Car insurance!

gramps

gramps

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'Gramps'
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What a con!
Car is one year old and I've got 9 years NCB - renewal comes through today at £13 a month extra over last year!
The only change is that the car is a year older, hence the risk there is less than it was a year ago, nothing else has changed.
So I go online and adjust the spec to remove the wife as a named driver ... adds an additional £2 a month ... what?

Call the insurer...
"Hey you're trying to rip me off!".
"Sorry Sir, lets make it cheaper than last year for you ... how's that?".

There's got to be something under the Theft Act to fit :mad:
 
I have two cars. Just insured one for the same as last year and I'm hoping I can get the other covered for the same as last year or cheaper :D My GF pays more for one car than I do for two :D
 
Long queue for me 1st time but 2nd time I got straight through and kept over £150 in the bank!
 
If mine has gone up at renewal I usually ask to be put through to the Loyalty team, they look at your history with them. If you have been with them for many years, and not made any claims you can ask for a loyalty discount. I have gotten a discount twice by doing this. They should be offering automatic discounts, to long loyal non claiming customers anyway.
 
"You've had a lower quote, sir?"
"Yes."
"How much lower? We can match it, I'm sure."
"You tell me your cheapest possible price and I'll tell you if it's low enough."
...
 
gramps said:
Yeah they generally reserve 'loyalty' bonuses for new customers :bat:
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Churchill offer a long loyalty discount, I am sure other would probably have the same...When you say can I speak to someone about a loyalty discount, they normally knock a couple of quid off themselves..
 
Nod said:
"You've had a lower quote, sir?"
"Yes."
"How much lower? We can match it, I'm sure."
"You tell me your cheapest possible price and I'll tell you if it's low enough."
...
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I normally say I have got my figures here, what is the best you can do. I never tell them the figures that I have though..
 
gramps said:
What a con!
Car is one year old and I've got 9 years NCB - renewal comes through today at £13 a month extra over last year!
The only change is that the car is a year older, hence the risk there is less than it was a year ago, nothing else has changed.
So I go online and adjust the spec to remove the wife as a named driver ... adds an additional £2 a month ... what?

Call the insurer...
"Hey you're trying to rip me off!".
"Sorry Sir, lets make it cheaper than last year for you ... how's that?".

There's got to be something under the Theft Act to fit :mad:
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Apparently it is quite common to pay considerably more if you remove your wife as named driver.

My insurance told me last month it was because they give a discount for spouse driving?

Where's the logic in that?
 
crofter said:
Quite,I don't even want the missus on the policy.
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She doesn't want to drive these days, but as long as she keeps her licence, she's on it!

It was around £70 a year difference!
 
I had a renewal letter though for £230 so i phoned up to renew, told them i now had 3 points so they said ok well that will put it up to £270 but wait sir, we can do a deal, i waited a few mins and they came back and offered me £210!! so, cheaper than the original no points price. go figure.
 
Last year my renewal quote was much higher so I went on a comparison web site and the best quote was from my insurer but for about the same as the previous year, so I accepted it and phoned up to cancel the higher quote and was told they could have offered the same. But as someone has already pointed out that would not have happened without a lower quote to hand. They seem to offer the opposite of a loyalty discount, perhaps it should be called a "loyal mugs increase".
 
sphexx said:
Last year my renewal quote was much higher so I went on a comparison web site and the best quote was from my insurer but for about the same as the previous year, so I accepted it and phoned up to cancel the higher quote and was told they could have offered the same. But as someone has already pointed out that would not have happened without a lower quote to hand. They seem to offer the opposite of a loyalty discount, perhaps it should be called a "loyal mugs increase".
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Same for me with my bike insurance. Last year £130, renewal this year £258. Checked other providers which were similar or cheaper, called my insurer and got the "oh everything's gone up 30% this year". Nope cancel my direct debit please. "Oh we can do better" they get it down to £150 immediately. So how then is your claim in the renewal that we've found the best insurance for me. It's best for them, not their client.

Had the same with other insurers for the cars. You really have to search around as they all seem to want to load existing policy holders, almost as if they are applying a lazy tax for those who just renew.
 
My insurance has been coming down for years, have a 10 year NCD protected and no accidents to affect that. Same job, same mileage, no points- my current insurer sent me a letter saying that their underwriters have decided they can't cover the risk. Going online all quotes much of a muchness at £200 more than I paid last year. Did a bit of googling and there seems to be a significant change in the car insurance market. Ended up with Direct Line but totally taken aback by original insurer now declining the risk altogether and no advise as to why
 
Insurance companies know that we HAVE to have car insurance, so for them it's dip yer bread in time.
 
Nothing new with increasing the premium when you remove a partner, happened to me a few years ago, l was told it was because
you were a safer drive when you had a loved one to consider, not sure that counts when they have finally gone :D
l may be the odd one out, but l don't think cheapest = best , l'd rather pay more for peace of mind
 
Something to bear in mind that insurance premium tax has increased over the last month.
 
Gremlin said:
l don't think cheapest = best , l'd rather pay more for peace of mind
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I agree with you Ingrid, the cheapest for me would have been very slightly over the amount of increase I was being asked to pay ... which is somewhat puzzling!
 
gramps said:
I agree with you Ingrid, the cheapest for me would have been very slightly over the amount of increase I was being asked to pay ... which is somewhat puzzling!
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I could have saved £50 with an alternative quote I got as I had previously been quoted a rediculous amount to add my daughter to the policy back in June,
when I phoned Direct Line they quoted £30 extra for the renewal at the beginning of this month.
I had my dogs insured with them and house contents and have never had a problem with the very few claims I had to make, my kids also found them good
when in came to car claims so happy to pay the extra (y)
 
Really dislike the ploy used by the insurance companies of charging a steep increase on renewal, and then cutting the renewal significantly after 2 minutes on the phone.

