Insurance and a certain company

sungear

I want to know if this sounds right,

I have fully comp insurance with no claims protection

I returned to my parked car to find someone had driven into my car door and side panels (wing and rear quarter/ 3 door)

I contacted my insurance company as I cant really afford to get it done and I was told that I was covered and my no claims wouldn't be affected, I asked them would it affect future quotes and I am adamant the guy said no.
They pressed me for details of the offender, I truthfully said I made an enquiry at the car park in question but could see no cameras and the security said to me they really could do nothing about it which I understand.

The Ins company said i was covered to get it done and I wanted to proceed with the work as it will stop the right hand side of my car deteriorating with rust, they said to go and get quotes.

I couldn't bear to look at it/cant afford to replace, besides which it is running fine (fingers crossed I didnt jinx myself there)
I got some quotes and spent some time doing that from few places, but they then declined and said I could only use an approved repair centre (thought strange they didnt say that initially, would have saved me a lot of wasted time) Anyway the quote came to nearly 2/3 the value of the car, I paid the excess and got it done, I plan to run the car till it drops but it is otherwise ok.

when i got my renewal quote they loaded me heavily for claiming, even though I had paid claims protection and I am sure I was told it wouldn't affect renewal quotes, I asked because I didnt want to get hammered, I wasn't at fault and while I understand I claimed against my policy and Ins is a business, I feel i was led to believe my Ins no claims protection protected me from not only not losing my no claims but increases, was told on the phone that they would NEVER say my renewal wouldnt increase,just that my no claims would stay in place. I was so pissed off someone drove into my car at the time but am still sure they said it, I know I asked because if I knew it would increase significantly I would never have bothered to proceed with it.
I guess its besides the point but they were bloody rude on the phone too, felt like I'd done something personal to the guy on the other end of the line, like I just drove into his car and pissed off!

I have been driving for 17 years and (fingers crossed) so far have never been involved in an accident, this was the first major damage done to my car, besides all the minor scratches from car doors, stone chips and shopping trolley dents which I touched up myself.
I only got Comp as it was (strangely) cheaper than 3rd party and has window cover.
[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/TEMP/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.png[/IMG]
Is this a justified increase? large well known company.

fryup

well if you paid claims protection, you have every right to be pissed off

sungear

Cheers, Is that certain?

I am sure they said it wouldnt affect me, they denied that anyone in their company would say this, I begining to think I will have to record every conversation with every bloody transaction i make

ps I just checked my policy big yes to claims protection, not step back full

fuelinjection

Their is no "fair play" with insurance companies.
They are a necessary evil as we need insurance but they have no morals or loyalty with you.

I changed companies recently after 7 years and I got a better deal for less money and they treat me like an adult for a change. The old company (Carole Nash) were not happy and annoyed with me phone calls and letters and emails to change my mind. I wish they spent as much time reducing their premiums.

Gary ITR

sungear wrote: »

Cheers, Is that certain?

I am sure they said it wouldnt affect me, they denied that anyone in their company would say this, I begining to think I will have to record every conversation with every bloody transaction i make

ps I just checked my policy big yes to claims protection, not step back full

I had a problem with an insurance company where they said I said one thing when I really said another. I asked for the tapes of the call to be pulled (all calls recorded) after a lot of back and forth messing they finally surrendered and admitted to being at fault.

Maybe you could try ask for the recording of the call?

hi5

What the did seems ok to me,as long as they are not saying the increase is because of the claim.
Did they give a reason for the increase,lots of people have had hikes lately.
You can take your NCB with you and shop around.

DanGlee

I'm going out on a limb... but... Quinn Direct???

I had a run in with these cowboys a couple of years ago, told them where to f*** off to though!

You have to name and shame, otherwise they will keep getting away with this crap! :mad:

Colonel Sanders

Are you sure your premium increased due to the accident? Premiums have increased significantly over the last 18 months. Is it a 'normal' rate increase rather than a claims loading?

ha-ya-said-what

DanGlee wrote: »

I'm going out on a limb... but... Quinn Direct???

I had a run in with these cowboys a couple of years ago, told them where to f*** off to though!

You have to name and shame, otherwise they will keep getting away with this crap! :mad:

Hibernian Aviva have taken 1st place from Quinn direct believe or not. And they have the worst customer service, who be little you and think they are right your wrong. If it is them a quick mention of "solicitor" always gets them to cough up what ya want.

Stoolbend

http://www.easyquote.ie/blog/index.php/what-is-full-no-claims-bonus-protection-on-a-car-insurance-policy/

But what is ‘Full No Claims Bonus Protection’ on a car insurance policy?

This is an additional cover extension that fully protects your no claims bonus in the event of a claim.
Policy wordings vary, but here are a few examples:

Kennco Highway Car Insurance Policy:
…….your no claims bonus will not be reduced in the event of no more than 2 claims occurring under your policy during any 3 year period preceding
the expiry date of the current period of insurance.

