Lesson learnt - insurance

[tec]

... agree - but this seems so dumb. Tempting to get a policy with a black box in the car (telematics) so at least they are using more sophisticated analysis of how & where we drive. Wont appeal to many of this forum maybe but i'd go for it

I think the black boxes are only favourable in cost to new drivers under 25 that would otherwise have sky high insurance premiums.

 

[markjay]

...A driver who has thrown his C63 off the road while racing another car is assessed as presenting as much of an increased risk of another claim as a driver whose unoccupied car, parked for an hour in a supermarket car park, has been scraped by some clown in an SUV the driver does not know the size of when parking....

Well, the counter argument would be that people parking in supermarket car parks where clowns drive large SUVs, present a different risk, but a risk nonetheless...

I think the reason for the perceived discrepancy is that the C63 chap is seen as someone who brought it on himself by driving recklessly, while the supermarket bloke is an innocent party who suffered damage through no fault of his own.

But the point is that insurance is not a court of law or a justice system, instead it is a business transaction... the premium simply reflects the statistical risk as the insurer sees it.

Where 'fault' comes into play is not in the insurer's pursuit of ultimate justice, but in the insurer trying to minimise the amount it needs to incur.

 

[mat8n]

Common sense goes a long way when dealing with insurance.
And spending a few hours a night a few weeks before you're renewal googling around helps too. You can always get a good enough deal if you work with the system. Then you get on the phone and get quite a few more quid off too.

Just don't use admiral!

 

[st13phil]

Tempting to get a policy with a black box in the car (telematics) so at least they are using more sophisticated analysis of how & where we drive. Wont appeal to many of this forum maybe but i'd go for it
Ash

I have a problem with the ever narrowing risk criteria that insurers are encouraging the gullible consumer to support.

The whole point of insurance is that risk is spread across a wide catchment so that it is affordable to all. By narrowing the risk criteria, so the argument goes, the "careful driver" benefits from lower premiums. The often unstated corollary is that the minority with a poor or non-existent driving record are presented with massively unaffordable premiums, thus creating an essentially uninsurable underclass. Is that reasonable? I don't think so.

Frankly I'd much rather pay (say) 10% more as a low risk prospect and know that young kids could actually purchase affordable motor insurance as a result.

 

[mat8n]

I think the black boxes are only favourable in cost to new drivers under 25 that would otherwise have sky high insurance premiums.

You can get just as cheap insurance without the box, I have a 20 year old and a 17 year old. used a box once, never again, it wasn't worth the £200 saving.

 

[markjay]

...I have a 20 year old and a 17 year old. used a box once, never again, it wasn't worth the £200 saving.

Why? What was the issue?

 

[mat8n]

Limited times they could drive(good in theory not in practice), I or his mother couldn't use his car in those times either, massive 'fines' if you did drive outside the times, and absolutely no benefits or positives, no cheaper premiums the next year.
At the time the black box was probably £200 cheaper, but in hindsight it would have been more cost effective to pay the £200 and use the car instead of taxis or just not being able to go out in it with his mates.

The next year normal insurance was as cheap if not cheaper(my son still has a perfect driving history) than the black box(after a lot of searching around and using multicar discounts etc).

My 17 year old is now learning, I will NOT be using a black box insurer, if only because of the frustration of paying £1400ish for insurance and not being able to get a lift home from the pub

It's actually cheaper now to insure 17 year olds than it was 4 years ago. I think i'll get him a premium for around £1k.

 

[flowrider]

..........Where the system falls down is that it takes no account of individual circumstances. A driver who has thrown his C63 off the road while racing another car is assessed as presenting as much of an increased risk of another claim as a driver whose unoccupied car, parked for an hour in a supermarket car park, has been scraped by some clown in an SUV the driver does not know the size of when parking.................

Or some clown in a huge E class estate that doesn't know the size of their car when parking

 

[190]

Supermarket car parks are scary places for me. Cars are getting wider but parking bays are not. I find myself avoiding the narrow gaps and going out of my way to find some empty space to minimize the risk of get clouted by an opened door. My C class is wide enough, how on earth do you guys with the bigger cars manage to come away unscathed.

 

[harvin1975]

Had some idiot in a rust bucket park next to my car in a supermarket car park once. Threw open his car door which made a loud bang of my passenger door. It was dark and he probably didnt expect anyoneto be in car but my wife and i were just having a chat after shopping. My wife put her window down and called back the man who had already got out of his car and was heading into the supermarket. He turned round but rudely ignored her.
I got out and saw a new scratch on the door at which point my wife went off to find him and he refused to come out and take a look at the scratch - claiming he was in a rush.
So i intervened and went in myself to see him. I dragged out the event and made him make the appropriate phonecalls to provide insurance details etc, took photos etc.
I didnt report it in the end as i could live with the scratch. Good job really as it appears i probably would've got stung for it in higher premiums too.

