Fazer Owners Club - Unofficial
General => General => Topic started by: Dave48 on 04 August 2016, 03:32:59 am
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Now we all know about insurance companies & the way they treat their customers but thought I would add my latest little experience with Carole Nash.
Now being no "spring chicken" but with a decent amount of ncb (over 10 years on each)both on bike & car I recently had to phone to increase my annual mileage limit from 8 to 12 thousand on car due to extra round trips to Cornwall to visit aged mother ( She passed away at the beginning of May).
Was charged £40 admin fee plus £9 changeover. Now I dont drive anything exotic just a 15 plate Fiat Panda (1242cc) with less power than the Fazer.
My conversation went along the lines of "Well youve got me over a barrel since I am obliged to report any/all changes. I will pay this but will not have any future dealings with you and moreover will advise everyone to be aware that from 1st annual renewal to be ready for the big rip-off & SWITCH PROVIDER!
In all my time with CN i have only ever claimed for a scratched windscreen that would have been an MOT failure.
I switched to Bennetts in February when I got the latest Fazer & got full cover with all the extras for £115 per annum which I dont think is unreasonable living in the "second city".
Customer Loyalty is a THING OF THE PAST for me now & I include things like Broadband/Phone/ TV providers.
What I cant understand & maybe someone on here can explain is why these robbing b******s dont realise that good drivers/riders who dont get involved in claims procedures are profitable business for them ie they get our cash & dont have to fork out any.
Last time I hang one of their bloody calendars up. SO BE WARNED.
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Just had a bad experience with Carole Nash too.. Kept me on hold several times for over half an hour on an 0300 no which they earn money on and which costs me a fortune from a mobile but most importantly really winds me up, to be told that they are quoting me £188 extra until my insurance renewal to add another bike.
When I asked them how much it would be for the year she blatantly tried fobbing me off with some bullshit about being unable to give me that quote due to my insurance being up for renewal in 56 days time. So they want £188 for 56 days Insurance. I ended up putting the Phone down on them after saying I will go elsewhere.
I don't get it either why they treat low risk loyal customers like that.
They will not be getting my business anymore after September when my other bikes policies expire.
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Sod loyalty, none of them give a shite about you, you're just a statistic.
I'll normally do a GoCompare search then if my renewal is more than likely more expensive each year then they can feck off.
After paying for my insurance online a couple of years ago i then found out i wasn't insured to ride other bikes, which isn't a major at all but it wasn't stated anywhere obvious whatsoever.
A bit of honesty and no strings blatancy works much better for me.
Insurance is bullshit at the best of times, they're just modern day Dick Turpin's.
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My son has just been shafted by bikesure, bought another bike and added it to his multi-bike policy so he could ride it home. He pays monthly and they added to his premium,with 7 months left cost him £700 he wasn't happy so a few weeks later after searching around and getting a good deal he cancelled his insurance. After the repayment on his policy they want £221 when he asked for a breakdown of there figures they took 4 days to reply after giving him 5 days to pay and threatened him with debt collectors. He's only 22 with a clean licence. thieving bastards!!
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I wont miss listening to their crap background "tune?" while the greedy sods tell me all about how wonderful they are. when Carole Nash stared up many moons ago they were small,friendly, reasonable & efficient-guess they are a subsidiary of some foreign owned offshore outfit. They can stick their calendars where the sun dont shine(no use as loo roll-too shiny! :lol )
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I very rarely stay with the same company, use the comparison sites, MCNs is very good.
Greg
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Aah..! Insurance companies...gotta love 'em!?? :eek
Andy's List For Insurance Renewal - I try & work by this for all insurance.
Rule 1 - Never accept renewal quote...shop around every year.
Rule 2 - Use comparison sites for price ammunition when you call your existing provider to haggle...staying put is easier as it saves all the paperwork changing companies if they will match other quotes.
Rule 3 - Watch out for the comparison site quotes sneaking the excess up from what you thought &/or have currently.
