EQR reply 24/10/12

Dear Sarah,

Thank you for your email.  I wish to acknowledge receipt of your complaint.  I will now contact our Technical Hub to query the status of your file.

We will investigate your concerns and come back to you shortly.

Kind Regards,
--
Denise Quinn
Complaints Administrator | Earthquake Recovery

Letter sent to EQC and EQR 24/10/12

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter to hopefully get some movement with my claim. I have
called countless times and have so far gotten nowhere. I am constantly getting
the run around from EQR and EQC. Each time I ring I am assured someone will
follow things up and get back to me but that’s as far as I get, nobody ever rings
back. My husband and I have logged every conversation we have had with you
since we began the claims process. Have you? You can consider this an official
complaint.

I understand that there are many people waiting for claims to be settled but
there have also been many claims settled for people who would have been okay
to wait a lot longer. We can wait no longer. If we were in a position to, I would be
fine to sit patiently, and quietly wait.

Being 8 months pregnant at the time of the February earthquake, we were the
process of selling house and were due to get confirmation on the 23rd. The sale
fell through and the people who were going to buy our house ended up buying
the house next door to us.

The earthquakes have damaged three retaining walls that hold up our little
heritage house, which is made of logs. We cannot sell the house due to the extent
of the damage, and the fact that there is still no scope of works. My second child
is now 19 months old and we live in a tiny two-bedroom house without even a
door to separate the two rooms. We cannot shut the bathroom door now and I
refuse to let my husband take it off to plane it like he did with the others. I fear
that when someone finally does come and give us a proper scope, they will put
that damage off as historical and insinuate we are liars just like the last people
who inspected did.

My husband and I had always planned on having three children but I am turning
35 in March and can’t wait much longer to have another one. I really don’t want
EQC and Fletchers to decide what our family will look like in the future but I
cannot have another baby in this house. The stress this is causing our family is
really taking its toll on us. We have had countless trips to the doctor’s office and
I cry a lot. If this claim were sorted, our lives would greatly improve as we could
plan for the future and go on as many of our friends already have.

Our house, being constructed of unusual materials and a heritage listing I am
under the impression our claim is being put to the bottom of the pile. Originally
with the North New Brighton Hub, we have been passed over to the Aranui Hub,
and now to the Technical Hub. We were told about six weeks ago that our claim
was assigned an engineer. Really? So it has been six weeks and still nothing so
much as a phone call?

We have tried phone calls and emails, complains and pleas. If we do not have an
engineer at least ring us in the next week for an assessment I will have no other
option but to get the media involved.

Regards,

Sarah Hinchey