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UK motorcycle insurers and your experiences
Husband just had a dust up with this lot of robbing gits. Cancelled a policy he'd had for 3 months as he no longer has the bike. Expected a reasonable admin fee but they kept the whole amount of the policy - minus £2.20p - to cancel it. So their fee was something like £100.00. Seems this is a regular ploy according to feedback. :thumbdown:
So we won't be using them again. Not impressed. |
i feel for you,my wife cancelled our car insurence and was hammered with a £175 admin fee,we had only had the policey for 3 months,seems the insurers will always try and keep your money no matter what:thumbdown:
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If you are thinking about selling a bike, switch the insurance to monthly payments when the renual comes up. This is typically, basically a loan, they lend you the money to buy their insurance and you pay it back over the year. However, a loan is covered by consumer credit laws. Cancel the insurance, stop the direct debit and tell them to go whistle for it. They will threaten to sue and send the bailiffs round etc. but the bottom line is that if they do they'll make the loss not you. They'll strike a deal.
Insurance in the UK is a racket not a service. Pay them or the police beat you up. Treat them accordingly. I'm afraid I'm even rude to their call centre staff now, make their lives painful and they make the deal faster in order to move on to creaming a softer target. Andy |
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I suspect this thread will disappear without trace as it becomes absorbed into its' forum = Trip Transport. There is a sticky for UK insurance issues within "trip paperwork" if anyone fancies starting it over again? That would at least mean that the various UK insurance companies could receive their deserved plaudits or brickbats!! |
Yep, thieving, robbing bastards. I've got MAG onto it which might niggle them a bit, and am in the process of getting the major m/c mags here clued up, but short of riding with no insurance ( which I won't do, under any circumstances because its just not right) we're a bit stuck. But thanks for that tip Andy - I'll look into that further and probably do exactly as you suggest. I'll always pay my way but I won't line their pockets. And anyway, they'll have to find me first as I'm off.......:thumbup1:
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Bennetts = tossers
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A slightly different situation, but possibly the description is of use to somebody. A while ago I took out insurance with Bennetts. Within the 2 week cooling off period I wished to cancel. They tried to shaft me. The following letter got me a full refund... Fight the bar stewards! Bennetts InsuranceMy street Pegasus House Bakewell Road Orton Southgate Peterborough PE2 6YS Ref (policy number xxxxxxx)Date of letter Dear Bennetts I herewith inform you that I have submitted a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Below is a timeline of my dealings with you (known here as “Bennetts”). 1st February 2009 me takes out motorcycle insurance online and pays by credit card £229.49 (policy number xxxxxxxx) 10th February 2009 I receive certificates of motor insurance, policy document, but NO key facts document from Bennetts 11th February 2009 After reading the policy document and looking at the policy excess amounts, I decide (clearly within my 14 day statutory cooling off period) that this is not the right policy for me. I post back, by Special Delivery, a letter to this effect, including the certificates of motor insurance. I have made no claim on the policy. 16th February 2009 I receive a letter dated 14th February from Bennetts saying the insurance is cancelled per 12th February. There is no mention of any fees to be paid. 5th March 2009I receive my credit card bill. On it there is a debit of £229.49 to Bennetts and a credit of £194.46 from Bennetts. This a discrepancy of £35.03 6th March 2009 at 5.40pm I call Bennetts to complain and speak to a customer service lady. She informs me that the £35.03 is made up of £5.03 pro rata usage and a £30 admin fee. She keeps on referring to a Key Facts document, I haven’t even heard of. She doesn’t have a copy herself either and is unable to tell me where on the Bennetts website this document can be found. (I am online as I call her). If this Key Facts document exists or not, is immaterial. Legally, charges must be “fair and reasonable”. I believe them to be unfair, and I know that by any stretch of the imagination, they are wholly unreasonable. I know a lot about IT systems. For an admin clerk to press a button on a computer screen to cancel a policy, print a letter and put it in an envelope does not cost any organisation £30 in wages/time, unless of course, this clerk is being paid £30 per minute! If they are, can I have a job please? As you have not dealt with my complaint to my satisfaction, I have been forced to submit a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Furthermore, I will forward a copy of this correspondence to the entire printed motorcycle press and post it on every online forum I can. Customers need to be treated with fairness, not ripped off at the first opportunity. Yours sincerely, me |
ouch. I'm with Bikesure, i'll make sure I cancel in June, my policy ends in June, I was going to jump ship anyway, as i'll need cover only for a month, I should be in turkey by august, and then not returning to Europe for a long long time.