Rule 4 - If you telephone the big providers (Bikesure, MCE, etc) they often give you a ludicrous price quote until you mention the other realistic ones, then they often can drop by over 50%.
Rule 5 - Never pay extra for the Legal Protection - in my experience it is worse than useless & a complete waste of money. If the situation arises, deal with it yourself & never wait more than a day or two for an insurance company to get back to you...push them along.
Rule 6 - Pay close attention to admin. fees for changing bikes etc. if you are likely to do so during your cover period. It may be worth paying a slightly higher premium in order to pay less for changes during your policy.
Rule 7 - Every insurance company has a minimum quote, below which they will not do any business...what you are trying to get is that baseline quote. Sometimes your broker needs to be encouraged quite hard into looking for the company with the lowest baseline....after all, they are thinking of their commission.
Rule 8 - Never assume that everything you have now, you will get at renewal (from either your existing or potential providers). A good example is driving/riding other peoples' vehicles under 3rd,F&T. This was recently removed from my classic car policy & is not available now thru any provider as the industry is slowly removing it across the board..in a year or few you will not get it on your modern car & the industry is apparently looking to do away with 3rdF&T cover completely in the next few years. Brokers are very good at not mentioning what you won't get!
Rule 9 - Fuck Carole Nash! Any company that wants to charge you whilst they try & get your business is morally bankrupt & probably making more from phone calls than from premium commissions!
Phew! :) Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that insurance companies are my pet hate! :rolleyes
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Little argument against #4 above- MCE have always quoted me lower than anyone else on first offer.
Plus with them there is no automatic renewal or even a renewal price- they just email saying it's due.
One thing I don't understand though, phone them up for renewal, they have all details in front to them (garaged, accidents, point on license etc) yet you have to go through every single thing again to get a price, why, nothings changed, if it had it wouldn't be a renewal, it would be a new policy!
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Rule 6 is the most important one. All insurance companies have charges for any changes (including change of address) so dont take it personally, just do a comparison every renewal.
I got charged £40 to cancel a £80 policy mid term once - ouch!
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I recently changed to Bennetts and as well as being very competitive, the little correspondence I've had with them over the last year has been very positive.
I called up prior to a Europe tour and they confirmed all was covered and even upgraded my breakdown cover for next to nothing for the remaining 2months on my policy. Very friendly over the phone, sounds like a UK call centre, very short wait to speak to a person and as far as I remember not a premium rate number either.
I also notified them of the after market changes to my bike, topbox, after market exhaust and a few buts and expected a rise in premium, but it was minimal with no admin fee that I know of.
I can't say I've made a claim with them, but won't look elsewhere at renewal time.
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i go through this twice a year once for bike and once for car. its the next ppi i tell you, all the people who have auto renewed for the last 5 years and paid more than they need to will be compensated, the only problem there is that it will only put up the insurance for everyone to pay for it.
Just the other day I have done my multi car with my daughters car, was going to cost an extra £260 at auto renew, my insurance is about the lowest it can go but my daughters should be coming down as she is building no claims each year and is under 25 so each year she gets older should also bring the price down.
So I do the insurance dance - do the dance -everyone's doing the dan-harr-ance :guitar Get armed with some quotes and call the "I want to leave line" they answer quicker usually,and before they ask anything I say "how do I go about canceling :angel " They then read through the cover asking if anything has changed - one that always gets forgotten about is the car value, even if it has gone down by £500 that gives them an excuse to give a big discount so it doesn't look like they were trying to rip you off, so they press that discount button, they then say "ok lets just see because there are a few other discounts that I can apply" and one of those discounts is a button that says "shit we have been found out and the customer is leaving" :thumbup
I look forward to doing my bike in a few months NOT
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Just had a bad experience with Carole Nash too.. Kept me on hold several times for over half an hour on an 0300 no which they earn money on
0800 2985522 also 0800 2985511
See http://www.saynoto0870.com/ (http://www.saynoto0870.com/) :)
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On the plus side for Carole Nash, I managed to blag a £20 voucher for SportsBikeShop from them, just by getting a quote over the phone. Sure, it's took a while giving them all the details for the quote and the final premium price they gave was a joke (£900 FC on a '08 FZ1). But hey-ho, I got £20 off them a week later.
