Windscreens, Are you SURE you're covered in Europe?
Discussion
Just had a bit of an insurance nightmare in Europe...
Hit a pheasant at 130 (or thereabouts
) in France and it completely destroyed my windscreen...
Long story, cut short, tried to claim and told "only have 3rd party cover in Europe - I will have to pay for the windscreen repair in full" - even if I return to the UK and claim there, as it happened in France!!! After about 4 hours of phone calls to 0844 numbers from France (I shudder to think what my next mobile bill will be like) I eventually managed to speak to the one person who seemed to care at Halifax - or should that be Minster Solicitors? Or Aviva Insurance? Or Budget insurance? or Autoglass UK? All these parties seem to be involved in my car insurance that I thought I bought from Halifax!!! Finally it was confirmed that I was covered (as I had made very clear I needed to be when getting the quote in the first place), but only several hours after everyone who fitted glass in France was in the pub!
So, moral of the story is, please check the small print on your policy, before taking your p&j abroad, as I was told that most companies that say they include European cover when you buy fully comp. insurance, actually only cover you 3rd party outside the UK!!! (If your car is on a secured finance agreement, you will find you are also in breach of contract with them if you take it abroad without fully comprehensive insurance).
Hope this helps someone else avoid the hassle I went through on Wednesday (and lost 600 EUROS worth of work, sitting in a car park in Dunkirk, waiting for an windscreen repairer who was never going to arrive - as he hadn't even been called, once they discovered I wasn't insured!
Edited to put the 00EUROS where they were meant to be - not in the title!!! Oops (anyone know how to edit a thread title?)
Hit a pheasant at 130 (or thereabouts
) in France and it completely destroyed my windscreen...Long story, cut short, tried to claim and told "only have 3rd party cover in Europe - I will have to pay for the windscreen repair in full" - even if I return to the UK and claim there, as it happened in France!!! After about 4 hours of phone calls to 0844 numbers from France (I shudder to think what my next mobile bill will be like) I eventually managed to speak to the one person who seemed to care at Halifax - or should that be Minster Solicitors? Or Aviva Insurance? Or Budget insurance? or Autoglass UK? All these parties seem to be involved in my car insurance that I thought I bought from Halifax!!! Finally it was confirmed that I was covered (as I had made very clear I needed to be when getting the quote in the first place), but only several hours after everyone who fitted glass in France was in the pub!
So, moral of the story is, please check the small print on your policy, before taking your p&j abroad, as I was told that most companies that say they include European cover when you buy fully comp. insurance, actually only cover you 3rd party outside the UK!!! (If your car is on a secured finance agreement, you will find you are also in breach of contract with them if you take it abroad without fully comprehensive insurance).
Hope this helps someone else avoid the hassle I went through on Wednesday (and lost 600 EUROS worth of work, sitting in a car park in Dunkirk, waiting for an windscreen repairer who was never going to arrive - as he hadn't even been called, once they discovered I wasn't insured!
Edited to put the 00EUROS where they were meant to be - not in the title!!! Oops (anyone know how to edit a thread title?)
Edited by kVA on Friday 30th March 01:11
Tip - www.saynoto0870.com - get numbers for anywhere you might need before leaving to help with that phone bill. Some companies provide geographical numbers for calling outside of the UK too.
Could you not just have driven it back to the UK with the broken window or kicked the window out and driven back with some ski googles on. Got to Dover and phoned your insurance company and gone "Someones just stolen my windscreen!!" or "Bloody pheasant just flew out of the hedge and smashed my windscreen!" ?
kVA said:
All these parties seem to be involved in my car insurance that I thought I bought from Halifax!!!
Halifax, Direct Line, Sainsburys insurance etc., are all the same people, operating in the same disgraceful way.I wouldn’t buy another policy from them, if you put a gun to my head!
As Soovy once put it on here, there’s no point buying an insurance policy on price, if the service isn’t there when you need to claim.
I have been with Tesco Insurance for years now.
Last year I called to inform on a trip to Spain and the automated 'system option 3' told me that I no longer needed to inform them of foreign trips.
I made sure by selecting customer services.
I have since called and checked again and again informed that I have fully comp when abroad and no need to inform on travel dates.
Last year I called to inform on a trip to Spain and the automated 'system option 3' told me that I no longer needed to inform them of foreign trips.
I made sure by selecting customer services.
I have since called and checked again and again informed that I have fully comp when abroad and no need to inform on travel dates.
Toaster Pilot said:
Tip - www.saynoto0870.com - get numbers for anywhere you might need....
