Earth and the same s**t’s here.
‘If I was doing business it’d be different boats and this and that.’
Palisi now works in boat transport. Still, he’s adamant that none of his work is conducted from the property.
At this point, he said he’s been waiting for a payout he estimates worth anywhere between $300,000 - $400,000 for nearly six months.
With every day that passes, Palisi’s patience grows thinner, especially with his assertion that he’s done his part to aid Coles Insurance’s investigation — even shelling out $15,000 in legal fees so far to prove he wasn’t running a business at home.
‘I’ve been open and honest, I let them look at everything,’ he stressed.
‘They wanted my code to get into Facebook so they could see all my messages, they wanted phone records, SMS records, income records, my (Business Activity Statements), they wanted profit and loss, everything to do with my business.’
‘My business is out on the road — I go and pick up boats from the water and bring them to wherever they’ve got to go, it’s got nothing to do with here.’
Palisi added that he still hasn’t received any update despite Coles Insurance allegedly receiving a copy of the investigation report on the fire in early January 2023.
Another gripe of Palisi’s is the insurer’s alleged inaction on cleaning up the damaged property and properly securing exposed asbestos.
At one point, he took matters into his own hands.
‘Eventually, I got onto the people that did the make-safe, that cut off the electricity,’ he said.
‘They sprayed (the asbestos) with glue and paint that lasts for seven to 10 days (to keep it down), but it’s been going everywhere for ages.’
‘They left it exposed since the day of the fire. It puts other people in danger. Asbestos has washed down here on rainy days out past the footpath. It’s just so bad.’
Understandably frustrated, Palisi called Coles Insurance ‘dangerous’.
‘This asbestos issue and what they have done — it’s against the asbestos legislation, it’s against the insurance code,’ he said.
‘They do what they want to do.’
The insurer’s response
IAG, the insurance group behind Coles Insurance, released a statement on the matter.
‘(Our) focus is helping our customers get back on their feet as quickly as possible and we’re dedicated to providing our customers with immediate support and the most efficient claims experience possible,’ they said.
‘When assessing claims, we may need to review the circumstances of a claim in more detail before providing a final decision.’
‘Following the fire, arrangements were immediately made for a make-safe repair at the customer’s home to ensure it was safe and secure, and that there was no loose asbestos at the property. We also arranged for a hygienist to inspect the property and provided temporary accommodation for our customer.’
IAG also maintained that they’ve been regularly in touch with Palisi while gathering pertinent information on his case, ‘some of which has been recently received’.
‘We’re in the process of reviewing this information and will provide a further update to the customer as soon as possible.’
‘Someone shopped around for the cheapest insurance policy they could find’
Naturally, Palisi’s sign attracted the attention of some online.
In one Reddit thread discussing the man’s protest, some were rather unsympathetic.
‘Dumb move to buy home insurance from Coles,’ one user said.
‘It's the responsibility of the homeowner to buy the right product,’ a second said.
‘Don't claim it's the insurer's fault if you made assumptions on what "home insurance" means without reading the policy. The policy outlined everything and you are provided this in advance.’
And another added: ‘Someone shopped around for the cheapest insurance policy they could find, settled on something from aisle 3 in a supermarket, and is shocked and surprised they don't cover asbestos remediation, despite not reading the Product Disclosure Statement.’
Others meanwhile placed themselves in Palisi’s shoes.
‘Most of you commenting are super cruel. THIS IS SOMEONE'S HOME. imagine if your home had a fire, plus you and your family are living in a motel for over 6 months with no progress of your home even being repaired. Have some compassion,’ one appealed.
‘Not everybody is savvy enough to read a Product Disclosure Statement and I don't blame them for going with cheaper insurance cover if that's all they could afford. Coles are a massive company after all and it's not unreasonable to believe they deserve a payout.’ another said.
If ever you do find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having an insurer deny you coverage for what you think should be rightfully compensated, you can file a complaint at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority on their website, or by phone at 1800 931 678.
Here are other stories you might find interesting:
Maybe it’s not getting a call returned in a timely manner, failing to get a refund for a faulty product, or dealing with rude customer service agents, chances are it’s happened to someone you know, if not you.
Usually, and whether intentional or not, customers shrug off these little indignities — but every now and then, one proves to be a step too far.
This has been the case for one Sydneysider who has turned to a rather eye-catching act of protest in a bid to get his insurance company's attention.
For months now, Damian Palisi has been stuck in a drawn-out waiting game with Coles Insurance, which he says has refused to cover damages to his house after a fire.
And so, he put that frustration out there for the world to see.
In huge red letters, the 58-year-old put up a sign on the side of the road in front of his damaged house which reads:
'COLES HOME INSURANCE
I'M STILL WAITING…'
I'M STILL WAITING…'
'You wouldn't think you'd get treated like s**t paying a policy for so long,' Palisi said.
'I've been here for over 25 years, my kids were brought up here.'
He’s been living in a ‘cockroach-infested’ motel while he waits for the payout he believes he’s owed.
Some Aussies have taken to social media to talk about an odd sign spotted along a Sydney road. Image Credit: Reddit/user frforreal
Palisi added that the sign was something his daughter made to publicly protest Coles Insurance. If nothing changes, he already has his mind set to make a few additions.
‘It’s going to be “Slow, Slack, Dangerous”,’ he shared.
‘It’s wrong what they have done — all I want is my home. I have been treated with that much disrespect.’
Palisi’s ordeal started in August of last year when he woke up one morning to the sound of ‘banging and crackling’ outside his home.
He tried to put out the fire, but all for naught. By the time the ensuing blaze was over, the back of his house was severely damaged — leaving him homeless and suffering from smoke inhalation and burns.
