Insurance Companies at the scam

[Deleted member 2437]

Just called the insurance company up to tell them I had moved and chase up my £75 no claims refund, which was late being paid and that I have moved. They came back and told me I owe them £55.

£5 for increased risk and £50 admin charge to change the address on two bikes. When I informed the car insurance firm, they gave me £100 back and my yearly premium has dropped £200 or 40%

What a rip off.

Turns out that moving from London, where my bikes were 20miles from where I lived, to the sticks has put my premium up because they are no longer garaged, but kept in my hallway.

Apparently, the vestibule in your home are not considered to be as safe as a garage 20 miles away. I sleep through the wall from them; they have never been so safe.

what is the definition of a garage anyway?

To me my bathroom is where I have a bath and a toilet.

A kitchen is where I cook, and my garage is where I keep my bikes! Not in their eyes.

Any excuse to take money off you.

Are there any firms which consider your bike in your home to be secure?

Time for the pub!

 

[239desmo]

Not being smart, but did you complain?
I don't mean just grumble actually complain?
There is a very comprehensive complaints procedure and if, for instance...cough..you felt that a £50 admin charge to process a change of address was unreasonable then you should write to the firm heading the letter "complaint" and say why you you are not happy and you feel this charge is excessive. (if that is what you think)
Firm have 5 days to acknowledge and 4 weeks usually to finalise. If you are unhappy with their decision then you have the right to take the complaint after their final decision to the Ombudsman.
Now if it was me that was writing I would probably mention casually in your letter that if you do not receive a satisfactory outcome it is your intention to take it to the Ombudsman.
That wee sentence tends to focus the attention.
Drop me a pm if you want any more info.

PS just realised from your earlier posts that we may have communicated in another world just before you headed North. If so glad you made it along and put some faces to names.

 

[mike s]

They can be a bugger these admin fees and the like.
Check your paperwork re those, it should state that an admin fee is chargeable, I have had a few bikes at any one time for a while and if I sell one, the policy is not far from renewal and i'm not replacing it with another I don't bother changing the policy, it's not worthwhile, as you still get walloped with an admin fee for removing a bike.
Sadly to you and me, keeping a bike in the house makes more security sense, to insurers, it's not a purpose built place intended to store vehicles, to most, a garage by definition has to be a brick built structure with securable doors, some take into account extra ground anchors garage security devices etc.
I have to make a point every year of my big shed being a metal garage, secured to a concrete floor to ensure that's how it's listed on the docs.

One other thing to bear in mind, keeping bikes in the house may pose a problem for your house insurance, fuel tanks, chemicals, (oil / antifreeze etc), you may want to check with them?
Overall a £5 increase for not having them garaged really doesn't sound bad depending on the pro rata preiod it's for.

 

[baldy1963]

I'm insured with Carol Nash. I told their very helpful telephone person that I wanted to keep my Daisy in the conservatory over the winter but in the garage during the riding season. My policy now states that she's 'kept overnight in a locked building'. Daisy that is, not Carol.

 

[Guido]

Insurance companies are the only institution that appear totally outside the control of............law, the government, the european court, the police, OFSTED, FSA bla, bla, bla.

They just seem to think up clauses, scams, rules, fees, rates, charges, cop-outs etc and get away with complete trading inconsistencies in ways any 'normal' companies would just be hauled over the coals for. It's bizarre that this can go on.

Bemused.com

 

[miloVanMultistrada]

Insurance companies are the only institution that appear totally outside the control of............law, the government, the european court, the police, OFSTED, FSA bla, bla, bla.

They just seem to think up clauses, scams, rules, fees, rates, charges, cop-outs etc and get away with complete trading inconsistencies in ways any 'normal' companies would just be hauled over the coals for. It's bizarre that this can go on.

Bemused.com

There is a reason why the banking and insurance industries require their own specialist (toothless) regulators and legislation...

Two years ago I was taking a fairly expensive lens that I'd hired on a bike trip to Europe. I was thinking I could be at risk of theft, having travelled with someone who got their iPhone nicked from a cafe table in broad daylight so I looked into insurance options. Found someone who specialised in doing insurance for photgraphers... "ah ha, the very thing" I thought. "And look, they have a European travel cover option". The policy was quite pricey, so before I plonked down my dosh I thought I'd better have a look over the fine print.

Basically, they would only pay out if your gear was inside the (separate) locked boot of a car...

Camera stolen while in the cafe table? No dice.
Taken from a bag on the bag of my bike while I was paying for petrol? No money for you.
Foolishly left out of sight in a hatchback car that didn't have a physically separate boot? Unlucky.