To Fogg Insurance Agencies Ltd.:

As you know I had an accident with one of your policyholders. As the accident was caused by your client, you paid for the damage caused to my car. However, due to the accident, my wife suffered an injury to her left leg and was certified sick for three days. Since at the time she was working as a casual kindergarten assistant, she did not get paid for the three working days she missed.

When I submitted a claim on behalf of my wife for the Lm42 she was not paid, you refused to accept my claim. I had no option but to refer my claim to the Consumer Claims Tribunal which on May 23 decided in my favour and you were ordered to pay me the Lm42 you owe me. However it seems that you are ignoring this decision, so I am hereby reminding you and at the same time I am sending a copy of this letter to Mr A. Muscat Inglott of the Customer Service Column in The Sunday Times. (Saviour Vassallo, June 16)

Here follows a supporting letter sent to me:

My reminder to Fogg Insurance Agencies Ltd (FIA) spells the grievance in itself, but I would like to give you some more details as readers may benefit from them. This traffic accident happened on May 15, 2001, when my wife and I were driving home. We stopped at traffic lights and an FIA client drove straight on to the back of our car.

My wife injured her left leg and she had to stay at home for three days. As she worked as a casual kindergarten assistant she did not get paid, and this amounted to Lm42. When I claimed these Lm42, FIA refused to accept my claim.

I felt that this was not fair and the incident kept nagging me. So I decided to go to talk to the people at the Consumer and Competition Division where they told me that I could refer my complaint to the Consumer Claims Tribunal. I did so and the tribunal decided in my favour. This may help readers who may have problems, as I have had, with insurance claims.

Now it seems that they are not going to honour the decision of the tribunal and I am back to square one. With this letter I am sending you a copy of the letter I sent to FIA, and a copy of the sentence given by the tribunal. I am not in the least worried about going public and I do need your help to get my due.

I thank you very much for all the help that you give to consumers all over the island. (S. Vassallo)

I asked for FIA's comments and subsequently sent them a reminder, to no avail. In the meantime Mr Vassallo, in line with this column's terms and conditions, chased the progress of his case while copying me in. Eventually I received the following letter from a satisfied consumer:

With reference to my last letter to you about my claim with FIA regarding the injury my wife suffered, the Consumer Claims Tribunal decision in our favour, and FIA''s refusal to honour the tribunal's decision, I want to update you on what happened since.

I was contacted by Mr A.E. Cardona of FIA on July 2 and he informed me that they are going to honour the tribunal's decision by paying the Lm42 they owe me. All this happened after I sent them the letter wherein I said that I am copying you in about the matter. So I think that the credit must go to you and the Customer Service Column of The Sunday Times.

This also shows that finally the consumer can fight for his rights and win. Now, to show my gratitude and support I wish to become a member of the Ghaqda tal-Konsumatur. So please could you send me some information on how one can become a member?

I wish to thank you very much and may God give you strength to carry on with the wonderful work you are doing. (S. Vassallo)

To Fogg Insurance Agencies Ltd.

I wish to thank you for the happy conclusion regarding my claim about the injury my wife suffered and her subsequent loss of three days' payment on having spent three days on sick leave without pay at home.

I also wish to inform you that I am sending a copy of this letter to Mr Muscat Inglott so that he will be informed that the matter was positively concluded.

Thank you very much for your co-operation and for honouring the Consumer Claims Tribunal decision. (S. Vassallo)

I thank Fogg Insurance Agencies Ltd for having honoured the Consumer Claims Tribunal's decision. I sincerely hope they appreciate and understand that my decision to feature this case is constructive.

Indeed, in a constructive spirit, I encourage consumers to follow Mr Vassallo's example both in the way he chased the progress of his case and the way he used this column as an effective tool in line with the column's terms and conditions. If all consumers were like Mr Vassallo, nobody can stop us.

The Consumes' Association president Benny Borg Bonello and I have welcomed Mr Vassallo as a member of the association. If you are interested in joining, you may write to the Consumers' Association at PO Box 464, Valletta (tel 2123-9091, fax 2122-1210, e-mail: ghaqdakonsumaturi@yahoo.com).

The association's office at 43/10 St Zachery Street, Valletta is open on Mondays and Fridays from 6 to 7 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm

Finally, if you have referred a case to the Consumer Claims Tribunal and after it decides your favour, the decision is not honoured by the trader/supplier, write to me and if they refuse to co-operate we will ask them to do so in our column.