And now for the latest scam!

[phil d]

Just read an article stating that some insurers may invalidate your insurance if you have an accident during lockdown as, with a few limitations you shouldn't be using your vehicle anyway!

What a joke, but typical of the way insurance companies work, you can imagine it can't you, you have a minor bump in which you cause a couple of hundred quids worth of damage to some scruffy old Astra and they'll pay out no problem, on the other hand you collide with a Ferrari and write it off and you can see it now. 'yes sir, but was it really necessary for you to go out, the fact the little old lady had sat in the dark for a week becasue she couldn't change the lamp in her lounge light is hardly an emergency is it'.

You have to wonder how they would react given the fact that most of us have probably used our vehicles less this year, it was suggested they give us a rebate, after all they keep telling us that higher mileage equalls greater risk and therefore higher premiums. Somehow I can see there being more chance of the EU agreeing to all our terms for a trade deal, the Covid thing being exposed as a worldwide hoax, and hell freezing over before that happened.

 

[binky]

thought that was a hoax article, but I wouldn't put it past insurance companies to try and wiggle out of paying any claim.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Just read an article stating that some insurers may invalidate your insurance if you have an accident during lockdown as, with a few limitations you shouldn't be using your vehicle anyway!

Well that is clearly tosh for the majority of people as the types of business that have been told to close is actually quite small...

People have again been been told to work from home "if possible"..

But it is only a small select group of office-desk-type workers who generally have this option..

The bulk of manufacturing industry is still functioning..

Loads of self employed are still able to work..

It is mostly hospitality / entertainment / non-essential retail  etc.. that are not operating as normal..

BUT..

even some people working in these environments still have to attend buildings to carry out routine security checks maintenance etc..

AS.. the business insurance for the building and/or its contents can end up being compromised if left unattended for weeks on end..

AND.. everyone has to feed themselves.. and any pets they own..

i.e. go shopping for essentials..

AND..  help look after other vulnerable members of their family..  

So I would like to know how anyone can prove your journey was not essential...

I would like to see an actual reported case where this has genuinely happened!

:C  

 

[Andy™]

going to work was never banned. advice was work from home if you can but if you cant then you can go to work. even places which are closed to public can still have staff going in to work. type of only work allowed was also never specified, neither was 'its emergency work only'

and as for mileage, jsut have van MOT'd last week... done 5k miles more this year than average.... wonder if insurance will be coming for additional payment?!

 

[Murdoch]

One of my ongoing jobs is a kitchen refit. Kev the fitter is deliberately working slowly and taking days off so he can claim the SEISS. 
 

Judging by how often his phone is ringing he could be working 7 days a week

 

[Sharpend]

One of my ongoing jobs is a kitchen refit. Kev the fitter is deliberately working slowly and taking days off so he can claim the SEISS. 
 

Judging by how often his phone is ringing he could be working 7 days a week

tell Kev to have a full week off and you’ll bill him for your time to complete his job-should equate to his Seiss payment!! 

 

[phil d]

This is the trouble, who exactly defines what is important or neccessary, I feel a lot of people will use the current situation to make some form of gain from it. Insurance companies have always been the worst offenders, but then again a lot of it is down to the law which says you must have insurance on your vehicle and since there is only them who does it they can more or less do what they want. Other countries have what the call 'brown paper bag' insurance run by the government, basically it just covers your third party liability.

It amazes me how they can class almost any alteration as an excuse to load your premium, I remember once when I had a Landrover Discovery and I had done loads of mods to it, not performance mods but safety ones, the best way to explain it was think of a police rangerover, but with the lights amber instead of blue, apart from that it was identical, all the retroreflective stripes, a battenburg rear end, the lot.

Anyway the insurance asks the question about mods, change of wheels, stereo, etc, anything that may affect the vehicle performance wise, I answered no so they said it wouldn't increase the premium, I then listed all the safety features and asked if having them would cause my premium to be lowered, no it wouldn't, they were only bothered about things they could use to increase the premium.

The interesting one would be if you were hit by a motorist who was paying his insurance and therefore believed he was insured only to find out that for whatever reason his company were not going to pay out. I could imagine the injured party would have a field day taking the actual insurance company to court.

