THESE days, less seems to be in. Less flab (even babies are fit!), less clothes (think skimpy outfits), less food at outrageous prices, even less petrol now that we are have battery operated cars.

But less is not always good. After working hard and saving, Pradeep Vazirani bought his dream Sports Utility Vehicle last year. He had his car fully insured.

Unfortunately, his car was in an accident and the back door was completely damaged.

He was calm. After all, his agent told him he was 100 per cent insured. He had opted for a full package policy that covered loss or damage to the vehicle and its accessories along with third party insurance. (Remember, taking a third party policy, which is mandatory, will cover only your legal liability to pay compensation for the third party. Damage to you or your car will not be borne by the company.)

Full package policy covers loss due to any accident -- fire, explosion, self-ignition or lightning, burglary, theft, riot and strike, etc. It is not mandatory, but highly recommended.

Imagine Pradeep's surprise when, in spite of being fully insured, he got 40 per cent less than what was due to him. Did his insurance company just follow the 'less is in' trend or was there a valid reason?

We spoke to experts to find out what went wrong.

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e-mail: Kamiya Jani

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