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Insurance Saga - not Saga insurance...

 
 
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redrustoffroad1
Gate Opener


Joined: 27 Aug 2014
Odometer: 1




PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 11:46 am    Post subject: Insurance Saga - not Saga insurance... Reply with quote

Hi. My first post here. Apologies for the length of it (!) but I must share the joke.
We had a multicar policy with removed and having sold one of the cars on wanted to swap it for the 110 - a 1986 station wagon.
“whilst I’ve got you, would you quote for…”
So all the usual questions and then “is it modified?”
Hmmm, thinks I. Honesty first:
“it doesn’t have the original number of seats and has a Peugeot diesel “
“what about the seats?”
“It has two in the front, three across the back and a bench seat in the very back.”
“and is that the original number of seats?”
“No, it would have had 12 and now it has seven, maybe eight at a squeeze”
“Ah, then it would be classed as a modified vehicle and we don’t insure those”
“thankyou. Goodbye”.

Right – here’s the best one:
A specialist Land Rover Insurer (removed)
“what year was the vehicle first registered?”
“1986”
“that makes it over 15 years old, so we would need to insure that on a classic policy for you.”
“Excellent. Tell me more.”
“We don’t offer classic policies, I’m afraid.”
Erm?
“ok. Can you quote for just as a normal non-classic policy even if the premium is higher?”
“No, sir; if the vehicle is over 15 years old it has to covered on a classic policy.”
“But you don’t do classic policies?”
“No, Sir.”
“So you can’t insure my vehicle?”
“No, Sir…”

Another specialist Land Rover insurer (removed) would insure it but for £840. Bear in mind that I seem to be quite fortunate in living in Berkshire, having a Newbury postcode and my previous vehicle, a Ford Mondeo Tdci Ghia X was insured fully comp. for £141.

Same for NFU Mutual - about 800 beer tokens.
Aviva wouldn’t touch it.

Contacted another “specialist” Land Rover insurer (removed):
Again, all the usual questions…
“Number of seats?”
“currently five with belts but with capacity for two more without (bench in the back)… but the vehicle probably had 12 when it left the factory.”

Here was my mistake:
1. Being honest
2. volunteering more information than they asked for.

“we have to class this as a modified vehicle and will have to refer to the underwriters for consideration”.
“Eh?”
“because it does not have the original number of seats it is classed as a modified vehicle”
“but surely any risk is now less having only five people in it than potentially 12?”
“doesn’t matter about that”
Then, how’s this for a question…
“were the seats removed professionally?”
How the F**K should I know?!
Come on – honestly. A professional seat remover!

“ok if I put the seats back to the original 12 and add seat belts would you insure it?”
“No, sir. We only insure vehicles with up to seven seats. More than that and it is classed as a minibus. We don’t insure minibuses.”
Sometime later I received a response from the underwriter – they had approved it and would insure it for £126.

Jobs a good ‘un.
However.
Perusing my fully comprehensive documents (how many of you actually read through them? Go on, admit it!)
I spotted that the “use of other vehicles” bit was void. Oh dear. Especially as I had been using my father in law’s car over the last week to commute whilst the 110 was off the road having an engine swap.
Contact removed:
“Is there any way of adding this “benefit” to the policy – I’ll pay extra if I have to?”
“No”
“Would you quote for a normal, non-classic policy, please?”
“Certainly, one moment…” on hold… “the cheapest result is in the region of £600 and I cannot see how we can reduce that figure”.
“Thankyou. Please cancel the policy.”

Whilst mulling this over I contacted removed (to deal with a detail change on behalf of my wifes’ car policy and thought, hey, why not:)

All the usual questions including “is it a standard Land Rover 2495 diesel?”
“Yes”
(Don’t forget that now, it is no longer a Peugeot engine, but a 300 Tdi from a Range Rover which is accepted as a standard Land Rover fitment even though not originally fitted to this age of vehicle)
“I have a note about seats which our underwriters have accepted. Any other modifications?”
Now, do a winch bumper and roof rack fall into this category?
“Nope.”
“Thankyou, Sir. Total premium of £186”
“Ok let me call you back. I need to get my wallet.”