The only positive about Bikesure, is that I once had an issue, I only live 20 miles from their offices, I threatened to come and sit in their office singing songs, until they sorted my problem. that worked! |
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Maybe the thread title could be something like "UK motorcycle insurers and your experiences" - some folks will see the title "bikesure" and think "nothing to do with me"? Your letter template is certainly a good un for anyone who needs to take up complaints with insurers/brokers. ps Re-reading the sticky titles under the Trip Paperwork forum it seems that neither of the main ones is fully relevant to this subject; in fact, UK insurance issues have become wrapped up in the Green Card issues of importing a bike into Europe + the other sticky in there specifically mentions MOT/tax/registration but not insurance (which inevitably crops up among that discussion). |
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Let's see how the thread fares before stickying it. Most of what's on the HUBB is important and it can't all be stuck. cheers Chris |
Bikesure are the robbing gits!!
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Well that was a quick re-location; just for clarity, Belles' OP above was referenced to "Bikesure" but that reference disappeared when the thread changed forums and title of the thread. |
Bikesure are not unique
Bikesure used to administer the Harley-Davidson scheme for a while. I had two policies, my Harley and a Moto Guzzi (spit!). I renewed the Guzzi policy in November, in January the contract for Harley changed to Carole Nash so Bikesure could not contractually offer me a renewal. In February they cancelled my Guzzi policy because it was tied to the Harley policy and I had not renewed the Harley policy (I couldn't because they couldn't quote me having lost the Harley contract). They tried to charge me 60% in admin fees plus the usage, I said no and within a day they had relented and gave me a full refund.
The Harley scheme is now with Carole Nash so I phoned them to take out a policy on the Guzzi, no problem. Roll on 8 months and I get rid of the Guzzi (Hurrah!) and buy a Victory after a couple of months. I phone Carole Nash to take out a policy on the Vic and am told they must go on one policy as you can't have two policies covered by the same no claims entitlement. I told them I had one with them previously with my Guzzi and was told I was wrong. The crack was they wanted to charge me an amendment fee on the Harley policy as well as the cover fee for the Vic. In short all insurance companies are licenced bandits who "all s*** in the same pan" (That's a Black Country phrase) there really isn't any difference between them. |
Carole Nash, Bennetts, MCE, Bikesure, ebike, Footman James, it goes on ............
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Within about a week the subject of UK bike insurance comes around again, this time for that well known, high-profile in the UK insurer, Carole Nash:- http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...l-theyre-57345 And this one is on the same lines:- http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...an-cover-63791 Without a sticky for UK insurance issues, I would expect the subject to keep turning up in multiple threads that repeat the questions, the answers and the general flow of information about what is going on in the UK vehicle insurance world, of which bikes are a subset of special interest to this website. For contrast, the medical insurance aspect has 6 stickies including specifics for Canadian medical cover, UK/EU travel insurance and 4 other topics. |
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FWIW, many topics regularly reappear on the HUBB. The same questions about Russian visas appears weekly:blushing::helpsmilie: On most forums, this one being no exception, people just post their question without first browsing/searching what's already there. Chris |
Insurance for non UK resident
UK insurance for a foreigner is a minefield.
