Mississauga resident Damir Pogarcic called the initial theft “sad and scary,” but was relieved his family was safe and had insurance. Shortly after the theft, Pogarcic filed a claim with his insurance company, Aviva Canada, to replace his truck, a 2020 Ford F-150. Pogarcic said he uses the truck to drive to customers’ homes to give them quotes on roofing work. “I do sales for the roofing business. I go and give prices and that’s it,” he said Wednesday. Pogarcic says he was initially given another truck as a rental, but when the insurance company found out the vehicle was being used for work, they stopped payments for his rental and his case immediately went into review. His wife Alenka Pogarcic said she was under the impression their insurance policy provided coverage because the policy contained the wording “vehicle used for business purposes or for business and pleasure.” He wants Aviva to settle the claim and pay for their rental and replace their stolen truck. “I say the vehicle should be paid off and replaced. It wasn’t stolen on a construction site, it was stolen from our property. We have paid high premiums and now we need them to pay us what we deserve,” Alenka said. If you use your vehicle for business purposes, depending on your policy, you may need to pay for additional commercial insurance, and if you don’t, an insurance company could deny your claim. CTV News contacted Aviva Canada, and a spokesperson said, “We are in the process of working with Mr. Damir Pogarcic on his claim and do not discuss personal details of our customers’ insurance policies.” “On a general note, customers should be aware that private vehicle insurance coverage is different from commercial vehicle insurance coverage,” they said. “It is important for customers to let their insurance advisers know how they use their vehicles to ensure they have the right cover needed to protect them.” The Pogarcic family hopes their case will be settled soon, but in the meantime, they have to cover the rental costs, insurance payments and loan payments on the stolen truck. “I have to go to work. I’m the only earner for this family and I have two children. I want to solve this problem and get on with life,” Pogarcic said. Drivers who use their vehicles for business purposes to make deliveries, for ride sharing platforms or for sales or marketing should be aware that they may need additional insurance. Without it, their claim could be denied if they are in an accident or their vehicle is stolen.