 

[219]

When I was recently rear-ended in the SL , and it turned out both I and the driver who hit me were insured with Privilege , the insurer phoned minutes after I returned home ( perhaps they had been trying all day ) to say that their driver had reported the incident and accepted full responsibility ( I had stopped for a red traffic light , only the car behind didn't ) and went on to say they would take care of the repairs and my insurance 'would not be affected' .

As it turned out there was only some minor scuffing to my back bumper which came out when I machine polished it , so I rang them back and said I wouldn't be claiming , and again confirmed that my renewal premium would not be affected .

The proof will be in my renewal quote next year , but I already had a quote for my modified 190 , fully declaring the non fault , no claim incident and the quote was more than reasonable ( considering I've fitted a larger engine ) at £380 all in , with business use and no no claims discount available to use on the second vehicle ( previously had it on classic insurance , but can't now because of modifications ) .

 

[John]

My C class is wide enough, how on earth do you guys with the bigger cars manage to come away unscathed.

Food shopping home delivery...

 

[markjay]

Spoke to Aviva again today.

They are dealing with a third party claim and accepted that it was a 'no-fault' accident.

As such they said that they will be defending the case.

I specifically asked and they said that as long as the claim status remains on their books as 'no fault', i.e. assuming that the claimant is not successful, there will be no premium increase now or next year.

The issue is actually a bit more complicated. The event occurred on the last day of the old policy. So Aviva said that in the event that the claim status does change in future from 'no fault' to 'at fault' then they will increase the premium on the current policy retrospectively...

I think I can safely say that Aviva do not increase the renewal premium if an event is reported, and also if there is an unsuccessful third-party claim which is rejected as 'no fault'. It appears that they will only increase the renewal premium in the event that they actually make a payment on the Policy.

It's a thumbs up for Aviva from me on this one.

 

[harvin1975]

Spoke to Aviva again today.

They are dealing with a third party claim and accepted that it was a 'no-fault' accident.

As such they said that they will be defending the case.

I specifically asked and they said that as long as the claim status remains on their books as 'no fault', i.e. assuming that the claimant is not successful, there will be no premium increase now or next year.

The issue is actually a bit more complicated. The event occurred on the last day of the old policy. So Aviva said that in the event that the claim status does change in future from 'no fault' to 'at fault' then they will increase the premium on the current policy retrospectively...

I think I can safely say that Aviva do not increase the renewal premium if an event is reported, and also if there is an unsuccessful third-party claim which is rejected as 'no fault'. It appears that they will only increase the renewal premium in the event that they actually make a payment on the Policy.

It's a thumbs up for Aviva from me on this one.

Thanks for this information. I will give Aviva a try.

 

[markjay]

Keep in mind that (a) this relates to renewal of my existing policy, it may or may not be the case for new quotes, and (b) my policy includes full NCD protection, so the NCD would not have changed anyway even in the event of an at-fault claim, what we are talking about is just the potential increase in Premium resulting from the mere fact that an event has been reported, or claim against, and not anything related to NCD.

 

[Rory]

When renewing they asked if I've had any claims - I said no, but then said that there was a no-claim incident.

Just guessing, but I wonder if the issue there is that they think of it as an open, or unresolved claim?

It might have been better if there had been a claim, dealt with, and then closed.


With LV=, my wife caught a sill on a low wall and as her car has no excess and guaranteed NCB I claimed. Didn't make any noticeable difference to subsequent premiums.

 

[harvin1975]

Just guessing, but I wonder if the issue there is that they think of it as an open, or unresolved claim?

It might have been better if there had been a claim, dealt with, and then closed.


With LV=, my wife caught a sill on a low wall and as her car has no excess and guaranteed NCB I claimed. Didn't make any noticeable difference to subsequent premiums.

Could well be - but seeing as I only talk to client facing monkeys they are unable to do anything. Typical "Computer says no" scenario.

 

[Rory]

Could well be - but seeing as I only talk to client facing monkeys they are unable to do anything. Typical "Computer says no" scenario.

I know my daughter had a problem with Aviva where she tried to make an amendement online (which would have been free) but it wouldn't accept it so she had to call them. They were absolutely unmoveable on charging an amendment fee.

On the other hand, we do all our insurance with LV= (cars, house and travel) and I've always found the call centre staff to be a cut above those I've dealt with anywhere else.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Could well be - but seeing as I only talk to client facing monkeys they are unable to do anything. Typical "Computer says no" scenario.

'Client facing monkeys'?

How superior are you?

Customers with a poor attitude rarely get great service, more likely the standard process driven one.

If you are so clever why haven't you got the wherewithal to escalate your problem to a decision maker?

 

[markjay]

I know my daughter had a problem with Aviva where she tried to make an amendement online (which would have been free) but it wouldn't accept it so she had to call them. They were absolutely unmoveable on charging an amendment fee.

On the other hand, we do all our insurance with LV= (cars, house and travel) and I've always found the call centre staff to be a cut above those I've dealt with anywhere else.

Possibly

I only commented on Aviva's not increasing the Premium for no-fault accidents... they may very well behave unreasonably in other areas, I wouldn't know...