Amy Powell and Sam Sedgman awoke on Monday morning to discover their car windows had been bashed in during a late-night vandalism spree.
The Annerley couple owned two of the 17 cars which had windows caved in by unknown vandals throughout the quiet Brisbane suburb.
One car was insured under Allianz and the other by Budget Direct, but only the latter has agreed to pay for new windscreens.
Ms Powell said Allianz would not pay their insurance because they were unable to provide the details of the perpetrator.
The art therapist said she had been surprised when she heard about this stipulation.
“You think you pay all this money to get help when you need it, but it hasn’t been the case, which is a shame,” Ms Powell said.
“Hopefully they find somebody — there are a number of people around the streets who have CCTV and hopefully some dashcams as well.”
An Allianz spokesperson said malicious damage was covered, but policyholders were unable to make claims if their excess fees were more expensive than the cost of repair.
The spokesperson said they only waived excess fees if a perpetrator was found or the customer had paid for optional “Removal of excess for windscreen damage only claims” coverage.
“When a customer makes a claim against their policy it is subject to an excess unless they can provide us with the details of the person responsible for the damage so that we can exercise our rights of recovery for the resulting damage,” the spokesperson said.
“This means that for incidents like these we will pay for the damage but an excess is payable unless the identity of the ‘perpetrator’ is determined.”
Finder insurance expert Tim Bennett said this was a stipulation that some insurers included to protect themselves from false claims.
He said it paid to compare insurance policies to see what was covered and what wasn’t.
“It does sometimes leave a sour taste in your mouth when you can’t claim for something you’ve been paying a premium for,” Mr Bennett said.
“The key takeaway is to make sure you understand your insurance policy, which I know can be a tall task sometimes because it is a complex product.
“The more educated you can be as a consumer, the less surprised you’ll be when something like this happens.”
Martin Wells, another victim of Monday’s vandalism spree, said his insurer was also refusing to cover his excess.
He said he hoped police caught whoever smashed everyone’s windows, both for insurance purposes and also for peace of mind.
“It’s all so very silly, really, because they don’t know us and we don’t know them,” Mr Wells said.
“I don’t see how they get any satisfaction out of it.”
Queensland Police have released CCTV footage of a vehicle of interest and are asking members of the public to come forward with information.
A police spokesperson said investigations are ongoing.
“Around 17 vehicles around Victoria Terrace, Prince Street and Duke Street were located with significant damage, including smashed windows,” the spokesperson said.
“Investigators… would like to speak to anyone who might recognise the vehicle, or may have any information or relevant footage to come forward.”
Bronwen, who asked for her last name not to be published, said her son’s car windows had also been shattered on Monday.
She said the family was considering installing CCTV cameras for peace of mind.
Bronwen said dealing with the insurance companies was proving to be a headache.
“It’s the aftermath of everything, it’s the insurance you’ve got to follow up, it’s getting your insurance assessed for full damage,” she said.
“People are so busy, you just don’t need the stress and the hassle.”
An Insurance Council of Australia spokesperson said if a customer has concerns about their policy, they should talk to their insurer.
“It’s important that policyholders read their insurance documents carefully and understand what is and is not covered,” the spokesperson said.
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