Insurance Company Hate

KeRbDoG

Hey,
Just a quick post to say, even if your in a "contract" with an insurance company like I was with AXA with a tracksure system, call around for another quote.
I have 2 years no claims, driving for 2 years with AXAs tracksure with one year left in the "contract". I started the third year which cost me with AXA about 2300euro :eek: I kept with them for a few months until I was bored one day and said, hey, why not try someone else for a quick quote!
I got an online quote from quinn-direct and guess how much it was? 1300euro! fecking great! Called AXA, I want to cancel, "Can I ask why sir", after a few seconds of thinking, "just because". Great come back (not) but sure feck it, saving meself 900euro from those robbing feckers in AXA.

Moral of the story, take 5min young drivers who have only 1-2 years experience and call another insurance company for a a quote. Save yourself a packet and make the insurance companies lower their quotes to near UK levels.

PS: feck the government for not doing anything to get the insurance companies do this earlier. From what i can see, the main reason quotes where so high is because of all the claims and the insurance companies never fought the cases in court but where really happy to throw money to stay out of court.

(angery for the past 2 years but now a happy camper)
KeRbDoG

blastman

Why didn't you tell AXA it was because their premium is ****e?

KeRbDoG

Because Im still in a "contract" of sorts.
Why be insulting to the guy I was dealing with.

5500

Youve also just thrown away your full no claims bonus which you would have been entitled to for completing that last year with axa.Now you'l be going to quinn with 2years ncb instead of 5 had you waited!

Big Nelly

Also check ur policy with Quinn!!! they are a joke!! if you do have an accident or anythign you will see then!! its all great saying they are cheaper but what is the policy actually worth!! I have said this a few times on boards....read ur actual policy!! I paid 100 euro extra to stay with FBD instead of Quinn when I changed....reason.....I read the Quinn policy and it is a joke....for the 100 euro extra you have piece of mind!!

BC

Big Nelly - can you explain?
I've just signed up with Quinn Direct (first policy in my own name). I read the policy and it seems fine, what sort of issues are you talking about?

5500

Quinn are cheap for a reason - you get none of the xtras that other companys offer eg windscree/AA cover BUT the major one is if your car is stolen or burned you loose your no claims bonus compared to hibernian ect where this doesnt effect your policy.

Quinn offer a stepback on your ncb from 50 to 20 in the event of a claim for about an extra 150+ on a policy altho this could be more......The reason there so cheap is because its a bare amount of a policy your getting

Guy:Incognito

kerbdog wrote:

Because Im still in a "contract" of sorts.
Why be insulting to the guy I was dealing with.

Who said anything about being insulting, why didnt you just say , "I want to cancel becaus eI got a much lower quote elswhere"? You do realise they generally lower their quote to somewhere in the region of the lower one?

Big Nelly

BC wrote:

Big Nelly - can you explain?
I've just signed up with Quinn Direct (first policy in my own name). I read the policy and it seems fine, what sort of issues are you talking about?

6 months ago so just trying to use some brain power to remember......ok here goes!! one was if you crashed the first 500-1000(somewhere in between these) you had to pay yourself.....Quinn wouldnt cover this.....windscreen was another......NCB was another one.....also some of finer details seemed to be a bit dodygy and more or less said they could give you f**k all is car was a write off and you could nothing about it......more or less that!!!

I do law and college(evening course) so I knew what I was looking at....if unsure get someone to have a look through it for you!!

BC

The breakdown cover is true but i'm not sure about the rest.

Quinn direct and Hibernian were my cheapest quotes although hibernian was 180 euro more expensive. My no claims bonus would be gone with both of them if i make a claim (even for theft), only difference was the windscreen cover option with hibernian.
Hibernian wouldn't give me step back cos i've never had a policy in my own name (even though i've been a named driver with them).

Also, the excess with Quinn direct was 125 euro, with hibernian it was 300 and other companies were higher again.

kluivert

In relationt to AXA and the tracksure policy.

I too was started out with AXA in 2001.

Year 1.
3200e for the TPFT policy + 1000e to have the box fitted. The box was faulty and nearly blew the engine in the car. Box was removed three months after it was installed. AXA didnt know, infact i got reports from them saying that my records of maintaining the proper speed limits where satifactionary???? The box wasnt connected!! It had been removed!!

Year 2.
2800e + 121e to have to box serviced (never serviced AXA pocketed the cash).

