The Money I Get When I'm Dead - - again - -
I have mentioned before that the Communist had a life insurance policy - - it started out in 1977 with Manulife and they changed to Canada Life. The Communist constantly referred to it as "The Money I Get When I'm Dead."
Now then, in order to get this money they have asked us to send them - - and I quote - -
1) The Claimants Statement duly completed by the Executor(s) of the Estate
2) The original Policy Document (or the enclosed lost document form completed if the original document is missing)
3) The original certified Death Certificate issued by the Registrar
4) The original or office copy of the Grant of Representation, which can be in the form of Letters of Administration, Grant of Probate, Grant of Confirmation Nominate or Grant of Confirmation Dative. The Grant of Representation names the Personal Represenatatives, who are entitled to deal with the Estate of the deceased. In order to admit a claim an insurance company will require sight of the Grant from the Personal Representatives. If you have a solicitor acting for you they will be able to advise you how to obtain this, or alternatively you will need to contact your local Probate Registry Office, details of which can be found in the yellow pages under Probate Registries.
Now then.
1) I rang Canada Life and they have sent me this and I can fill it in
2) And as a matter of fact, I have the original Policy Document, dated August 1977, with "Policy now Canada Life" written on the front in the Communist's writing, and d'you know what, this upset me, because he's dead now. But why - and I always wonder this on such occasions - do we have to send the policy to them when THEY SENT IT TO US IN THE FIRST PLACE?
3) Yes, I've got the Death Certificate, because my brother sensibly got six of the blasted things. Cause of death: a) Pneumonia b) Stroke. Okay, I understand why they need to see it but I wish they didn't.
4) Ah well, as for 4) - - - did any of you get to the end of that paragraph? Me neither. And I hate all that sort of legal crap that makes no sense at all.
So I rang them, and asked, firstly, why do I have to send the policy to them when THEY SENT IT TO US IN THE FIRST PLACE? Do they not have a record of their own policies? When they post the thing out, don't they write down its number on a piece of paper for future reference?
Clearly nobody ever asks this, and I could tell she was a bit confused by my question. "Errr - - it's company policy."
I moved on to 4). We need to send one of those Grant of Probate thingies because his estate was worth more than fifteen thousand, apparently.
And how long will it take to get this?
Well, it can take between two weeks and two years, depending upon the size of the estate.
"All very well," I said, "but d'you know what, my father intended my mother to have this money after he died, and she's nearly 85, and she could do with it NOW. And since we have the original policy - so you know that he had the policy - and the death certificate - so you know that he's dead - - and his will - - so you know he left it to my mother - - why can't you just PAY OUT THE MONEY?"
"And further," I said, "I'm having to deal with all this crap when my FATHER'S JUST DIED and d'you know what, I'm rather upset about it. So I think it should be as easy as possible, don't you?"
"Errr - - yes," she said.
I made an appointment to see the Communist's solicitor next week. That'll be something else to look forward to.
Now then, in order to get this money they have asked us to send them - - and I quote - -
1) The Claimants Statement duly completed by the Executor(s) of the Estate
2) The original Policy Document (or the enclosed lost document form completed if the original document is missing)
3) The original certified Death Certificate issued by the Registrar
4) The original or office copy of the Grant of Representation, which can be in the form of Letters of Administration, Grant of Probate, Grant of Confirmation Nominate or Grant of Confirmation Dative. The Grant of Representation names the Personal Represenatatives, who are entitled to deal with the Estate of the deceased. In order to admit a claim an insurance company will require sight of the Grant from the Personal Representatives. If you have a solicitor acting for you they will be able to advise you how to obtain this, or alternatively you will need to contact your local Probate Registry Office, details of which can be found in the yellow pages under Probate Registries.
Now then.
1) I rang Canada Life and they have sent me this and I can fill it in
2) And as a matter of fact, I have the original Policy Document, dated August 1977, with "Policy now Canada Life" written on the front in the Communist's writing, and d'you know what, this upset me, because he's dead now. But why - and I always wonder this on such occasions - do we have to send the policy to them when THEY SENT IT TO US IN THE FIRST PLACE?
