car insurance extortion

[RB2004]

Insurance companies really do charge whatever they want!

Why isn't there more control over this?

Currently with aviva, policy was just over £1000 this year.

Now for 2012 with an extra year non claims, no claims no convictions etc they somehow think a ridicules extortionate quote of £3000 is justified.. Nobody else is quoting me those amounts, lol highest was 900 for 2012

How do they justify this 3 fold increase?

[devilincarnate]

Originally Posted by RB2004

Insurance companies really do charge whatever they want!

Why isn't there more control over this?

Currently with aviva, policy was just over £1000 this year.

Now for 2012 with an extra year non claims, no claims no convictions etc they somehow think a ridicules extortionate quote of £3000 is justified.. Nobody else is quoting me those amounts, lol highest was 900 for 2012

How do they justify this 3 fold increase?

Have you tried to shop about

[Cobbydaler]

They could be trying to get rid of a certain demographic by hiking the price up that much.

They don't want you to renew...

[m8internet]

I had the same with Aviva (or Norwich Union as it was in 2002)

I was hit by one of their policyholders in 1999 and gave me a quote that was acceptable
I phoned them and advised they had just paid me out for a claim against one of their policyholders
They then requoted at the cheapest I had found, less 10%
The following two years renewals were slightly cheaper than anything I could find, as a result they had basically made the money back they had paid out to me
However in 2002 the renewal was just ridiculous
Ironically I ended up back at the same insurer from 1999

I had a few bizarre quotes this year
I always advise the current insurer I will not be renewing, as soon as the final Direct Debit has been collected
Sadly it is just the way the business has gone

[martyh]

Originally Posted by RB2004

Insurance companies really do charge whatever they want!

Why isn't there more control over this?

Currently with aviva, policy was just over £1000 this year.

Now for 2012 with an extra year non claims, no claims no convictions etc they somehow think a ridicules extortionate quote of £3000 is justified.. Nobody else is quoting me those amounts, lol highest was 900 for 2012

How do they justify this 3 fold increase?

It's unusual for a policy to increase that much without a change in curcumstance .I'm with Aviva and have had very small increases in the past despite not making any claims .I would redo the estimate on line as that is what i was advised to do last year and saved myself a couple of hundred quid .Have you moved house or changed your car ?

---------- Post added at 19:24 ---------- Previous post was at 19:22 ----------

Originally Posted by m8internet

I had the same with Aviva (or Norwich Union as it was in 2002)

I was hit by one of their policyholders in 1999 and gave me a quote that was acceptable
I phoned them and advised they had just paid me out for a claim against one of their policyholders
They then requoted at the cheapest I had found, less 10%
The following two years renewals were slightly cheaper than anything I could find, as a result they had basically made the money back they had paid out to me
However in 2002 the renewal was just ridiculous
Ironically I ended up back at the same insurer from 1999

I had a few bizarre quotes this year
I always advise the current insurer I will not be renewing, as soon as the final Direct Debit has been collected
Sadly it is just the way the business has gone

very true ,loyalty is a swear word with insurance companies

[Peter_]

Always shop around on the likes of http://www.moneysupermarket.com/ or http://www.confused.com/ as the savings can be mind boggling.

[RB2004]

Hi I am currently shopping around

Lol not paying that extortion.

Same car, address and circumstances

No convictions
1 extra non claims
No claims

Only thing I can think of doing it which was never a claim anyway, but according to bbc watchdog are classed as claims.. Was in October one night an engine under shield fell off the car in front and smashed into passenger corner taking out ecu casing.then I tried to get recovery because ecu was hanging by its wires and dragging on road.. But they tried to put it through as a claim, I declined, tied it up with shoelace and drove car home then repaired myself. But that was not only no fault on my part but I never physically made any claim, on another single occasion I also used the breakdown cover but I pay extra on my policy for that cover so not exactly cost aviva anything as the amount they charge is almost the same as taking out separate rac cover anyway. So that shouldn't be justification for hiking up my quote 3 fold like that.

If that is the reason it's quite disgusting considering no physical claims have been made and I'm paying extra for breakdown cover.

[Peter_]

Let us know if you get a better quote, try LV http://www.lv.com/insurance/car_insurance/

[martyh]

Originally Posted by RB2004

Hi I am currently shopping around

Lol not paying that extortion.