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With my camper I got the usual 25 % price hike due to adverse trading conditions line. Phoned around and got the price down but didn't need to use the old bus so let the policy lapse. Did a compare the money supermarket thing and lo and behold my previous insurer was a better price than last year. Apparently new customers get the best deals.
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So the point is that "lure you in" special prices & introductory offers are only made to NEW customers & they then rely on peoples inertia to auto-renew-they are quick to send out their renewal notices to customers like me paying in one lump sum annually to avoid cost of credit instalment interest rates.
So GOOD RISK customers are not profitable and are to be fleeced accordingly-the worlds gone barking mad! Personally I can live without seeing their "dolly birds"at the bike shows( not enough meat on them!) and dont have to endure their advertising in the motorcycle press since I stopped buying bike mags-rather spend £4-20 on fuel for the Fazer!
I am pleased (so far) with Bennetts-but will see what happens at renewal time :eek
Car insurance with Carole Nash runs out in 6 weeks so will be studying meerkats & Welsh opera singers before hand!
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So the point is that "lure you in" special prices & introductory offers are only made to NEW customers & they then rely on peoples inertia to auto-renew-they are quick to send out their renewal notices to customers like me paying in one lump sum annually to avoid cost of credit instalment interest rates.
So GOOD RISK customers are not profitable and are to be fleeced accordingly-the worlds gone barking mad! Personally I can live without seeing their "dolly birds"at the bike shows( not enough meat on them!) and dont have to endure their advertising in the motorcycle press since I stopped buying bike mags-rather spend £4-20 on fuel for the Fazer!
I am pleased (so far) with Bennetts-but will see what happens at renewal time :eek
Car insurance with Carole Nash runs out in 6 weeks so will be studying meerkats & Welsh opera singers before hand!
That's the same practice with credit cards- if you pay the full bill off every month they generally get rid of you after 12 months or so as they're not making any money from you!
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That's the same practice with credit cards- if you pay the full bill off every month they generally get rid of you after 12 months or so as they're not making any money from you!
They are, as they charge the retailer a hefty fee as well for all the stuff you bought!
Car insurance with Carole Nash runs out in 6 weeks so will be studying meerkats & Welsh opera singers before hand!
I just cant use that site that features a dancing poof with high heels and huuuuge ass :lol
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QuoteThat's the same practice with credit cards- if you pay the full bill off every month they generally get rid of you after 12 months or so as they're not making any money from you!
They are, as they charge the retailer a hefty fee as well for all the stuff you bought!
In fact they make so much, that my credit card company actually pays me 1% of what I spend !
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Further on the "lure you in" comment, can I plead with everyone to stay away from the "premium reducing safe driver monitoring boxes".
As soon as these things become "popular" you can bet that the story will change.
Anyone who doesn't have one will be severely penalised, to the point that you won't be able to afford insurance without one - and then the prices of the boxes will go up too.
BUT even worse that this, the boxes are telematic and tracking systems that the insurers will use to find every possible reason to exclude any claim that you may ever make.
If you're 1mph over a speed limit and hit a wheel that came off a lorry driving along in front of you......sorry, you were speeding, you reduced your chance of avoiding the wheel, so you're not covered.
If you normally live and drive in Cornwall, but have an accident on the A82 in Scotland - sorry you're not covered, you've changed your driving habits and we based our cover and your premium on the risk we perceived from your normal driving routine.
If you're on a bike and fall off on a diesel spill whilst going briskly, but legally around a corner - sorry but your lean angle was too great for normal road conditions/speeds and a fully seated (not knee-out) rider, so gues what, we can see it was your fault so you're not covered.
The sooner we punters wise up to this scam, the better - but unfortunately, because having insurance is a legal requirement, and the barstewards are already ripping us off, lots of customers will jump at the chance now to get a premium reduction for having a "safe driving box" in their car or on their bike.
