Customers have described the Earthquake Commission (EQC) as combative, untrustworthy, and stressful to deal with.

An inquiry gave the public a chance to voice their concerns about the earthquake insurer’s performance following the Canterbury earthquakes. It received 972 written submissions and heard feedback face-to-face at 18 public forums.

Silvia Cartwright, inquiry head, found that most of the customers thought their interactions with the insurer were difficult due to poor communication, inadequate record keeping, and the poor treatment they received from the staff.

“I had to speak to someone different every time I rang EQC and several times there was no record of previous conversations, despite me asking every time for them to record it,” one submitter said, as reported by Stuff.co.nz.

“Documentation seemed to be either non-existent or negligible. I felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall and no-one was listening.”

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Quake damage assessments were one of the main concerns in the submissions – with some of the customers claiming that they received poor repairs.

“We felt that we were bullied into accepting the repairs that were done. We were told that if we did not sign it off it was not a problem, they would sign it off themselves,” a submitter said.

Another submitter added: “Our overall experience with EQC has left us stressed, exhausted and living for years in limbo, unable to move forward with our lives. One of us is on anxiety medication and the other is attending regular counselling.”

The submissions are expected to help shape Cartwright’s final report that will make recommendations for changes to EQC. Her report will be presented to the governor-general by the end of March.