Date: 28-03-24  Time: 08:50 am

Author Topic: Insurance  (Read 2196 times)

Nemesis

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Insurance
« on: 03 October 2018, 09:01:45 am »
Foccers, currently with MCE, but feel its a bit excessive at around 250 quid, dont renew till march i will be looking to move then, you get no reward for loyalty seems to be general concenous, welcome any advice on who to try next, i dont spend hours searching just looking to save as much as possible = more fuel :lol

BBROWN1664

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #1 on: 03 October 2018, 09:07:46 am »
If your renewal isn't until March, ignore everyone, and it, until Feb as everything changes in that industry on a daily basis. Who is cheapest/best today may be the worst then.
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Nemesis

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #2 on: 04 October 2018, 03:32:21 pm »
Yeap thats logical thanks, think i will put aside a morning first week in march and get best deal. will post how well or poor i get on then to aid anyone else in same boat

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #3 on: 05 October 2018, 12:44:00 am »
I usually go on the net for the best deals but the last 2 years haven't been able to better Bennets who I've been with some time now £142 with my daughter on aswell.9+ yrs NCB.
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darrsi

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #4 on: 05 October 2018, 07:03:38 am »
Have a look around as early as you can, don't leave it too late otherwise they know they've got you by the nuts because they know you really need to get insured asap.
Just been through all this after helping an Italian work colleague, he left everything too late plus i then had to talk on the phone for him due to a language barrier which i hate doing with insurance people, just because it never stated anywhere that he could carry a pillion.
Good job i checked too as they had to add it on to his policy, even though it was for no extra cost?
He had recently moved nearer to our workplace and his policy went from £140 to averaging around £480, and i could still only get it down to £380 after a lot of faffing about and online searches.


And a day before we sorted that out he decides to tell me his MOT ran out a week ago as well  :rolleyes
A quick phone call and i managed to get him an MOT the next day too at my bike shop and his bike fortunately passed.
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Triggergee

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #5 on: 05 October 2018, 12:49:34 pm »
You know when they ask if the bikes got any modifications, to be on the safe side is there a need to tell them about anything and everything, Hell lines, frame sliders that sort of thing and does that tend to increase premiums?

BBROWN1664

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #6 on: 05 October 2018, 03:54:15 pm »
You know when they ask if the bikes got any modifications, to be on the safe side is there a need to tell them about anything and everything, Hell lines, frame sliders that sort of thing and does that tend to increase premiums?

Put it another way. Can you afford to have them not pay out when it gets written off?
Can you afford to pay through the ring piece when you try to get insurance in the future after they cancel your policy for not declaring mods?

If you answer yes to the above, then you may as well tell them about the mods anyway as you can afford it :pokefun
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dangerousdave

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #7 on: 05 October 2018, 04:56:10 pm »
Do you tell them its been Ivanised???

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #8 on: 05 October 2018, 05:25:36 pm »
You know when they ask if the bikes got any modifications, to be on the safe side is there a need to tell them about anything and everything, Hell lines, frame sliders that sort of thing and does that tend to increase premiums?

To be honest I put off telling my insurance about anything but the exhaust for 2 years, this year I thought I'd bite the bullet and list most of the mods I could remember and to my surprise the majority don't even matter with Bennetts. Bars, mirrors, levers, grips, bar ends, risers, brake lines, seat cowl, crash bungs, tail tidy, L.E.D lights, radiator cover..... all of it fell under their 'standard' category. The only things I had to declare were exhaust, belly pan and any power mods (which I don't have 😉😉). Anything that could be reversed or is temporary ie pillion peg removal, seat cover didn't need to be declared either.
The only fly in the ointment for them was carbon fibre parts. They wouldn't insure me at all if I had genuine carbon fibre parts ( which I do) but the guy on the phone said that if I don't declare them then in the event of a claim they would just be replaced with standard parts which I'm perfectly happy with.