Basically, we're Focced - in future we'll all be paying premiums for worthless cover because tracking telematic systems will give insurers everything they need to deny every claim......and don't mention the breach of privacy.....and commercial value to the insurers of your travel data..... Every journey you make will be fracked, recorded, monitored, and e data sold to the highest bidder so that they can try and sell you stuff they think you'll want because of the businesses around your parking/stopping points.
Paranoia ???? - I think not.
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Further on the "lure you in" comment, can I plead with everyone to stay away from the "premium reducing safe driver monitoring boxes".
As soon as these things become "popular" you can bet that the story will change.
Anyone who doesn't have one will be severely penalised, to the point that you won't be able to afford insurance without one - and then the prices of the boxes will go up too.
BUT even worse that this, the boxes are telematic and tracking systems that the insurers will use to find every possible reason to exclude any claim that you may ever make.
If you're 1mph over a speed limit and hit a wheel that came off a lorry driving along in front of you......sorry, you were speeding, you reduced your chance of avoiding the wheel, so you're not covered.
If you normally live and drive in Cornwall, but have an accident on the A82 in Scotland - sorry you're not covered, you've changed your driving habits and we based our cover and your premium on the risk we perceived from your normal driving routine.
If you're on a bike and fall off on a diesel spill whilst going briskly, but legally around a corner - sorry but your lean angle was too great for normal road conditions/speeds and a fully seated (not knee-out) rider, so gues what, we can see it was your fault so you're not covered.
The sooner we punters wise up to this scam, the better - but unfortunately, because having insurance is a legal requirement, and the barstewards are already ripping us off, lots of customers will jump at the chance now to get a premium reduction for having a "safe driving box" in their car or on their bike.
Basically, we're Focced - in future we'll all be paying premiums for worthless cover because tracking telematic systems will give insurers everything they need to deny every claim......and don't mention the breach of privacy.....and commercial value to the insurers of your travel data..... Every journey you make will be fracked, recorded, monitored, and e data sold to the highest bidder so that they can try and sell you stuff they think you'll want because of the businesses around your parking/stopping points.
Paranoia ???? - I think not.
100% agree with you well said
I have been saying similar things about smart meters.
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So whats to stop Google maps (smart phone app) selling my journey & location data to the likes of Carole Cash?
Thought provoking stuff, Millietant. :eek
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Further on the "lure you in" comment, can I plead with everyone to stay away from the "premium reducing safe driver monitoring boxes".
As soon as these things become "popular" you can bet that the story will change.
Anyone who doesn't have one will be severely penalised, to the point that you won't be able to afford insurance without one - and then the prices of the boxes will go up too.
BUT even worse that this, the boxes are telematic and tracking systems that the insurers will use to find every possible reason to exclude any claim that you may ever make.
If you're 1mph over a speed limit and hit a wheel that came off a lorry driving along in front of you......sorry, you were speeding, you reduced your chance of avoiding the wheel, so you're not covered.
If you normally live and drive in Cornwall, but have an accident on the A82 in Scotland - sorry you're not covered, you've changed your driving habits and we based our cover and your premium on the risk we perceived from your normal driving routine.
If you're on a bike and fall off on a diesel spill whilst going briskly, but legally around a corner - sorry but your lean angle was too great for normal road conditions/speeds and a fully seated (not knee-out) rider, so gues what, we can see it was your fault so you're not covered.
The sooner we punters wise up to this scam, the better - but unfortunately, because having insurance is a legal requirement, and the barstewards are already ripping us off, lots of customers will jump at the chance now to get a premium reduction for having a "safe driving box" in their car or on their bike.
Basically, we're Focced - in future we'll all be paying premiums for worthless cover because tracking telematic systems will give insurers everything they need to deny every claim......and don't mention the breach of privacy.....and commercial value to the insurers of your travel data..... Every journey you make will be fracked, recorded, monitored, and e data sold to the highest bidder so that they can try and sell you stuff they think you'll want because of the businesses around your parking/stopping points.