I got a NCB bonus for each year despite AXA having this contract. Insurance companies are obliged by law to give a NCB. Ask Big Nelly there.

Year 3.
2300e + 121e again.
Said i had enough of this and went shopping. First Ireland Risk Management in Dublin quoted 1300e.

I rang AXA and said good bye and please can i have my 1000e that i paid for at the start for the box. NO. The box remains the property of AXA. I asked why did i pay 1000e. This is subscriptions charges, cost of installation and maintenance cost.

They owned me a refund of overpaid premiums at the time and would not return it till i return the box. I complained and informed them that the box was wired to the trottle body of the old car i had and caused it to rev highly out of control and nearly made me crashed. They didnt care. So i retured the box to them not in the same state as i received it.

ballooba

I told Eagle Star what Quinn was quoting and the beat it. By ten per cent.

Seth Brundle

@Kerbdog - you were into your third year with AXA. Did you ring around at the very start? Did you ring around after the first year was up? Did you ring around after the second year was up?
Insurance (for me anyway) has fallen each year over the last number of years. However I always ring around and see what others quote me and what they offer with their quoted policy.
If you don't ring around and assume that a renewal will be the best option then do not complain about a rip off. You were content enough to renew with them twice without doing research, why complain once you realise that something is cheaper elsewhere?

With regard to the government not doing anything, they have which is why it has become cheaper over the last number of years. However, insurance companys know that if the majority of people don't shop around they can get away with higher prices. It is up to Joe Public now to vote with their feet so to speak!

With regard to Quinn - Id rather walk for a year than take a policy from that evil shower of ********! Read through boards and you will see more complaints about them compared to all other insurance companys!

Lemming

Quinn have a habit (has happened a few people I know - one quite recently) of simply paying out, even when you are not at fault in order to save themselves administrative hassle.

5500

BC wrote:

my cheapest quotes although hibernian was 180 euro more expensive. My no claims bonus would be gone with both of them if i make a claim (even for theft), .

How long ago was this?3 members of my family have hibernian policys (2 are TPFT and 1 Fully Comp) and all the policys say once there's a working alarm on the car in the case of theft there NCB is unaffected.I myself have a quinn policy and even with a thatcham cat 1 alarm a claim is a claim in there eyes.

Back to Axa tho i cant see why would would cancell in your third year of tracksure unless there quote was really stupidly high.For the amount of money you'd save by having a 50% discount instead of a 20% discount for you next years insurance surely if the difference is a few hundred its worthwhile sticking it out???

Ivan E

I think the important thing here is always to shop around and get the lowest quote possible. Every insurance company has its specific market and offers specific perks for that market. I have heard the same horror stories about Quinn. The same about pay outs and dreadful customer service. The other thing to watch for with them and other crowds is to avoid them agreeing a shared payout where you make a claim and your insurance company, even though its not your fault, agree to share a small % of the claim like 5% or so. It mightn't mean much but its a claim and that effects your NCB.

Having said that, a guy I worked with had a crash and was with Quinn and had the claim handled well enough. Another guy I worked with, his wife wrote off their car under Axa. He did have to haggle a bit over the price of the vehicle.

The thing is different policies over different perks so look into that. I pay a slight bit more to go with Axa because they offer fully comp on other cars and seeing as my car is under my wife's name and is insured under my wife's name as insurance for me is far too high on that particular car, I want that. So I am always going to go with Axa for that reason. Most other insurances, and I have to insure her car, only offer 3rd party on other cars which won't cover the one I drive comprehensively.

But I still ring around for quotes and I still go back to Axa with the best quote. They don't always match it but they always drop down the quote. Even this year, I just asked was that the best they could do as I was pissed off trying to get a decent quote for my own car, and they still dropped it down.

KeRbDoG

eireal wrote:

Youve also just thrown away your full no claims bonus which you would have been entitled to for completing that last year with axa.Now you'l be going to quinn with 2years ncb instead of 5 had you waited!

wouldnt that only be with AXA? I wouldnt beable to go to another insurance company and say, I have my liceance 3 years, but 5 years no claim? wouldnt work I dont think.
I dont want to stay with AXA, they have taken 6000+ from me in the past two years and Im very bitter.

On the insurance cover thing. I think of insurance is something you need by law to cover people you injure if you crash. Nothin more, nothin less.
In the case if I write off my car somehow an no one else is involved, I would get another car and not claim.