Same car, address and circumstances

No convictions
1 extra non claims
No claims

Only thing I can think of doing it which was never a claim anyway, but according to bbc watchdog are classed as claims.. Was in October one night an engine under shield fell off the car in front and smashed into passenger corner taking out ecu casing.then I tried to get recovery because ecu was hanging by its wires and dragging on road.. But they tried to put it through as a claim, I declined, tied it up with shoelace and drove car home then repaired myself. But that was not only no fault on my part but I never physically made any claim, on another single occasion I also used the breakdown cover but I pay extra on my policy for that cover so not exactly cost aviva anything as the amount they charge is almost the same as taking out separate rac cover anyway. So that shouldn't be justification for hiking up my quote 3 fold like that.

If that is the reason it's quite disgusting considering no physical claims have been made and I'm paying extra for breakdown cover.

It could be simple error on their part ,have you asked them why they have increased it that much

[Russ]

Originally Posted by RB2004

Same car, address and circumstances

No convictions
1 extra non claims
No claims

I used to work for Admiral and I can tell you there are a lot of incorrect assumptions made about things such as the above.

Yes they can lead to a discount and you may be the safest driver in the world however insurance companies work on the balance of risk and probabilities, so say for example you own a blue Focus and in your area there have been a number of claims (whether theft, damage, RTA etc) made by owners of blue Ford Focuses then unfortunately (and somewhat unfairly) you'll get lumped in with them.

---------- Post added at 21:45 ---------- Previous post was at 21:44 ----------

Originally Posted by martyh

It could be simple error on their part ,have you asked them why they have increased it that much

They wouldn't be able to give any reasons. Premiums for the most part are set by the underwriters who have absolutely no desire to be customer-serving.

[RB2004]

Hi will try lv, cheapest so far are direct line.

bell, elephant, and admiral are cheapest but last time I found a massive clause in their cheap policies that made them not so cheap lol

Start off cheapest, then find out they are one of the only insurance companies that consider factory fitted options as modifications.. Declare them then quote shoots up massively.

Not asked them yet I only requires on their website this evening, would be a shame to change as I liked their breakdown cover as it is rac because they own rac.

Will phone them Tommorow

Policy doesn't renew until 14th February but last year I found insurance companies price increase sometime between new year and my renewal and by quoting in advance I got it at cheaper price

---------- Post added at 08:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 PM ----------

It's is ford focus 2.0 diesel titanium in morello.. Quite a rare limited edition colour

[Russ]

The colour doesn't make much of a difference really but it goes to show that a lot more than people usually realise goes in to making up the premium.

[RB2004]

Yep but it is wrong that innocent drivers are penalised because of the actions of others driving the same car.. Car has nothing to do with it, focus is a 5 star n cap car and is one of the best handling cars in its class.. So if loads of people are going into crash barriers it's not because the car can't drive properly. Different if that particular car is being nicked, but even then how is that an accurate guide lol if there's 2 times as many focus as there are golfs of course the stolen focus are going to be higher

[Russ]

Originally Posted by RB2004

Yep but it is wrong that innocent drivers are penalised because of the actions of others driving the same car.. Car has nothing to do with it, focus is a 5 star n cap car and is one of the best handling cars in its class.. So if loads of people are going into crash barriers it's not because the car can't drive properly. Different if that particular car is being nicked, but even then how is that an accurate guide lol if there's 2 times as many focus as there are golfs of course the stolen focus are going to be higher

It's not just about it being stolen, it could be criminal damage.

To give you an idea, when I worked at Admiral I looked at some figures that were taken from some previous claims. At the time, in a particular part of Bristol the premiums for the Fiat Bravo were going up and customers were complaining. After the investigators looked in to it, it turned out there was a guy going around keying and smashing the wing mirrors of those cars because he'd been involved in a road rage incident with someone who was driving a Bravo and didn't know who the driver was so he went around the area looking for them and dished out his own 'rough justice'.

Yes it's stupid but all those people claimed on their insurance. As I said, insurance companies base premiums on risk and probability and with an idiot like that around the place it was not unreasonable to assume more owners of Bravos would submit claims.

That's just one example, there are countless more. You could be the safest driver in the world, your car could have the highest safety rating but if the poor design of the local Tesco car park means drivers often bump in to each other as they get in to/out of spaces then claims for scraped bumpers will bring those costs up.

Unfair? Definitely. But that is how insurance works. Risk and probability.

[Mr Angry]

Think you've got it tough?

Here's some eyewatering reading.