Even then, they have rarely been able to better the deals I have found on the comparison sites, so they get as much loyalty from me as they have shown themselves....
 
Bell went through several years of decreasing my premium at renewal, for the last few it has been flat at around £200. That's on the nice car, not the boring diesel Audi estate. I had the silly games with the premium on that with Direct Line.
 
Car is a year older. Drivers are a year older. Police reports may show that similar cars to yours may be involved in more accidents or thefts in the past year. all things that the actuaries (those who price your policy) will look at.... take your wife off and the shared risk has been removed therefore your premium goes up.
you could always increase your accidental damage excess and that should reduce the premium... you should look at this option if you have got legal cover as you will be able to claim your excesses back in the event of a non fault claim.

Not to mention that the Government amount of IPT has risen to almost 10% from 6% last year. Also NCD is a pricing factor, NCD is the amount of discount you get from the overall price if you don't make a claim and the maximum discount applied will be 70% which does equate to 9 years claim free driving. So it doesnt matter whether you have 9 years or 19 years., you will still only get 70% discount.

You also have to look at how insurance actually works.

You pay your premium, but most people do not realise that that policy cost, less insurance company costs,
go into a huge pot along with everyone else's premium. Then as claims start rolling in the claim costs are taken out of the pot and used as the underwriters see fit. Like I said earlier when it comes to your renewal they will look at all the risk questions and assess your suitability for cost based on the information provided by you, DVLA, Car Companies, Police, National Insurance Data Base and Credit Reference Agencies.

You may also have to pay interest charges if you pay by DD or card Charges. which will all have an effect on the price you pay.

As for them giving you a discount... They will actually put it onto your premium price next year, therefore rising the price again....


You will never win against insurance of any kind...you may benefit one year but you will definately pay for it in the future.
 
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archangel said:
you should look at this option if you have got legal cover as you will be able to claim your excesses back in the event of a non fault claim.
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If it's a non fault claim you wouldn't pay any excess anyway. You'd be claiming off the other persons insurance, not your own.
 
nilagin said:
If it's a non fault claim you wouldn't pay any excess anyway. You'd be claiming off the other persons insurance, not your own.
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True...but if it is a shared claim in your favor and the third party can be held more than 51% at fault you can claim it back through legal cover
 
Not sure of insurance companies figures these days, but quite a few years ago my BIL, who worked in the sector, said most companies didn't make big money with car insurance, in fact for some it was a loss-leader?
 
OldCarlos said:
Not sure of insurance companies figures these days, but quite a few years ago my BIL, who worked in the sector, said most companies didn't make big money with car insurance, in fact for some it was a loss-leader?
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The first four years they make very little...from year five they then are in profit and there are more discounts available in these years.
 
I keep a record of all my old prices, probably about ten years or more. I quote them to my insurer, and say why are they creeping up! If they know you are keeping tabs on prices and complain, they do tend to knock the odd few quid off now and again :)
 
I very rarely stay with the same insurance company two years running and always end up cheaper unless my insurance has gone up because of a claim or a higher insurance group. Having said that, in the old insurance groupings, my current car is 4 groups higher than my previous car, yet the insurance was about £300 cheaper.
 
When my renewal comes through I go onto the price comparison sites and get some quotes. If I think my insurance company are taking the mick I take out a new policy and then phone and cancel the old one. They don't get the chance to discuss it and then drop the price. If I've had to spend my time looking for a cheaper policy I sure as hell ain't going to spend more time in a pointless discussion.

It's not just car insurance. Breakdown cover with RAC auto renewal £178. New policy on the RAC website for exactly the same cover £135. Phone to cancel auto renewal. Can I ask you why sir - I've found the same cover £43 cheaper - who was that with - you. Silence.
 
Gaz J said:
Breakdown cover with RAC auto renewal £178. New policy on the RAC website for exactly the same cover £135. Phone to cancel auto renewal. Can I ask you why sir - I've found the same cover £43 cheaper - who was that with - you. Silence.
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I get free AA cover, every year, when I get my car serviced. ;)
 
Make sure you're comparing absolutely like for like when you do a premium search. I found what I thought was a bargain on my bike insurance this year. Then I noticed the £1750 excess!!!!!!! :eek:
 
Always have this with Directline, who apart from crazy renewal prices I've found to be a good insurer (based on their customer service when my old car was broken into and stolen.... separate incidents).

In 2013 I think I paid around £320 for my policy, during that year it was well publicised that insurance premiums were reducing. My renewal came through at nearly £600!!!! Got straight on to their website and a new customer quote was coming out at under £300. A few phone calls later they matched the online price (I fully intended to take it further but never got round to it).

This year my renewal came in at around £30 more than what their online quote said but they matched it within 5 mins of being on the phone to them.
 
OldCarlos said:
Not sure of insurance companies figures these days, but quite a few years ago my BIL, who worked in the sector, said most companies didn't make big money with car insurance, in fact for some it was a loss-leader?
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A COR of 96% is considered very good, which means insurance companies are only making around 4% on the premiums. The rest is made from investing that 4%.
 
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