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How about a good discussion about reducing the cost of motoring. E.g how many motorists shop around for their insurance?.I myself saved a considerable ammount by switching from one well known insurer to another, a total of 4 policies including building and contents ( sorry nothing to do with motoring costs just thought I would mention it).ps the company in question likes to sponsor a strange game where grown men kick a ball all over this huge lawn and get paid wadges of money for doing it!.Now where was that football chattboard?.
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Hi Malcolm,
I have just received my insurance renewal forms, i am not a happy chap. After another years safe driving my premium has risen by nearly a hundred pounds. Why ? Then i phoned for a quote off another insurance company and they wanted another two hundred pounds on top of my renewal quote. Where do these insurance companies get their prices from ? I drive a diesel, my car is garaged it night and i'm 26 years old. I also have 5 years no claims discount. What have i done to deserve this ?
Any comments will be read with interest.
Regards,
Ash.
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Hi Ashley, You could try using an "AXA" to cut your insurance costs.I sit down with yellow pages and ring all the freephone numbers,this can take a long time but it is worth the time spent I never stay with the same insurance c.o.for very long and I that most major ins.cos.already have my details on record!,however I think your postcode has a major effect on the premium.
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Dear Malcolm,
It was AXA i tried !
They wanted nearly £200 more than my current insurance provider. I may try using the internet to seek out cheaper motor insurance.
However, there are a few factors that i have to take into account, one being the provision of a courtesy car if i have an accident. I may find cheaper cover, but will i lose out on other benefits ? Also my current insurer provides free roadside assistance, another thing to take into account. It's swings and roundabouts i'm afraid.
After reading Jerry Parkers reply i am now a lot wiser as to why insurance companies punish the innocent ones. At least i now know where my hard earned money goes to !
Regards,
Ash.
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Ash,
If you need a courtesy car after having an accident, you will find it very hard to get one (even if you are obviously not at fault). Also, you are always expected to mitigate your losses and must therefore get the cheapest car possible. Although I was clearly not at fault for my last accident (and was Fully comp insured) I would have had to wait for 4 days for my own insurer to give me the courtesy car they promised me in my policy. I could not wait and therefore had to hire the worlds smallest car (in fact a surprisingly nice punto)!, pay for it myself and claim back later via my solicitors.
I am led to believe that if you use a claims specialist (and they believe you are not at fault) you will get a car equal (in size and spec)to your current vehicle and the claims specialist will take the claims paperwork nightmare away from you!
Can anyone out there recommend one of these companies??? As Ash has rightly stated, insurance prices, benefits and service are a complete lottery - can someone start a good and a bad top ten for insurers and claims specialists as regards their service/overall package.
JP
P.S. I'll start, Highway were average and Zenith were the pits, Peart (brokers) were very good and abysmal were Norwich Union/CGU.
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Easthams Solicitors in Croydon and Blackpool.
There was a list of no win/no fee no fault claims specialst solicitors in the 1999/2000 Book of Motoring Answers.
HJ
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Ash,
I switched from a Porsche which cost me £600 to insure to an Alfa 145 Cloverleaf which (although a lower group) jumped to £800. Like you I have full NCB and no points.When I queried this rise I was informed that it was due to accident victims using (and abusing) personal injury specialists.
Having been the victim of 2 rear end shunts, I can understand why people feel the need to 'bump up' their claim and try for compensation for the likes of whiplash (which in it's mild form is but a sore neck for a week or so). After been messed around by the third party's insurance company for 6 months and receiving less than my actual expenses created by their third party's accident, I felt more than a little annoyed. A close friend who works for claims direct told me that if I had gone through him, I would have received approx £1500 for my sore neck!! and that the insurer would have dealt with the claim much quicker if he knew that a claims specialist was on the case.
I also, thanks to the third party, was unable to protect my no claims bonus and had to pay an extra £150 on top of my premium (until the claim was settled in my favour) when I tried to insure my new car.
You will also find that their claims helpline makes you wait a lot longer than the freephone number that takes your annual premium!
The treatment of victims by insurance companies is appalling and is the reason why many now talk to claims direct etc (who get them more money) and is the reason therefore that you are paying more.
JP.
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Dear Backroom contributors,
Had a snail mail letter today from a reader who had called out a windscreen company to replace the rear screen on his Laguna estate on 28th December. The screen is parts listed by Renault at £255. The bill to his insurer was going to be £650. If insurers allow themselves to be ripped off like this, no wonder we poor punters are having to pay the price. I'm hoping to run this item on 24th February. Yes, I know it's a long wait, but the newspaper column is chock a block until then.