Wrightway Standard car insurance policy:
In consideration of the payment of an additional premium the insurer agrees that the level of No Claim Discount will be preserved provided that not
more than one claim occurs during the period of insurance………..

Axa car insurance policy:
This cover allows you to make one claim without affecting your no claims discount. once you make a claim, the protection will be removed and you will
not qualify for this cover again for 3 years.
AXA also state in their policy: Although you can protect your no claim discount, your premium may increase if:
- you make unreasonably large or excessive claims.
- you receive motoring convictions
- we decide for any other reason.

Sertus car insurance policy:
(if you have selected the cover) - your no claims bonus will not be prejudiced at renewal date, provided that:-
1. no more than one accident or claimhas occurred, been made or notified during the current period of insurance and /or
2. you have not been prosecuted or threatened with with criminal proceedings in connection with any motoring offence.

Zurich private motor policy:
……in consideration of the payment of an additional premium the insurer agrees that the level of no claims discount will be preserved provided that
not more than 2 claims occur during any 3 consecutive years of insurance.



These examples give an overview of common wordings in the market. it is important to remember that just because you protect your no claims bonus with one insurer, it does not mean that another insurer will allow you the benefit of the protected bonus. You must declare all claims to a new insurer and let them decide the bonus to allow.

Looks like it's just another false economy! If it doesn't count with other insurers you can't really switch insurers!

They wouldn't usually say it wont go up, because insurance can always go up.

Did they say if it was the claim that caused the increase?

irishejit

Unfortunately you'll just have to grin and bear it. As another reply said renewal premiums have been going up across the board, but what happened to you is standard practise, i worked in insurance for a number of years before leaving feeling as bad as a banker!!

Basically the clue is in the name, its a No Claims "Discount". What happpens is that a premium is worked out using all your facts, address, car claims etc. The no claims discount is then applied to that figure.

In your case due to the claim, your base premium was much higher, before your discount was applied resulting in the higher premium. your owning saving grace is that had you not this protection your quote would have been even higher.

If its any consellation this was always a major gripe with customers, due to the ambiguous wording in policy documents, but is standard practise across the whole industry

Jip

I find it very odd that they told you to go and get quotes for the repair, that's usually the insurance companys job and as you found out eventually, they only work with a number of authorised repair centres anyway and normal practise is for you to go there, the repair centre gives the quote to the insurance company and the ins. co. then decides if it's economical or not to repair or write off.

Stoolbend

Jip wrote: »

I find it very odd that they told you to go and get quotes for the repair, that's usually the insurance companys job and as you found out eventually, they only work with a number of authorised repair centres anyway and normal practise is for you to go there, the repair centre gives the quote to the insurance company and the ins. co. then decides if it's economical or not to repair or write off.

I thought that you could get your car fixed wherever you want. They can suggest somewhere but ultimately it's your car and up to you!

robtri

Onkle wrote: »

I had a problem with an insurance company where they said I said one thing when I really said another. I asked for the tapes of the call to be pulled (all calls recorded) after a lot of back and forth messing they finally surrendered and admitted to being at fault.

Maybe you could try ask for the recording of the call?

just what i was thinking... the record all the calls... ask them for a copy....

irishejit

barry81 wrote: »

I thought that you could get your car fixed wherever you want. They can suggest somewhere but ultimately it's your car and up to you!

Yeah this is correct. By the law of the land they cannot force you to use one of their own repair centres. What they can do is disagree with the price charged by your own repairer, thus dragging the whole thing out and leaving you out of pocket until this is resolved, normally through an independant assessor instructed by the ombudsman.

The whole idea of authorised repairs is not to do with the quality of the repairs, but these garages have agreed to carry out work at a set hourly rate, and also providing up to a 15% discount on retail price on parts and paint etc only for that company.

Jip

Plus it also stops people exaggerating and making money out of a claim. You have an accident, go to a friends garage, get him to quote €3k for a €2k claim for example and between the two of you pocket the difference.

Padraig Mor

irishejit wrote: »

Unfortunately you'll just have to grin and bear it. As another reply said renewal premiums have been going up across the board, but what happened to you is standard practise, i worked in insurance for a number of years before leaving feeling as bad as a banker!!

Basically the clue is in the name, its a No Claims "Discount". What happpens is that a premium is worked out using all your facts, address, car claims etc. The no claims discount is then applied to that figure.

In your case due to the claim, your base premium was much higher, before your discount was applied resulting in the higher premium. your owning saving grace is that had you not this protection your quote would have been even higher.

If its any consellation this was always a major gripe with customers, due to the ambiguous wording in policy documents, but is standard practise across the whole industry

What he said. Your no claims hasn't been affected - your 'base' premium has. Somone with a 'fresh claim' will always have a loading applied to their premium.

Merch

hi5 wrote: »

What the did seems ok to me,as long as they are not saying the increase is because of the claim.
Did they give a reason for the increase,lots of people have had hikes lately.
You can take your NCB with you and shop around.

No they said it was because I claimed, not due to increases, Im adamant they said one thing before and another after

DanGlee wrote: »

I'm going out on a limb... but... Quinn Direct???

