Insurance renewal !

[Craigyoung]

Hi all,
was just wondering who do you insure with for your caravan , we have been with AA for last 5 years and we have just getin our quote in for new one for our new major six that we have bought a few months ago and it has gone up from £190 to over £430 ! Never claimed either ! Not happy at all with this, any other alternatives insurance groups or suggestions , the Caravan Club come in at £303 , still quite a bit !!

Thanks , Craig .

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

the Caravan Club come in at £303 , still quite a bit !!

£303 is not bad for a new van.

 

[Craigyoung]

We've gettin sorted quicker than i thought , a friend ours is insured through Adrian Flux and we have getting ours matched with his as we've same priced new vans , for £223 old for new with 16o days fully comp abroad cover , and there was us paying an additional £220 for two weeks when we used to go to France !! Very now !

 

[Raywood]

I was with CC but moved to C&CC as not much more than half the price. There were cheaper deals but anything substantially less would be too much of a risk for me to use and the cover from the C&CC is very broad. Some of the cheapest deals appear to have shaved the cover and basically you get what you pay for.

 

[Parksy]

Our almost ten year old Abbey 620 Vogue that we bought brand new is insured by the C&CC and the premium is now £200 per year for market value.
My o/h has been complaining recently that the premium seems a little bit high so we had a quote from Adrian Flux because I insure both of my cars through them because their quotes are competitive and they provide good service.
Their quote for our caravan is £105 per year!

 

[DrZhivago]

I insure it with myself. Whatever premium I pay (no idea what it is) goes back into my bank so I don't actually move any money or do anything. When caravan gets stolen (highly unlikely) or written off (not particularly likely) I buy a replacement. If something gets damaged I repair it. I keep the profits that an insurance company would have got

 

[Craigyoung]

Parksy ,
Is your o'h a bit happier now with a better price !!?

 

[emmerson]

I would be inclined to agree with you, Doc, as most towcar policies cover the van as well.
But that is only when attached to the car. OK, you're right about replacing it yourself if damaged, but what happens if, say, it caught fire on site and the fire spread to next door's new £25,000 caravan?
Or if the van became detached on the road, ran away and killed a young father of four?
Who pays then?
For the £130 it costs, I'd rather not take the risk.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I insure it with myself. Whatever premium I pay (no idea what it is) goes back into my bank so I don't actually move any money or do anything. When caravan gets stolen (highly unlikely) or written off (not particularly likely) I buy a replacement. If something gets damaged I repair it. I keep the profits that an insurance company would have got

We had this debate many years ago. There are some who do it your way , but there is a issue that you may have overlooked. Caravan insurance is not compulsory becasue whilst it is coupled to the tow car its is covered third party if it involved in a any inciden.

But if its unhitched and it causes some sort of incident ( sets on fire and affects other peoples property, or if runs away out of control etc) you would have no help with meeting other parties losses.

EDIT

It seem emmerson also remembers the old thread

 

[DrZhivago]

I would be inclined to agree with you, Doc, as most towcar policies cover the van as well.... what happens if, say, it caught fire on site and the fire spread to next door's new £25,000 caravan?

If it came to that I'd need to shell out. But it is so remotely unlikely to happen that I'll take my chance. I don't use the caravan as often as most here and when I do it tends to be on less busy sites and the last few times there has been no-one anywhere near me. I am also the sort of careful and technically-minded person who tends not to have "accidents", and I don't like subsidising people who do so through carelessness.

Or if the van became detached on the road, ran away and killed [anyone]
For the £130 it costs, I'd rather not take the risk.

We started this thread on £430 - has it come down to £130 already? I believe that scenario would be covered by the car insurance (become unhitched while driving) otherwise it would seem to be a loophole in the provisions of the Road Traffic Act regarding insurance. Perhaps Prof could advise, as his answer above left this point a bit open?

 

[Parksy]

Parksy ,
Is your o'h a bit happier now with a better price !!?

She likes the idea of paying less but the caravan isn't due for renewal for another three months.
I renewed my car insurance recently and asked for the caravan quote to provide a ball park figure ready for when it's caravan renewal time.

 

[Raywood]

Parksy ,
Is your o'h a bit happier now with a better price !!?

She likes the idea of paying less but the caravan isn't due for renewal for another three months.
I renewed my car insurance recently and asked for the caravan quote to provide a ball park figure ready for when it's caravan renewal time.

The website does not say who the insurer is and without this information I would not go ahead. It also does not seem to show a DEFAQTO rating and I would want a five star one. I am not saying the policy is no good but it is very cheap and I would want far more information before taking it.

 

[Parksy]

So far we've been happy with the C&CC caravan insurance but a reduction in price to reflect the depreciation of the caravan would be welcome.
Thanks for the advice though, I'll have a good look at what we're paying for before I do anything.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

I use the C&MC insurance, new for old, and this year for the first time the premium was £10 lower than last year.

