Converted Campervan Insurance

earth mother

Please, please can anyone help
We have spent 2 years and lots and lots of money on converting a (not enormous) bus into a campervan.
Now we cant get insurance.
Dolmen use Axa and they dont do it any more.
Stuarts use Hibernian and they have the same policy.
We are desperate.

peasant

The "usual" campervan insurances (Dolmen/Stuarts) are some kind of group scheme, based on your standard type motorhome. These insurances also usually include other benefits like recovery and insurance on accessories.

You might have more luck if you actually sit down in person with your insurance agent/broker (preferably someone you know / have other insurances with) and try to hammer out a special deal covering you for third party driving only, possibly including some mileage limitation or something that makes it more palpatable for them.
Bringing along all documents for the vehicle / pictures of the conversion / proof of driving experience might also help.

Anyway ...forget the telephone approach. From my experience most insurance agents on the phone just read from a computer ...what isn't on the computer doesn't get cover.


EDIT:
While you're asking around you might also try and ask how horse boxes (with living accomodation) or race transporters (with living accomodation) usually get insured ...perhaps you could slide into a slightly modified policy for one of those.

stapeler

Richardsons Insurance have a group scheme for www.motorcaravanclub.net who have quiet a variety of conversions. Might be worth talking to.

earth mother

Thank you both, so much, for your suggestions.
I contacted Stuarts (who have a group scheme with the other caravan club) and they refused us.
Maybe Richardsons would be worth trying
Thank you anyway

doubledecker

I Feel your frustration...
It took me two years to get insurance for our converted double decker bus. I stopped saying double decker on the phone, 'cause when I did they immediately said no!
We had to drive it on its UK plates for those 2 years, and then finally after sitting down with a broker, and changing all our other insurance to go through them, they rang FBD and rang in a favour.. Although we had already contacted FBD ourselves many times and been refused.
Keep at it and as other reply said, put a package together and try to get a sit down meeting with a manager and put forward your case.....
Good Luck...

earth mother

Thank you everybody for your brilliant ideas.
Our own problems have been solved. I made such a fuss with Dolmen/Axa that they came back and said that as we were existing customers they would make an exception and insure us.
My idea was to put the new bus in my name and leave the old one in my husband's, but they wouldn't have that because my insurance would have been a new insurance.
But it has left my son in a terrible position. We sold him our old conversion so that we could finish the work on the new one, and left him as a named driver until such time as we got the new one on the road. No way will they agree to insure him, despite the fact that the bus has been insured by them for FIVE YEARS.
I'll certainly try out all the suggestions and keep you informed. I have heard of a company in England who insure Irish-registered vehicles. Cant remember the name but am going to look into that

adrianc22

I am planning to make a double decker motorhome and wouldn't like to run into insurance issues if possible. Could you please share your thoughts how would you do the conversion if you had to start it over again? Thank you!