Insurance renewal despair.
Insurance renewal despair.
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Discussion

55palfers

Original Poster:

6,373 posts

193 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Get this chaps.

In a nutshell, co-op car insurance renewal offer more expensive than latest Meerkats trawl.
Amazingly Meerkats presently have co-op as cheapest by £40 so go with that. Called co-op to see if they will reduce the renewal but no deal.

Try to click through from Meerkats to co-op site and they ask me to phone them as I am an existing customer.

Call co-op (again) and am told that they cannot open new policy until old policy has expired (at midnight of course). This means my vehicle is uninsured until I can call them in the morning to take out the new policy. If it's stolen during the night I am not covered. Nice!

Advise the poor struggling call handler that this is utter madness and causing me to break the law. He shares my bewilderment and disappointment but there is nothing he can do for me.

Good job the car is parked up off the road at nights on my drive, otherwise Plod could tow it away and give me a fine and points. I could be on my hols of course and it could well be parked on the Queen's highway.

I have now made a formal complaint to Financial Ombudsman. This will probably cost them more than the £40!

The madmen really have taken over the asylum!

Mr Daytona

221 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
OP, was the difference between the two quotes from your existing Insurer £40 or more than that ?

55palfers

Original Poster:

6,373 posts

193 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Renewal quote to Meerkat quote was £40. Not much, but better in my pocket.

Mr Daytona

221 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Generally speaking, so as to entice potential new customers in, Insurers will invariably offer better terms to a new customer than to an existing one. You might think this unfair, but the alternative would simply be that you would "lose" the initial discount and just get quoted the same premium.

Still, if the £40 means more to you than the time, trouble and inconvenience of cancelling your old Policy and then initiating a new one, go for it. I suspect you're in a minority though.

backwoodsman

2,508 posts

158 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
I did a meerkat for my parents.

There renewal was over £500, meerkats was £217, with the same company, one quick call, and the company did it for the same price the meerkats were showing.

Sorry this doesn't really help you.

Motorrad

6,811 posts

216 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
I'd pay an extra 40 quid just to avoid giving money to a company that does those stupid fking adverts.

Also I'm sure they're responsible for MOTHERfkING RETARDS saying 'simples'. The s.

Goody13

52 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
55palfers said:
I have now made a formal complaint to Financial Ombudsman. This will probably cost them more than the £40!
I doubt it. FOS will not entertain your complaint until you have gone through the insurer's complaints procedure. I understand where you are coming from though and it is frustrating.

Goody13

52 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Mr Daytona said:
Still, if the £40 means more to you than the time, trouble and inconvenience of cancelling your old Policy and then initiating a new one, go for it. I suspect you're in a minority though.
I suppose it all depends on whether you understand the value of money or if it just slips through your fingers until you find there is too much month left after your money has run out (or unless you are very wealthy!)

the way I see it is that if it takes you, say, an hour to rearrange your insurance, is £40 worth it? If you get paid £80 an hour, are self-employed and you could be making more money by doing that, then you would have to be really stupid to waste an hour to save £40.

On the other hand, if, like the majority of people you earn nowhere near £40 an hour, then by spending an hour to save that £40, you are effectively just working for an extra hour that week but getting paid £40 for it, which would probably also be a lot more than you would get paid by doing an extra hour of overtme at work.


Edited by Goody13 on Monday 11th August 22:30

Goody13

52 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
By the way, don't forget cashback sites.

Pit Pony

11,300 posts

150 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
If the Co-op wouldn't meet the quote on the comparison site, I'd go with the next cheapest and stick two fingers up at them, even if it were more than the co-op renewal.

Mr Daytona

221 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
OO, wasn't a criticism if your choice, merely an observation.

For the record, sadly I don't earn £40 an hour (though my employers charge my Clients somewhat in excess of that), but after a hard day at work and enduring the commute home, I'd rather spend my time with the wife and son. Again not a criticism and probably why you don't drive a 196,000 mile V70. Lol.

Goody13

52 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Mr Daytona said:
OO, wasn't a criticism if your choice, merely an observation.

For the record, sadly I don't earn £40 an hour (though my employers charge my Clients somewhat in excess of that), but after a hard day at work and enduring the commute home, I'd rather spend my time with the wife and son. Again not a criticism and probably why you don't drive a 196,000 mile V70. Lol.
Or time on internet forums ... !

Mr Daytona

221 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
You got me there !!!! Lol.

roddyp

10,866 posts

145 months

Monday 11th August 2014
quotequote all
Used to get similar hassle with Privilege on a regular basis. Online quote on their website always cheaper than quoted renewal.

The other issue is that after taking out a new policy with the same insurer, you have to deal with their daft requests for proof of no claims discount from the "previous insurer". ("We've tried faxing it through but the line's always engaged...")