Much to his dismay, Palisi claims Coles Insurance has ‘done f***ing nothing’ to shell out money for repairs or even to secure the asbestos left exposed by the fire.
He says the insurer went to inspect the fire-damaged house and ultimately denied coverage upon seeing boat motors on his property, which led to Coles Insurance to assume he was running a business on the premises.
‘It’s because I’ve got too much s**t there,’ he summarised.
In their 2021 Product Disclosure Statement for Home Insurance, Coles tells customers it won’t cover liability for property damage ‘arising from or in connection’ with ‘the use of (their) home or the site for any business purpose… unless we agree to the cover, and this is specified on your Certificate of Insurance’.
But Palisi swears this isn’t the case, as he claims he’s only been using his home as a place to store odds and ends related to his previous boat repairing business which shut down in 2017.
Asbestos products or any products containing asbestos also aren’t covered, according to the document.
It is unclear when Palisi purchased his home insurance policy under Coles.
‘I sold a lot of crap and kept what I wanted to keep,’ he explained.
‘I’m a bit of a hoarder as you can see… I do admit it looks like a boatyard, but they’re my bits of s**t.’
‘They reckon I’ve been running a business from here but that’s not true — all of these motors have been here for five years, nothing really has moved. You look at Google Earth and the same s**t’s here.
‘If I was doing business it’d be different boats and this and that.’
There are about 17,000 residential fires that occur in Australia per year, according to one study in August 2022. Stock Image Credit: Pexels/Pixabay
Palisi now works in boat transport. Still, he’s adamant that none of his work is conducted from the property.
At this point, he said he’s been waiting for a payout he estimates worth anywhere between $300,000 - $400,000 for nearly six months.
With every day that passes, Palisi’s patience grows thinner, especially with his assertion that he’s done his part to aid Coles Insurance’s investigation — even shelling out $15,000 in legal fees so far to prove he wasn’t running a business at home.
‘I’ve been open and honest, I let them look at everything,’ he stressed.
‘They wanted my code to get into Facebook so they could see all my messages, they wanted phone records, SMS records, income records, my (Business Activity Statements), they wanted profit and loss, everything to do with my business.’
‘My business is out on the road — I go and pick up boats from the water and bring them to wherever they’ve got to go, it’s got nothing to do with here.’
Palisi added that he still hasn’t received any update despite Coles Insurance allegedly receiving a copy of the investigation report on the fire in early January 2023.
Another gripe of Palisi’s is the insurer’s alleged inaction on cleaning up the damaged property and properly securing exposed asbestos.
At one point, he took matters into his own hands.
‘Eventually, I got onto the people that did the make-safe, that cut off the electricity,’ he said.
‘They sprayed (the asbestos) with glue and paint that lasts for seven to 10 days (to keep it down), but it’s been going everywhere for ages.’
‘They left it exposed since the day of the fire. It puts other people in danger. Asbestos has washed down here on rainy days out past the footpath. It’s just so bad.’
Understandably frustrated, Palisi called Coles Insurance ‘dangerous’.
‘This asbestos issue and what they have done — it’s against the asbestos legislation, it’s against the insurance code,’ he said.
‘They do what they want to do.’
Asbestos Safety Australia found that about 6000 tonnes of toxic asbestos have been dumped illegally across the country. Image Credit: YouTube/ABC News Australia
The insurer’s response
IAG, the insurance group behind Coles Insurance, released a statement on the matter.
‘(Our) focus is helping our customers get back on their feet as quickly as possible and we’re dedicated to providing our customers with immediate support and the most efficient claims experience possible,’ they said.
‘When assessing claims, we may need to review the circumstances of a claim in more detail before providing a final decision.’
‘Following the fire, arrangements were immediately made for a make-safe repair at the customer’s home to ensure it was safe and secure, and that there was no loose asbestos at the property. We also arranged for a hygienist to inspect the property and provided temporary accommodation for our customer.’
IAG also maintained that they’ve been regularly in touch with Palisi while gathering pertinent information on his case, ‘some of which has been recently received’.
‘We’re in the process of reviewing this information and will provide a further update to the customer as soon as possible.’
‘Someone shopped around for the cheapest insurance policy they could find’
Naturally, Palisi’s sign attracted the attention of some online.
In one Reddit thread discussing the man’s protest, some were rather unsympathetic.
‘Dumb move to buy home insurance from Coles,’ one user said.
‘It's the responsibility of the homeowner to buy the right product,’ a second said.
‘Don't claim it's the insurer's fault if you made assumptions on what "home insurance" means without reading the policy. The policy outlined everything and you are provided this in advance.’
And another added: ‘Someone shopped around for the cheapest insurance policy they could find, settled on something from aisle 3 in a supermarket, and is shocked and surprised they don't cover asbestos remediation, despite not reading the Product Disclosure Statement.’
Others meanwhile placed themselves in Palisi’s shoes.
‘Most of you commenting are super cruel. THIS IS SOMEONE'S HOME. imagine if your home had a fire, plus you and your family are living in a motel for over 6 months with no progress of your home even being repaired. Have some compassion,’ one appealed.
‘Not everybody is savvy enough to read a Product Disclosure Statement and I don't blame them for going with cheaper insurance cover if that's all they could afford. Coles are a massive company after all and it's not unreasonable to believe they deserve a payout.’ another said.
Here are other stories you might find interesting:
- Aussies owed billions! Here's how to find out if you're one of the 3 million Australians affected by 'junk insurance' scams.
- Mum's 'unclaimable' MOULD covered car wins her a payout from her insurance company! Here's the full story.
- Why one Aussie had to rely on Private Health Insurance to receive prompt medical attention.
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