Rudolph Claus

I dont want to stay with AXA, very bitter they have taken 6000+ from me in the past two years and Im bitter.

I dont blame you. That Axa tracking thing is a waste of time in my opinion. You were still being charged horribly high premiems even with the device, and you have to pay E1000 to get the device installed and E121 to get it serviced each year? Sure thats robbery,,, i fail to see how you could make savings unless the policy premiems would have been under E1000 a year or so.

Its a joke, go with Quinn Direct, i know a lot of people say they`re crap, but its insurane. Just make sure your honest with them, dont give any false info and they`ll have to honour the policy.

What age are you by the way?

5500

kerbdog wrote:

wouldnt that only be with AXA? I wouldnt beable to go to another insurance company and say, I have my liceance 3 years, but 5 years no claim? wouldnt work I dont think.
I dont want to stay with AXA, they have taken 6000+ from me in the past two years and Im very bitter.
.

Im not being smart but did you not read the policy when you joined up with traksure?The whole point of staying with them the 3years is that your given a full NCB which is Honored by ALL the insurers not just AXA at the end of it.

If it wasnt for the full NCB there wouldnt really be much point in staying with them as other quotes are cheaper

KeRbDoG

Nuttzy wrote:

I dont blame you. That Axa tracking thing is a waste of time in my opinion. You were still being charged horribly high premiems even with the device, and you have to pay E1000 to get the device installed and E121 to get it serviced each year? Sure thats robbery,,, i fail to see how you could make savings unless the policy premiems would have been under E1000 a year or so.

Its a joke, go with Quinn Direct, i know a lot of people say they`re crap, but its insurane. Just make sure your honest with them, dont give any false info and they`ll have to honour the policy.

What age are you by the way?

24

KeRbDoG

So an update.
AXA will give you a 70% on their quote if yea stay with them after the tracksure. I believe this is like a 5 years NCB but if you want to move to another insurance company they only have to give you what you would get if it was a standard 3 year term, a 3 years NCB.
I even confirmed this with the Insurance Federation of Ireland.

It made sence once to go with AXA when other insurance companys wont quote yea less than 5-6k when starting to drive at 21. But since Im not 24, it doesnt make sence anymore, I even got a quote saying that I was 25 and had 3 years NCB, their base for the insurance quotes is way higher than other insurance companys.

Trampas

Ivan E wrote:

Another guy I worked with, his wife wrote off their car under Axa. He did have to haggle a bit over the price of the vehicle.

Thats because everyone thinks their car is worth more than they think.

If they can get you a near enough replacement for x amount but you say it is worth y amount.

I know person who drives a 01 Megane and thinks its worth about €12K but he would be lucky to get €8k

Ivan E

Well it was more a case of the book value of the car being €8.5k and them offering €7k. I can't remember exactly how he found out the book value of it but they wouldn't give him that information.

I think though haggling he got it closer to the book price. But if he just went with their first price, he would have been out a bit.

lazylad

kerbdog wrote:

Hey,
Just a quick post to say, even if your in a "contract" with an insurance company like I was with AXA with a tracksure system, call around for another quote.
I have 2 years no claims, driving for 2 years with AXAs tracksure with one year left in the "contract". I started the third year which cost me with AXA about 2300euro :eek: I kept with them for a few months until I was bored one day and said, hey, why not try someone else for a quick quote!
I got an online quote from quinn-direct and guess how much it was? 1300euro! fecking great! Called AXA, I want to cancel, "Can I ask why sir", after a few seconds of thinking, "just because". Great come back (not) but sure feck it, saving meself 900euro from those robbing feckers in AXA.

Moral of the story, take 5min young drivers who have only 1-2 years experience and call another insurance company for a a quote. Save yourself a packet and make the insurance companies lower their quotes to near UK levels.

PS: feck the government for not doing anything to get the insurance companies do this earlier. From what i can see, the main reason quotes where so high is because of all the claims and the insurance companies never fought the cases in court but where really happy to throw money to stay out of court.

(angery for the past 2 years but now a happy camper)
KeRbDoG

Im hopefully starting a policy with an insurance crowd now thanks for the advice! Still though dont insurance companies give you discounts for the time you were with axa claim free?
If you dont have a full licence mate, get it now! Saves you a fortune! If you dont have penalty points, your set up.:)