All in all it didn't actually cost me any extra to declare it all

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #9 on: 05 October 2018, 06:45:35 pm »
Good to hear they didn't care about most mods so I better tell them, saying that I've got a load of carbon fibre, ivanised carbs and a sports can so I better get ready for an increase... I can afford to loose the bike in the sense  that I don't rely on it for anything other than pleasure but saying that if I didn't have a bike I'd be pretty miserable and I certainly could afford to replay it! One could in theory enquir about these mods without officially declaring them and see if it's worth it.

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #10 on: 05 October 2018, 08:44:04 pm »
Do you tell them its been Ivanised???

I wouldn't. There is not reasonable way of knowing. In the event of a crash or it being stolen there is no way they are going to check the carbs etc

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #11 on: 05 October 2018, 09:11:32 pm »
 Ivanised?  No.  If nothing else it’s nightmare trying to explain anything to them.  If it’s K&N there’s a box they can tick, but Ivan’s isn’t K&N.


As already said, it’s highly unlikely they will strip the carbs and check jets etc in the event of an accident/claim.


Keep receipts for any major parts you change.  I listed everything and they became very interested in my K-Tech shock, and annoyingly this is after I’ve paid for the insurance.  I sent them the Invoice from 2008 and they were happy – thank foc.


A number of times I’ve just given up going through a quote on the phone as you are often dealing with people who don’t have a clue about bikes.  It’s frustrating. 



Talking about Ivanising.  If you have a more modern bike and it’s been re-chipped or flashed, I’d tell them.


Loads of folks at my work with re-chipped, flashed cars.   None of em tell their insurance.  But really, you have a serious accident and ………………………I mean how hard can it be to check a car or bikes software?  I’m far from convinced that insurance companies and their inspectors are thick. 
 

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #12 on: 05 October 2018, 09:32:10 pm »


Talking about Ivanising.  If you have a more modern bike and it’s been re-chipped or flashed, I’d tell them.


Loads of folks at my work with re-chipped, flashed cars.   None of em tell their insurance.  But really, you have a serious accident and ………………………I mean how hard can it be to check a car or bikes software?  I’m far from convinced that insurance companies and their inspectors are thick.

No not really. When you have an ecu flashed it is merely changing certain parameters and settings within the stock software.
 If for some obscene reason it was ever checked by insurance/police, they would only look for a software number which would be different for every   update the manufacturer does anyway. For instance with the gen 2 yamaha update the software im 2007 2010 and i believe 2013. So they would need to know exactly which software your bike came with as standard to know of it had been changed.
Also the old ignorance is bliss excuse would be hard to top as unless your told about the change you'd never know. 
Unless you've owned the vehicle from brand new then you'd have no clue if the ecu was standard or not unless your told.
Took me nearly a year of owning my bike before I found out the exhaust had be decatted and the airbox modded, and that's only because I'm somewhat mechanically capable to do my own servicing/maintenance. If your not the spanner spinning kind or even just not that clued up about your vehicle then you might never know yourself.

The key phrase in your insurance declaration is 'to the best of my knowledge' that's your get out of jail free card with light engine mods. Obviously if youve got a turbo mounted to the front then i dont think youd have much of a leg to stand on haha

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #13 on: 05 October 2018, 09:36:34 pm »

darrsi

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #14 on: 06 October 2018, 09:54:30 am »
You know when they ask if the bikes got any modifications, to be on the safe side is there a need to tell them about anything and everything, Hell lines, frame sliders that sort of thing and does that tend to increase premiums?


There are one or two firms about that are realistic about things and respect the fact that some mods benefit the rider and won't hurt the bike or increase power in any way.
But i remember looking on one site a few years back and they listed things that were just ridiculous and every box ticked bumped up the price.
The one that really stuck in my mind was decals/stickers, that to me is just taking the piss.
I always declare my exhaust, but specify it's not some sort of mega power booster, it's just not the original.
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BBROWN1664

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #15 on: 06 October 2018, 11:11:56 am »
I always declare my exhaust, but specify it's not some sort of mega power booster, it's just not the original.


how many car insurers ask the same thing? All of them do but how many people tell their insurance company that they replaced the back box of their exhaust with one from quick-shit? None. As it makes no real difference just like on a bike it makes no real difference but on bikes we get shafted for it.
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darrsi

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #16 on: 06 October 2018, 01:52:18 pm »
I always declare my exhaust, but specify it's not some sort of mega power booster, it's just not the original.


how many car insurers ask the same thing? All of them do but how many people tell their insurance company that they replaced the back box of their exhaust with one from quick-shit? None. As it makes no real difference just like on a bike it makes no real difference but on bikes we get shafted for it.


