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Author Topic: ARE YOU COVERED?  (Read 6951 times)

Peter Fitness

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #25 on: March 27, 2010, 09:02:52 pm »

DG, the insurance companies here would have a problem as practically all new cars, except for the absolute base models, come fitted with rear parking sensors. Alloy wheels are mostly a standard fitting also.

Alan, my first caravan, bought in 1970, had over run brakes, but they have not been fitted on vans here for many years now, as electric brakes are standard, except on very small units.

Peter.
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dodgy geezer

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #26 on: March 27, 2010, 09:09:55 pm »

".. the insurance companies here would have a problem as practically all new cars, except for the absolute base models, come fitted with rear parking sensors. Alloy wheels are mostly a standard fitting also..."

Standard fitting - no issue. Here we're talking about aftermarket add-ons. The point I'm making is that YOU may see it as adding a bit more safety - the insurance company will think "WHY is he adding a bit more safety? Can it be that he can't turn his head too easily, or that he often parks in a difficult place...?".
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HS93 (RIP)

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #27 on: March 27, 2010, 09:14:47 pm »

"...With some cars, because of the design, it can be very difficult to judge just where the rear bumper is because you cannot effectively 'see' the back of the vehicle. In that situation the things can save you a lot of grief and money..."

My point is that the insurance company actuaries won't be thinking "Here is a person who is taking due care to avoid an accident". They will be thinking: "He cannot effectively 'see' the back of the vehicle? I don't want that insurance on my books...".


I don't think they are thinkinking anythink they have a script to read on the phone and it Say's  "ask if the car has been modified if the answer is yes decline them" I bet if you said it had non standard drink holders they would say the same. they are call centre people not brokers, some don't know what reversing sensors are, may as well say Nitrous Oxide injectors
if you go to a half decent company there is no problem, our latest car came with a lot of mods and extras the insurance company just said OK and listed them on the policy
but I am getting old and go to an over 50s company .
so an alarm is a modification what do they do about them
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HS93 (RIP)

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #28 on: March 27, 2010, 09:17:39 pm »

".. the insurance companies here would have a problem as practically all new cars, except for the absolute base models, come fitted with rear parking sensors. Alloy wheels are mostly a standard fitting also..."

Standard fitting - no issue. Here we're talking about aftermarket add-ons. The point I'm making is that YOU may see it as adding a bit more safety - the insurance company will think "WHY is he adding a bit more safety? Can it be that he can't turn his head too easily, or that he often parks in a difficult place...?".


it is against the law to discriminate due to disability I know I have been insuring cars for 40 years all performance cars and cannot move my neck so that is a non starter.

peter
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dodgy geezer

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #29 on: March 28, 2010, 09:40:37 am »

I don't think they are thinkinking anythink they have a script to read on the phone and it Say's  "ask if the car has been modified if the answer is yes decline them"

Correct - the call centre are reading from a script. It's the actuaries who are doing the thinking and writing the scripts.

it is against the law to discriminate due to disability I know I have been insuring cars for 40 years all performance cars and cannot move my neck...

Well, that was just a made-up example off the top of my head, but I'll bet that if they wanted to argue that way they would have no difficulty. Just don't write anything down about the insured being 'unable' to look behind in your internal documentation- say that it indicates that the insured 'doesn't' look behind....

My general point remains that, if you make any aftermarket change to a car (or do anything else!), the actuaries are capable of seeing it in a suspicious light. And they are continually employed to think up new ways to slice up the insurance market so that their customers are, on average, less costly than their competitors, which is why we get all these odd questions. It's not primarily so that the claims adjusters can reject claims - though that is an added bonus, meaning that the insurance company can win both ways....
 
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sweeper

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #30 on: March 28, 2010, 01:30:16 pm »

A couple of points that spring out of all this.
Many of the comments / complaints appear to arise from the fact that people want to deal with internet firms or call centres. I'm afraid that those situations set the alarms ringing in my head. I can be confused in real life, do I really want to be Confused Dot Com as well?  {:-{
For many years I dealt with a firm of local brokers, a family setup, first class and face to face. Just what I wanted / needed, sadly over the years the family got older and retired. End of business. But one fact came out of those dealings. They would shop around for me, good prices for good cover, that's what they got their commission for. One company came up with very good prices and was put forward to me. For two years I enjoyed a really good insurance at a price, that was to me, very attractive. Come renewal time and the broker put forward their prices and told me to go for another firm. Simple reason, the insurance company had got into a field that they hadn't covered previously and had got their fingers well burnt. The renewal price was around three times the previous years price. As I said to the broker 'If it was for a Porsche I could understand, for my car it's stupid'. Her reply was good, 'If you had a Porsche 911 I could get you insurance with no problem but your glassfibre car scares them witless'. A nice thought after they had covered it for two years.
Since the time that all the insurance companies were compelled to put your insurance details into the database I have had some really funny conversations with firms, large and small. When they make offers that they think are really good, I do two things (1) have a good laugh (2) suggest that they do their homework first.
Buy over the phone via a call centre or over the net?
You must be having a laff (to coin a current adverts slogan) :}
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Roger in France

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #31 on: March 28, 2010, 05:17:51 pm »

I have been reading this thread with interest.

