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Travis was the last to visit the family home in early 2017 when he returned to gather some prized family possessions, without telling Leza who he knew would disapprove.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took a change of clothes, had a shower and she still reacted to me, she\u2019s that allergic to the mould treatment they used,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Despite being unable to return home, AAMI had cut off support to the family of four in April 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were homeless. The kids used to ask, when are we going home, when are we going home, and we used to say \u2018soon\u2019 because we thought we were. It\u2019s been very hard on them,\u201d Ms Ashford said.<\/p>\n
The Ashfords eventually took the matter to AAMI\u2019s Internal Dispute Resolution department that expressed \u201cregret\u201d for how the family had been treated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to apologise for the handling of your claims which has been a stressful time for you and your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The department noted the family had \u201cbeen very transparent about Leza\u2019s condition and ongoing allergic reactions due to the mould remediation chemicals used by AAMI\u2019s vendors\u201d.<\/p>\n
AAMI agreed to again cover temporary accommodation costs until the claim was finalised, a point the insurer says it reached in April 2018 when its specialists found \u201cno unremediated mould arising from the claimed events was identified\u201d and \u201cno evidence\u201d of chemical contamination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat insurers do is weaponise time, they sit on it, sit on it,\u201d said Michael Bates, an insurance lawyer who\u2019s taken on the family\u2019s case and is due before the County Court in March.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout three times a year I see things that just blow my mind, and this is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
AAMI declined to answer a series of questions this paper put to it, citing legal proceedings, however did state that it\u2019s \u201cbeen closely engaged on this claim and has taken steps to seek a suitable resolution\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A JAN JUC family say they\u2019ve been left without any of their possessions, in significant debt, sick and homeless after a six-year long battle with their insurer over mould and chemicals in their family home. Leza and Travis Ashford initially lodged several successful claims with AAMI in 2016 after mould was discovered in their Jan […]<\/p>\n