That's just insurance all over though, modern day Dick Turpin's.
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Re: Insurance
« Reply #17 on: 09 October 2018, 09:48:26 am »
We've just had a terrible time with Admiral over our car insurances - the tiniest tip of the iceberg being that when he renewed his insurance with them, No one realised we he had to tell them that he had changed jobs (and they never asked) - even though he worked in the same office at the same building (he'd gone from being a Customer Service Agent, to being a Copywriter). When someone ran into his parked car and he notified Admiral, they asked him what his job was and he simply told the truth "I'm a copy writer". A short while later, we get a note from Admiral saying that because he failed to declare his change of job, which could have invalidated his insurance, they were issuing a penalty charge and increasing his premium - because according to Admiral's risk data, which is commercially confidential so they can't give out any details - a Copywriter is a higher risk job for car insurance than a Customer Service Agent. We have had a lot of other issues with these people - such as not telling us that standard insurance cover doesn't include for commuting to work - you have to specify that you're going to use your car for commuting FFS !!

It seems like every question the ask and that every bit of information they don't tell you when giving you a quote, is designed to give them an excuse to refuse any claim you make.

The other minor issue we had is that when my car was damaged (which I use for work as I'm self employed) and Admiral arranged the repairs, they provided a courtesy car, as expected. Now, I drive a Volvo V70 for a reason - I drive long distances, carry lots of baggage and usually have passengers (sometime scustomers) - and I had specifically requested cover to include for my business use. Imagine my surprise when my "business use" courtesy car turned out to be a Smart car. Admiral refused to accept that this unacceptable and told me that a courtesy car was ther to enable me to go about my daily life - I asked what that included and they said, getting to work, doing the shopping etc. They would not accept that their courtesy vehicle should allow me to carry on my daily business - and they wouldn't budge, not one inch. When I told them I had specifically requested business cover and identified I used my V70 for business, they said that was irrelevant, business cover only meant that I was covered legally in case of an issue. Luckily, the repair garage understood my situation and gave me a 5 door Astra which at least meant I could carry my luggage and the 2 (large/overweight) passengers I was taking with me on a 500 mile round-trip.

Needless to say, we will never use Admiral again and generally advise any of our family/friends to avoid them like the plague.
« Last Edit: 09 October 2018, 09:49:24 am by Millietant »

Millietant

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #18 on: 09 October 2018, 09:58:03 am »
As for our bikes, I always declare everything I'm aware of - exhausts, top boxes, all the common things.


We use both MCE and H & R insurance. For my modified FJ 1200, because my front forks were not "extended" and because all of my other mods were designed to improve "safety", i.e. enabling the use of more modern, radial tyres, better braking and better handling, they had no impact on the premium (with H & R). Their only comment was that if any of the replacement parts were of a significantly higher value than the stock parts, then that would affect replacement cost and hence the insurance premium. But, currentl, given the cost of OEM parts, such as mudguards, tanks, fairings etc, I doubt most custom/carbon fibre parts would be any more expensive. I can however understand the insurer wanting to know if I'd fitted £6k worth of Ohlins forks and OZ wheels to my old FJ - and increasing my premium to cover for replacing these.

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #19 on: 09 October 2018, 10:28:08 am »
We've just had a terrible time with Admiral over our car insurances - the tiniest tip of the iceberg being that when he renewed his insurance with them, No one realised we he had to tell them that he had changed jobs (and they never asked) - even though he worked in the same office at the same building (he'd gone from being a Customer Service Agent, to being a Copywriter). When someone ran into his parked car and he notified Admiral, they asked him what his job was and he simply told the truth "I'm a copy writer". A short while later, we get a note from Admiral saying that because he failed to declare his change of job, which could have invalidated his insurance, they were issuing a penalty charge and increasing his premium - because according to Admiral's risk data, which is commercially confidential so they can't give out any details - a Copywriter is a higher risk job for car insurance than a Customer Service Agent. We have had a lot of other issues with these people - such as not telling us that standard insurance cover doesn't include for commuting to work - you have to specify that you're going to use your car for commuting FFS !!