I use this ALOT. however, a few companies are getting wise to it.Thanks guys, but I should have made it clearer that I asked about cover abroad specifically and was told I had 60 days full EU cover. The paperwork I had with me (the Schedule, the Statement and the Certificate - i.e. everything except the full policy wording, which is about the size of a small novel) made no mention of the cover being different for those 60 days. Also, as someone said above ALL policies cover you 3rd part abroad anyway, so the 60 days inclusive, by definition would be more cover than the minimum legal requirement.
The problem was that Halifax don't seem to have identified to the other parties (Budget, Minster Law, Aviva and Autoglass) that this is included - and as these are the only people that deal with your claim (Halifax are just sales agents and play no part in the claims process), they will tell you that you are not covered and will leave you stranded!!!
The hours of phone calls were all about getting the Halifax to tell these people that their policy DOES include 60 days fully comp (inc. glass) in Europe...
Just be warned...
PS. Once you've phoned from abroad, they will NOT pay out if you return to the UK and then try again. If you don't think you have fully comp cover abroad, don't even think of claiming on your insurance if there is no other car/person involved (and therefore no 3rd party aspect to the claim).
The problem was that Halifax don't seem to have identified to the other parties (Budget, Minster Law, Aviva and Autoglass) that this is included - and as these are the only people that deal with your claim (Halifax are just sales agents and play no part in the claims process), they will tell you that you are not covered and will leave you stranded!!!
The hours of phone calls were all about getting the Halifax to tell these people that their policy DOES include 60 days fully comp (inc. glass) in Europe...
Just be warned...
PS. Once you've phoned from abroad, they will NOT pay out if you return to the UK and then try again. If you don't think you have fully comp cover abroad, don't even think of claiming on your insurance if there is no other car/person involved (and therefore no 3rd party aspect to the claim).
DJRC said:
So sue them when back in the UK. If you were fully covered, all legal and nice and this cost you money, etc, then pursue them for the lost dosh.
As much as I disagree with suing people, I do agree in this case. I doubt the OP will get far in terms of loss of earnings but certainly should be able to get costs back.I hope it won't be necessary to actually 'sue' them, but I will not be expecting to pay the £75 excess, when I get my screen replaced on Monday (earliest I can get it done)!!! Probably still won't even cover the phone bill, but £75 now is better than nothing at all if they don't cough up later.
I'm also not into this culture of claiming for stress and all that stuff: Although, it wasn't a very relaxing experience when the local low life were circling around my car like sharks, hoping I was going to lock it up and leave it and its contents for them to pick over during the night!!!
Just got to hope Autoglass don't scratch the paintwork now - that was finally completed satisfactorily less than 24 hours before this incident!!!! Really, really don't want to have to go through that saga all over again!!!
I'm also not into this culture of claiming for stress and all that stuff: Although, it wasn't a very relaxing experience when the local low life were circling around my car like sharks, hoping I was going to lock it up and leave it and its contents for them to pick over during the night!!!
Just got to hope Autoglass don't scratch the paintwork now - that was finally completed satisfactorily less than 24 hours before this incident!!!! Really, really don't want to have to go through that saga all over again!!!
Lordbenny said:
I use this ALOT. however, a few companies are getting wise to it.
The ticket master number is a gem... Bypass the switchboard, (and the queue), completely, and get to talk to someone immediately (at least in my experience). I always find it funny how there is no one available on the main number, but they always pick up on that one. 
AndrewW-G said:
Halifax, Direct Line, Sainsburys insurance etc., are all the same people, operating in the same disgraceful way.
I wouldn’t buy another policy from them, if you put a gun to my head!
As Soovy once put it on here, there’s no point buying an insurance policy on price, if the service isn’t there when you need to claim.
Halifax used to be an ESure brand, but they act essentially as a broker, I'm insured with Halifax but underwritten by Zenith.I wouldn’t buy another policy from them, if you put a gun to my head!
As Soovy once put it on here, there’s no point buying an insurance policy on price, if the service isn’t there when you need to claim.
Direct Line, Sainsburys, Churchill, Prudential, Privelage, NIG are the same company (there are more, but I don't want to bore you!).
You can't really tar the lot of them with the same brush. Customer service in every call centre has advisors who don't live up to customer service expectations, when you operate on a large scale.
OP: Definitely raise a complaint, submit your phone bill, you probably won't be able to claim for any lost earnings as they would class these as consequential losses.
)McSam said:
Zed 44 said:
I just checked with my insurer and my car is automatically insured in Europe for TPFT without any further notification. If you're over 50, I can't recommend them highly enough. Saga. 
But we've already said this is a legal requirement of all policies 
kVA said:
Just got to hope Autoglass don't scratch the paintwork now
They dripped two big blobs of black windscreen sealant on the bonnet on my car.Unfortunately as it was filthy and raining when they did it and I didn't wash it for ages I didn't notice till some time after.
Sticks out like a sore thumb when the car is clean though.
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