Insurance ...fighting windmills

peasant

Folks, I need your help !

Last year, to insure my yoke for the first time was no real problem, as I got a current policy transferred ...dear, mind you at 600 Euro

Come renewal time the quote has now been hiked to an unacceptable 800 Euro (I'm over 40 with full no claims)

Now here's my problem ...apparantly my car doesn't exist on any database, so I can't get alternative quotes.

I have: VW Transporter (5 seats) Syncro (4x4) Turbo diesel 1600 cc

The insurances got: VW Caravalle (5-9 seats), petrol, 1900cc
or: VW Transporter Syncro turbo diesel pickup double cab

They'd happily quote me for either but once I ask the probing question "am I really covered because my vehicle is slightly different?" ...there is a moments silence, followed by "well ...in that case we are sorry but we can't quote you"
WTF? :mad:

So far I have had no luck with the following:
FBD, Quinn Direct, Allianz, AXA (though they haven't answered yet), a few local brokers and also Aaron, Brittons and Carole Nash

Is there anybody out there ...insurance company or broker ...that can look beyond a stupid database and provide me with cover for a reasonable price?
Or someone that has the power to amend the database to fit my vehicle in or alternatively amend the quote with a few extra sentences ..for example cross out the "petrol" bit in the Caravelle, enter diesel and the right cc, charge me an extra 20 for the effort and be done with it?

(because quotes for the caravelle come in at the 450 mark ..that'll be fine)


Any and all suggestions gratefully accepted ...

Thank you

Balfa

That's pretty messed up. I wouldn't know how to help you, but I wish you luck in your search.

gyppo

No help to you Peasant, but I was in the same situation years ago when looking to insure a Mitsubishi RVR diesel that was available from england.
No insurance company had it on their database at the time, and I left buying it in the end.
About 6 months after that there were a good few available in the country, and I would have probably had no bother getting a quote.
Ce la vie.

pounder770

peasant wrote: »

Folks, I need your help !

Last year, to insure my yoke for the first time was no real problem, as I got a current policy transferred ...dear, mind you at 600 Euro

Come renewal time the quote has now been hiked to an unacceptable 800 Euro (I'm over 40 with full no claims)

Now here's my problem ...apparantly my car doesn't exist on any database, so I can't get alternative quotes.

I have: VW Transporter (5 seats) Syncro (4x4) Turbo diesel 1600 cc

The insurances got: VW Caravalle (5-9 seats), petrol, 1900cc
or: VW Transporter Syncro turbo diesel pickup double cab

They'd happily quote me for either but once I ask the probing question "am I really covered because my vehicle is slightly different?" ...there is a moments silence, followed by "well ...in that case we are sorry but we can't quote you"
WTF? :mad:

So far I have had no luck with the following:
FBD, Quinn Direct, Allianz, AXA (though they haven't answered yet), a few local brokers and also Aaron, Brittons and Carole Nash

Is there anybody out there ...insurance company or broker ...that can look beyond a stupid database and provide me with cover for a reasonable price?
Or someone that has the power to amend the database to fit my vehicle in or alternatively amend the quote with a few extra sentences ..for example cross out the "petrol" bit in the Caravelle, enter diesel and the right cc, charge me an extra 20 for the effort and be done with it?

(because quotes for the caravelle come in at the 450 mark ..that'll be fine)


Any and all suggestions gratefully accepted ...

Thank you

Hello there..I have felt your pain......;)

IMHO,the company you need are possibly "St Paul's Travellers".. AFAIK,they only deal through brokers,although this may have changed.either way,they seem to specialise in the otherwise uncategorizable(high performance,heavily modified/adapted,high risk occupations etc.)One of my best friends has had his last three german power saloons with them....all performance enhanced,all upgrades listed and approved..no drama whatsoever!

They're worth a shot ...hope this helps.

hi_im_fil

I've heard of lads going into insurance companies with the log book on high performace jap imports, because the insurance companies didn't have the car on the database and they wanted to insure it properly.

Maybe if you do this a manager would be able to put it into the system...

peasant

pounder770 wrote: »

Hello there..I have felt your pain......;)

IMHO,the company you need are possibly "St Paul's Travellers".. AFAIK,they only deal through brokers,although this may have changed.either way,they seem to specialise in the otherwise uncategorizable(high performance,heavily modified/adapted,high risk occupations etc.)One of my best friends has had his last three german power saloons with them....all performance enhanced,all upgrades listed and approved..no drama whatsoever!

They're worth a shot ...hope this helps.

It's them that have now hiked me up to 800

ninty9er

Hibernian or Sertus?

MugMugs

You are dealing with minion's who are inputting data into a computer system that has pre programmed stats on vehicles makes models and locations.

Write a letter to the underwriters of the Insurance company. Drive to where they are if you have to and ask them to research the vehicle and underwrite their view on the quantum of the premium

peasant

MugMugs wrote: »

Write a letter to the underwriters of the Insurance company....and ask them to research the vehicle and underwrite their view on the quantum of the premium

quantum of the premium ...what's that in plain English ?

