Admiral renewal

[Patrick Bateman]

Just a heads up for anyone who’s with them, come renewal time it’s worth going through the full palava of their online renewal cancellation as they’ve just knocked my price down from £345 to £298 at the very last minute.

Chancing bds but worth a go for anyone, have never had that happen before, usually it’s just tough st.

[200Plus Club]

Same for me last year, expecting same again.

Edited by 200Plus Club on Saturday 11th October 15:35

[jules_s]

Same here - renewal through at £950

I rang them as it was a big hike, ‘oh, you are a renewing customer so I will apply a loyalty rate’

Now £800

[DanielSan]

After dealing with them on a small no fault claim kn my wife's ST estate they could offer free insurance and still not be worth a wk. I had my daily with them last year almost, after this I've just swapped to Greenlight who were 100 quid cheaper than the discounted renewal rate anyway.

[Short Grain]

Hastings did the same in December last year, a hike of £200 or something like that! Was a while ago, and my memory can be a bit sketchy! Thought I'd have a look at Adrian Flux. Way cheaper for the same sort of policy I'd had with Hastings. Rang Hastings and they knocked £150 off their quote for renewal, after I'd told them exactly what Adrian Flux had offered. So I went with AF. Hastings then emailed an offer, exactly the same as AF! Too 'kin late!
Unfortunately AF then tried to charge an extra £60+_, because they disagreed with my NCB at 7 years. Rang them, "Oh, we rang Hastings and they told us 6 years!" Called Hastings, "No we'd have told them 7! We'll send you a confirmation email!"
Forwarded it to AF, 5 days for the £60 odd to be refunded to my account! B'Stards!
Got a quote from Saga a month or so ago. £250 cheaper than I paid last year. I've archived the email this time though!

[GeniusOfLove]

Every year for about 10 years I get a multi car renewal that's already cheaper than I can get anywhere else through any combination of policies, then I call and tell them I've had an offer at 20% less and without fail they'll cut my renewal quite dramatically until it's hilariously cheaper than anyone else.

It's a tedious hour but worth the trouble.

[Venisonpie]

Nothing new and not Admiral specific, it's boring doing the dance every year but ultimately worth it.

[Mr Tidy]

It happens most years with both of my cars, regardless of the insurer.

Get cheaper alternative quotes and somehow they can match, or even beat the alternatives. Why not do that in the first place?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Mr Tidy said:

It happens most years with both of my cars, regardless of the insurer.

Get cheaper alternative quotes and somehow they can match, or even beat the alternatives. Why not do that in the first place?

They could, but your insurance would be more expensive, as they'd be offering everyone their absolute bottom price. This way, lazy people who can't be bothered and just renew on the inflated price can subsidise even bigger discounts for those who make the effort to haggle.

Suits me.

[mmm-five]

My experience is slightly different, in that the renewal premium will look insignificantly more or less than last year's premium, but they'll change some of the terms or cover without being totally upfront about it.

Yes, it's in the renewal documentation, but you have to actively search for the changes, rather than them being pointed out on a 'key facts' summary.

So it'll be things like

• business / commuting being removed from the cover
• excesses increased
• mileage decreased
• value of car drastically reduced (when the market value hasn't)
• mods you had listed have been 'accidentally removed'

In most cases they claim it's all accidental, or I'd put those changes in myself (I hadn't as I don't modify the policy until renewal/change of vehicle), or my usage had changed so they changed the policy to suit (I've no idea how they'd know I didn't need business/commuting cover, or that I fancied a higher excess, or I'd added/removed mods).

To me this simply looks like the insurance companies changing the policy every year so you can't get an honest like-for-like alternative quote (as a new customer elsewhere) in the weeks before renewal.

[Mr Tidy]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Mr Tidy said:

It happens most years with both of my cars, regardless of the insurer.

Get cheaper alternative quotes and somehow they can match, or even beat the alternatives. Why not do that in the first place?

They could, but your insurance would be more expensive, as they'd be offering everyone their absolute bottom price. This way, lazy people who can't be bothered and just renew on the inflated price can subsidise even bigger discounts for those who make the effort to haggle.

Suits me.

Doesn't suit me, it's just a real PITA I could do without.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Mr Tidy said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Mr Tidy said:

It happens most years with both of my cars, regardless of the insurer.

Get cheaper alternative quotes and somehow they can match, or even beat the alternatives. Why not do that in the first place?

They could, but your insurance would be more expensive, as they'd be offering everyone their absolute bottom price. This way, lazy people who can't be bothered and just renew on the inflated price can subsidise even bigger discounts for those who make the effort to haggle.