I (wrongly) thought that if I left the registration in a UK resident's name, that it would be easier to have me added as an additional rider. I had one company who said they would do it then reneged at the last minute. I had one company that said if I got a UK licence then they would cover me. But I am not entitled to a UK licence unless I surrender my Aussie licence and apply for residency. I had 20 companies that said a flat NO as soon as I said I was from Australia. I was given the number of a Broker - who cut through all the red tape and got me what I needed. He is a biker himself and took care of everything with one phone call and some emailed paperwork. Too easy! I honestly disclosed to him all my plans and did not try to bypass the system - it probably cost me a bit more but it is well worth it to avoid the headaches. The insurance also came with AA Breakdown Cover for the UK and I paid extra to get 90 days breakdown cover in the EU With his permission - his contact details are: St.John Canfield-Payne CanfieldPayne Insurance Consultants Ltd Tel: 01342 302422 Fax: 01342 301432 The Cravens, Ship Street, East Grinstead, RH19 4DX jcpayne.canpayne@tamcentraluk.com We always offer competitive premiums for all types of commercial, motor, household, travel and private medical insurances Perhaps some other travellers/ foreigners will be able to navigate the minefield more successfully with St.John's help. |
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It would be even more helpful if you (happen to) know, or could find out, what is the UK underwriter for the policy that the broker obtained. |
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When I first took out a policy with them it did not include this, but they offered another underwriter when renewal time came around and they wanted to get the annual payment from me - that is the time to insist that you get the exact policy you need (it is then that ebike have a phone number for negotiations ;-) |
MCE Scam
We recently took a policy with MCE. We found out when the paperwork arrived that the recovery insurance was only for a 10 mile radius of our home. When we contacted them they said that this was our problem and we should have asked for more details when we were told the policy included breakdown cover, of course it would be no problem to upgrade for MORE money sir!
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I'm also with MCE. I would be tempted to call them the most dishonest bunch of thieves around, but since that description could be applied to any insurance company I won't bother.
A few months ago I changed from one 2001 Transalp to another 2001 Transalp. Exactly the same model and age. The new one had better security (alarm) and I valued it at less than the old one. At the same time I moved to a (significantly) safer postcode. MCE increased my premium. A lot. And they charged me a £40 admin fee. I gave them £40 to allow them to charge me more money. Before that I was with Bikesure. When my bike was stolen I ended up paying £700 out of my own pocket for recovery and repairs because the hit I would have taken when making a claim would have been greater (£350 excess, loss of no claims, increased premiums and having to declare the claim on every quote for the next 5 years). £700 for being a victim of crime. Bloody marvellous. I understand that insurance companies exist to make a profit, just like any other company, and that no company can make a profit by giving out lots of money. But when someone offers to take on the risk of something bad happening I expect them to do just that, not weasel out as soon as they are called upon to provide the service they have promised. Frankly, the only reason I have insurance is because I am legally obliged to. No other reason. It is a complete waste of money. I have reduced my policy to the bare minimum and will always search out the cheapest premium because I know insurance is just throwing my money away. I am convinced that if I ever do cause damage to another persons property through my own wrong doing my insurers will not pay for the repairs. |
Morning Guys n Gals,
my experience with my own insurers has been the opposite to other posts here. I've been covered through the Be Wiser brokers for the last 5 or so years. They were quick to offer quotations on my imported bikes (Yamaha Serows), didn't have a problem with my annual mileage of 25,000 miles (OK they did charge extra for it) and have been prompt in emailing documents directly to me. I've got protected NCB, an all sections X/S of £250 (without any other excess's) and breakdown cover included. I had to laugh when they said I'd got handbag and gadget cover of £200 (what sort of a bloke do they think I am?). I've been involved in two claims with them, the first where I was hit whilst stationary at traffic lights (on red) and the repairs were quickly sorted out and they arranged the uninsured loss recovery. The second when I was hit by a white van driving t**t, who did a runner and left me out cold on the road. My bike was written off in this incident and they paid me a fair price, in good time. OK the prices have gone up a bit over the last two years but I'm more than happy to use them. Am I the odd one out here? Regards Reggie |
Extended Euro insurance
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There is a short thread here with yet another sad tale of utter incompetence by a broker (again, Carole Nash) who had to refer back to the actual insurance company to find out what is a basic condition of insurance (the whole business of minimum insurance cover within the EU). http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nsurance-69292 Their service appears to have degenerated, ever since Carole Nash "sold out" as a specialist motorcycle insurer and switched to becoming just one of dozens of intermediaries for any form of motor insurance. |
Sign of the times
Trying to help an Australian biker with a similar issue, and following this thread I contacted St. John ... helpful chap, but not very hopeful.
