Insurance renewal 'arrangement fee'.

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by Clan

In recent years I had to take over dad's affairs , His insurance on his 343 was £550 , he had been with them for many years , I went on the comparison site and saved him £350 Yes Three Hundred and Fifty Pounds … I cancelled the RAC membership , breakdown cover was in with the insurance . Another £100+ saved I got a water meter installed and saved him £450 Yes Four hundred and Fifty Pounds ... House Insurance the same . From £500 down to LESS THAN £200 …. That is £1100 too much a year he had been paying ..

You have to do it … just get some quotes you have time to think about it and choose . I have learned there is no sentiment whatsoever in business …
In most cases the insurance company you deal with does nothing whatsoever if you have a claim they just pass you over to one of the many companies they chose to insure you with and wipe their hands of you .

You are quite right Clan, I have saved hundreds likewise. No More loyalty. I have just received my car renewal with a company I would like to have stayed with but I looked at SAGA and immediately saved £76. I will look at others. I changed my power supplier and saved about £300 a year. No more big six! I changed my bank. I was with RBS for 40 years but don't like the way they are closing branches and treating their customers with disdain so changed to Handelsbanken. Good old fashioned banking service. They did all the changeover and completed within seven days. RBS should drop the word Scotland in their title. They are now an embarrassment. So John Wigley, I am a bit older than you and have no hesitation in changing. Look around cos it will be worth your while.

[Baxlin]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

However, I turn 70 next birthday, and have also received advice to the effect that it is not a good idea to switch companies as one ages.
Regards, John.

Couple of thoughts, John. I retired late, at 69, and needed to change my insurance from my company-leased car (I was a Director, and had the car actually in my name, paid through my D's account) to my own, also removing business use, so it was a major re-think. As Mrs B also has a car, we moved to a multicar policy, with Admiral as it happened, with no problems at all. With other factors, like subsequently changing cars, having personalised plates etc, our ages have made no difference. So I’d say deffo shop around!

The other point, slightly off topic, but relevant maybe, you’ll need to reapply for your driving licence at 70. With hindsight I made a mistake, and applied online, and lost classes C1 and D1, (vehicles over 3500 kgs and minibuses), while I could have kept them if I’d made a paper application. Maybe not important at first thought, but I now can’t hire a Luton type van, or a decent sized camper van, the latter which I’d thought about doing in retirement......

Apologies for the verbal diarrhoea.....

Regards

Malcolm

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Baxlin

Couple of thoughts, John. I retired late, at 69, and needed to change my insurance from my company-leased car (I was a Director, and had the car actually in my name, paid through my D's account) to my own, also removing business use, so it was a major re-think. As Mrs B also has a car, we moved to a multicar policy, with Admiral as it happened, with no problems at all. With other factors, like subsequently changing cars, having personalised plates etc, our ages have made no difference. So I’d say deffo shop around!

The other point, slightly off topic, but relevant maybe, you’ll need to reapply for your driving licence at 70. With hindsight I made a mistake, and applied online, and lost classes C1 and D1, (vehicles over 3500 kgs and minibuses), while I could have kept them if I’d made a paper application. Maybe not important at first thought, but I now can’t hire a Luton type van, or a decent sized camper van, the latter which I’d thought about doing in retirement......

Apologies for the verbal diarrhoea.....

Regards

Malcolm

No apology necessary, Malcolm; appreciate the input. I asked for advice and am grateful to you and others for providing it.

You also raise a couple of points that I have previously considered, but on which I now need to clarify my thinking.

Multi-car policies

As I remarked to 'CTA' in another thread recently, I feel that 'Insurance' can be a potential minefield for the uninitiated.

We have three cars between us. Two are owned and insured in my name, with Linda as a named driver, and one in Linda's with me as the named driver. Two things occur to me: 1) Would all three cars need to be registered in the same name in order for us to take out such a policy, and 2) if, say, I had an accident while driving Linda's car, would that affect the other two?

It is, incidentally, my V70 that is currently due for renewal, and I have been quoted £291 plus the £25 renewal fee. This is broadly in line with what we pay for each of the other two cars.

Driving Licences

I was aware of the anomaly to which you refer from other sources and also guided my late MIL through this process. My dilemma is that, although I have the entitlement, I have only very infrequently made use of it, not having had occasion to regularly drive 'large' vehicles. As a result, I would probably be a danger to myself and others if I got behind the wheel of a seven and a half tonner at this stage in my life. In the same vein, I understand that there are also implications for towing, but haven't yet looked into that.

Life's never simple, is it?

Regards, John.

[Baxlin]

On our policy, John, the Volvo's in my name, the Skoda-soon-to-be-changed-for-a-Nissan is in Gill's name. Like you, we are both insured on both.

The three wheeler's done separately. For some reason, Gill doesn’t want to drive that................

[93240se]

Hi John, Baxlin

You can still apply for a C1E & D1 licence using forms D2 & D4. You will need :

A medical (approx. £90)

An eyesight test ( may be another £30 if Doctor can't /won't do it)

If you are diabetic type 2 or suffering any other medical condition be prepared for another 10 page form !

Lots of patience with DVLA, just renewed mine at 73 for another 3 years.
Send all documentation Recorded Delivery / get signed for service.
Worth checking the DVLA website. Or just don't bother with all the hassle !

Regards, Richard.

[Thorn]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Thank you for the comments / advice; it has confirmed my own thinking.

However, I turn 70 next birthday, and have also received advice to the effect that it is not a good idea to switch companies as one ages. The company that I am currently insured with does have a generally good name with older drivers, but the 'renewal arrangement fee' is annoying. I'll give the matter some more thought.

Regards, John.

I’m older than you, and still find that reviewing my options every year is worthwhile. And I’ve not found either of the companies supposedly specialising in older drivers to be competitive.

[green van man]

Originally Posted by 93240se

Hi John, Baxlin

You can still apply for a C1E & D1 licence using forms D2 & D4. You will need :

A medical (approx. £90)

An eyesight test ( may be another £30 if Doctor can't /won't do it)

If you are diabetic type 2 or suffering any other medical condition be prepared for another 10 page form !

Lots of patience with DVLA, just renewed mine at 73 for another 3 years.
Send all documentation Recorded Delivery / get signed for service.
Worth checking the DVLA website. Or just don't bother with all the hassle !

Regards, Richard.

My understanding is that it's a class 2 hgv medical to retain your grandfather rights.

If I tow with the landrover (2.25 tonnes) I can quickly exceed the 3.5 tonnes train weight of the B+E licence even with a large caravan.
I am seriously considering taking my class2 licence if I have to have the medical to retain grandfather rights and have 38 tonne rights.

Paul.

[AndyJudge]

Originally Posted by green van man

My understanding is that it's a class 2 hgv medical to retain your grandfather rights.

If I tow with the landrover (2.25 tonnes) I can quickly exceed the 3.5 tonnes train weight of the B+E licence even with a large caravan.
I am seriously considering taking my class2 licence if I have to have the medical to retain grandfather rights and have 38 tonne rights.

Paul.

A friend of mine has recently fallen foul of that one. His Disco & Caravan exceed what he's allowed to tow.

On the insurance front yes it pays to shop around no matter what age you are.

My last renewal on the XC60 with Tesco £880 shopped around & got it with Quote me Happy for about £350.

My Home insurance renewal was £450 with the post office got it down to £200 with Lloyds.

[Grimble]

Never 'auto-renew', or you have one foot in their inertia marketing trap already.

You are legally entitled to opt out of auto renewal at any time.

[StanC]

John - just to add to what others have said, I've just turned 72 and I have just received my renewal quote from NFU Mutual; no 'renewal fee' and a quote less than last year's, covering both my 3litre 960 and my wife's car for £400, fully comprehensive with breakdown cover. I ALWAYS shop around and I haven't found passing 70 any obstacle. LV are good, but NFU Mutual have been most competitive for me over the past two years.

Stan.