TANYA Martin is a giant slayer – she was determined not to let AAMI off the hook and appears to have won.
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The Maitland woman took on the insurer when it ruled mould inside her home was a “pre-existing condition”, and nothing to do with last year’s devastating super storms that wreaked havoc on the Hunter.
The toxic mould got worse as AAMI refused to budge and the fight dragged on.
At the worst point, the family was forced to live in a tent outside when the house became unlivable and Ms Martin and her two special needs children had nowhere else to go.
The Newcastle Herald first revealed the insurance feud in May – and readers overwhelmingly responded to the dire situation with anger.
Ms Martin said AAMI “all of a sudden started to show an interest” in her case when the Herald ran the report.
She said the Financial Ombudsman ordered the insurer to pay for an engineer to determine how much damage had been caused to the home.
The insurer also agreed to pay for the family to stay at serviced apartments in Maitland, before renting further temporary accommodation until the ombudsman rules on the formal complaint.
“I’m thankful for what they are now doing for me, but it’s also very telling,” Ms Martin said.
“It tells you that money is no of concern to them and all they care about is their image. They have this wonderful marketing machine, but sadly there’s nothing to back it up.”
Ms Martin said AAMI could have covered the original damage, which last year was isolated to one section of the house, for the cost of providing temporary accommodation.
“It makes you sick,” she said. “You can’t believe in the system because it’s just going to let you down every time. You can’t rely on the fact you’ve done everything by the book.”
The ombudsman will rule on the case as soon as the engineer is able to inspect the house. It has been 15 months since the storm.
AAMI will not comment on the case, citing privacy considerations, saying only it would abide by the ombudsman’s ruling.
The company has previously said it has resolved 97 per cent of super storm claims in the Hunter.