Paranoia ???? - I think not.
My mate tried one of these, he put down annual mileage on his personal motor at about 3000 miles, as he had a work van as well, but only did something like 1600 miles in that first year, as he was deliberately taking it easy.
Then on renewal they then made his next years mileage quota 1600 miles, and if he went over it he'd have to pay a fine per mile!!!
Also if you touch 100mph you become instantly uninsured, the black box will cancel it for you.
I think it cost him £80 to get the box removed as well, plus a fine for cancelling the policy, it's a proper scam.
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Further on the "lure you in" comment, can I plead with everyone to stay away from the "premium reducing safe driver monitoring boxes".
As soon as these things become "popular" you can bet that the story will change.
Anyone who doesn't have one will be severely penalised, to the point that you won't be able to afford insurance without one - and then the prices of the boxes will go up too.
BUT even worse that this, the boxes are telematic and tracking systems that the insurers will use to find every possible reason to exclude any claim that you may ever make.
If you're 1mph over a speed limit and hit a wheel that came off a lorry driving along in front of you......sorry, you were speeding, you reduced your chance of avoiding the wheel, so you're not covered.
If you normally live and drive in Cornwall, but have an accident on the A82 in Scotland - sorry you're not covered, you've changed your driving habits and we based our cover and your premium on the risk we perceived from your normal driving routine.
If you're on a bike and fall off on a diesel spill whilst going briskly, but legally around a corner - sorry but your lean angle was too great for normal road conditions/speeds and a fully seated (not knee-out) rider, so gues what, we can see it was your fault so you're not covered.
The sooner we punters wise up to this scam, the better - but unfortunately, because having insurance is a legal requirement, and the barstewards are already ripping us off, lots of customers will jump at the chance now to get a premium reduction for having a "safe driving box" in their car or on their bike.
Basically, we're Focced - in future we'll all be paying premiums for worthless cover because tracking telematic systems will give insurers everything they need to deny every claim......and don't mention the breach of privacy.....and commercial value to the insurers of your travel data..... Every journey you make will be fracked, recorded, monitored, and e data sold to the highest bidder so that they can try and sell you stuff they think you'll want because of the businesses around your parking/stopping points.
Paranoia ???? - I think not.
My mate tried one of these, he put down annual mileage on his personal motor at about 3000 miles, as he had a work van as well, but only did something like 1600 miles in that first year, as he was deliberately taking it easy.
Then on renewal they then made his next years mileage quota 1600 miles, and if he went over it he'd have to pay a fine per mile!!!
Also if you touch 100mph you become instantly uninsured, the black box will cancel it for you.
I think it cost him £80 to get the box removed as well, plus a fine for cancelling the policy, it's a proper scam.
theyre almost making the politicians & bankers appear honest by comparison :eek
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So whats to stop Google maps (smart phone app) selling my journey & location data to the likes of Carole Cash?
Thought provoking stuff, Millietant. :eek
Exactly - smart phones are also on my list.
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Customer retention and rewarding customer loyalty no longer exists with most companies.
NEW BUSINESS is the way forward for most companies as this is where they make their money and this is where they have the most resource (staff).
Most people renew without looking around so this makes these companies money with their inflated premiums.
Every year with car, bike, home and AA cover I go through the same routine:
1. Review a ridiculous renewal quote
2. Go to Go Compare/Money Supermarket etc and get quotes
3. Phone my current Insurer to see if they will match a particular deal
4. Move somewhere else if the answer to 4 is No
The AA is my best annual example where every year they quote me £250+ to renew for another year. I go online as a New Customer and get quoted £125.
Every year AA match this price after I have done a bit of haggling.
