Aviva have unveiled the strange and unusual claims submitted to them in 2018.

2018 was a year that saw the Beast from the East batter UK homes, Aviva also dealt with a range of unusual claims from its customers including damage caused by a hapless burglar who locked himself in a garden shed and a holidaying customer who had their mobile phone destroyed by a monkey.

Quirky and unusual claims:

Mistaken identity: a horse mistook a customer’s car for a female horse, and proceeded to make amorous advances, including getting its front legs onto the vehicle! The damaged car got the hump, but Aviva put things right by arranging for the bodywork to be repaired.

The hapless burglar: A burglar who tried – and failed – to break in to a customer’s house hid in a garden shed when he was rumbled by the homeowner. The burglar accidentally locked himself in to the shed, making it easy for police to apprehend him. Aviva paid the claim for damage to the home (windows) and shed.

The cat in the car: A cat snuck into an Aviva customer’s car as he was unloading groceries. Later, noticing his hazards were on, the customer went outside to see the cat in his vehicle. The cat had tried to escape by clawing at the roof of the car, causing substantial interior damage! The customer opened the door and the cat hightailed it out. Aviva repaired the car – and the cat was not injured.

Don’t blame the gorilla: A customer was on a trek to see gorillas in their natural habitat. Their guide took them close to a group of gorillas and surprised one of them, who bit their customer on the arm and ran off. Aviva arranged for medical assistance for the customer, who said he didn’t blame the gorilla!

The monkey did it: A customer was on holiday when a monkey snatched his bag, jumped on top of a wall and proceeded to rifle through the customer’s belongings. The monkey found the customer’s mobile phone and smashed it on the ground. Aviva replaced the customer’s phone.

Cracked Heads: Aviva received claims for damage to the heads of Ben Affleck and Justin Bieber – or, to be more specific, their wax likenesses. Fine cracks ruined the waxworks of their commercial customer and Aviva paid the business that created them.

Aviva accepted 991,700 claims from its UK customers in 2018.