My Vehicle Was Stolen — But the Hardest Part Has Been the Insurance Process

On March 18th, my personal vehicle was stolen from Niagara Falls.

This was the first time I had ever experienced vehicle theft personally, and I can honestly say it is an incredibly violating feeling. You walk outside expecting to continue your day, only to realize your vehicle is gone.

Fortunately for me, I happen to be the founder of a GPS recovery company that provides anti-theft tracking solutions across North America. Within minutes, I was able to open my phone, locate the vehicle in downtown Toronto, and begin the recovery process.

Police eventually recovered the vehicle, processed it, and returned it a few days later.

What I did not expect was that recovering the vehicle would turn out to be the easy part.

The real stress began afterward with the insurance process.

To be fair, my broker, Mitch Insurance, has been incredibly supportive throughout this experience. But as many people may not realize, your broker is not always the actual insurance company handling the claim itself. At this stage, I am choosing not to publicly identify the insurer involved until the process is fully completed.

Initially, repairs were approved quickly. Then, late on a Friday afternoon  just before the office closed for the weekend  I received notice that the claim was being further investigated and that coverage could not yet be confirmed.

Anyone who has gone through this process understands the anxiety that creates.

Shortly afterward, I was informed that a field adjuster would be assigned and that I would need to complete a formal interview. I cooperated fully, understanding that investigations can be a normal part of theft-related claims.

Where things became frustrating was the contents claim.

The insurance company requested receipts for items that had been inside the vehicle  things like clothing, a travel bag, and everyday belongings that made complete sense to have in the car while traveling.

I had a jacket in the car i purchased in 2020.....I don't have a receipt for this.....who does??? ......They also requested receipts for ordinary vehicle-related items accumulated over years of ownership:

• cleaning supplies,
• detailing products,
• roadside tools,
• a tire compressor,
• a jack,
• miscellaneous vehicle accessories.

Now I just feel like I am being screwed. It seems ridiculous to me that they would expect someone to be able to fish through Canadian Tire receipts over the past 4 years to find a receipt for tire shine.

Most people do not keep five-year-old receipts for cleaning products, or roadside equipment they’ve gradually collected over time. Yet when you’re in the middle of a claim, you suddenly realize how difficult it can be to prove ownership of ordinary items.

To be clear, I understand why insurance companies investigate claims. Fraud exists, and verification matters.

But this experience has shown me firsthand the difference between feeling protected by insurance and feeling challenged by it. In my case just getting ahold of the insurance company is a task. Rarely are calls answered or returned. Emailing seems to work with a 2-3 day turn around time.

There are good insurance companies in this industry..... and there are bad.. I haven't figured out if mine is good or bad yet.

At this point, my claim is still ongoing, and I remain hopeful that the final outcome will be fair and professional.

But I also believe consumers deserve transparency about what this process can actually look like.

As someone who works in vehicle recovery every day, even I was surprised by how stressful, time-consuming, and emotionally draining the process became after the vehicle was recovered.

I will be posting a follow-up update once the claim is officially resolved both to give credit where it is deserved and to share the final outcome honestly with our customers and community.

For now, my advice to consumers is simple:

Protect your vehicle.
Document your belongings.
Keep records when you can.
And make sure you truly understand the insurance company standing behind your policy not just the name of your broker.

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