I've just spent a few very enjoyable and productive minutes talking to my insurer (Co-operative Insurance) about renewing my car insurance policy, pointing out that the online quote I got this morning was only 62% of the figure in their renewal reminder. The young lady I spoke to didn't bat an eyelid about the fact that there was this difference and eventually she came up with a figure that was even lower (albeit by only £3) than the online quote! I accepted her figure and will now have a new policy number when the documents arrive. I asked her the reason for the difference and she said that because I had been with them for a number of years my policy was "out of date". Nevertheless and not withstanding, my new policy will give exactly the same cover as the old one! I told her that it appeared that every year I ought to get an online quote and compare it with the renewal reminder letter figure, but she said that all I needed to do was ring up to see what they could do about giving me a lower premium!
And to think that I've only just found out all this after 55 years of driving!
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>> And to think that I've only just found out all this after 55 years of
>> driving!
>>
Could it be that you don't read/follow motoring forum advice:
see the link to a 2003 thread here:
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=10957&m=243168&v=e
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>> Could it be that you don't read/follow motoring forum advice:
Blub blub blub!
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Something I check every year, especially via GoCompare. Zurich has upped its premium this year from £273 to £317 after it didn't go up last year, so I did a check and found a best price of £242.
I rang Zurich, but could get no joy out of a call centre operative who claimed that the £317 was very competitive as it included breakdown cover from the RAC and many other benefits. He was in fact quite correct, although even a check with the supervisor failed to get a lower premium price. I forgave him his rather patronising attitude about accident risks etc and needing (Zurich's) quality product and will be renewing with the company.
However, over the years I've found that checking price comparison websites has repaid handsomely from a financial point of view.
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When shopping around its always worth shopping at your current insurer although big shout out to Privilege who every year their renewal is not only the lowest of anyone quoting me, but their renewal matches their best online price.
Ive been with them for 5 years now and still they havent tried to hike the price up on me. A very sound company to deal with in that respect.
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Insurance is due on the CC3 next month.
Several quotes on GoCompare - including from my current provider - under £400, which I think is less than last time.
Not yet had the renewal offer direct from the company.
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I use Privilege for home and contents insurance, which is incredibly cheap for the benefits it offers.
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Did mine last week. Used Toyota Insurance themselves, as last year.
They weren't the cheapest, but I do know the policy doesn't even consider the possibility that any repair be done by other than the main dealer network (in reality whoever they sub it to I suppose, but anyway).
Whether it's true or not - I chose to believe it - he told me that the other insurers I was comparing with would of course ALLOW me to use the main dealer in the event of a prang, but would increase the excess if I did so, pretty much negating their price advantage.
Without trawling through fine print of the the alternative policies, I don't know if that's so, and anyway, the price difference was only about £30, so it wasn't worth my time to try and find out.
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5 minutes on confused.com (or similar) at renewal time has never failed to give me enough to do at least one of the following:
1) Beat my existing insurer down with their own cheaper "new business" quote
2) Beat my existing insurer down with a rival "new business" quote.
3) If 1) and 2) fail, allow me to easily, and simply buy cover with another insurer.
Plus you can also directly compare policy terms and excesses across multiple quotes very quickly and easily, and requote with different excesses or cover levels to allow you to calculate whether any premium saving is worth any additional risk, or vice versa.
Along with online banking, car insurance comparison sites are one of the few indisputable areas of progress that the internet age has brought about, in my opinion.
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Exactly, DP; my method too, and I've been on first name terms with the 'customer retention manager' at several major insurers. But it's the people who just open the renewal letter and write a cheque who make what we do possible, so don't shout too loud about it.
};---)
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Kind of agree with that, but my experience of the comparison websites is that what they show you on the screen in terms of cover isn't always what the policy actually says.
There always seems, to me, to be some extra hidden bits they don't tell you about, and I get bored of reading the policies in detail to be certain. Little things, like an extra excess if keys are stolen, or they don't cover audio kit for more than £100, or the windscreen excess is twice what you currently have, and so forth.
Maybe I'm too hung up on the fine details, but it's the fine details that hang you when you claim.
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>> the price difference was only about £30, so it wasn't worth my time to try and find out.
You could have bought an ioniser and a decent bottle of wine with that.
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Wine no good to me, but I did buy the ioniser...:)
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Any good for your stuffy nose?
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Updated on ioniser thread in non-motoring, as I don't want to hijack this very sensible thread.
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Insurance season again - house insurance - stayed with same company and increased the contents by £10K - re-calculated premium - down £1.xx!!
Car Insurance in the next 4 weeks, about the same time as the new CRV is due - 3 week del time, already waited 2 weeks and the delivery is still 3 weeks as it seems stuck @ Swindon.
Comparison site had Privilege near the top of the list £154 for 2 x OAPs and £350 excess. Pretty good so decided to see what it would be with 39yr old son added......£260........better off at day insurance for the odd day's coverage. I took the son out leaving 2 x drivers and the premium fell to £210....£54 more than 5 minutes before.
Do they make up the premiums as the time passes. I know over time premiums can go up/down but in 5 minutes!
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>> will now have a new policy number when the documents arrive. I asked her the reason for the difference and she said that because I had been with them for a number of years my policy was "out of date".
More likely the real reason is they treated you as new customer.
Customer loyalty counts for nothing these days. It's all to do with performance figures and how many new customers they take on board.
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Online insurance quote 62% of renewal reminder - John H
