NCB insurance -a PHEW and a rant.
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From: Harry Bloomfield on 4 Aug 2010 18:28 A week or so ago I decided RAC's increasing insurance renewal cost and their statement in the small print of the renewal - that they would renew it anyway from my provided CC details, was the last straw. So I started shopping around and got myself a much better quote. Much cheaper and it covered for more. A very long and detailed form to fill in and one of the questions was how many years NCB - naturally, never having had a claim on my policy in 45 years, I choose the highest number offered of 9 years. Then read after agreeing to it and paying for it that they required proof. I have never been asked for proof before and was at a loss, so rang them and they advised contacting my old insurer and asking them to send me proof of the 9 years. I had the day before cleaned out my files of old documents for insurance and really had not much idea who I had been with prior to RAC, or how long I had been with them. I asked SWMBO if the documents had been shredded, they hadn't and I asked her to try to recover them - but fairly sure none mentioned years of NCB. Since when I have been in a bit of a tiz, rather than wading through the docs I have been too busy sorting other problems out. I finally got around to wading through all the pile of documents this evening and my final reminder from RAC just happens to mention I have 9 years NCB - PHEW the proof I needed. Isn't the whole system of NCB a complete mess? Shouldn't NCB be a figure which follows you from one insurer to another, irrespective of how the individual insurer works their NCB and be the TOTAL number of years during which you have made no claim? Don't you just wish the online compares gave you cost comparisons for the various options, like TPF&T versus FC - so you could decide which was your best option? I often find FC is cheaper for me than TPF&T. Now to check whether RAC renewed my insurance against my specific instruction not too.... -- Regards, Harry (M1BYT) (L) http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk
From: The Peeler on 4 Aug 2010 21:22 On Wed, 04 Aug 2010 23:28:29 +0100, Harry Bloomfield <harry.m1byt(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote: >A week or so ago I decided RAC's increasing insurance renewal cost and >their statement in the small print of the renewal - that they would >renew it anyway from my provided CC details, was the last straw. So I >started shopping around and got myself a much better quote. Much >cheaper and it covered for more. > >A very long and detailed form to fill in and one of the questions was >how many years NCB - naturally, never having had a claim on my policy >in 45 years, I choose the highest number offered of 9 years. > >Then read after agreeing to it and paying for it that they required >proof. I have never been asked for proof before and was at a loss, so >rang them and they advised contacting my old insurer and asking them to >send me proof of the 9 years. > >I had the day before cleaned out my files of old documents for >insurance and really had not much idea who I had been with prior to >RAC, or how long I had been with them. > >I asked SWMBO if the documents had been shredded, they hadn't and I >asked her to try to recover them - but fairly sure none mentioned years >of NCB. Since when I have been in a bit of a tiz, rather than wading >through the docs I have been too busy sorting other problems out. > >I finally got around to wading through all the pile of documents this >evening and my final reminder from RAC just happens to mention I have 9 >years NCB - PHEW the proof I needed. > >Isn't the whole system of NCB a complete mess? > >Shouldn't NCB be a figure which follows you from one insurer to >another, irrespective of how the individual insurer works their NCB and >be the TOTAL number of years during which you have made no claim? > >Don't you just wish the online compares gave you cost comparisons for >the various options, like TPF&T versus FC - so you could decide which >was your best option? I often find FC is cheaper for me than TPF&T. > >Now to check whether RAC renewed my insurance against my specific >instruction not too.... Different insurance companies have different maximum NCBs. So you may find that your renewal notice this time next year only shows, say, 5 years' NCB. To avoid this, get a pro forma letter from your insurer at renewal time stating how many actual years NCB you had when you joined them.