So then I called Aviva directly ... I guess its a sign of the times that you now get a selection of music you can choose from while they put u on hold. Made me smile anyway ... suppose that's their idea of "continual improvements in customer service" . Anyone remember the Man from the Pru, who came to your house... yes, I know, we all pay less now ... allegedly doh Russ |
[QUOTE=Walkabout;391333]
Yep, I use ebike as a totally online broker (there is not even a phone number for getting quotes etc) QUOTE] I recently renewed my annual insurance with ebike; the quote cost rose a bit this year, but, considered overall, I decided to hang in there for another year - I may put in more effort next time around to get a wider range of quotes. Quote:
Motorcycle Insurance - Best Reviews of 2012 & 2013 at Review Centre IMO, where there is a small number of reviews only then it has to be taken as dubious, at best. ps getting green card cover shouldn't be all that much of an issue; fully comprehensive cover is a different proposition all together. |
On the whole I can only say good things about ebike. Being able to insure 4 bikes with up to 4 riders on one policy has saved us a lot of money over the last few years. One problem we had about 3 years ago was when my daughter insured her bike. She had passed her test on her 18th birthday and when filling in the details to re-insure her 125 not long before her 22nd birthday claimed she'd had a full bike licence for 3 full years. On receiving a copy of her licence ebike complained she'd lied on her application as technically she'd only had a full licence for 1 year because she'd had a restricted licence for the first 2 years and they charged an extra £30 for "admin" costs to correct the discrepancy. We had no choice other than to pay or they were going to cancel the insurance. I offset this against the money we'd saved between my wife and I over the previous years by insuring both our Harleys on one policy instead of 2 with our previous insurers and decided it wasn't worth getting too upset about it. We did have to make a claim on my policy once and I can't fault the way ebike handled it. I didn't even lose my no-claims.
I have nothing but contempt for Bennetts though, again because of my daughter's insurance. Bennetts offered her the best quote for her 2nd year of riding just before she went to university in Edinburgh so we took it. A few months later she started at Edinburgh uni and took the bike with her. I rang up on her behalf to tell them she had relocated and at first they refused to talk to me as I wasn't the policy holder but eventually told me that there was a £40 admin fee to notify them of the change of location and that they would need to be told whenever she brought the bike home for summer, xmas and easter nad back again to uni and would charge £40 for each change, which would more than triple the annual premium cost. Naturally they refused to accept me giving instructions to cancel the policy and my daughter had to spend over £10 in mobile phone charges to do it herself. We've been with ebike ever since, who don't charge for small admin changes like this. After my experience with Bennetts and their obnoxious attitude to my phone calls will never ever consider using them again regardless of how much money I might save. |
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It has to be recognised though that the brokers are little more than call centres nowadays; for instance, when a claim is implemented your case is passed on, immediately, to another intermediary - a claim specialist company contracted to the insurance broker/underwriter to carry out the negotiations (many years ago, I learnt this hard lesson via a claim based on car insurance with Directline - I did most of the "legwork" myself!). |
More experience with a UK insurance product
There is an account of UK based insurance experience in this thread which may be of value to some folks:-
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...p-needed-71169 |
e-bike
Hi,
Need some help on long term fully comp cover for touring Europe. I think e-bike has change an underwriter, and they now offered me 365 days full cover per year, but each trip can only last a max of one month, after which I have to return to the UK, of fall back to the EU legal minimum! Anyone know a company that will offer long stay cover? Kinda wary of some EU based ones which may or may not be worth the paper they are printed on; sceptical old me! What ever happened to EU harmonisation! Trawled the internet, but no luck. |
Great Info .
thanks alot
tschuss:thumbup1: |
Hi all looking for advise on third party insurance. I am an Australian coming to the UK next month where a friend has very kindly offered to lend me his bike to tour around England and Ireland. Can anyone advise what I need to do with regard to 3rd party insurance and recommend a company that will cover me for a month?
Thanks for any advice. |
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Updates anyone, particularly for Ebike???
Any updates from any direction on the subject of this thread?
A few months ago the website of the insurance broker Ebike was down for weeks, if not some months; I remember it well because I had just renewed my insurance with them and their fees increased quite a bit (but I have forgotten those details - it was last June and the renewal was due during a one month ride; therefore I renewed the insurance early, before riding away into the sunrise, and took the hit on not shopping around). At that time, UK "chat" surmised that the site had been hacked, although the 4 wheel part of their overall website appeared to continue to function OK. So, what news from any direction? |
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http://www.adventurebikerider.com/fo...of-humour.html It is not encouraging about the prospects of ebike. |
Ebike
I think Ebike must be busy digging its own grave.
My policy is coming to an end and I got the email about renewal but like others found I can't login to the website. You can call them on a non premium rate phone number but I have no confidence in them now. I followed links to their other businesses: home and contents has changed to One Insurance Solution. Pet insurance, I just get server not found. Various broken links when surfing around their different websites (einsurancegroup) Ebike don't follow their own terms of business: "eBike is an internet based service. Please note that our primary method of communication is via email. Any changes or adjustments to your policy can be made online by accessing your account at eBike Insurance - Welcome to eBike Insurance If you experience difficulties in making changes to your policy, please contact our Customer Services Team, whose details can be found on the ‘Contact Us’ tab on the homepage of our website. Please be aware that calls to the Customer Services Team are charged at premium rates." Nobody can login. I took a look at the Financial Ombudsman's website and they say from Jan to June 2012, 82% of complaints against E Insurance were upheld in favour of the customer against an industry average of 48%. So that indicates to me that they are not worth dealing with. It's a shame because they offer lots that I want/need in a way that I want and need, but they simply don't deliver. |
No end in sight
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I have liked the way that I could change my insurance cover on line 24/7. Now we are stuck with a call centre running to typical call centre hours of opening. I agree that it is not looking at all good for this business which has had many months to get it's act together. Right now the site is still down:- https://www.egroup-insurance.com/quo...267.1425832987 Apparently the call centre works, but so do the call centres of many other insurance brokers - and that is all they are ultimately; the middlemen who come between us and the insurance companies that actually take the risk. http://adventurebikerider.com/forum/...l-screwed.html |
So, who knows of a good insurance broker in the UK????
Not only was it easy to change the details of the bikes covered on the policy via the ebike website but there was usually no charge for such changes, at least until the annual renewal............. what would be nice to have nowadays is a policy that does not last for 12 months (and without any extra charge for a shorter duration cover); I would gladly shop around more frequently, say every 6 months but, naturally, that wouldn't suit the insurance brokers (it could double their over-whelmingly difficult workload if everyone changed every 6 months).
With the current demise of the ebike website and the loss of this "automatic" system of changing the details I guess it gives the call centre staff every opportunity to impose extra charges for this service; just as all of the other call centres practice. Another day, another dollar:- http://adventurebikerider.com/forum/...ewal-time.html |
My experiences with Ebike
I wrote this elsewhere about my experiences with Ebike insurance:
If you need to call ebike, rather than their premium rate number, call 01454 634 810. I was with ebike for about 7 or 8 years. This year my insurance renewal premium went up 50% despite no claims nor convictions. Trying to get a NCB letter was an adventure: Not only is their website down, but their internal IT system seems to be shot to sh!t too. Luckily I was on their normal 01454 number: I went through the phone menus and eventually managed to work out how to speak to a human. Said human seemed quite pleasant (preventing me from turning from assertive to rude). She really had no idea how their IT system worked. Allegedly website problem is down to a security glitch (which started 6 months ago?!!). Eventually received my NCB letter. So went to Carole Nash = cheaper than my old policy price (not the 50% increased renewal quote), an 0800 number to call and humans who seem to know what they're talking about. |
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I allowed the policy to lapse and just didn't renew and the day after I had email attachment with NCB, so can't grumble about that. Like most of the "online world" when it works its great, when it breaks it's very stressful ! |
It just goes on, and on, and on
There is no end in sight:-
http://www.adventurebikerider.com/fo...re-a-pain.html |
Insurance for Aussie registered bike for UK trip
Hi guys,
