ERNIE

[UltraWomble]

This months Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment is brought to you by Kwik Fit

 

Renewal notice £263.41

 

Same quote from the same company through Compare Meerkats.com 

 

£121.97

 

So Ive asked them via the medium of Twatter if the YTS trainee picks numbers out of a hat or if they actually have a specific piece of equipment that generates these random numbers

[Bren]

They are hoping utter apathy kicks in and you renew without question.

 

Tell them to go piss up a rope.

[Richard]

Kwikfit was my cheapest quote from Compare the Market but when I clicked through and corrected a couple of details (telling them I'd had my licence for a couple more years than they thought) the premium magically doubled. Shitehawks.

[seacow]

You will find if you try and buy through meerkat they might not honour as you are existing customer. Bloody farce. Montego was the only policy I have kept with same insurer

[jakebullet]

No milk carts. I iz dissapoint.

[mercrocker]

No double act with Angela Rippon's legs either....

[red5]

[lisbon_road]

My insurance with igo4 £140.  Change car on that policy to an identical spec car, just a different one, £275.

 

And you wonder why people ring cars??????? 

[hennabm]

Swinton - direct renewal through them last year with a company called Phoenix = £190 quote - reduced to £140 after negotiation.

 

On the compare site - £99 and it turns out it is using the same insurer but a different broker WTF.

 

Guess where my "loyalty" lays?????

[xtriple]

Once upon a time (in a land far, far away!) insurance companies were (relatively) honorable entities that really liked customer loyalty and in the main, were respected for their ethical behaviour.

 

That has changed somewhat!

 

Now it's all about scalping the customer for the largest amount possible. The first year premium is low so they can 'draw you in' and they take the chance that when your renewal comes through, you will just go with it, after all, they were the cheapest by far last year so it stands to reason (in an ethical and fair world) that they will be again... or so they hope the average punter thinks! Of course, they actually charge you SHITLOADS because they can.

 

Also, they charge for any change like a wounded rhino... because they can and they've already got your money, so what you gonna do about it eh? If you cancel, you stand to lose x months of no claims (if you trying to build it up) and they charge you for cancelling anyway, so they have you all hands up.

 

Many moons ago I was insured by Churchill (pre internet and easy searches) and stayed with them for 9 years on the trot and was always pleased with them. Every year they'd send the renewal, every year I'd ring one or two brokers out of the yellow pages and then ring them, tell them I could get it loads cheaper and the price would come down as I was a valued customer. It rarely got to the level of the cheapest quote, but close enough for me to be happy to stay with them as I liked them (oh the stupidity of youth!). Then one year they were HUNDREDS away on renewal. I went through the usual routine and they refused point blank to move on the price.

 

I've never been back to them, never even used them for a quote. So over the last fifteen years, how many thousands of pounds have they lost from one 'valued' customer? But of course, they don't care as they are all chasing 'new business'.

 

That's why Admiral, Elephant (and another who I can't recall) all exist as they are all the same company (they also own Go compare or confused .com) so that each year, their own internal opposition is cheaper and they get your business year on year with you just arseing about swapping between the three!

 

I hate insurance companies.

 

Buy the cheapest you can (unless you're loaded then go with the best/most ethical) as they are all arseholes when it comes to paying out, robbing you for any and all changes and trying to wriggle out of claims for the smallest infringement in the  millions of legalise words in small print.

[EssDeeWon]

Last July I was tempted by a 2001 Rover 75 V6 Connie, the quote came out at £250 fully comp, Great.

 

Come November I finally buy one, same make/model/age/value etc etc and I haven't moved house yet the quotes were all £400 plus! So a £150 increase in 5 months.

 

Dreading the renewal of £800 come next November for a car most insurance companies probably value at about £1.

[vulgalour]

Try jumping from £650 to £1300 because of a change of address.  Identical policy now is £450, but it cost me 6 months NCB and I had to cancel the policy I had.

 

The problem isn't entirely the insurers, there is a very real problem with false and exaggerated personal injury claims which are incredibly difficult to legislate fairly.  A good friend of mine works on the programming of the insurance company calculators and he says its a nightmare at the moment.  What was once a fairly straightforward thing with a good amount of controllable variables meaning fair prices could be passed on to customer is now an absolute shitstorm of kittens and string.

 

 

I think the best bet is buy the cheapest policy you can and hope to fuck you never need to make a claim.  The sort of cars the majority of us drive would be written off for a bumper scuff anyway, wouldn't be returned to us by the authorities if stolen and probably cost more to insure annually than they're actually worth.