I had a run in with these cowboys a couple of years ago, told them where to f*** off to though!

You have to name and shame, otherwise they will keep getting away with this crap! :mad:

I didnt think I could name them but yes, got it in one, right ignorant shower, actually I probably should have mentioned I got a cheaper quote elsewhere, but will never ever go back to them on principle,

I was just checking to see if there was a reply and as there are a few, I didnt get a chance to read most of them yet

Merch

Jip wrote: »

Plus it also stops people exaggerating and making money out of a claim. You have an accident, go to a friends garage, get him to quote €3k for a €2k claim for example and between the two of you pocket the difference.

The thing is, the quotes I got were cheaper lol
and I wanted it done as I couldn't really afford to replace the car.

Actually this all after the fact after everything is sorted, the damge was done during the policy, months ago, Im certain they said it wouldn't affect me, then when it did they said it was because I claimed. I just wanted to get some ideas on it, was it right or wrong.

I only ever claimed on insurance besides this for a phone to get the scren fixed (incidentally it would have cost me less to go to another operator and i swore off phone Ins for life, obviously cant do that with motor )

I rang around and got other quotes, one cheaper than I was offered the previous year, I told them my full story and they were still ok with me as acustomer (the new ins provider)
Actually I forgot too, I never received a statement in my renewal about my no claims or my history with them and when I asked them for it they said they sent it, I said that it clearly wasnt included just a cover page, asked them to send it again please and they said NO (honest Im not trolling, Im f-ing serious) they refused to send it out to me when i requested it.

fuelinjection

This is a true story, believe it or not.

I was doing a nightcourse in Dublin about business and one of the lecturers was from Hibernian. He was asked how they set their prices and he laughed at us and said that when they showed the adverts on TV and got too many phone calles then they were obviousy too cheap and so increased their prices and stopped answering calls about the ad.

Jip

I'd say that was just an amusing story he was telling you, I've had to create and update underwriting rules and it is rather complicated.

fuelinjection

Jip wrote: »

I'd say that was just an amusing story he was telling you, I've had to update create and update underwriting rules and it is rather complicated.

No he was actually very embarrassed about the story after he told us it, and asked us to forget it.
I have a degree in maths so I am not scared about probabilities and risk, this guy was a pure thief, no question. That was the old Ireland in the 1990's I hope we have moved on from that.

galwaytt

Jip wrote: »

I'd say that was just an amusing story he was telling you, I've had to update create and update underwriting rules and it is rather complicated.

Actually, it's not. And the ins co's here are re-insuring their policies here, so pay scant attention to principles.

You'll find that a lot of the ins co's advertise heavily at certain times to sell on cover they've bought, and which they need to consume. Only when that point is reached is any thought given to actual risk - it's money driven, first and foremost, everything else, afterwards....

Jip

Reinsurance happens all over the world, not just here, insurance companies spread the risk with each other all the time. But there are underwriting rules in each company. Sure why would you need underwriters if all that is claimed above is true ?

Merch

Jip wrote: »

Reinsurance happens all over the world, not just here, insurance companies spread the risk with each other all the time. But there are underwriting rules in each company. Sure why would you need underwriters if all that is claimed above is true ?

Are u referring to the original post? or generally about insurance?
If its the former, what reason would I have to damage my their own car to claim, pay the excess and get the work done



Some may damage their vehicle to claim and take the money instead, I just wanted my car sorted.
I was sure a percent went from policies to a general fund for Insurance companies to pay for uninsured claims, ie if someone hits me but isnt insured, I am uncertain if that is true or hearsay, I guessed that it might be the case where I am not at fault but cant even provide the details of an uninsured person to claimagainst that the money would come from the same pot, or am I misinformed as you seem to know about insurance, I jst pay it and hope to have no dealings with it.

Jip

I'm just talking in general as to the reason why some insurers will try only to deal with their own set of authorised repair centres.

oldyouth

It is against Insurance Federation guidelines to impose a claims loading for an incident at this level, where the bonus has been protected. OP has probably gone elsewhere but I wouldn't let the matter drop.

The truth probably lies with it being an increase in the base rate and an inexperienced handler telling you it was a claims loading.

PeakOutput

find out for definite if your premium has changed or if your bonus has been affected

if its the former there is nothing you can do although this is sharp practice

if its the latter and you have bonus protection then you can definitely have it reversed

also dont deal with the first guy you get put threw to ask for a team leader or a manager and dont hang up until you get one or call back every 30mins until one calls you back

also ask for the recordings of the call but it is true that claims handlers wont say your premium wont be affected they will only say your bonus wont be affected

PeakOutput

Padraig Mor wrote: »

What he said. Your no claims hasn't been affected - your 'base' premium has. Somone with a 'fresh claim' will always have a loading applied to their premium.

no they wont always it depends on your company

the_syco

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

Premiums have increased significantly over the last 18 months. Is it a 'normal' rate increase rather than a claims loading?

o.0 Fully comp, 1 years NCB, my insurance went down €400