Insurance Ineptitude
Discussion
This is a bit of a rant, probably a bit of a poor one by PH standards and will thus score badly on the rant-o-meter. Think of it as training for a good rant later! (Note lack of swearing, I've been ordered to cut down)
For the last 6 weeks I have been trying to get a letter out of my last car insurer complying with the following requirements:
Be on company headed paper
State my name and the policies I've held
State the duration of those policies
State any at-fault accidents I've had in those periods.
Pretty simple right? (2 policies, split by a year with no at-faults in fact)
I need this because I've moved to British Columbia where UK NCB is not honoured as it can be protected and thus hide dodgy drivers - fair enough I think, and I explained this in my letters and phone calls. THIS IS NOT ABOUT NCB, PLEASE JUST CONFIRM THE ABOVE INFORMATION.
I have written to my insurer, called them several times and have eventually recieved a letter from them - signed my the UK MD no less however there's a catch. If there wasn't this would be a rant would it? The letter states that:
"SirTainly has held his current policy for the last 3 years and has 7 years protected NCB"
ARRRRRRGGHHHH - this is useless as anything but a firelighter or toilet paper!!!!!
Apparently they don't include the first policy because "it's all covered by the NCB when I started the second". Holy Cow! What part of "THIS IS NOT ABOUT NCB" is difficult to understand????
I going nuts here, insurance in BC is hugely expensive by UK standards and without the letter stating things exactly as asked my entire driving history is discounted and I go back to being a new driver, which means premiums of £1500-3000!!! Given insurance is done here on driver history and less on your engine size I'm going ripped a new one whether I buy a V8 or a VW.
Not a happy chappy!!!
Rant over, please resume normal programming.
For the last 6 weeks I have been trying to get a letter out of my last car insurer complying with the following requirements:
Be on company headed paper
State my name and the policies I've held
State the duration of those policies
State any at-fault accidents I've had in those periods.
Pretty simple right? (2 policies, split by a year with no at-faults in fact)
I need this because I've moved to British Columbia where UK NCB is not honoured as it can be protected and thus hide dodgy drivers - fair enough I think, and I explained this in my letters and phone calls. THIS IS NOT ABOUT NCB, PLEASE JUST CONFIRM THE ABOVE INFORMATION.
I have written to my insurer, called them several times and have eventually recieved a letter from them - signed my the UK MD no less however there's a catch. If there wasn't this would be a rant would it? The letter states that:
"SirTainly has held his current policy for the last 3 years and has 7 years protected NCB"
ARRRRRRGGHHHH - this is useless as anything but a firelighter or toilet paper!!!!!
Apparently they don't include the first policy because "it's all covered by the NCB when I started the second". Holy Cow! What part of "THIS IS NOT ABOUT NCB" is difficult to understand????
I going nuts here, insurance in BC is hugely expensive by UK standards and without the letter stating things exactly as asked my entire driving history is discounted and I go back to being a new driver, which means premiums of £1500-3000!!! Given insurance is done here on driver history and less on your engine size I'm going ripped a new one whether I buy a V8 or a VW.
Not a happy chappy!!!
Rant over, please resume normal programming.
Edited by SirTainly on Tuesday 13th July 00:22
The whole insurance quoting system is inept.
I recently took out a policy with Sky insurance, who were more interested in the cars I had previously owned than how many cars were in my household. Makes sense that when I'm trying to insure an MR2, the fact that I've driven a RWD E36 for a year makes me less of a risk than someone who's never driven anything more than 1.0 corsa, but whether my family has 2 or 4 cars doesn't affect me as a liability. However, only one of these facts is taken into consideration into an insurance quote.
I recently took out a policy with Sky insurance, who were more interested in the cars I had previously owned than how many cars were in my household. Makes sense that when I'm trying to insure an MR2, the fact that I've driven a RWD E36 for a year makes me less of a risk than someone who's never driven anything more than 1.0 corsa, but whether my family has 2 or 4 cars doesn't affect me as a liability. However, only one of these facts is taken into consideration into an insurance quote.
Daft question, is that price to insure the car or just you ? In Norway we just insure the car, not individuals. If this is the case and there's two of you using the car, should be OK.
Oh, and learn to drive in *real* winter conditions. I kept a spare pair of underpants in the car for my first winter.
Oh, and learn to drive in *real* winter conditions. I kept a spare pair of underpants in the car for my first winter.
I think the OP is going to have to work hard to get a good deal. You would expect in this day an age there to be a international database of drivers, that way you could go abroad and organise insurance a lot easier and it would be easier to find out if foreigners have insurance etc.
Carpie said:
The whole insurance quoting system is inept.
but whether my family has 2 or 4 cars doesn't affect me as a liability. However, only one of these facts is taken into consideration into an insurance quote.
true the system is strange at times but the reason they ask about other cars in the household is becuase your car maybe a higher risk if it is the only car on the drive. If you consider there is the chance that 3 cars are parked on a drive then only 1 can be driven away. Similarly having multiple cars in a household is good for house insurance to as it may appear more people live in the house or that someone is at home due to spare cars being left on the drive. but whether my family has 2 or 4 cars doesn't affect me as a liability. However, only one of these facts is taken into consideration into an insurance quote.
The price is just to insure me, not the car, so yes it's pricey. No need to worry about winter, Vancouver is much the same as the UK, so just take the bus on the 2 days when it snows!
Good idea sending them the letter, although I have no way of doing this electronically since they don't provide an email address. I've sent them another letter already, straight to the MD this time as his name was on the last one, and while it probably won't get beyond his secretary, she at least might be able to get it sorted.
Not really much work to be done with insurance, as there's little competition here. The provincial government forces everyone to take basic insurance with their company (essentially 3rd party NOT including fire and theft) which is about £1000 on it's own for new drivers. If you want extra coverage then you can go to any provider, but you're already a big chunk of cash down.
Good idea sending them the letter, although I have no way of doing this electronically since they don't provide an email address. I've sent them another letter already, straight to the MD this time as his name was on the last one, and while it probably won't get beyond his secretary, she at least might be able to get it sorted.
Not really much work to be done with insurance, as there's little competition here. The provincial government forces everyone to take basic insurance with their company (essentially 3rd party NOT including fire and theft) which is about £1000 on it's own for new drivers. If you want extra coverage then you can go to any provider, but you're already a big chunk of cash down.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff