Car insurance & breakdown cover rip off

[VOLVO GHILLIE]

Just got my renewal premium through for my 1993 240SE. Gone up by another £50 and I have over 9 years NCB. I went on an insurance comparison site and loaded my details and the insurance company I'm with came up on there at a third less on what my current insurance is costing me, not including the extra £50! I phoned them to query this and they said it's a special discount price to attract new business. I said what about loyal customers and a discount for loyality? I've been with them for 4 years. The answer I got was "take it or leave it". If I try and buy from the same company, via the comparison site, at the discount price, the purchase would be blocked by them. Is that legal??
I have had the same with my AA breakdown cover, which I have not used in three years. Every year I get my renewal through at some silly price and I threaten to leave and they say cancel and I can get the same breakdown cover for about two thirds of the price! Last year I saved around £80, simply by cancelling and taking out new breakdown cover.
Have any other forum members had the same experiences........??
Interesting to hear your stories.

[Rustee]

Just got my renewal on a classic car policy for my 240. Last year it was £125 with business use and 6000 miles. Renewal was quoted at £270 over 100% more. I phoned the company up and told them they were having a laugh and they re-quoted at £199 which I accepted as it seems others have also raised their prices.

If they cannot be trusted to give reasonable renewal quotes then i'm going to shop around each year.

[andymusic]

It's so competitive out there - these re-newal letters mean nothing now - ignore them - both for car insurance and breakdown cover - always ignore the letters and get re-newed quotes - seems there are no browny points now for loyalty - just a scramble for business - and may be the companies think - people with busy lives will overlook the re-newal letter and continue with the same membership/car insurance policy - being fleeced - Always - but always check for a better deal - This year for me - car insurance savings of £400 for looking around - and would you believe it - breakdown cover at half of the re-newal price quoted even staying with the same company - flipping weird - but you gotta query all prices you are being quoted!

[kebab10]

Last year on renewal I phoned up to query the massive increase and was told "take it or leave it" so I left. Plenty of other insurers. They are legalised burglars who hold you to ransom.
Instead of being shafted by them, shaft them by shopping around, making sure you have the correct job title, cover and pay off at once if you can.

[VOLVO GHILLIE]

Just got my renewal on a classic car policy for my 240. Last year it was £125 with business use and 6000 miles. Renewal was quoted at £270 over 100% more. I phoned the company up and told them they were having a laugh and they re-quoted at £199 which I accepted as it seems others have also raised their prices.

If they cannot be trusted to give reasonable renewal quotes then i'm going to shop around each year.

Yeah. I was quoted and accepted £170, last year, for my agreed value and agreed annual mileage on my 240SE. This year, its up to £241! I got the usual "insurance premiums are up to cover un-insured drivers" etc..etc.. So a look on the comparison site and there is my insurance company quoting £155 for the same like for like cover. I phoned them, but no joy, and they said they would block any attempt if I tried to take out cover!
Only problem with shopping around is spending hours on the phone or online. I find it amazing that insurance companies share info but you still have to answer loads of questions, and you have to be very careful with the info you give, otherwise if you claim, your cover could be cancelled!
I'm going to get a quote from the volvo forum insurance co.....

[minesa240x3]

The volvo preferred forum insurance company?That will be interesting to hear.Please let us all know how you get on with that.You could always try Footman and James especially if your a VEC or VOC member.
Regards Brian.

[Ninja59]

rang mine up i said lower the mileage no difference...said i had done a quote on their system for at least £300 less...:lol: got put through came out £2 cheaper than even my online one! madness...only difference is no european cover...but i have higher level of personal accident and other stuff on the new policy and to add european cover would cost me another £19...

you can see which new figure i will be going with...

i wonder what the review and investigation by the government team will reveal... :lol: what that it is a rip off? :lol:

[Ninja59]

Yeah. I was quoted and accepted £170, last year, for my agreed value and agreed annual mileage on my 240SE. This year, its up to £241! I got the usual "insurance premiums are up to cover un-insured drivers" etc..etc.. So a look on the comparison site and there is my insurance company quoting £155 for the same like for like cover. I phoned them, but no joy, and they said they would block any attempt if I tried to take out cover!
Only problem with shopping around is spending hours on the phone or online. I find it amazing that insurance companies share info but you still have to answer loads of questions, and you have to be very careful with the info you give, otherwise if you claim, your cover could be cancelled!
I'm going to get a quote from the volvo forum insurance co.....

CUE database is the one where ALL insurance information (not just car) is shared between them and ofc you have MID...

[migrator]

My insurance was long time thru Dial Direct. THis time when the renewal quote came in it was just a few pounds higher than the previous year. Not too much to complain about but I did the round of comparison sites. Dial Direct came up with a quote well over £100 less on the compare than on the renewal quote. When I contacted then I got the same soret of logic - new customers only. I told them about the other lower quotes now received and they did make another offer that was lower than the renewal quote but higher than the compare quote. I told them they run the risk of losing all the business for the sake of a few pounds on the price and that we (both) should consider it for a week. When I called back a week later they refused to budge so they lost it all and I went for one of the even lower quotes I had received.

If we are not happy with any renewal offers then we should all shop around and get a better deal. The insurance companies will soon realise that 'loyalty' business is better than 'initial offer' business where they have no experience of the 'new' customers. (I should say that the general terms were equivalent as regards what was covered and amounts of payout offered.)

VOLVO GHILLIE, be over 25 and rich ...

[waylander]

It's so competitive out there - these re-newal letters mean nothing now - ignore them - both for car insurance and breakdown cover - always ignore the letters and get re-newed quotes - seems there are no browny points now for loyalty - just a scramble for business - and may be the companies think - people with busy lives will overlook the re-newal letter and continue with the same membership/car insurance policy - being fleeced - Always - but always check for a better deal - This year for me - car insurance savings of £400 for looking around - and would you believe it - breakdown cover at half of the re-newal price quoted even staying with the same company - flipping weird - but you gotta query all prices you are being quoted!

+1 Ins co's rely on people being lazy/complacent and not checking other co's out. As in most forms of business there is no longer any such thing as loyalty - especially when it comes to legalised theft such as insurance

[RUTV70]

Finally decided upon my insurance.
My renewal quote from Chris Knott came today...£299 PLUS £55 breakdown/recovery cover....Total. £354..!!

Tried Pete Best...they quoted £277

Ended up with M&S...all the bells and whistles and including RAC PERSONAL cover (Breakdown/recovery/hotel/homestart/keys/EU cover etc) for £244 all in.
That's £100 cheaper than Chris Knott...and better in MY pocket than theirs.!

Pays to shop around innit.!

Neil