“I was completely deceived,” said the well-known ski waxer Ole Bjørn Tretterud, who was scammed last year by a man in his 50s from Latvia. The man has now been convicted of multimillion-kroner fraud, but Tretterud was left without his two-million-krone Autostar motorhome (approx. €174,000).

Tretterud thought he had rented out the vehicle, but the man never returned it. The motorhome was later found stripped in Lithuania, and it wasn’t the first time the perpetrator had stolen vehicles. He was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison for extensive fraud and ordered to pay eight million kroner (approx. €695,000) in damages.

Despite the fact that Tretterud continued to pay the loan on the motorhome (18,000 NOK/month – approx. €1,565) until it was fully repaid, the insurance company Fremtind refused to pay him any compensation. However, the determined ski wax technician never gave up – and after a year of relentless struggle, he has finally won.

The insurance company has reversed its decision and is now paying out the compensation.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” a jubilant Tretterud told NRK.

“It’s a relief that’s hard to describe. It feels like I’ve finally gotten rid of a huge burden. We’ve fought and fought. A year-long nightmare is over,” he said, according to Langrenn.com.

The vehicle was worth two million kroner (approx. €174,000). But when Tretterud reported it stolen, Fremtind claimed it was fraud, not theft – and thus not covered by his insurance.

Also Read: Ski technician scammed out of $190,000 motorhome

Fremtind argued that since the person who took the vehicle did so through a rental agreement, it should be considered embezzlement rather than theft.

“The terms of Tretterud’s insurance policy cover theft, but not embezzlement,” said Daniel Kjelby of Fremtind earlier to NRK.

Through his lawyer, Tretterud decided to take the case to the Norwegian Financial Complaints Board and notified the insurance company in advance. Fremtind has now fully reversed its stance, siding entirely with Tretterud. The company now classifies the damage done to the vehicle as vandalism, which is covered by his insurance, according to NRK.

Fremtind is now accepting Tretterud’s full claim of 1.760.000 NOK (approx. €153,000). Additionally, they will pay the amount the renter was supposed to pay and cover legal fees.

The company also admits fault, stating that the information in the insurance policy was insufficient.

Ole Bjørn Tretterud now plans to buy himself a new motorhome.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.

As a member of ProXCskiing.com, you get full access to all content on the site and live streaming of Ski Classics Pro Tour events with English commentary.

When you become part of one of the world’s leading XC ski communities, you will receive many exclusive offers all year round. 

REGISTER HERE AS A MEMBER