I dont think insurance companies take into account power to weight ratios or in some cases the difference between petrol and diesels...

Its not good enough that they simply dont have the vehicle on their system, without an offer to check up on the vehicle and do a small tiny bit of research themselves....


shows how badly they want your business, insurance is an oligopoly in this country really it is.

What about the extreme approach of writing for a quote which they are then legally obliged to give you.
Then with a few of these quotes on paper asking them to justify it or making a complaint to whatever govt body or regulator you can

Steve

Peasant, have you tried the approach of asking to speak to a manager rather than a phone answerer who just fills in crap on a form on their PC?

Have you tried AA? (yeah, I know but they're a broker and supposedly know stuff about vehicles..)

unkel

SteveC wrote: »

Peasant, have you tried the approach of asking to speak to a manager rather than a phone answerer who just fills in crap on a form on their PC?

+1

What year is the Syncro? Have you tried getting a classic insurance quote? Sounds stupid perhaps, but why not give it a try? People have classic insurance on cars like an early 90s Mazda MX-5

Also, to get classic insurance you don't need to have insurance on another car in your own name either. I'm a named driver on Mrs unkel's car. On that basis, I could get classic insurance on my own car (as a second car)

peasant

Classic insurance isn't really an option, as there is no other car (mine or otherwise) that I could be named on ..in fact the Syncro is kinda essential to get the camper insured

But demanding to speak to the manager certainly is an action that will be taken next week ...as well as having words with the underwriters.

Thanks @ all for the help so far !!

Anan1

peasant - pm me your number. I won't guarantee any answers, but I have been through this recently myself..

Victor

Also, talk to VW and tell them companies are refusing to insure their vehicles and please get their databases updated.

peasant

Well, I found someone who has the same vehicle as me (yes, there are such people ) and did manage to get it insured ...so hopefully after the weekend that should help to get me sorted too.

Barr

As long as you tell them the correct make and model at the quote stage its up to the insurance company to rate the vehicle to the closest vehicle on their syetem .
You have done your part by disclosing the vehicle type so there should never be an issue over cover .
I insured a car before that wasent on their system , a jap import . They rated it on the Irish equivelent . The cert had the Irish model on itb but the Insurance company just noted on their own system what the jap model was .

Del2005

Barr wrote: »

As long as you tell them the correct make and model at the quote stage its up to the insurance company to rate the vehicle to the closest vehicle on their syetem .
You have done your part by disclosing the vehicle type so there should never be an issue over cover .
I insured a car before that wasent on their system , a jap import . They rated it on the Irish equivelent . The cert had the Irish model on itb but the Insurance company just noted on their own system what the jap model was .

+1, had the same problem myself. Car was never on any system, is on Quinn now though, used to always get back as incorrect car. I always just crossed off the wrong bits and put in my correct details and initialled the corrections and sent back. Not my fault they didn't have correct the car, I never lied to them.

Have you tried getting an open drive policy, it's similar to trade insurance think it's been mentioned somewhere here before, think it's St Paul's or Britton do it. But would properly cost a bit.

peasant

Result ! ...got insurance with the local AXA office over the phone, a shade over 500 fully comp.
Still a lot of money for what it is ...but a lot better than 800

Owen

I feel your pain Peasant. I had to insure a car for the first time in my life this year after a decade of driving fleet vehicles. 29, 4 years proveable no claims as a named company driver (6 previous years with no record of claim history unfortunately), and a fairly high powered car. It didn't make for a good proposal with any company, and I felt like giving up much like you did.

It's amazing what getting the right monkey to answer the phone will do for you though, and obviously hard work paid off for you. Enjoy having a full compliment of paper on your windscreen!

cantdecide

What the hell is going on. The insurance company's started getting all up themselves again about 10 years ago. Prices soared and service plummeted.


Remember everyone saying 'first you get to twenty five, then they tell you it's 27, now you have to be 30'. As a result, my first insurance was an outrageous IR£4,000 in 2000. I earned about IR£12,000 that year.


It's damn well happening again.

unkel

peasant wrote: »

Result ! ...got insurance with the local AXA office over the phone, a shade over 500 fully comp.
Still a lot of money for what it is ...but a lot better than 800

Nice one. Did you ever talk to a manager at the other insurers or was your exact Syncro model in Axa's system?

peasant

Looks like AXA are the only ones that have the "Caravelle" listed in the turbo diesel version also ...that was the biggest hurdle.
Changing to "Transporter Syncro" was just a stroke of a pen ..by the guy on work experience (after consulting the manager).

Brittons, Quinn and Carole Nash, to be fair to them ..the girls on the phone tried their best but always fell at the underwriter hurdle. As for the rest ..managers or not ...once not on the system, that was that.