All of the above requires a bit of effort and you would be surprised how many people can't be bothered
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[size=0pt]Sounds like Carol Cash are as bad as Deshitt. When I passed my test last year and sold the 125, I had a look around the price comparison websites to see how much a new policy would be on a Fazer. Rang my insurer Devitt (badged as RAC) and the cost to change the policy for the remaining 2 months (After the usual admin scam) was only slightly less than a new policy. I’d already sold the YBR at this point so didn’t need to keep the policy.[/size]
[size=0pt]Anyway, when I bought the Fazer I told them I wanted to cancel the YBR policy and I would renew elsewhere – all done and dusted (or so I thought). Then I get an email asking for £61.35 extra due to “cancellation fee and additional premium for time on cover”, with the usual threat of debt collection if not paid. I rang up for clarification and the reason given for the increased premium was that I'd paid for a 12 month policy but as I’d cancelled early I wasn't using it for the full 12 month term, so they had the right to charge more money. Theory is that because it is a shorter term-policy, it would be more expensive (if I’d taken it out for 10 months rather than 12). I asked if they would just reinstate the policy and I’d see it out, but the adviser said that even if I hadn't told them I'd already sold the bike "DVSA would have notified them anyway” so they would still have come to me for more money. [/size]
[size=0pt]Try working that out with a logical brain: you end your policy early, you haven't claimed, and yet they ask for more money! Taking shorter term insurance might mean you are a riskier prospect when your details are fed through a computer, but in the real world when you've already 100% sold the bike there is 0% chance of having an accident! I didn't expect a premium rebate from the thieving barstewards, but to be told to pay more really p*ssed me off.[/size]
[size=0pt]In the end I managed to get them to waive the administration fee because unbeknownst to me my new policy was also underwritten by Devitt (so they classed it as if I hadn't left) but I still had to pay extra to them. It’s criminal. [/size]
[size=0pt]Needless to say that at renewal time this year I went with a different company, though they are no doubt just as crooked! [/size]
[size=0pt]It’s not just motor insurance it’s across the board in the industry. I work in travel and travel insurers will happily see someone die in a hospital waiting room whilst they drag their heels over what’s covered. [/size]
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[size=0pt]Sounds like Carol Cash are as bad as Deshitt. When I passed my test last year and sold the 125, I had a look around the price comparison websites to see how much a new policy would be on a Fazer. Rang my insurer Devitt (badged as RAC) and the cost to change the policy for the remaining 2 months (After the usual admin scam) was only slightly less than a new policy. I’d already sold the YBR at this point so didn’t need to keep the policy.[/size]
[size=0pt]Anyway, when I bought the Fazer I told them I wanted to cancel the YBR policy and I would renew elsewhere – all done and dusted (or so I thought). Then I get an email asking for £61.35 extra due to “cancellation fee and additional premium for time on cover”, with the usual threat of debt collection if not paid. I rang up for clarification and the reason given for the increased premium was that I'd paid for a 12 month policy but as I’d cancelled early I wasn't using it for the full 12 month term, so they had the right to charge more money. Theory is that because it is a shorter term-policy, it would be more expensive (if I’d taken it out for 10 months rather than 12). I asked if they would just reinstate the policy and I’d see it out, but the adviser said that even if I hadn't told them I'd already sold the bike "DVSA would have notified them anyway” so they would still have come to me for more money. [/size]
[size=0pt]Try working that out with a logical brain: you end your policy early, you haven't claimed, and yet they ask for more money! Taking shorter term insurance might mean you are a riskier prospect when your details are fed through a computer, but in the real world when you've already 100% sold the bike there is 0% chance of having an accident! I didn't expect a premium rebate from the thieving barstewards, but to be told to pay more really p*ssed me off.[/size]
[size=0pt]In the end I managed to get them to waive the administration fee because unbeknownst to me my new policy was also underwritten by Devitt (so they classed it as if I hadn't left) but I still had to pay extra to them. It’s criminal. [/size]
[size=0pt]Needless to say that at renewal time this year I went with a different company, though they are no doubt just as crooked! [/size]
[size=0pt]It’s not just motor insurance it’s across the board in the industry. I work in travel and travel insurers will happily see someone die in a hospital waiting room whilst they drag their heels over what’s covered. [/size]
It defies all normal logic!
