Flood insurance claim in 2009 and again in 2015
Location Cockermouth
Customer Mrs B
The village of Cockermouth hit the national headlines in 2009 when the river Derwent burst its banks after heavy rainfall. Mrs B, whose 17th century cottage backs on to the river, suffered devastating flooding: the water rose to over five feet and she lost nearly everything downstairs.
Luckily Mrs B was able to move in with her daughter. She started an insurance claim but immediately realised what a difficult process she faced. And she didn’t want to put any more pressure on her daughter who had a very busy life. So when the family came across loss assessors Morgan Clark, they realised they’d found the answer: “When I met them, I felt I would have someone on my side, who would do the best for me and my children, and would take away all the hassle with the insurers.”
Morgan Clark took over everything. Firstly, they stripped the ground floor down to a shell and dried the cottage out carefully, to ensure no problems were stored up for the future. They handled all dealings with the insurers and oversaw the reinstatement, which included making the house more ‘flood proof’ such as having ceramic floor tiles rather than carpet.
The difference Morgan Clark made
According to Mrs B, using Morgan Clark made a big difference: “I’m convinced that we got more from the insurers, because Morgan Clark knew what to ask for, and also because the insurers took more notice of them than if I’d been on my own. They were very attentive and communicated with me all the time. And it was all much quicker than it was for my neighbours who handled things themselves.
“It causes a lot of heartache if you do it on your own. And you have to be on the phone all the time and deal with so many people. Using Morgan Clark took the load off me – and off my children.”
The 2015 floods:
So when history repeated itself and floodwaters poured through Cockermouth again in December 2015, Mrs B had no hesitation in calling Morgan Clark again. “Last time I didn’t know them. This time I do and I trust them completely. I’m just going to let them do everything, including bringing in their own team to carry out the building work .”
Mrs B’s daughter agrees: “When it happened again, we didn’t hesitate to turn to Morgan Clark again. We are wiser than last time and know the difference it will make. We trust them and will wait for them to take us through each step.”
Mrs B sums up Morgan Clark as follows: “Morgan Clark are excellent, sympathetic, and they understand what you want and what you need. The service is nothing short of excellent.”