It seems like every question the ask and that every bit of information they don't tell you when giving you a quote, is designed to give them an excuse to refuse any claim you make.

The other minor issue we had is that when my car was damaged (which I use for work as I'm self employed) and Admiral arranged the repairs, they provided a courtesy car, as expected. Now, I drive a Volvo V70 for a reason - I drive long distances, carry lots of baggage and usually have passengers (sometime scustomers) - and I had specifically requested cover to include for my business use. Imagine my surprise when my "business use" courtesy car turned out to be a Smart car. Admiral refused to accept that this unacceptable and told me that a courtesy car was ther to enable me to go about my daily life - I asked what that included and they said, getting to work, doing the shopping etc. They would not accept that their courtesy vehicle should allow me to carry on my daily business - and they wouldn't budge, not one inch. When I told them I had specifically requested business cover and identified I used my V70 for business, they said that was irrelevant, business cover only meant that I was covered legally in case of an issue. Luckily, the repair garage understood my situation and gave me a 5 door Astra which at least meant I could carry my luggage and the 2 (large/overweight) passengers I was taking with me on a 500 mile round-trip.

Needless to say, we will never use Admiral again and generally advise any of our family/friends to avoid them like the plague.

I had a slightly different experience with Admiral. A couple of years ago whilst I had a multi-car policy with them, my wife was driving my car and we got rear-ended by someone. My car was shipped off for repair and I told them I needed a large automatic to replace my 4x4 automatic and I was off to France the following weekend for a week. They got teh third party insurance to pay for an A6 estate for me as it was obviously not my fault my car got rear ended on the motorway. the other persons insurance company was Admiral too!
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Millietant

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #20 on: 10 October 2018, 12:15:13 am »
When your repair is claimed against another party (even another Amiral customer) Admiral do provide a like-for-like car, size/configuration wise. But when it's an at fault claim, their policy is different

Because my wife was the "at fault" driver, Admiral's policy when I took the car in for repair is to provide the smallest possible car - they call it a "class A" car - irrespective of what your car is.

I must say, that when Admiral are claiming against another driver, they are fantastic - but when it's your fault, they do everything they can to get out of giving you anything. To cap it all off, I paid for their "protected no claims bonus" so that if we had an accident, our premium wouldn't skyrocket - what a Swizz that was. Our renewal price more than doubled. When I queried that they told me I was still getting my full no claims discount %, but because of the claim, our premium had basically doubled because of the accident (as a simplified explanation example, assuming our first premium was £1000, but with a 55% NCD it went down to £450, then our renewal premium went up to £2,000, but with the 55% protected NCD it went down to £900).

Either way, I paid for "protected NCD", so they just loaded the headline premium instead. They just fix it so there is no risk to them (they don't give you your money back in a claim free year, but want every penny back the following year when you do have a claim).
« Last Edit: 10 October 2018, 01:04:19 am by Millietant »

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Re: Insurance
« Reply #21 on: 10 October 2018, 07:21:27 am »
Just a heads up with Bennetts - if you do have an accident, they will offer to refer you to their legal company called "Minster Law".....DO NOT GO WITH THEM !!!!


They are basically a call centre masquerading as Solicitors. When they attempt to raise your claim they are never on th front foot fighting your corner, always pander to the requests of the 3rd part's genuine solicitors and are fecking useless.It's like sending a 12yr old to fight the Taliban. The 3rd party solicitors tie them up in knots.


I have recently booted them after waiting over a year for my loss of earnings, which being self employed was in 5 figures. The personal injury claim (broken foot) was quick enough and the bike repair company Bennett's use were great.


Google "Minster Law reviews" and have a read.


Again - avoid Minster like the plaque fellas. Hope no one is unfortunate enough to be in the same position.
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