From: FrengaX on 5 Aug 2010 02:10 On Aug 4, 11:28 pm, Harry Bloomfield <harry.m1...(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote: > A week or so ago I decided RAC's increasing insurance renewal cost and > their statement in the small print of the renewal - that they would > renew it anyway from my provided CC details, was the last straw. So I > started shopping around and got myself a much better quote. Much > cheaper and it covered for more. > > A very long and detailed form to fill in and one of the questions was > how many years NCB - naturally, never having had a claim on my policy > in 45 years, I choose the highest number offered of 9 years. > > Then read after agreeing to it and paying for it that they required > proof. I have never been asked for proof before and was at a loss, so > rang them and they advised contacting my old insurer and asking them to > send me proof of the 9 years. > > I had the day before cleaned out my files of old documents for > insurance and really had not much idea who I had been with prior to > RAC, or how long I had been with them. > > I asked SWMBO if the documents had been shredded, they hadn't and I > asked her to try to recover them - but fairly sure none mentioned years > of NCB. Since when I have been in a bit of a tiz, rather than wading > through the docs I have been too busy sorting other problems out. > > I finally got around to wading through all the pile of documents this > evening and my final reminder from RAC just happens to mention I have 9 > years NCB - PHEW the proof I needed. > > Isn't the whole system of NCB a complete mess? > > Shouldn't NCB be a figure which follows you from one insurer to > another, irrespective of how the individual insurer works their NCB and > be the TOTAL number of years during which you have made no claim? > > Don't you just wish the online compares gave you cost comparisons for > the various options, like TPF&T versus FC - so you could decide which > was your best option? I often find FC is cheaper for me than TPF&T. > > Now to check whether RAC renewed my insurance against my specific > instruction not too.... Cancel the DD. That way, they can't renew it.
From: Ian Dalziel on 5 Aug 2010 03:15 On Wed, 4 Aug 2010 23:10:58 -0700 (PDT), FrengaX <hnkjqrh02(a)sneakemail.com> wrote: >On Aug 4, 11:28�pm, Harry Bloomfield ><harry.m1...(a)NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote: >> A week or so ago I decided RAC's increasing insurance renewal cost and >> their statement in the small print of the renewal - that they would >> renew it anyway from my provided CC details, was the last straw. So I >> started shopping around and got myself a much better quote. Much >> cheaper and it covered for more. >> >> A very long and detailed form to fill in and one of the questions was >> how many years NCB - naturally, never having had a claim on my policy >> in 45 years, I choose the highest number offered of 9 years. >> >> Then read after agreeing to it and paying for it that they required >> proof. I have never been asked for proof before and was at a loss, so >> rang them and they advised contacting my old insurer and asking them to >> send me proof of the 9 years. >> >> I had the day before cleaned out my files of old documents for >> insurance and really had not much idea who I had been with prior to >> RAC, or how long I had been with them. >> >> I asked SWMBO if the documents had been shredded, they hadn't and I >> asked her to try to recover them - but fairly sure none mentioned years >> of NCB. Since when I have been in a bit of a tiz, rather than wading >> through the docs I have been too busy sorting other problems out. >> >> I finally got around to wading through all the pile of documents this >> evening and my final reminder from RAC just happens to mention I have 9 >> years NCB - PHEW the proof I needed. >> >> Isn't the whole system of NCB a complete mess? >> >> Shouldn't NCB be a figure which follows you from one insurer to >> another, irrespective of how the individual insurer works their NCB and >> be the TOTAL number of years during which you have made no claim? >> >> Don't you just wish the online compares gave you cost comparisons for >> the various options, like TPF&T versus FC - so you could decide which >> was your best option? I often find FC is cheaper for me than TPF&T. >> >> Now to check whether RAC renewed my insurance against my specific >> instruction not too.... > >Cancel the DD. That way, they can't renew it. You can't cancel a mandate on a credit card. -- Ian D
From: Ret. on 5 Aug 2010 03:34
Harry Bloomfield wrote: > A week or so ago I decided RAC's increasing insurance renewal cost and > their statement in the small print of the renewal - that they would > renew it anyway from my provided CC details, was the last straw. So I > started shopping around and got myself a much better quote. Much > cheaper and it covered for more. > Shouldn't NCB be a figure which follows you from one insurer to > another, irrespective of how the individual insurer works their NCB > and be the TOTAL number of years during which you have made no claim? All the information that they are asking you for should also be easily available to them from the MIB. Yesterday I phoned my insurance company because my wife and I were considering buying a small runabout for local motoring. She had seen a 55 plate Kia Picanto auto that she quite fancied (she wont drive the Rover 75 - she says it's too big). My FC premium last November for the Rover was �237. They first of all quoted me �686 for the Picanto! That turned out to be because an accident last August when a biker ran into the back of me had been wrongly recorded as an 'at fault' claim. Once that had been sorted and corrected to a 'no fault' claim, the quote came down to �273. I pointed out that this was higher than the premium for my Rover 75. They said that this was because I had not yet earned the full NCB on the 'second car'!! I argued that surely it was 'me' who had earned the NCB - and that should be irrespective of what car I was driving. "That's not the way it works" was the reply... (Still can't quite work that out...) -- Kev |