New to this site and not sure where to post this question so apologies!! We are looking at shipping a BMW next month for a summer ride round the UK but are hitting a brick wall when it comes to insuring it for the duration (2 months), our current insurer over here will not / cannot insure the bike outside Australia and so far Bennetts and Carole Nash also advise if the bike is not registered in the UK they cannot help. How do you get legal cover to ride your bike? Hubby has a full UK licence but we are no longer residents, another brick wall? I have bought a bike already and it is being stored with family, how can I get insurance for that too. I hold full Aussie licence as passed bike test over here, not sure if this makes a difference. Hoping for some good news :) Julie |
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I have just spent a morning switching my insurance cover from ebike to CN. Don't accept the first premium offered by the latter; they will negotiate there and then over the telephone. CN use quite high-pressure sales techniques, but I've heard all that before. I was with ebike for over 10 years it transpired but they have now lost their online capability for at least the past 12 months and, therefore, are no different to dozens of other telephone-based insurance brokers in the UK. The 01454 number above goes to their "egroup" phone which is open only Monday - Friday and in the usual office hours at that. CN still use an 0800 free-phone number and are available every day of the week. |
Renewing Insurance while Abroad
Hi guys,
I have been travelling through France for the last five weeks and will be travelling around the world on Nelly, my Honda C90. Because of the nature of my vehicle and my own personal preferance for travel, I will be travelling very slowly and taking my time to appreciate and experience each place I go to. The entire journey I reckon will take perhaps longer than five years. I intend on being in europe for about six months, if not longer which presents a few insurance issues. My insurance policy with Bennets runs out on the 30th of this month and I will need to look at renewing my policy or taking out a policy with another company. I can only seem to find cover for 3 months abroad from any insurance company and requiring proof of departure dates (such as ferry tickets) if a claim is made. Companies offering full cover in europe costs a fortune, one company's annual policy was in excess of €700, which is more than my C90 is worth financially and a lot more than I am willing to fork out each year for insurance. I am aware that when i reach the Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa insurance is less of an issue however i will be in Europe for some time and cover is more important. Has anyone had any experience with this and how have they gone about it? Any advice would be appreciated. I am half tempted to take the cheapest policy for a year and take my chances. Eventhough, theoretically, i will not be covered, at least i will have a slip of paper saying I have insurance that should get me past borders etc (As i don't have to proove when left England to anyone it shouldn't matter unless i have an accident). Either way i need to make a decision fast so anyone who has some advice or experience to impart would be hugely appreciated! Thank you all, Best Regards Eimhin Travelswithnelly |
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In a nutshell, the brokers and their desk-bound telephone sales staff will try to offer you their standard product that produces the most profit for them viz and viz minimum effort on their part. Locate a decent broker and it will come up with an insurance product that suits you. :welcome: to the HUBB by the way; a first post!! |
Here's a good result when using a UK based insurance broker.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...urrently-81749 As stated therein, it is relatively straight forward to insure a bike registered in the UK, in this case using an International Driving Licence. |
Useful, helpful broker
Just a word for the UK based insurance broker shown below.
I have had excellent service from them over a number of years (for European breakdown cover), and you deal with humans by telephone - the latter are always polite and helpful and do not try to use "pressure sales" tactics. Specialist Insurance from Graham Sykes|Buy Online Their charges for mid-term alterations of policy details are reasonable (£10 last time I checked with them). I have not had to make a claim at all via them, so I can't speak for that part. |
A growing practice?
Making a mid-term change of a policy (actually at the 9 month point) with one of the large UK brokers and doing this by telephone, it was stated that there was no refund due for the bit of the policy that would no longer be in force and that no charge would be made for this service.
(the broker terms and conditions say that they could charge up to £50 for such adjustments). The confirmation email with the new policy attached (it being a multi-bike policy it remains in overall force) shows that there is a refund due and that the charge for making the change of policy is exactly the same amount, to the penny, including appropriate statement of the taxation that is involved. Funny that. I suspect that this is becoming a growing, standard practice; I will shop around for yet another broker at next renewal and I see that the website for ebike is back in business with a new "skin" as their "front of house". It may be that ebike are now semi-automated with some business such as quotes done over the internet and other aspects covered by call centres. |
I have just cancelled my car insurance with Carole Nash due to selling it. (I have bike insurance with them also). £50 they charged me for the policy cancellation, bloody highway robbery, even Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask.