 

We can probably all agree the only reason we really have insurance is because the law says we have to, not because any of us believe it will actually protect us in any way, let alone replace a damaged car while it's being repaired or offer a decent enough pay out to replace a written off car.

[EssDeeWon]

Spot on that Vulg

[Bobthebeard]

Agreed! ^

Often wonder if agreed valuation insurance is worth doing. The Prelude costs £140 fully comp, but only 'market value'. As in the insurers will pull some spurious value off a spurious database of £F....All In the event of a claim.

[Jim Bell]

Rover 25 gti Policy price - £600 with current provider.

Renewal price, now with 1 years no claims added - £840.

Rang them up. Why has my insurance gone up?  They dont know.

 

GoCompare with Br1an brings up £414 with new provider AND I get a Br1an toy robot.

 

 

Verdict: Current Provider can stick their presumed apathy right up their renewal pipe.

[Rocket88]

Fiat Siecento......................Saga.................£79.   BECOS 1 R AULD

[crapcarcollector]

I use LV, was with Santander got years (apathy, I know, I know) switched to LV because of attempted bum rape and down £250 to £440, renewal came through a couple of weeks ago £340, so LV seem honest enough in my book. Granted I can get cheaper but cheaper ain't always better.

[Andrew353w]

Rover 25 gti Policy price - £600 with Tesco.

Renewal price, now with 1 years no claims added - £840.

 

GoCompare with Br1an brings up £414 with Zenith AND I get a Br1an toy robot.

 

 

Verdict: Tescos can stick their presumed apathy right up their renewal pipe.

 

As it's a Tesco insurance policy, couldn't you agree to "postpone payment" until you felt like paying? When they query this, just tell them you're doing to them what they do to their suppliers......

 

I tried this at my local "Tesco Local" this afternoon when attempting to "postpone payment" on a bottle of red wine... They'd already heard it several times today!

[RayMK]

Rover 25 gti Policy price - £600 with Tesco.

Renewal price, now with 1 years no claims added - £840.

Rang them up. Why has my insurance gone up?  They dont know.

 

GoCompare with Br1an brings up £414 with Zenith AND I get a Br1an toy robot.

 

 

Verdict: Tescos can stick their presumed apathy right up their renewal pipe.

About 6 years ago my son was seduced by a beautiful automatic Celica at a local dealer's showroom, a grey import via Northern Ireland, complete with a 'funny' registration number.  He was with Tesco at the time and asked for a quote for the Celica before deciding to buy it.  Tesco said £450.  My son said "Are you sure? It's an import. I thought they were more expensive to insure."   The Tesco person re-checked and said "No, it's coming through at £450.  Would you like to go ahead?"    The answer was yes, the dealer was told, and my son had an extremely nice car for three years - until some dick wiped their bumper down the rear nearside panels when he left it in a car park.  It was too severe to attempt a filler and rattle can repair, so Tesco was contacted and they asked for the car to be taken to their preferred bodyshop for assessment.  Next, Tesco phoned to say the car had non-standard alloys and would not proceed with repair until the 'undeclared modification' insurance increase had been paid.  My son queried this.  The alloys were the same size and had the same tyre size as standard - he did not know they were non-standard.  Further checking showed standard alloys cost much more to replace than the ones fitted.  Tesco fumbled.  A day later Tesco phoned.  "Your car is an import" they said.......you owe us £700 in back premiums to cover the years incorrectly insured.  This was so annoying that we sought legal advice, but were advised that our case was too weak and only the solicitors would benefit.  Still fuming, my son sold the car as damaged for enough to pay the back premiums (no claims were made in the previous years).  We both vowed never to use Tesco insurance again, or their supermarkets (unless very hungry and no other choice).  Our lack of custom has since caused their near collapse.  Good! 

[brickwall]

The meerkat thing is great as you can sell the meerkat on ebay. I made about £16 each three times

[EssDeeWon]

The meerkat thing is great as you can sell the meerkat on ebay. I made about £16 each three times

 

Ball Ox I never bothered claiming the Meerkat - Assuming at the time I would just receive one (like they say you will), then discovered I had to apply for it.

[UltraWomble]

Think I have agreed to buy this as a WBOD

I like my Cits OK?

Anyway ran the quote through Brian the robot and FC is £245 with the co-op

Meerkats want £240 through HAstings ( but their excess is ££££Kerching!)

[chaseracer]

Does the 'ring sticker say "Neverbeen"...? 

[jakebullet]

The other thing that annoys is how they don't tell you things. Just re-insured the house. Quote from meercats was a good price, but stand first £500 of any claim. On the insurers buy now page I click that I want to make a change, put £100 excess instead of £500 and the price it quotes is exactly the same.