Upon calling them back, I spoke with another chap who had to confirm ALL of the previous details and then proceeded to state a premium of £164…
Hang on, thinks I. Do I keep my trap shut or say something?
“Erm, your colleague stated £186 only one hour ago. Why the difference?”
“Checking that I can see you are right and I cannot suggest why it is different. I can only assume he hadn’t applied the “X” discount for you there…”
Where the X is, please make up and insert any comment that would fit – just as they do!
WHATEVER – what you mean to say is that the totally random figure calculator has given a different number this time and its lower than before. Quick – think of some ******** excuse.

They must make this up as they go along.

Is this industry regulated?

I should like clarification on what, exactly, is classed as a modification, as, technically, even changing tyres from the manufacturers original specified choice could invalidate any insurance policy if not declared.
So:
• fancy lights - not standard
• extra lights - not standard
• suspension mods - not standard
• winch bumpers - not standard
• roll bars - not standard
• roof racks - not standard
• number of seats – not standard
even type of tyre...
You add to the list.
We should not be surprised if we find the vast majority of us and our vehicles will not be covered in the event of a claim.
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Twiss
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 18 Feb 2008
Odometer: 6438
Location: Birkirkara, Malta


1993 Suzuki Samurai

PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 12:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Im insured on my Suzuki with 2gether...

Insured fully comp for a year for about £200

When I gave them my list of mods... winch bumper, tyres and wheels, suspension lift, bigger engine, different carb, stereo, less seats etc... they didn't bat an eyelid and the price remained the same

They do have the option to drive other cars but I didn't take it as the only cars I drive are my mrs' skoda fabia (named driver) and the work fleet cars

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Twiss
'95 Samurai 416 16v
'92 Maruti Gypsy MG410
www.suzukiclubuk.co.uk
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Xpajun
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 22 Sep 2008
Odometer: 3245



1988 Mitsubishi Shogun

PostPosted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm with 2Gether as well for both my vehicles - one a off-roader the other a grey import (shogun and Pajero) - both 4x4s premium in the 200s fully comp - all mods declared.

When insuring a 4x4 best go for a specialist like 2Gether or Adrian Flux - you probably won't do any better - oh and forget the compare type sites they either won't, can't or will quote telephone numbers
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RichardD
Marshall


Joined: 13 Mar 2003
Odometer: 22856
Location: State of Confusion



PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The thing to reamember with Insurers is 'full disclosure'.. If you don't tell them everything and let them decide what is relevant and then something comes up when you make a claim iit 'could' be rejected or reduced.

I recently shopped around my for MY12 110XS Defender and it is classed for VED as a commercial but it is clearly a passenger car and as a result the comparison site show the reg as being a van. When I phoned around most companies were happy to class the car as a 5 door estate and then they asked about modifications and I asked what they classed as modifications. The answer was anything that changes the car from standard (including, for some, factory or dealer fit options) so I listed everything from spot lights to hands free phone kit, seat risers, tow bar and under cubby security storage. In fact I overloaded them with information and the guy just laughed and said "well that's full disclosure alright!".

The insurer does not necessarily know the mechanical details of any car, they are merely calculators of the risk of a claim and make no assumptions but, rather, use detailed statistics that normal people can neither understand not stay awake through.

Being honest is the safest policy IMO. It has saved me almost £1,000 in premiums this year but involved a LOT of phoning round.

__________________________________
Poking the Grim Reaper with a stick then running away. The devil made me do it but God said it was okay with him.
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cynic-al
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 14 Nov 2006
Odometer: 6062
Location: scunthorpe


1989 Suzuki SJ

PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Insurance is one of the reasons I don't run an offroader on road. It takes forever to go through the modifications with several companies to get a good price. When I did insure it mine cost twice as much as a friends defender despite his being worth considerably more because the name range rover is associated with more high cost accidents than the name defender despite mine being an ancient wreck not a school run tank.

Then when you do need them they won't pay out anywhere near the value of the vehicle and parts that they 'agreed' anyway.

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I know enough to be dangerous.
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rhinoman
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 04 Sep 2004
Odometer: 3277
Location: Brinkworth, Wilts



PostPosted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A number of companies seem to be dropping the cover to drive other vehicles, I wouldn't be surprised if a number of people haven't been caught out.
__________________________________
2000 Vitara 4u2, 3+3 lift, 33s, winch, safari rack, steel front axle and 5:83 R&Ps, LWB brakes
1986 SJ413K Pickup, 1.6 conversion
2006 Jimny JLX+, stock
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Xpajun
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 22 Sep 2008
Odometer: 3245



1988 Mitsubishi Shogun

PostPosted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rhinoman wrote:
A number of companies seem to be dropping the cover to drive other vehicles, I wouldn't be surprised if a number of people haven't been caught out.