 

[Rob.]

My car insurer in the USA gave me and all of its members quite a substantial rebate on car insurance due to less usage. 

My car insurance in the UK tried again to increase my premium with an automatic renewal. 

 

[NozSpark]

My car insurer in the USA gave me and all of its members quite a substantial rebate on car insurance due to less usage. 

My car insurance in the UK tried again to increase my premium with an automatic renewal. 

I got a £25 rebate off Admiral

 

[OnOff]

Got a rebate from Admiral too. 

 

[Sharpend]

Directline offered a rebate only I haven’t really done any less mileage. 

 

[UNG]

I got told by my insurer that due to people volunteering to help out that they would give everyone insured with them business cover, can't help thinking I got short changed as I pay for it anyway

 

[Andy™]

I got told by my insurer that due to people volunteering to help out that they would give everyone insured with them business cover, can't help thinking I got short changed as I pay for it anyway

my car is also insured for business use. there was no additional cost

 

[Murdoch]

Got a rebate from Admiral too. 

The misses and my son got rebates from Admiral and now as the misses is a key worker she gets replacement car FOC too

Don't think my van insurers offered any discount

 

[OnOff]

The misses and my son got rebates from Admiral and now as the misses is a key worker she gets replacement car FOC too

Don't think my van insurers offered any discount

Wonder if I could get a replacement car? The company have designated us key workers and given us all letters to show if stopped. This on the basis we work in fire/police stations, hospitals etc as subbies.

 

[Evans Electric]

and I had done loads of mods to it, not performance mods but safety ones, the best way to explain it was think of a police rangerover, but with the lights amber instead of blue, apart from that it was identical, all the retroreflective stripes, a battenburg rear end, the lot.

Any alteration to a vehicle these days  throws the insurers into a panic of charging extra .      

Don't forget we are motorists ..... we are here to ripped off  by the insurers & milked by the government . 

I tackled them once  about the rising cost of insuring my van .      I used to have ex BT  Escort vans  , 1800 Diesel  ,  0 ---60  in half an hour ,  last forever engine but rust buckets .

Our car then was a fast 1600 Escort injection saloon with a spoiler on the back ,   0----60 in 30Ms .

The van was costing more than the saloon , I challenged them .    "  Well you drive around a big city "     Well I do that in the car too but cheaper .   " Well you go onto building sites "    No I don't  they don't let you   .   "Well you are carrying goods & tools "    Yes but you don't insure those .    "  Well we have your wife as a driver of the car  which makes it cheaper "  

They also ask  , is it liveried ,?    Is it racked out ?    Why would that make a difference .  

Where is the logic ?     Couple of years ago I went onto  the compare site &  immediately  saved £200  over both vehicles .    

 

[Geoff1946]

There is no logic. Just simplistic rules.  When I was doing my semi-retirement maintenance job I swapped my 2.5 litre Volvo estate for an ex-BT diesel Fiesta van. -  Identical use.

When I told my insurance, expecting a refund,  the price went UP!  Reason ?  "It's a van". 

I also had difficulty getting the 3rd party cover bit to occasionally drive other vehicles.  Reason?  "Van policies don't have that".

What really riles me are the driver limitations. I have family in France who can't be on my car insurance because they don't live in UK. I could buy specific short periods for them but the price is excessive.

When we go to France we can drive any of their vehicles, including my son's works van, and for that matter drive them here  if they bring them over.   The policy prices are of the same order as ours.

 

[UNG]

What really riles me are the driver limitations. I have family in France who can't be on my car insurance because they don't live in UK. I could buy specific short periods for them but the price is excessive.

When we go to France we can drive any of their vehicles, including my son's works van, and for that matter drive them here  if they bring them over.   The policy prices are of the same order as ours.

A mate of mine lives in Tenerife he has a couple vehicles over there one of them is an Aston Martin DB7 vantage volante with a 6 litre engine costs him about 600 Euros a year fully comp for insurance for any driver over 28 with a clean licence. Out there they seem to insure the car not the driver