3) Yes, I've got the Death Certificate, because my brother sensibly got six of the blasted things. Cause of death: a) Pneumonia b) Stroke. Okay, I understand why they need to see it but I wish they didn't.
4) Ah well, as for 4) - - - did any of you get to the end of that paragraph? Me neither. And I hate all that sort of legal crap that makes no sense at all.
So I rang them, and asked, firstly, why do I have to send the policy to them when THEY SENT IT TO US IN THE FIRST PLACE? Do they not have a record of their own policies? When they post the thing out, don't they write down its number on a piece of paper for future reference?
Clearly nobody ever asks this, and I could tell she was a bit confused by my question. "Errr - - it's company policy."
I moved on to 4). We need to send one of those Grant of Probate thingies because his estate was worth more than fifteen thousand, apparently.
And how long will it take to get this?
Well, it can take between two weeks and two years, depending upon the size of the estate.
"All very well," I said, "but d'you know what, my father intended my mother to have this money after he died, and she's nearly 85, and she could do with it NOW. And since we have the original policy - so you know that he had the policy - and the death certificate - so you know that he's dead - - and his will - - so you know he left it to my mother - - why can't you just PAY OUT THE MONEY?"
"And further," I said, "I'm having to deal with all this crap when my FATHER'S JUST DIED and d'you know what, I'm rather upset about it. So I think it should be as easy as possible, don't you?"
"Errr - - yes," she said.
I made an appointment to see the Communist's solicitor next week. That'll be something else to look forward to.
posted by Daphne at 5:34 pm
6 Comments:
Welcome to my world! horrid isn't it and I don't even have it too bad cos I pay a solicitor a small fortune to deal with most of this for me but you too will soon also be in that world.
I think the worst I have had so far was getting a postal redirection from my late parents' house to mine. I had gone equipped with dad's Death Certificate which clearly identified me as his daughter and stated that he was a widower and named my late mother as who he was widowed from BUT I didn't have a copy of my mum's death certificate. It was a battle to convince the post office lady that they were both dead and so I didn't want post addressed to them going to their house which had just been sold. At no point did the post office lady acknowledge that I was having to do this because both my parents had died and perhaps this might be upsetting.
Good luck - it does get better I promise.
Calm down dear! When my lovely old mum died, I had to go to the Probate Office beneath Sheffield Crown Court and have a brief interview in order to qualify for probate. I had to get my three brothers' signatures as they were also named as executors on the will. It's just one of those tiresome bureaucratic things. You just have to be patient. Try not to give too much of the money away to the Great White Solicitor. You can do stuff like this yourself. You don't really need them.
Insurance companies suck the life out of death !
The more I hear stories like this, the more I'm amazed I, as executor, tied all my mum's estate up in the two weeks I had available before flying back to America.
Being naive, I just thought that was typical.
Sorry it's being so upsetting for you.
I discovered a short while ago that dealing with faceless corporations on the telephone is like wrestling with greased pigs!
AND...
They always win because they just hang up if you ask too many awkward questions.
Good Lord I've got a headache just reading it!
My Dad got a credit card in the mail 2 years after he died. They wouldn't let me cancel it, they wanted to talk to him. HELLOOOO WHICH PART OF 'HE'S DEAD' didn't you get there???
I don't mean to be unkind or sound callous, and I was truly sorry to learn of your loss, but I need to say something here. I would give anything to be trying to settle a parent's estate. My mother died when I was 16 and my father when I was 25. Because he had remarried, everything of his (there wasn't much) went automatically to my stepmother because either he left no will or nobody bothered to tell me there was one. And when she died, everything went to her children. My dad is buried in my stepmother's family plot with her two other husbands, 30 miles away from where my mother is buried. You had your dad a good long time and you still have your mother. It's not about money after all, but you should be counting your blessings.
I hate it when people tell me I "should" anything, so I do apologize, but I needed to get it off my chest.
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