AA: premium rise from €446 to €782.68

gaiscioch

I just received a snailmail letter from one Paul Byrne "Head of Customer fulfilment" in AA about my car insurance saying "I am writing to confirm the details of your renewal for the coming year. Based on the details we currently have for you the price below is the best renewal quote for our Extra product:
Best available quote €782.68"

Eh, they are not "the details of my renewal" you complete chancer, Paul Byrne of AA. Last year I paid €446 for my current policy. I have zero penalty points, a full driving licence for over 10 years. I have never had an accident, and I have never made an insurance claim. If anything my policy should be cheaper because I have shown, once again, that my premium is handy money for AA.

About five years ago FBD tried this stunt with me (if I recall at the time FBD lost a fortune because of insurance claims for floods and was shoving the cost onto the likes of me). I left FBD and found AA to be the cheapest. FBD then, suddenly, were willing to match AA but on a point of principle I went to the trouble of moving (I know most people don't; anything for a quiet life and all that). The point of principle is this: old people and people not internet savvy will end up paying these extortionate increases each year unless they have some younger person to keep an eye on what the likes of AA is doing with their renewal fees. What AA insurance and its fellow reprobates do each year to such people with their commercial practices may be perfectly legal, but it's not morally honourable. I don't want to encourage this so I'm very definitely going to the bit of hassle to move my business from that company. I'll also find a different breakdown service, and they can forget about ever getting my house insurance.

Any options for cheaper car insurance? (if there's such a thing as an ethical insurance company, that would be a welcome find)

greendom

gaiscioch wrote: »

I just received a snailmail letter from one Paul Byrne "Head of Customer fulfilment" in AA about my car insurance saying "I am writing to confirm the details of your renewal for the coming year. Based on the details we currently have for you the price below is the best renewal quote for our Extra product:
Best available quote €782.68"

Eh, they are not "the details of my renewal" you complete chancer, Paul Byrne of AA. Last year I paid €446 for my current policy. I have zero penalty points, a full driving licence for over 10 years. I have never had an accident, and I have never made an insurance claim. If anything my policy should be cheaper because I have shown, once again, that my premium is handy money for AA.

About five years ago FBD tried this stunt with me (if I recall at the time FBD lost a fortune because of insurance claims for floods and was shoving the cost onto the likes of me). I left FBD and found AA to be the cheapest. FBD then, suddenly, were willing to match AA but on a point of principle I went to the trouble of moving (I know most people don't, anything for a quiet life and all that). The point of principle is this: old people and people not internet savvy will end up paying these extortionate increases each year unless they have some younger person to keep an eye on what the likes of AA is doing with their renewal fees. What AA insurance and its fellow reprobates do each year to such people with their commercial practices may be perfectly legal, but it's not morally honourable. I don't want to encourage this so I'm very definitely going to the bit of hassle to move my business from that company. I'll also find a different breakdown service, and they can forget about ever getting my house insurance.

Any options for cheaper car insurance? (if there's such a thing as an ethical insurance company, that would be a welcome find)

Call the AA first. It seems to they send these quotes out in the hope that they catch people who can't be bothered to shop around. You will almost certainly get a better quote from the AA just by calling him and telling them that the renewal is too high.

Once you have that revised quote, shop around, using it as a bargaining tool with other insurers.

jimgoose

Yup, that's the nature of the baysht. I find AXA quite competitive the last couple of years.

GavRedKing

My AA renewal quote was up by about €160 this year and rang around, got AIG at about the same price I had the AA for last year. I then rang the AA telling them the price and they didnt even entertain droping it so I'll be switching over to AIG in a few days time.

Titzon Toast

I was with them for the last two years and they tried to double my premium at renewal a couple of weeks ago. They wouldn't match a quote I got from Quote Devil so I jumped ship.

Atlantic Dawn

What you need to do is call around, get a cheaper quote, then go back to them and ask them why they can't match it. If they do then match it tell them it's not good enough they they initially tried to rip you off and go with the other company.