A DISPUTE between a woman and her insurance company sparked widespread debate over whether the sunroof of a car is a window.
The woman s insurance company argues that a sunroof is not a window and therefore not covered by insurance.
A report in the Shenzhen Economic Daily said the sunroof of the woman s car was broken in Bao an District on Jan. 13.
The woman, surnamed Mei, had complained to the newspaper about PICC Property and Casualty Co. (PICC P&C).
Mei parked her car on Yu an Road 1 in Bao an District on Jan. 13 and found the sunroof was broken with pieces of glass in the car the next day. She said she had paid for a separate cover for broken glass, which referred to windshields and glass windows.
Two employees of the insurance company went and took pictures of the sunroof. They then told Mei that the sunroof was not a window, so the damage would not be covered.
The company said it would not cover the cost of a broken sunroof of a parked vehicle unless it was broken by a falling object or thieves whom the car owner could not identify. In this case, it would cover 70 percent of the cost.
After negotiations, PICC P&C agreed to pay 4,000 yuan (US$607), with Mei paying the remaining 2,000 yuan, but Mei was still not happy. The insurance company is simply playing with words, which does harm to its reputation.
Consumers would take it for granted that separate broken glass cover included a sunroof unless they were told in advance. The insurance company should be responsible for the total cost, said Mei, who is taking legal action
PICC P&C told the paper that its action had been approved by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission and other insurance companies did the same.
A number of people interviewed by the paper said they had either paid or would pay for separate broken glass cover because they thought it should certainly cover a sunroof. How could a sunroof not be a window, they said.
There had long been many complaints about insurance companies trying to dodge their responsibilities by playing with words after doing everything to persuade people to become customers, the paper said.
(Jane Lai)