All I got back from them when I asked why are you charging me 50 quid to tap a few keys all I got back was its in the policy, Yes it is but still! I have been with them for 15 years plus and now I will be looking for some else come September. I understand and don't mind paying a fee but there is no need to kick the arse out of it Wayne |
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Now, they have gone into the "hard sell" tactics that I mentioned in here last June and the hard-nosed approach to cancellation of policies or parts thereof. I was expecting a charge of upto £50 but the way it was expressed over the phone implied that there was no charge and no refund due; the subsequent "invoice" via email said otherwise, with both activated and one balancing the other. My wife used to have the CN "6 wheel" policy which, as the name suggests, covers a bike and car on the one policy - hence removing one element (just as I did recently with my multi-bike policy) does not negate the insurance completely. |
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Wayne |
It appears to be increasingly a minefield of short-termism attitudes on the part of the big-name brokers.
I tend to be cautious about reviews on internet sites wherein there is no clarity about who has been writing such reviews. When there are 100s of similar reports then perhaps they carry more weight? Here is CN for instance:- Carole Nash Motorcycle Insurance www.carolenash.com Reviews at Review Centre The other big names in that review centre don't do much better. However, the reviewers frequently display complete ignorance about how insurance works in practice, failing to distinguish between middle-men brokers and the actual insurance company providing the cover. Aftere that, there are the cases wherein claims are made and then the specialist claims companies and their lawyers become involved. :(:( |
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On this basis alone, I will look for a specialist broker next time around. There is also this reminder about an important "small print" aspect - the "2 year rule" applies to all motor policies I think:- "took out what I thought was a dual bike policy for both my modern every day rider and my vintage classic bike; when it came to renewal the price was excessive so I decided to go elsewhere. When I asked for my proof of no claims discount I was informed that my policy was in fact a vintage policy and as such did not accrue any NCD. Fortunately I still have a record of my NCD record from my previous insurer and given that two years have not elapsed have been able to retain the discount with my new insurer. The warning is that if you use a Carole Nash two bike policy which includes a classic bike then after two years you will loose all your NCD; you will not be warned about this but will ultimately loose a lot of money and become trapped by Carole Nash who will be free to bump up your premium at their will" |
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I got an email confirmation of NCB by return as soon as my policy expired (having requested it earlier by telephone call) and that was forwarded by me to CN who accepted it immediately. I have wondered why these brokers can't do that bit between themselves if only because they appear to be in possession of any amount of data about us all on their computer databases. |
New insurance policy
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/news/...=mailsignoutmd
Blameless drivers, because there won't be a human at the wheel. |
Price comparison sites
I have recently had the renewal through from Bennetts for my Honda XR125 and due to an increase in premium for the first time I decided to try a comparison website. When I first entered my details I "accidently" misspelt my name but all other details were correct, the quote from Bennetts was 25% cheaper than my renewal for the same policy, after I corrected my name the Bennetts quote disappeared.
I phoned them and used the next cheapest to try and get a reduction down to their price but no go so I went to Swinton and got the same policy 25% cheaper, it pays to shop around. |
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I'm not sure that I should admit this, but I worked for Aviva in a previous life (pre-pension). Aviva's direct insurance - the stuff you get from online or call centre - is the vanilla flavour: a few bells and whistles to differentiate it, and targeted at a specific audience. And that audience may change according to where the company see they can make profit (the main reason a company remains viable). They also, deep in the bowels (analogies awaited) of the offices is a small team of people who underwrite "Schemes" insurance, aiming at niche markets and sold through intermediaries. The likelihood is that your friendly broker is privy to such schemes, and has access to proper insurance underwriters (I worked there for 22years and I don't recall meeting one!). The point of this waffle is that you need to find a broker who can provide a personal service and has access to those shy little underwriters. It won't be cheap... |
medical insurace for bikers
Hi all, just a quick note of my experiences today as a UK subject/ EU citizen looking for medical insurance on a Africa trip.
