Every excuse has an answer.
Your refusal letter, decoded.
Insurers refuse claims using a small set of standard arguments. Each one has a name, a meaning, and a known counter-argument. Find the sentence from your letter.
Who's behind thisSteve Smart Helped people recover £25M+ from rejected claims
The decoder
The wording varies between insurers. The arguments do not.
“The damage has occurred gradually over a period of time and is therefore attributable to wear and tear, which is excluded under your policy.”
Read the counter-argument →“As the replacement represents an improvement on the original item, a deduction for betterment of 40% has been applied to your settlement.”
Read the counter-argument →“Your sum insured of £45,000 represents approximately 60% of the true rebuild cost. In accordance with the condition of average, your settlement has been reduced proportionately.”
Read the counter-argument →“You failed to disclose a material fact. We have therefore avoided your policy from inception and returned your premium.”
Read the counter-argument →“Your claim relates to a pre-existing medical condition which was not declared when the policy was purchased.”
Read the counter-argument →“You did not notify us of the incident within the timescale set out in your policy.”
Read the counter-argument →“You failed to take reasonable care to safeguard your property, as required by the policy.”
Read the counter-argument →“We have valued your vehicle at £4,150 based on industry trade guides. This represents the market value at the date of loss.”
Read the counter-argument →“Wind speeds recorded in your area did not reach 55mph and therefore do not meet the policy definition of a storm.”
Read the counter-argument →Start free. Pay only if we can help you win.
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Meet Steve Who's behind this
Forty years inside the insurance industry, in both senior legal and commercial roles. Former UK General Counsel at AIG. Current Chairman of Lancashire Insurance UK. Regular voice on LBC radio. Steve has watched the same disputes come up again and again — and built the library of arguments that smarterclaims runs on, based on his decades of experience.
“I've spent forty years on the inside of insurance. The same excuses come up again and again, and most consumers don't know how to overcome them. This is the tool I wish my clients had before they called me.”Steve SmartMore about Steve
Real people, real results
“After being injured in action, my military insurer tried to argue that my injuries weren't permanent — so they'd pay me only a small percentage of the policy limit. Steve identified several arguments to challenge their refusal, and they ended up paying me virtually the full policy limit.”
“After a major house fire destroyed our contents, our insurer said we were under-insured — and that they'd only pay a fraction of our claim. Your know-how helped us overcome their excuse and get everything we were asking for.”
“Following a house fire, my insurer's loss adjuster argued that a lot of the damage was excluded. Steve identified the arguments to make, and they ended up paying our claim in full.”
“When my husband's physiotherapy practice was forced to close temporarily due to a virus, our insurer said it wasn't on their list of diseases and wouldn't pay anything towards our loss of earnings. The arguments you came up with convinced them to pay up.”
“After a car crash that wasn't my fault, the insurer tried to write off my car for far less than it was worth. You guided me through exactly what I had to do and say — everything was clear and easy to understand, and I got the full amount I was owed.”
Real clients we have helped, shared with their written permission.
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Describe what happened. We'll match it to the argument, and you'll have the rebuttal in minutes.