Are there any good insurers??

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 00:15
Are there any good insurers?? - Sofa Spud

We've been with one big insurer for some time - one that started out as a lean, mean concern that undercut the old establishment but that was some time ago and now they are part of the establishment and no longer cheap.

My son is 18 and because we he's added as a named driver, the cost of insurance has been highlighted. Our existing insurer has upped the premium this year compared to last year, when he was 17. We have a full no-claims bonus.

I know that insuring young drivers is expensive, there's no way round that. But I decided to look at an insurance comparison website. There were two companies offering the same insurance, but for several hundred pounds less.

I looked up these cheap insurers on a review website and nearly all the reviews said these companies were appalling, a rip-off and a con, they didn't pay claims - hardly good words for them at all. Then I looked up the review on the same site for our existing insurer, the one that used to be cheap but is now expensive. And the reviews were just as bad - rip-off, con merchants, appalling customer service.

So I'm wondering? Should I switch to a cheap appalling and useless insurance company or stick with the an expensive appalling and useless one? !!!

Furthermore, is it time for a big shake-up of the car insurance business as they seem to be getting a bit slap-happy? I've heard of several cases of drivers being stopped by the police for being uninsured because the insurance company hadn't updated their details on their computer. Despite these drivers having valid certificates and proof that they'd paid their premiums, they still get prosecuted, resulting in penalty points and fines. Surely this has to be stopped.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 23/07/2010 at 00:25

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 07:36
Are there any good insurers?? - Armitage Shanks {p}

If they have valid certificates and can prove that they have paid their premiums how can they be fined and given points, assuming it goes to court? Certainly, at the roadside, I couldn't prove that I have paid for my insurance but I have the certificate with me. What happened to being given a "producer" - to show docs at a police station with in X days?

I think this is some urban myth and I have also "heard" that the police can phone your insurance company to check, rather than relying 100% on the not very marvellous data-base.

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 09:34
Are there any good insurers?? - bathtub tom

>>What happened to being given a "producer" - to show docs at a police station with in X days?

According to a number of 'cops' shows on TV, there's a certain element who insure their cars and only pay the first monthly premium. This gives them a paper certificate to wave around, but the policy's cancelled by the insurer when the subsequent premiums fail to arrive.

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 10:12
Are there any good insurers?? - Sofa Spud

One case I heard of was definitely a guy who'd fully paid his premiums and was fully insured as far as he was aware. It was an error by his insurers that was only discovered when his car was 'spotted' by a police number-plate recognition device. Despite having the correct paperwork and having paid all his premiums, he still got 6 penalty points plus a fine. The man in question told an acquaintance of mine about these insurance woes. So it's a bit more than an urban myth.

The police had seen his insurance certificate and bank statements proving he'd paid. But the point is that he was still technically driving while uninsured because the insurers had messed up. The message from this is that any one of us might be blissfully aware that we're driving around uninsured because of a clerical error by our insurer, but if we're caught, we're on our own.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 23/07/2010 at 10:16

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 11:29
Are there any good insurers?? - Foreigner500

Not to be rude, but I doubt the story.

In order for your insurance to be cancelled when you are in possession of a valid certificate which has been appropriately issued to you, then the insurer has to write to your last known address giving you 7 days notice of cancellation.

Without such a notice, after paying and getting paperwork, you are insured. Really insured, not even technically uninsured.

Obviously if the insurance had lapsed at renewal or the certificate was not accurate or valid, then the matter is different. an insurer has no obligation to inform you of expiry and it is your responsiblity to ensure that your certificate and policy schedule are accurate.

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 13:03
Are there any good insurers?? - Marc

Prompted by your post I've just had a quick google on insurance reviews and gone to reviewcentre where there are loads. All of them bad. Never knew there were insurance reviews...

It would appear that only those with bad experiences are posting so am not sure what to think of the data - certainly the companies I use all come out pretty badly.

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 13:26
Are there any good insurers?? - Armstrong Sid
It would appear that only those with bad experiences are posting so am not sure what to think of the data

I reckon that's often the case with many reviews on website, only the moaners bother to do anything. If there are 5 complaining messages, that probably means there are 500 people who were prerfectly happy with everything and felt no need to write in and say anything.

Similar to the Gold Petrol/Diesel thread which is currently running, where a few negative comments may be interpreted as meaning all VWs are bad

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 13:48
Are there any good insurers?? - tyro

Well, I don't know if this is any help to you, but NFU Mutual seems to do very well in satisfaction surveys. I changed over to them last year. But since all I've had to do is renew, I can't give any useful comment on their service.

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 14:23
Are there any good insurers?? - Chris M

Feedback on consumer websites is very unreliable. I would suggest a better tool for accessing whether an insurer is treating it's customer fairly would be the percentage of complaints that are upheld by the ombudsman.

http://www.ombudsman-complaints-data.org.uk/

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 14:39
Are there any good insurers?? - gordonbennet

Well, I don't know if this is any help to you, but NFU Mutual seems to do very well in satisfaction surveys.