Seeing how insurance is compulsory its about time customers stood up to these robber barons & the whole industry came under official scrutiny.
Now it is easy to list examples of poor treatment -unfortunately many of us have been fleeced one way or another by insurers-so how about a mention for any companies that have treated us in a fair manner(if any such exist!)?
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[size=0pt]Sounds like Carol Cash are as bad as Deshitt. When I passed my test last year and sold the 125, I had a look around the price comparison websites to see how much a new policy would be on a Fazer. Rang my insurer Devitt (badged as RAC) and the cost to change the policy for the remaining 2 months (After the usual admin scam) was only slightly less than a new policy. I’d already sold the YBR at this point so didn’t need to keep the policy.[/size]
[size=0pt]Anyway, when I bought the Fazer I told them I wanted to cancel the YBR policy and I would renew elsewhere – all done and dusted (or so I thought). Then I get an email asking for £61.35 extra due to “cancellation fee and additional premium for time on cover”, with the usual threat of debt collection if not paid. I rang up for clarification and the reason given for the increased premium was that I'd paid for a 12 month policy but as I’d cancelled early I wasn't using it for the full 12 month term, so they had the right to charge more money. Theory is that because it is a shorter term-policy, it would be more expensive (if I’d taken it out for 10 months rather than 12). I asked if they would just reinstate the policy and I’d see it out, but the adviser said that even if I hadn't told them I'd already sold the bike "DVSA would have notified them anyway” so they would still have come to me for more money. [/size]
[size=0pt]Try working that out with a logical brain: you end your policy early, you haven't claimed, and yet they ask for more money! Taking shorter term insurance might mean you are a riskier prospect when your details are fed through a computer, but in the real world when you've already 100% sold the bike there is 0% chance of having an accident! I didn't expect a premium rebate from the thieving barstewards, but to be told to pay more really p*ssed me off.[/size]
[size=0pt]In the end I managed to get them to waive the administration fee because unbeknownst to me my new policy was also underwritten by Devitt (so they classed it as if I hadn't left) but I still had to pay extra to them. It’s criminal. [/size]
[size=0pt]Needless to say that at renewal time this year I went with a different company, though they are no doubt just as crooked! [/size]
[size=0pt]It’s not just motor insurance it’s across the board in the industry. I work in travel and travel insurers will happily see someone die in a hospital waiting room whilst they drag their heels over what’s covered. [/size]
It defies all normal logic!
Seeing how insurance is compulsory its about time customers stood up to these robber barons & the whole industry came under official scrutiny.
Now it is easy to list examples of poor treatment -unfortunately many of us have been fleeced one way or another by insurers-so how about a mention for any companies that have treated us in a fair manner(if any such exist!)?
I've had too many run ins with insurance companies over the years, this is one thing I think the government could help with, similar to Australia have a ctp (compulsory third party) insurance included when you tax the vehicle every year, insurance companies make so much money the government profit could be put into the roads, if any one wants a fire and theft or compulsory policy they can then go to the private companies and pay extra for this!
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I've had too many run ins with insurance companies over the years, this is one thing I think the government could help with, similar to Australia have a ctp (compulsory third party) insurance included when you tax the vehicle every year, insurance companies make so much money the government profit could be put into the roads, if any one wants a fire and theft or compulsory policy they can then go to the private companies and pay extra for this!
This is the way I'd like to see it done as well. Fewer uninsured driver problems, and insurance working for your benefit rather than for their profits. The way it would probably work over here though is that you'd end up paying a fee to the government, then the private insurers would still charge the same amount that they do now for fire and theft/comprehensive cover.
