The buck stops with Gerry

Written By: - Date published: 12:33 pm, June 21st, 2011 - 9 comments
Categories: disaster, Gerry Brownlee - Tags: ,

Here is my one small example of what people in Christchurch are going through.

I have been battling EQC for reimbursement of an account for an emergincy chimney demolition, after the September 2010 earthquake.

I paid to have the chimney taken down, as it was in danger of falling, sent EQC the invoice with a bank deposit slip 8 long months ago, I have rung them countless times and get the same answer “we are looking into it, you should receive your money soon” 8 months to process a single invoice.

You have know idea how wild I have become! In the future, meetings or dealings with EQC will be dealt with through my Lawyer (not everyone has this option available to them I know), But I am now so angry it’s become a matter of principle “fuck the expense”, it may end up costing me money, but I intend to pursue recovery of my costs as well, I will fight them for every cent, plus interest!

I realize there are people far worse off than me and I can only imagine how they will be feeling, this mess needs to be laid at Gerry Brownlee’s feet, the buck stops with him.

[there are tonnes more stories like this. Including one covered on Campbell Live last night of a tradesman who has $502,000 worth of payments from EQC outstanding.]

9 comments on “The buck stops with Gerry ”

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  1. John Dalley 1
    21 June 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Do you think the “Back Office” might be a bit slim Gerry?

  2. Lanthanide 2
    21 June 2011 at 1:03 pm

    Do you think siccing your lawyer on EQC is going to improve the process, or impede it by making them devote time to your personal case?
     
    Sure, if your lawyer was the spark that dramatically improved the processes at EQC, then you’d be doing everyone a service. But really I think you’ll just make the process that much worse for everyone involved.

    • ron 3.1
      21 June 2011 at 3:22 pm

      “Does the question have to be asked whether the EQC model of insuring land is simply not viable any more? I suspect that within the next year or two every aspect of New Zealand’s response and the EQC response and the model will be reviewed”

      Yeah, right. This useless government hasn’t been able to actually repsond to the crisis as it is – can you really see a “review” happening in 12 months?

  4. JS 4
    21 June 2011 at 1:51 pm

    Public servants are not allowed to criticise or even comment on government policy. So EQC can’t say in public, we need another couple of thousand staff and better governent communication processes. Instead they cop a lot of the blame that should be aimed at the government’s attrocious handing of the whole earthquake response since September.

  5. Rob A 5
    21 June 2011 at 3:47 pm

    I’m still waiting for my house to be inspected from September by EQC. We had the brief inspection after Februarys shake and were told that it had suffered major damage and would get a full inspection “in the next couple of weeks”. I also now have four contents claims in with them and except for a generic email soon after submitting the claim haven’t heard a thing from them so far, not a house inspection or even a land report to tell us if a house inspection is even going to be required. Pointless calling EQC, every time you call you end up getting a completely different answer.

    In the meantime our Insurance company has inspected it and told us thats it’s re-buildable but only just, but they wont do anything until EQC concurs. Even when they all do decide on my fate it’ll probably take months minimum to get the tradespeople onto my place. God knows what all the suits are going to say now after the last quake.

    In the meantime we’ve had to move out into a rental (thankfully a friend had one available) Problem there is our insurance for that runs out in the next few weeks and we’ll have to go on the benefit they’ve set up for people like us. And this rental lost it’s chimney in September so half the house is freezing while the other half is warmed by a gas fireplace, which I’ve fast discovered is the most expensive form of heating there is. My friend the landlord has had an order in for a heatpump for 3 months and not a word about that so far although they are claiming only a two or three week waiting list.
    My kids have all had to change schools, my oldest is doing her NCEA this year but only doing half days because they are site sharing, we’ve been told straight up by her teachers that they’ve had to make them sit some of thier tests before they’ve been taught properly because of time constraints. So although I and my wife could be screwed for a few years, these earthquake could affect the rest of her life.

    My family and I have it alot better than many here in Christchurch, at least we’re not crapping in a hi-tech bucket but times are tough and there’s a lot of grim people here. Its not just the earthquake but just driving around town is depressing seeing what has become of this once beautiful city. I guess what I’m saying is that what I’m looking for is some light at the end of the tunnel but it seems the people holding the torches are running away as fast as I’m catching up.

    And listening to Gerry blow smoke up our collective asses is a lesson in frustration, if I had any photoshop skills I’d be pasting his head on Neros body and plastering pictures up all over town.

  6. Rusty Shackleford 6
    21 June 2011 at 4:23 pm

    Sounds like par for the course to me. There is never an easy answer to this sort of situation, but central planning is part of the problem, as usual. A govt run entity being slow? Who’d a thunk it?

    PS Ideological posturing aside. My sympathies to you Mr. Guest Post.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      21 June 2011 at 5:03 pm

      You’re an idiot.

      here is never an easy answer to this sort of situation, but central planning is part of the problem, as usual. A govt run entity being slow? Who’d a thunk it?

      Actually maybe imbecile is more accurate. One who perpetrates US Republican stereotypes of Government and see how well that is working out for them.

      – Central planning part of the problem? What do you suggest for Christchurch? Decentralised planning based in each suburb? Planning where no one knows what is going on because no one knows who to turn to? What are you smoking.

      – And then you mix up Government entities being slow with Government entities being slow because of shit leadership from the National Ministers in charge of those entities.

      Now explain to me why PRIVATE insurance companies are dragging their feet at the Christchurch party, as well as PRIVATE reinsurers.

      You know, apart from the obvious that its profitable for them and their PRIVATE shareholders to do so.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.2
      21 June 2011 at 9:52 pm

      There is never an easy answer to this sort of situation, but central planning is part of the problem, as usual.

      And in this case it’s a lack of central planning that is the problem. We’ve spent the last three decades following the delusional neo-liberal policies that you like so much and that required a cut down, preferably removed government, and now we have neither the institutional knowledge or capacity to deal with natural disasters.