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Insurance Frustration...Again
Blog Date - 22 January 2013
It's that time of year, the insurance is up on the Fazer and I've had my renewal quote through, £112. As a matter of habit I skim through a few of the comparison sites just to see if the quote is a fair quote or am I paying too much. To my surprise I find MCN is listing my current insurance provider at £102. OK. So I go to the online quote system of my insurer and fill out the details as a new customer and the quote comes out at £91. So I call my insurer, making sure to use the 0800 number on the quote site and not the 0844 number on the cancellation paperwork.
I talk to a very nice man who mutters something about "fluctuating prices" and HE quotes me £88. Having seen all the other online quotes I promptly furnish him with my credit card details. That's a saving of £24 for just over half an hour's work. Sorted.
Moral of the story? Everyone from your insurance broker to your energy supplier to your recovery service is out to fleece you. Make that call...be polite...and if the price ain't right tell 'em where to get off. If the price is right...bite their hand off.
Why have I not named names? Because they're all the same, mine is no better and no worse than any other.
Reader's Comments
Mary said :-
I never ever ever accept the first quote I get. Its a bit of a pain but its your hard earned money.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Captain Slow said :-
You saved £24 for half an hour's work. That's £48 per hour, that's a wage I'd be happy to take home. There a bugger for doing this, I hate insurance companies.
31/01/2017 08:56:39 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
In general you're right, but some brokers are better than others. Peter James, who specialise in classic bikes (so no use to you although they do class the Super Four as "classic") don't appear on comparison sites, and when I have tried those I can never get a quote as low as PJ (for exactly the same cover, which is vital to check). I think it's because it is a small company which actually has staff that know their market. Probably eventually they will go the same way as Carole Nash however and be swallowed by one of the sharks and I will have to look elsewhere.
Just as a comparison, my car insurance is a massive £3.94 more than it was 7 years ago when I bought my current car! From LV= which again is never beaten (for me at least) by the comparisons. And of course I'm not paying for stupid puppets or idiotic blokes with moustaches.....
31/01/2017 10:47:50 UTC
Borsuk said :-
When my renewal for my car came up this year it had gone up 30 euros to 379. I told them I was going to look around as it was high. They then knocked off a whole 13 Euros. I contacted Linea Directa who initially offered 330 when I said I was still looking they offered 315 on the spot. I took it. When I contacted my original insurer I was leaving them they offered the same. Told them politely where to put there offer. I have been with them 5 years and they only offer a decent price when I am telling them I am leaving.
31/01/2017 11:39:34 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Remarkably this year for the 2 bikes the quotes I was sent were the cheapest I could find online. As such I have renewed with them. I made the call to check some details on the 125 and the chap on the phone knocked £12 off?!?
I then told him I wanted to add more annual mileage to the 500, which he did. He couldn't save me any more on the original quote but I'm covered for an extra 3,00 miles.
Sometimes...just occasionally...things pan out ok. My best advice still is to ALWAYS shop around. As for them "matching" the quote, damn right they ought to have done that in the first place.
31/01/2017 12:59:03 UTC
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