Bee going o for a few years now and a lot of people have been caught out.

One of the first questions I ask now on the renewal phone call "can I still drive any vehicle"
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Nightbar
Difflock Royalty


Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Odometer: 20799
Location: In a state of anticipation...


1999 Land Rover Defender

PostPosted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't...

...but then again I don't need to anymore so the reduction I got was a fair swap for that.

__________________________________
The ex-Difflock Ambassador to Naples, Sir Nightbar DCJC DFS and 2 bars.

Plant a tree for the Difflock 3
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w3526602
Difflock Royalty


Joined: 10 Jun 2002
Odometer: 10758
Location: Glynneath, South Wales



PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 6:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,

LV now do a CLASSIC policy, milage limited to 5000 miles per year. Premium for my 1959 Land Rover was about £80 per year, seemed to be the same cover as for my Peugeot. But it required the LR to be garaged. So I went for a standard Fully Comp policy, which was a LOT more expensive. I will build a garage before the policy time expires.
Note that the Land Rover does not require an MOT.

My SWMBO wrote off three vehicles from a standing start. ??? She phoned LV. "What happened?" they asked. "I don't know! I turned the key, and it ran amok!" End of questions. Her SAAB and my Disco were removed within an hour, and a courtesy car delivered a few minutes later. Cheques for her SAAB and my Disco arrived within a week. I would have accepted half what I was offered for the Disco, and SWMBO was invited to offer evidence that her SAAB was worth more than they offered. Her second cheque arrived the following week.

I had to insist that LV took a note of my Subdural Haematoma. They are not interested in medical conditions, other than to ask if DVLA have restricted my licence.

They told my SWMBO, over the phone, that when you buy a new car they will keep the old one under cover for a further two weeks to give you time to sell it. BUT CHECK THAT.

Again over the phone, I can drive any other car, even if it is not insured in it's own right. But they have a list of any other vehicles that I cannot drive ... such as a van fitted with extra seats, or to recover a vehicle from a police compound (or something like that).

I like LV.

602

__________________________________
Don't force it, use a bigger hammer, cos if it doesn't fit, the hammer is not big enough.
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Xpajun
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 22 Sep 2008
Odometer: 3245



1988 Mitsubishi Shogun

PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

w3526602 wrote:
I will build a garage before the policy time expires.

602


Check that out - a lot of companies are now offering cheaper premiums for vehicles kept on a driveway as opposed to a garage - the reasoning is that a thief can work unnoticed in a garage for as long as he likes but would get noticed quickly on a driveway
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** GED **
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 18 Jun 2014
Odometer: 2039
Location: Scouser



PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LV = Liverpool victoria.

the company that wont insure huge swathes of Liverpool......
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teamidris
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 24 Feb 2008
Odometer: 3372
Location: Staffordshire UK



PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

With LV being based in Liverpool they'd be the first to realise it was a bad risk Smile
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https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC3l3zoaCabKrgBSULSV1YgA
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** GED **
Mud Obsessed


Joined: 18 Jun 2014
Odometer: 2039
Location: Scouser



PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LV, County Gates, Bournemouth, BH1 2NF, UK
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chrish
Articulating


Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Odometer: 666




PostPosted: Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You should try to insure a RRC with six wheels!!!
My first question to any ins co is now 'will you insure a six wheel Range Rover?'
If the response is 'SIX wheels??' I hang up!
Flux weren't fazed though
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Nightbar
Difflock Royalty


Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Odometer: 20799
Location: In a state of anticipation...


1999 Land Rover Defender

PostPosted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 3:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was with LV for a while before I moved to Italy with my job, they had given a good deal on my 90 whilst in the UK.

On return to the UK I decided to resurrect my policy with them as I thought it would be easier going back to my previous provider...

...how wrong I was!

LV were most unhelpful and wouldn't even acknowledge their own policy number to give me a basic quote let alone acknowledge an overseas insurance provider. Needless to say I went elsewhere (Flux) and I won't be going back to LV anytime soon as I had enough paperwork to do to re-register the 90 in the UK, sort a house and all the other stuff to do on re-entry.

__________________________________
The ex-Difflock Ambassador to Naples, Sir Nightbar DCJC DFS and 2 bars.

Plant a tree for the Difflock 3
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