New scam by insurance companies?

[mickyveloce]

Good evening ; has anyone switched vehicles on their insurance policy recently?
I tried it yesterday with my previously very acceptable More Than . My summer car , a Mercedes C36 is going away for the winter and switched to a classic 'laid up' policy and I have bought a Volvo V70 estate to use during the salty road season .
'That will be Forty pounds please ' said the lady on the other end of the 'phone
'Is this an admin charge ?' I asked , given that the Volvo is worth about 1500 and many many insurance groups below the Merc
'No , it's because you're not used to the car' said the lady
'But i've had a clean record for nearly 25 years and drive front wheel drive and four wheel etc etc .
Is it me , or has this excuse been used elsewhere ?

[Bunnybopper]

mickyveloce said:

Good evening ; has anyone switched vehicles on their insurance policy recently?
I tried it yesterday with my previously very acceptable More Than . My summer car , a Mercedes C36 is going away for the winter and switched to a classic 'laid up' policy and I have bought a Volvo V70 estate to use during the salty road season .
'That will be Forty pounds please ' said the lady on the other end of the 'phone
'Is this an admin charge ?' I asked , given that the Volvo is worth about 1500 and many many insurance groups below the Merc
'No , it's because you're not used to the car' said the lady
'But i've had a clean record for nearly 25 years and drive front wheel drive and four wheel etc etc .
Is it me , or has this excuse been used elsewhere ?

Last year I bought a winter hack and laid up my then owned W124. I had to pay a similar amount, but I can't remember their excuse.

[ZOLLAR]

Driving experience of a car is a valid rating factor for insurers, all cars are different to drive.
Granted PH'ers are probably more accustomed to driving various cars but the average motorist isn't as such many accidents do occur shortly after a driver has changed cars.

[northandy]

My dad had this recently, switched to a similar value car, 7 groups lower to insure, premium went up 15% for the same quoted reason.

[northandy]

My dad had this recently, switched to a similar value car, 7 groups lower to insure, premium went up 15% for the same quoted reason.

[mickyveloce]

Usually I'm an unprincipled sort of chap , but this seems such a lame and miserable excuse for more (than) money , I decided to switch companies altogether . It's a shambles of a mockery of a sham to demand extra cash on this basis .

[5705]

ZOLLAR said:

many accidents do occur shortly after a driver has changed cars.

Interesting; your evidence for this?

[ZOLLAR]

5705 said:

Interesting; your evidence for this?

Claims statistics.

[5705]

ZOLLAR said:

Claims statistics.

Where is this evidence?

[carmadgaz]

5705 said:

Where is this evidence?

I assume as he works in the industry it is in his office (though for the record I think it is daft, money grabbing reason, I switch vehicles regularly and never crashed because of it!)

[ZOLLAR]

5705 said:

Where is this evidence?

In work.

[CambsBill]

ZOLLAR said:

Driving experience of a car is a valid rating factor for insurers.

So the OP should have a 40 quid reduction factored in to his renewal premium once he's got used to the car presumably? I'll have to ask for this next time I renew . . .

[ZOLLAR]

CambsBill said:

So the OP should have a 40 quid reduction factored in to his renewal premium once he's got used to the car presumably? I'll have to ask for this next time I renew . . .

It'll be a factor that's taken into account however there may be other ratings that may have changed that could increase the premium so it may not be immediately apparent, if he wants to see what difference he is seeing get them to run a quote next year with "year of purchase" as 2012 not 2011 the increase will be the reduction you mention.

[TonyRPH]

Somebody else on here was recently stating that they switched to a RWD car (from an equally powerful FWD) and their insurance company tried to charge them extra, stating that "they were not used to a RWD car".

[New POD]

I've got 2 cars with 1st central. The EasY Jet of Car insurance. Really cheap unless you want to take luggage, or make a change.

[5705]

ZOLLAR said:

In work.

And - a complete guess here - the data is commercially confidential and that's why it's not published?

[ZOLLAR]

5705 said:

And - a complete guess here - the data is commercially confidential and that's why it's not published?

Obviously, well it can be provided in certain circumstances but not to just any joe bloggs.

[Mr Dave]

TonyRPH said:

Somebody else on here was recently stating that they switched to a RWD car (from an equally powerful FWD) and their insurance company tried to charge them extra, stating that "they were not used to a RWD car".

This is what a major insurance company tried to do to me when I wanted to be a named driver on my dads car (on a multicar policy)

"Sorry due to it being a powerful rear wheel drive car and you being 24, it will cost 580 pounds to be named on your fathers car"

My car late 1999 E39 523i.
My Dads car early 2000 E39 528i automatic.

Which one is faster? Mine.

That made no sense to me as I can only drive one of them at a time, both cars the same value and I have just as much experience driving autos as manuals.

[5705]

ZOLLAR said:

Obviously, well it can be provided in certain circumstances but not to just any joe bloggs.

Er... 'any joe bloggs' (as you put it) is the schmuck who has to pay for the claim that you are making,. If anyone deserves to see the evidence for your claim, it's him. Not HMG. Not ABI. But Joe Bloggs. That you don't show the evidence is... revealing.

Perhaps you can point me at publicly owned or published data from other road safety organizations that show the same increase in risk?

[ZOLLAR]

5705 said:

ZOLLAR said:

Obviously, well it can be provided in certain circumstances but not to just any joe bloggs.

Er... 'any joe bloggs' (as you put it) is the schmuck who has to pay for the claim that you are making,. If anyone deserves to see the evidence for your claim, it's him. Not HMG. Not ABI. But Joe Bloggs. That you don't show the evidence is... revealing.

Perhaps you can point me at publicly owned or published data from other road safety organizations that show the same increase in risk?

You want an insurer to release it's rating factors into the public domain?, this would result in other insurers being able to undermine that insurer's price at every turn, it simply won't happen and to be frank the information isn't laid out as "mr jones bought a car and crashed on the 181011, mrs smith bought a car and crashed on 191011" the information is mathematical algorithms and spreadsheets etc without the correct system it would make no sense to anyone.