Suits me.

Doesn't suit me, it's just a real PITA I could do without.

It's not a PITA really. One phone call will nearly always do the trick. And the insurance ends up far lower than it would do if they were offering everyone their best price.

[Lotusgone]

Same here, it's a nuisance doing the phone call but one advantage is that you can check the mileage and adjust it per car depending on circumstances. We have five cars and last year it came out as just over the thousand - we gave them the home insurance too, so they seem to like us.

Ditto the AA renewal, rang up as usual and dropped it from £280 to £180.

Talking to someone from Aviva a few years ago, he reckoned they could make more from one lazy renew-each-year than they could from offering keen deals to several.

[alscar]

Mr Tidy said:

It happens most years with both of my cars, regardless of the insurer.

Get cheaper alternative quotes and somehow they can match, or even beat the alternatives. Why not do that in the first place?

Because each Insurer doesn’t know the lowest price at that point ?
Alternatively when you found the Insurer you are happy with / price you are happy with then could just leave it with them assuming they haven’t taken the p*ss at renewal with the price.
Not just Car Insurance this applies to though - AA I’m looking at you in particular.

[Old Merc]

All insurance companies try it on with loyal customers at renewal.
We are with LV= the renewal quote was slightly less than last year. One phone call saying plenty better quotes on “Go compare”, so they knocked even more off.
Just done the same with our house insurance.

[Pica-Pica]

mmm-five said:

My experience is slightly different, in that the renewal premium will look insignificantly more or less than last year's premium, but they'll change some of the terms or cover without being totally upfront about it.

Yes, it's in the renewal documentation, but you have to actively search for the changes, rather than them being pointed out on a 'key facts' summary.

So it'll be things like

• business / commuting being removed from the cover
• excesses increased
• mileage decreased
• value of car drastically reduced (when the market value hasn't)
• mods you had listed have been 'accidentally removed'

In most cases they claim it's all accidental, or I'd put those changes in myself (I hadn't as I don't modify the policy until renewal/change of vehicle), or my usage had changed so they changed the policy to suit (I've no idea how they'd know I didn't need business/commuting cover, or that I fancied a higher excess, or I'd added/removed mods).

To me this simply looks like the insurance companies changing the policy every year so you can't get an honest like-for-like alternative quote (as a new customer elsewhere) in the weeks before renewal.

Never had that. There is either a summary of changes, or the changes in bold.

[illmonkey]

I have my cars with them too, but will have to move as they are stopping doing agreed values.

Probably end up with a broker now.

[Somebody]

Patrick Bateman said:

....it s worth going through the full palava of their online renewal cancellation as they ve just knocked my price down from £345 to £298 at the very last minute.

Lad did the same a month ago. Admiral website asked if he really wanted to cancel, said yes, and it knocked 14% off, so renewed as it which cheaper than comparison sites.

[Mr Tidy]

alscar said:

Because each Insurer doesn t know the lowest price at that point ?
Alternatively when you found the Insurer you are happy with / price you are happy with then could just leave it with them assuming they haven t taken the p*ss at renewal with the price.
Not just Car Insurance this applies to though - AA I m looking at you in particular.

That suggests they are clueless, which seems far nearer to the truth than "tiwgthewonderkids" convictions that they use black magic algorithms!

IME they nearly all take the p*ss at renewal, which is why I never agree to Auto-renewals.

I have to go through the same nonsense every time my RAC membership comes up for renewal.

Just a bunch of thieving barstewards.

[alscar]

Mr Tidy said:

alscar said:

Because each Insurer doesn t know the lowest price at that point ?
Alternatively when you found the Insurer you are happy with / price you are happy with then could just leave it with them assuming they haven t taken the p*ss at renewal with the price.
Not just Car Insurance this applies to though - AA I m looking at you in particular.

That suggests they are clueless, which seems far nearer to the truth than "tiwgthewonderkids" convictions that they use black magic algorithms!

IME they nearly all take the p*ss at renewal, which is why I never agree to Auto-renewals.

I have to go through the same nonsense every time my RAC membership comes up for renewal.

Just a bunch of thieving barstewards.

Twig is correct in how originally Insurers quote (actuarial derived rating aided by computer modelling ) but when they then reduce the price is when they get the criticism they deserve as implies they have added something on only to take it off again or use up some of their “ marketing / spare profit “ fund.
Not all motor insurers do this obviously.
As far as AA / RAC though ( despite is being a so called insurance policy ) that is particularly irritating.
Usual ploy is to double last years price only to bring it back down once you phone.