I've been with NFU for years, local offices staffed by friendly polite and competent people, fair and honourable in the event of a claim, of which i have experience both for car and home which were dealt with fairly and without drama, mind you fair works both ways i didn't try to 'milk' the claim either. Not cheap but quality and cheap rarely go together.
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Fri 23 Jul 2010 17:34
Are there any good insurers?? - Armitage Shanks {p}

My daughter was with NFU and never had to claim so has no valid comments on the service. However, when she put a second common or garden family hatchback on the policy and the premium was horrendous! She transferred the lot to LV saved £400 which was a 50% reduction. She still hasn't make a claim so still can't comment!

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 18:15
Are there any good insurers?? - Marc

"However, when she put a second common or garden family hatchback on the policy and the premium was horrendous!"

If it was a second car in her name it would have been horrendous as any NCB accrued doesn't apply to a second car. You have to start all over again from scratch. Some say the cheapest way around this is one of those multicar policies but I'm not so sure myself.

Edited by Marc on 23/07/2010 at 18:17

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 18:56
Are there any good insurers?? - jc2

I have one car insured thro' NFU and am happy with both the cover and it's cost but when cosidering adding a second vehicle,the quote was very high!

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Fri 23 Jul 2010 21:41
Are there any good insurers?? - daveyjp
Complaints about insurance companies are no surprise, but my LV was very smooth. From accident to refund of excess was 7 weeks.

A colleague who had a similar accident two days later still hasn't been paid out. She spoke to her insurers last week and they said it was probably about time they chased it as the last letter dated mid May hasn't been responded to or chased up!

I do believe that us motorists also have to expect to do some donkeywork to provide complete information when requested - it does speed the process up.

My claim was silent for three weeks, I then received a request to provide details of the accident. I did - 5 pages with with distance measurements, photographs, explanation - the works.

Four weeks later I received a call asking if I'd be prepared to go to Court, said I definately would and ten minutes later a call to say the other party had accepted liability.

I've moved from LV as the price went up, my new insurance company wanted a proof of NCB letter. I called LV on Wednesday evening, the letter arrived today.
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Sat 24 Jul 2010 16:37
Are there any good insurers?? - LucyBC

Insurance is a commodity product so arguing about who is the best or worst is about as sensible as arguing about which corner shop sells the best pint of milk.

Buying motor insurance should always be a price decision.

Price comparison sites don't always offer the best deal - especially if you have "unusual" circumstances - but they are a good place to start so you can begin to develop a negotiating position. But I have never seen a price comparison quotation generated even by our own comparison engine that our brokers could not beat if asked to.

After you have purchased your policy on price what defines "how good" an insurer is comes down to how well they handle claims.

Most motor insurance companies' claims departments work in the following way:

1. Fault Claims
If it looks like a fault claim or a split liability claim they will want shut of it as quickly and cheaply as possible. This means that they have a set response on liability issues and if it meets those circumstances they will not fight in any way but will pick up their loss by charging you in increased future premiums. A good example of this is any roundabout accident will almost invariably be settled 50:50. They will dump you into their "preferred" repairer - which usually means a cheap job with corners cut wherever possible and the absolute minimum service.

2. Non-Fault Claims
If it looks like a non-fault claim they will see you as a money-making opportunity. You will be immediately be referred to their "preferred accident management service" which will be paying your insurer a large amount of money for the privilege of supplying you with a credit hire car and ripping off the third party's insurer (Honest John passim as they say in Private Eye).

People often don't realise they don't need (and shouldn't use) their insurer to handle accident claims - whether they are fault or non-fault. Your insurer's interests and yours are not the same and you need someone to take your part.

Honest John's new legal advice service can deal with any accident or liabilty query. We will answer any question free of charge and give you honest and independent advice as to what options you have and what you need to do next if you have had a collision. There is no charge wahtsoever for using the service.

Contact me via asklucy@honestjohn.co.uk if you need advice on an accident or other motor law issue and I will normally answer within the day.

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Thu 29 Jul 2010 23:31
Are there any good insurers?? - danidge

"Preferred repairer...a cheap job with corners cut" The following happened to me with my claim with" the one with the red telephone on wheels." My car hit in the rear whilst waiting to enter the traffic on a roundabout. Car put on transporter owned by preferred repairer and taken miles away to the next county for repair. After some considerable period it was returned and left on the road outside my house. I did not know the car was being returned that day and nobody was in to inspect the repairs or sign for delivery. What I found was no repairs had been undertaken-the rear panel and bumper were still as the time of the accident. Preferred repairer denied this. Insurance company was happy as job had been signed off.........endless wrangles followed with my word against an unholy alliance of the insurance company and their mates- the repairers. Matters went from bad to worse-with the insurance company eventually siding with me but telling me to issue legal proceedings against the repairer. Months later insurance company offered a settlement on condition files were not sent to the Ombudsman. My verdict is avoid "preferred repairers" at all costs......you have been warned!

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