Here in France car insurance is significantly cheaper than in the UK. This may be due to lower car ownership and about the same population spread across twice the land area. However, (and please don't tell them I said so!) the French are - on average - far worse drivers than the British.

But my experience with Insurance Brokers is the same. Although my spoken French is acceptable I felt I needed support from a local broker with whom I could talk, face to face. Having found a guy I felt I could trust and relate to I placed all my insurance and investment business with him. This has paid dividends on several occasions. Last year I had two car accidents, in both I was stationery. The second was very serious, the other car being written off. I just called my broker and he arranged everything, breakdown truck, taxi for me and the dog, discussions with the police, repairs and claims.

On another occasion I needed to take a significant sum of money out of my investment, in a hurry. When he told me "15 days" he said, "Don't worry. How much do you need right now? I will advance it from my Company's account." !

And no, his fees are not silly.

Roger in France
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Peter Fitness

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #32 on: March 29, 2010, 05:59:32 am »

Roger, you need to buy that man a case of the finest champagne, he's worth his weight in gold.

If you think French drivers are bad, you should go to Queensland, they're still trying to work out what the other stalk on their steering column is. They know one works the wipers, but don't seem to grasp that the other is for indicators  {-) (Says he, anticipating copious amounts of flak from the Queensland members  :o )

Peter.
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w3bby

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #33 on: March 29, 2010, 09:23:47 am »

If you think French drivers are bad, you should go to Queensland, they're still trying to work out what the other stalk on their steering column is. They know one works the wipers, but don't seem to grasp that the other is for indicators  {-)

Over here that describes Volvo drivers.......

Peter Fitness

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #34 on: March 29, 2010, 10:35:21 pm »

Over here that describes Volvo drivers.......

I think Volvo drivers are the same all over the world.  :-)

Peter.
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sweeper

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #35 on: March 30, 2010, 03:22:26 pm »

Sorry Peter, you've got that oh so slightly wrong.
About three hours ago I witnessed an incident that I still can't believe. A stupid (sorry to all Stupids in the world) person on a bridge carrying four lanes of traffic doing around 50MPH decided to do a three point turn.
I was on a bus going towards him, what the driver said would not be allowed by the software on here!

And it wasn't even a Volvo! (apart from anything else, my mate drives a V thing and he's a good driver). Should you not refer to them now by their new Chinese name?
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sheerline

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #36 on: March 30, 2010, 10:49:49 pm »

The least changed bulb on a car round these parts is the indicator bulb... they are still unused when the car goes to the breakers yard!
The least worn moving part is the throttle cable as it's always left in the full on position.
Judging by the state of the front of my property this winter, the least used optical device on the car is the windscreen.
Witnessing some of the drivers who pass by, it would appear there is only one brain cell per 100 drivers currently in circulation. We got lucky the other day because we got the one in possesion of said cell drive past here, he actually saw the tree surgeons truck and all his signeage and hi -vis jackets .... and slowed down in advance.... no panic, no heavy braking or swerving... sheer poetry in motion!!
I felt like stopping the guy and giving him an award!
Given the low level of driving skills I see displayed each day, I'm amazed insurance doesn't cost us more that it does.
I do get the hump with coughing up the ever larger sums each year but despite this I will only use a reputable company and actively avoid  one which  uses an 'offshore call managing centre'. Yes folks, thats what they call it in the trade. {-)
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alan colson

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #37 on: April 01, 2010, 12:22:39 pm »

My new insurance policy with a more reputable company starts today, but I have taken the advice of our dear Mr. Colin Bishop. The insurance I was originally sold was only going to cover me third party once I had left our shores, this has now been rectified as I am travelling to France later this year. I had an appology for not being told this when I took out the policy.
THANKS COLIN :-)) :-)) GREAT ADVICE
Alan
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Colin Bishop

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #38 on: April 01, 2010, 04:29:50 pm »

Glad to be of help Alan.  :-)) It's a relatively small point as most people don't take their cars abroad so the companies thought they could shave off a bit there. Those people who do go abroad probably wouldn't think to check and could get a nasty shock.

Colin
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Roger in France

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #39 on: April 01, 2010, 05:50:37 pm »

Glad you got that sorted for visiting France, Alan.

You need armour plating when you drive over here! Using our local hypermarket carpark is tantamount to having a death wish!

Roger in France
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Colin Bishop

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #40 on: April 01, 2010, 06:25:25 pm »

In my experience the standard of driving tends to get worse the further south and east you go. Once you hit Turkey nobody takes responsibility for bad driving as it is 'Gods Will' whether you survive or not so you can take whatever risks you like with a clear conscience - and they do!

Colin
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alan colson

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Re: ARE YOU COVERED?
« Reply #41 on: April 01, 2010, 11:09:21 pm »

I have travelled to France many times, in the early years taking the family on Eurocamp holidays, then we got a trailer tent and for the past 9 years with a caravan, so I guess about 25 times, never had any trouble but always assumed I had full comp insurance. I will never know now, but will always check in future.
Alan
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