I've gone fully comprehensive this time, but you really have to think about the maths. I paid £1150.00 for the Fazer and it's been well looked after with loads of pictures and documents, but I know that if Ineed to claim they will only give me £600.00. Maybe increase to £700.00 if I kick off about it (people on here probably have experience of this) and spend months arguing. My excess this year is only £100.00 compared to previous years, so I'd be looking at £5-600 to buy a new bike with. If you've paid £100.00 more for a fully comprehensive policy over 3rd party, then you've lost another £100.00 (increases by £100.00 for every year you don't claim). If you do claim, you're likely to see an increase of 25% on your premium the following year from what I can tell, which -coupled with the excess- means you'd only really want to claim for significant damage (you'd repair anything less yourself) . You see more and more on forums nowadays that insurers aren't interested in repairing bikes, it's far easier to write it off and sell it on - the market for CAT C and D bikes is strong. And as I understand it: if you have an accident and they decide to write if off, the bike becomes the property of the insurer if you're fully comp. Whereas if you're only 3rd party, you can keep the bike and repair it yourself.
Because my premium (and excess) has come down quite a lot as I've got older, being fully comprehensive makes more sense. But as a newer or younger rider with higher policies and higher excesses on a lower-value bike/car (my excess in my first year's riding would have been £800.00!), you'd really only need to have one year of accident-free riding on a 3rd party policy to put you on a position where you'd be better off than you would be if you were fully comp (with my old Golf, I only ever paid 3rd party for that reason, and after one year claim free you're winning the game). Of course, the robbing swines know this, and hence why nowadays you often pay more for 3rd party insurance than fully comp (as a new rider).
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Yes the TP insurance in with the tax is a very good idea. We already pay tax on insurance which is creeping up and up.
My bike insurance last year was £78 fully comp incl the tax but that is with a £250 excess but to get the excess down I would have to be paying a lot more.
Its woth messing around with the voluntary l excess because they may start you at £250 (voluntary) in a quote but getting it down to £100 may cost less than £20 extra premium. BUT then watch out for the compulsory going up to compensate.
Just done the car and gone through the dance, did some compare sites and found the cheapest but it defaulted at £200 excess and £0 compulsory but my old one I had £100 compulsory and £0 vol. So I put the
£200 vol down to £0 but that then put the compul up to £75 and increased the cover price by £60
Then I put the vol to £100 and then got a £0 compul and it was only £20 extra for the cover.
Something like that because to be honest I spent far too much of my riding time playing the stupid quote game.
Just counted and I have got 19 emails that have been sent to me confirming quotes :eek although I was also doing some seperate ones for my daughter.
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If I'm doing numerous quotes just to get an idea I put a fake email address down as I don't want all those emails !
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Well the renewal notice arrived from Carole CashCow-Basically they want to UP the premium by £100 and the excess by £200. Really they are saying "F**K OFF we dont want you-weve taken your premiums for the last x years so go away now :eek (My NCD is at maximum & I havent had any claims/losses).
So started to look at the price comparison websites-what a fiasco-trying to get "like for like" comparisons-every one of them quotes a "cheap" basic then loads all the extras as add-ons.
Phoned LV ( Their blurb says 10% of new customers only pay £199!) Quoted me £400 plus-I said its only a Fiat Panda not a Lamborghini and I am not exactly driving like "The Stig". I ended call.
Tried Direct Line who want roughly what I paid last year for less cover. Website asked did I want a Telematics Box- for a possible £7-50 a quarter refund-no thanks!
Had enough this week I am off to Wales for the weekend-dont have to renew til 23rd so have still got a few others to contact but be warned-it looks like they are the real scammers now. Time for Government intervention in this morally questionable industry.
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This week I had to get quotes for the first car I've owned in twenty years (company cars etc), did the usual comparison sites and got some reasonable quotes, then tried Direct Line and they were cheaper than the cheapest deal on the compare sites, plus the policy didn't change even when I put the voluntary excess to zero, had to phone them to clarify my no claims (as it was just a letter from my employer) and they were very easy to deal with, even reducing my premium without asking as I had ticked an irrelevant box.
Told me on the phone that they don't charge if the policy is ended early, they just give a pro rata refund. So far I would recommend giving them a go.....but they don't do bike insurance so probably irrelevant :D
Jonesy