HJ
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HJ, I had a similar experience, but the guy who fitted my new windscreen implied that the price on the invoice given to the punter has nothing to do with the price paid by the insurance company.
The reasoning behind this, I suspect, would be to con the punter into thinking his insurance company had paid out more than they had (normally without affecting the no claims), thus painting them as the good guys.
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Hi Jerry, I was involved in a head-on collision (lucky to be sitting here writing this) and yes the treatment I recieved from my insurance co. was apalling to say the least.They initially offered me £300 for what they claimed was a minor injury, I dug my heels in and eventually settled for £3000+for post-traumatic stress due to thinking what might have happened to my family had I been killed by the blind lunatic that hit me! Incidentally I was at the time driving a Mitsibushi Gallant td.and unfortunately this was a write -off, there was only 300 of these motors imported into the country at the time 1988. I loved that car and could not replace it despiticontacting every dealer in the country,some had never even seen one and of course the rarity of the car made no difference to the settlrment !
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ps.please forgive the mistakes I am new to keyboards and computers but I am learning quickly!
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Malcolm,
If you get another car like that - try classic insurance! You may have to limit your mileage, but you may find that two classic policies for 5000 miles may work out cheaper than one for 10000! My classic policy for a Sunbeam Alpine threw in breakdown cover and has a guaranteed (agreed) payout in the event of a total loss. Cars do not have to be 25yrs old and you may be surprised to find what is regarded as a classic. The above car was repatriated to UK after a touring holiday in Spain resulted in a breakdown. They paid for taxis, hire cars and a vehicle transporter. (Classic Club Direct). They also rarely have a problem with LHD or vehicle modifications. They can sell your vehicle back to you as salvage or let you attempt to repair it (whist paying you for your labour).
Another tip is to insure via a broker, sometimes if you complain to them about poor service after a claim, they can provide a bit of clout/pressure against the often woefully bureaucratic Insurance company's we suffer from in the UK.
It is a great shame, but you really have to fight to get what you pay for regarding insurance. I have not found this when living in Europe (Italy and Germany).
Don't let the B******* grind you down.
JP.
P.S. I will insure myself with the first company to offer a freephone claims and customer service line!
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I was also quoted an additionsl £100+ on renewal of policies on both my cars. Full no claims, no points,etc. Toured the internet and found Tesco Financial Services to be the cheapest. Before going to them I went to my current insurers web site and asked for a quote as a new customer - I didnt lie as I put their name down as the "current insurer". What a result ! Both quotes cheaper than what I was currently paying, let alone the renewal !
On one the consultant actually reduced the quote by 10% when I said Tesco could beat it !
I paid up and now have the policies.
This indicates to me that insurers are willing to discount for "new" business and relying on renewers not searching for a competitive quote.
Worth trying your current insurer as a new customer.
Regards, David.
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There is no question that these days you've got to shop around. There simply is no 'best' company or 'best' broker. Despite the fact that the insurance companies claim to base their premiums on statistics, I don't think that's the complete story - they've certainly got another agenda as regards the scope of risks they are prepared to accept eg. the range of vehicles or drivers a company is prepared to accept will vary from company to company. This 'cherry picking', they consider, reduces their exposure and risk. It's frustrating when you're looking for a quote, but if you hit the company that's looking for your particular 'driver profile' then you may get a good quote. I also see many references to the value of the car being low, so why is the premium high. The fact is that third party claims are the issue, and you can do as much damage to a third party with a banger as you can with an expensive car - so within reason, it's not the issue, unless that car has a particularly bad theft record.
Also, these days many of the big brokers (eg AA) have their own policy, so any company they use backs the broker's policy. Each company also seems to have different rates with the various brokers. An example: Last year my best quote (£270) was with the AA. This year the renewal was up £350 an £80 increase on £270! A few phone calls produced another brokers' quote of £290 for the same cover with CGNU. Now, I don't believe that the AA doesn't use a big company like the CGNU, so why didn't this show with the AA? Beats me.
As for insuring youngsters - it's worse. Quotes for adding my 17 year old daughter to a 1.2 Corsa ranged from £400 to £1400! Probably explains why you rarely see L plates on anything other than small cars these days!
As far as I can see it's out with the yellow pages every time a renewal approaches!
Regards
John
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I tried "Budget insurance" on the internet. Easy to use and try different variants. I found Third pty fire & theft virtually the same for old metro auto. They got me email offers and cheapest was Fortis Insurance.
I hate ringing up by phone - much more relaxing on the internet. Can print out everything you entered.
By the way cannot stand the dreadful Budget TV adverts!
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