Navigator Travel and PJ Hayman, motorcycle rider specific health insurance, underwriter of both is 'Global Voyager'. Global voyager quoted me £573 for silver level, 5 months cover. But will not honor a claim made from a country with a UK Foreign Office travel advisory. Eg Mauritania not covered. Tho policy remains valid in countries either side. 'Holiday Safe' appears to cover motorcycle riding specifically. 'Direct travel insurance' doesn't appear to exclude it. As with voyager, neither will cover countries with UKFO advisory. Tourinsure.de, offer 3rd party motorcycle insurance throughout Africa ! quoted me £500 for five months......underwriter AXA. Also offers medical travel insurance only to German nationals depending on german government advice. German Nationals can currently claim medical expense in Mauritania... AXA offer a short term international health plan (3 month min), does cover motorcycling and surfing, throughout Africa, including Mauritania. Quoted me £400 per quarter with an excess. However The handbook states, with specific regard to medical evacuation and repatriation, that if "the emergency occurs when you are on a leisure trip to a destination to which the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office either advises against all travel, or advises against all travel on holiday or non-essential business" it is excluded. So whether or not medical care is covered in-country remains to be seen ! Tangiers Group offers higher risk insurance, underwriters 'Osprey' based in Malta offer 'Battleface' policy. Doesn't exclude motorcycling. Excludes countries the insured individuals' 'home nations government has issued a notice to evacuate' . To Quote their representative; "............ In this regard, kindly note that Battleface only excludes emergency medical expenses coverage in the eventuality of an evacuation which is specifically requested by one’s Country of Residence, whereby an Insured Person refuses to depart within 48 hours, after “home country has issued an evacuation order”. That said, coverage is still operative when the FCO issues a negative travel advise, since this is one of the main purposes of Battleface policy..............." Tokyomarine hcc group - Medical Insurance Services group, underwriter Patriot, a US company. Offer a policy which does not exclude motorcycle travel. And like osprey will offer cover in countries with a government travel advisory, up to an evacuation. The cover is only for accidentally incurred medical problems and not for the results of terrorism/political violence the gov advisory references. quotes $500 for 6months with some variables to play with. |
A quick update
The thread has been around for a while now.
A quick update. "Bikesure" charges for changing details of a policy were £44 last year - that's for each and every change that you might want to make to a policy. "EBike" are back in business online - I have had quotes from them via their website and it appears to be working fine. There is another UK broker on the block = "BeMoto". Maybe worth a look (no charges for change of details to an existing policy). However, if it becomes too big/popular, thereby soaking up the business of the call centre-based brokers, it will be bought out (just as happened with Carole Nash) and morph into yet another part of a call centre empire. |
Cheapest VIN insurance
Anyone know the cheapest company to use when insuring a bike against the VIN number? I don't need the insurance to be for long (only long enough to register the bike in the UK). I have passed the MSVA and will have an MOT by that point but any quotes for VIN insurance have been mad high!
Thanks |
EU Insurance and Brexit
Hi all
I'm a British citizen living in the UK and plan to live and bike around Europe for a few years. I've sold my Yamaha TDM 900 and am looking to buy another bike. My question is would it be better to buy a bike in Germany or Poland and insure the bike there and is that feasible? Sorry if it's a bit of derp question, but maybe someone with experience can succinctly put me right on this or at least offer the options. |
Being in your shoes I would wait until the end of March and see what actually will happen. To me it is just uncertainty nightmare now to predict whether there would be hard bexit, deal brexit or no brexit at all.:censored:
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Agreed. It's a total racket in the U.K. A real legalised scam. Lots of city folk making big money out of it. Tory donors probably ;)
Once you pay your premium, never expect to see it again. You need to try and play the game with. |
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If you're not resident, or in any other way if you can't provide evidence that you live 6+months per year in that country (work permits, student VISA etc) you wont be able to acquire full comp insurance. You can check my signature, our threads here and on ADVrider as well under Lobagola or Lobagola MotoTours. If you plan to get something off road worthy, I'm linesman for Croatian part of the TET: www.transeurotrail.org so getting info for all the Balkans and Turkey is ready and available. For your inquiry to get the bike in Germany, that wont be possible, and do not know if that's possible in Poland. cheers dooby |
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