Insurance?

[Thurston Garden]

Our house insurance is due for renewal later this month. Being of the Frugal Fraternity, I have been shopping round for quotes.

Last year we were covered with the Post Office. Partly because they did a good deal and partly because I wanted to support them. They are offering £50 cash back to new customers this year. I am not a new customer though...

My best quote is £60 less than the Post Office so I called them up to haggle. The best they could do was knock £5 off. The (polite) laddie on the phone asked what I wanted him to do. "Knock another £55 off" was the answer. "£5 is the best I can do I am afraid". So I launched into another of my despised topics: potential loyal customers funding cash incentives for new customers. When I pointed out to the laddie that if I renewed with them, I would be funding a carrot on a stick for a new customer and giving them £10 into the bargain. He just laughed and said "I suppose so".

Another thing that winds me up about this is that our house is listed. C(S) listed. England uses a different listing system from Scotland, but do the insurers? Nah... So you run the risk of not being adequately covered because there's no C(S) English equivalent. Either that or you pay more for Grade B listing which the house is not.

So it looks like Churchill will get our business this year. Anyone got any insurer gems up their sleeves before I accept their quote? Nobody please mention NFU - they quoted us in excess of £700 against a best quote of £220!

[Annpan]

Have you tried running the figures through one of those comparison web-sites? you can get the links from Martin Lewis' site

We are with Direct line, because we get multiple discounts on the various insurance products we have from them.

[Thurston Garden]

Thanks Ann - done them all (and got a different quote from the Post Office on each!) and when you pick the best PO quote and link though to their site, they let you fill out the whole form (in a new pane so there's no auto-fill function ) and when you get right to the end it says it cannot quote because they have posted you a quote already!

Direct Line cannot insure 'cos it's listed.

[Annpan]

hmph...

[Thurston Garden]

hmph...

You took the word right out of my mouth! I hate sorting these things out....so time consuming.

(Is hmph a word?)

[Martin]

Having had several brushes with insurance companies over the years, go for the cheapest you can find, and accept the fact they're all bally crooks who'll happily take your money, and then find some damn good reason not to pay if you ever do have to claim
Some while ago, I took out household insurance with Direct Line, and checked specifically to see if the generator that I took caravanning and my camera kit was covered....sure enough, within a few months, some crook disappeared with my generator whilst the caravan was parked on a neighbour's land.......reported it to plod and the insurance company......"oh yes sir, no problem!" - 3 weeks later "sorry sir, we are disallowing your claim - you do not own the property on which the caravan was parked from which the article was stolen......" - "having bellowed at them for a supervisor, I gently pointed out that I had checked specifically that the generator would be covered, even when caravanning - and it really made not a jot of difference whether the van was parked on my friend's land, or some caravan site..............after a whispered consultation, they agreed to reinstate the claim..........
THEN, three weeks later, I received a mobile 'phone call in the middle of the dog walk "we're sorry sir, we're disallowing the claim"........"what for this time?".........."we're sorry sir, the generator was not portable, therefore you are not covered........"
Yet again, a supervisor was summoned - "please Miss supervisor, do you have the brochure I sent you for the replacement generator I requested?"........"ermmmm yes, here it is!" - "what the blue blazes does it have on the top of it, could it possibly be..........yes it is, it's a HANDLE! - which rather suggests to me that it is PORTABLE, and hence covered under the terms of my policy........." After another whispered consultation, they paid.............

[Annpan]

oh yes 'hmph' is a word

hmph - an exclamation of annoyance at something that you feel you shouldn't really have to waste your time on, it wasn't what you dreamed being an adult would involve, Indiana Jones didn't have to sort out this kind of thing

[Thurston Garden]

I hope that was about insurance in general and not my reply in reply to your reply

[red]

NFU

sorry I mentioned it.. but for us it was a bargain.. a lot less than previous premium - and this time included the outbuildings and the animals - (think along lines of sheep wander onto motorway.. cause major pile up....)

and we have trouble getting insurance even though not in a listed house.. as its older.. most wont touch it..

dunno if this will help http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/ppuk_insuring.shtml

[Thurston Garden]

Thanks for the link Red - I will have a good look through that site!

I used to insure the field, big tunnel and Market Garden business through NFU but they would not insure my pigs or hens saying they were pets and to cover them under my domestic insurance.

In year two, they sent me out a renewal schedule and as all new businesses do, the MG had changed from our original plan and a lot of the initial cover we did not need. I amended the cover and asked for it to be repriced. NFU said it would take a few weeks because it was all done in Glasgow... The renewal date came and went without a fresh quote but they posted an Insurance Certificate for the revised cover with a letter saying that the premium due was nil. I was bemused but knew I had the new Certificate and a letter saying I did not owe any further premium so I sat tight.

Three months later I had a stern credit control lady on the phone telling me that my original renewal premium sum was outstanding. She was very to the point as credit controllers need to be, and would hear non of my side of the story. She promised that the insurance agent would call me back. The agent never did, but the credit control lady did a week or so later even more determined that I was seriously in default and other Mutual Members were having to fund my tardiness! She managed to transfer me to the agent who denied even sending me the letter with nil premium or Insurance Certificate and implied strongly that I was lying about them. She also denied having received my request for a reduction in cover and assured me that I was already on the minimum premium (something like £281.73 - nice round number!) and if I did not pay in full immediately, the cover would lapse and they would pursue me for the days on cover at the original rate.

Well, she picked the wrong day to tell me. I am normally quite a placid soul but the Agent really had my hackles up. I explained quite politely where she stood contractually, quoted several insurance selling requirements as required by the FSA and told her to "Bring it On!". Oh, and "stuff your policy where the sun don't shine!"

Funnily enough they never did pursue me for the £22 they alleged I owed them for the period on cover.....

Rant over.

[red]

okie - i can see why that might put you off....


we have a very nice mumsy woman who sorts it all out.....

[Thurston Garden]

Does she cover Scotland too

It used to be a nice old man here - pencil and paper. Not even a typewriter in his room. But he retired....

[mrsflibble]

We are with the AA after 2 years with norwich union. I think it works out to about £230. NU wanted nearly £300 and hsbc wanted nearly £400!!!

I now have to find separate insurance for my camera though 'cos with AA to add accidental damage for an item that valuable we'd be looking at another £30-£50 on top. I know for a fact Aaduki do it for less.

[mybarnconversion]

The NFU are very strange ... sometimes competitive, other times double anyone else. I think they're just selective as to which types of business they seek.

[Thurston Garden]

Thanks Mrs F. We have used the AA in the past and they were good for quotes, although are a broker so depending on who came out cheapest, sometimes it was even cheaper to go to the underwriter direct.

Sadly, the AA's criteria are now to stringent for us!