[UltraWomble]

Does the 'ring sticker say "Neverbeen"...? 

Yes, its Richards.

[Craig the Princess]

We can probably all agree the only reason we really have insurance is because the law says we have to, not because any of us believe it will actually protect us in any way, let alone replace a damaged car while it's being repaired or offer a decent enough pay out to replace a written off car.

There is also the benefit of third party cover should you plough into a school bus of child nuns and their kittens. The whole system is rotten however from insurance companies arguing every penny with their customers but accepting liability far to readily even if you contest to claims management companies pushing expensive lease hire cars etc.

 

Third party insurance on fuel please, then everyone has it and you pay for any extra coverage. See how hard the bastards work then.

[gadgetgricey]

Insurance wise, always get quotes from confused meerkat etc, but then go through quidco to the Insurer of choice. Normally get at least £30 back per policy on top of reduced premium. Due I'm due £130 back in a couple of months from the two cars and house Insurance renewal.

 

One of the weirdest things happened to me a couple of months ago when I thought the heater matrix had failed on my Xantia. I believe its a pig of a job, so was looking for a cheap replacement car to use while I fixed mine, Found an exact copy of mine (apart from being a different colour) , so went online assuming it would be a free swap. 

 

When I was asked to pay an additional £230 for the 11 months remaining on the policy to change, I rang them up.  Asked why the exact same car/model/year was costing a further £230 when the yearly policy was only £270??

 

Lady I spoke to could not give an answer, but we figured it out in the end.

 

Insurance companies are adding more if you have only just purchased the car, Its a different car to the one you have been driving, so you obvioulsy dont know how to drive it... I assume they think the clutch pedals are in different positions.

 

Out a curiousty did a quote for the same new car again, but said I'd owned it for three years, and it turned into a straight swap.

 

Insurance companies - What a bunch of robbing gits.

 

 

[UltraWomble]

Swinton - Jesus Wept - 

 

 

 

£38.28

An advance payment of £38.28 and 11 monthly payments of £38.28. 
Total amount payable £459.41 
The amounts shown are after any discount allowed and include Insurance Premium Tax.

 

Fuck I - my missus doesnt pay that on the C8 and she has the equiv of taxi driver liability insurance as she carries other peoples children

 

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

About 6 years ago my son was seduced by a beautiful automatic Celica at a local dealer's showroom, a grey import via Northern Ireland, complete with a 'funny' registration number.  He was with Tesco at the time and asked for a quote for the Celica before deciding to buy it.  Tesco said £450.  My son said "Are you sure? It's an import. I thought they were more expensive to insure."   The Tesco person re-checked and said "No, it's coming through at £450.  Would you like to go ahead?"    The answer was yes, the dealer was told, and my son had an extremely nice car for three years - until some dick wiped their bumper down the rear nearside panels when he left it in a car park.  It was too severe to attempt a filler and rattle can repair, so Tesco was contacted and they asked for the car to be taken to their preferred bodyshop for assessment.  Next, Tesco phoned to say the car had non-standard alloys and would not proceed with repair until the 'undeclared modification' insurance increase had been paid.  My son queried this.  The alloys were the same size and had the same tyre size as standard - he did not know they were non-standard.  Further checking showed standard alloys cost much more to replace than the ones fitted.  Tesco fumbled.  A day later Tesco phoned.  "Your car is an import" they said.......you owe us £700 in back premiums to cover the years incorrectly insured.  This was so annoying that we sought legal advice, but were advised that our case was too weak and only the solicitors would benefit.  Still fuming, my son sold the car as damaged for enough to pay the back premiums (no claims were made in the previous years).  We both vowed never to use Tesco insurance again, or their supermarkets (unless very hungry and no other choice).  Our lack of custom has since caused their near collapse.  Good! 

Get EVERYTHING in writing! 

[PiperCub]

Got a couple of Carole Nash ag/value compo policies for the GTi & the MX5 keepers, both last year about £180 each (limited miles etc). Seem pretty fair so far, the 205 one was less than the previous year too by about £15.

 

The daily hack (406 dizzle) is with Admiral - been with them for a few years as still have a multicar with them, again pretty cheap (can't recall what I paid last year) but they do slightly try it on at renewal so I call them up and explain what a great customer I am and how faithful I've been to them and they always drop. So worth a try, if they don't want to play ball, as others have said, bye bye, and move on, lots of fish in the sea and all clamouring to cherry-pick the same 'Safe' business.