Kevin Acton is frustrated with ICBC, to the point of taking the crown corporation to small claims court over his damaged 40-year-old camper van.
The Lumby mayor was driving along Highway 97 between Vernon and Armstrong last summer when an injured deer jumped out in front of him. While Acton was unhurt, his 1985 Dodge camper van was left damaged by the collision.
Acton purchased the camper van three years ago for $3,000 when it was “barely running,” and put thousands of dollars into restoring the vehicle. He insured the vehicle for $3,000.
After the crash, he received a quote for $5,700 to fix the van, but says ICBC only offered the $3,000 he paid for the camper van minus a $300 deductible. He would also have to surrender the vehicle.
Acton, who is BC United’s candidate for the new Vernon-Lumby provincial riding, said his only options were to drop the claim or take the $2,700.
Acton says based on similar models he’s seen online, the camper van is worth as much as $14,000, which is the amount he is seeking in small claims court.
He said despite all the work he put into the vehicle himself, and the money he invested into restoring it, ICBC has remained firm on its $3,000 payout minus the deductible, because he didn’t tell ICBC about the improvements after he originally insured the vehicle.
“I keep thinking to myself, maybe I should have went (to ICBC) and said it was worth more after I did the work, but then how do I figure out what it’s worth?” Acton said.
ICBC does have an appeal process in which people can request a supervisor or manager to review their claim, or apply for arbitration. But Acton said in all of his dealings with ICBC, this was never presented as an option.
“They certainly haven’t offered it and they certainly don’t make you aware of it,” he said.
The Lumby mayor said he’s heard from a number of constituents about their frustrations with ICBC, adding that since the crown corporation implemented its no-fault insurance model in 2021, “it seems ICBC is just a monopoly without any appeal.”
“I’ve talked to quite a few people since that have gone through sort of the same thing,” he said.
Through the small claims court, Acton is hoping to keep the van and get a fair settlement from ICBC to fix it up.
Acton had a court date set for July 11, but his frustration grew when he found out ICBC is petitioning the court to have the date moved back further because they couldn’t make anyone available to represent the crown corporation.
“It’s been over a year already and this is a pretty straightforward and simple thing,” he said. “Surely (ICBC) can find somebody to represent them in court.”
ICBC told the Morning Star that it couldn’t comment on the matter because it’s before the courts, but confirmed that Acton’s camper van was insured with his declared value policy of $3,000, “which limits the settlement amount.”
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