 

[Martin24]

Our almost ten year old Abbey 620 Vogue that we bought brand new is insured by the C&CC and the premium is now £200 per year for market value.
My o/h has been complaining recently that the premium seems a little bit high so we had a quote from Adrian Flux because I insure both of my cars through them because their quotes are competitive and they provide good service.
Their quote for our caravan is £105 per year!

Not tried them for the caravan but Adrian Flux is attached to Chartwell insurance who have halved the cost of insuring my cripple card.

 

[Raywood]

Our almost ten year old Abbey 620 Vogue that we bought brand new is insured by the C&CC and the premium is now £200 per year for market value.
My o/h has been complaining recently that the premium seems a little bit high so we had a quote from Adrian Flux because I insure both of my cars through them because their quotes are competitive and they provide good service.
Their quote for our caravan is £105 per year!

Not tried them for the caravan but Adrian Flux is attached to Chartwell insurance who have halved the cost of insuring my cripple card.

This firm are brokers and put the business with different insurers and you need to know who the insurer is. There is certainly one listed who I would not use and several of them will quote direct.

 

[Gafferbill]

I insure it with myself. If something gets damaged I repair it. I keep the profits that an insurance company would have got

........you can get cover from as low as £49/year which includes the all important public liability cover which you don't appear to have.
Cover is normally provided to at least a £1,000,000.00 ........if not more, so insurance companies must have instances where that level of cover has been needed.

 

[RayS]

See the current thread NCD. I calculate that the total of I have paid in premiums over the years was only about 20% of the settlement received., Not a bad return. even allowing for inflation.
When renewing look at increasing the voluntary excess. A ' common' figure is about £150 but ask for the figures for say £500 and you may be surprised at the overall reduction. You may also thing that the trouble of form filling assessment etc. for a small claim ( and you don't get much done for £500 these days) is just not worth the time and effort and better to just get the job done.

 

[Raywood]

See the current thread NCD. I calculate that the total of I have paid in premiums over the years was only about 20% of the settlement received., Not a bad return. even allowing for inflation.
When renewing look at increasing the voluntary excess. A ' common' figure is about £150 but ask for the figures for say £500 and you may be surprised at the overall reduction. You may also thing that the trouble of form filling assessment etc. for a small claim ( and you don't get much done for £500 these days) is just not worth the time and effort and better to just get the job done.

So it is your fault we all pay that much for insurance. They are trying to make up the losses on your claims.
I have never kept the figures so do not know what I have cost the insurers over the years, but I suspect I am in profit though, so may be we should both thank the rest of the people paying for us.
Possibly they will stop covering people called Ray.

 

[otherclive]

Going back to the OP the AA are notorious for increasing the renewal quotation. My daughter used them for a number of policies including car and each time the renewal for the same cover with no claim, or notifiable event was significantly increased. She used to ring them and tell them it want acceptable and always got it reduced. But eventually she tired of doing this as she felt they showed no respect for her a a customer. So now she's moved on to LV who we have everything with, but they don't do caravans. But each time a renewal comes up for cars, home or travel any increase relatively small or sometimes reduced.
For the caravan I'm with CMHC as they have a solid reputation for sorting out claims quickly and fairly. And if things go wrong that's what I want and a reasonable premium addition is worth paying.

 

[otherclive]

Parksy ,
Is your o'h a bit happier now with a better price !!?

She likes the idea of paying less but the caravan isn't due for renewal for another three months.
I renewed my car insurance recently and asked for the caravan quote to provide a ball park figure ready for when it's caravan renewal time.

The website does not say who the insurer is and without this information I would not go ahead. It also does not seem to show a DEFAQTO rating and I would want a five star one. I am not saying the policy is no good but it is very cheap and I would want far more information before taking it.

Just so people are clear DEFAQTO star ratings are awarded by independent experts who look at what the policy contains and how clearly the T&C are written. It doesn't use customer feedback or surveys so gives no guidance has to how well a claim may be handled.

 

[Craigyoung]

But for the AA to put it up £240 and we have never claimed a penny of them in five year is ridiculous, someone says their daughter complained and she got money off straight away , my wife done the same she complained and they reduced it £100 just like that, ridiculous they still didn't get our business!!

 

[Raywood]

It sounds like the AA have been ramping up premiums to see what the market will stand or have just had a very bad year and are trying to claw some of their losses back.
The policy is in fact through Towergate who are a firm of brokers who will place the business with an insurer. There must be two lots of commission there which might not help.

 

[otherclive]

The AA have had a poor year, compounded by a large drop in share value when their CEO was recently dismissed for unacceptable behaviour. But their ploy of ramping up renewals has been their practice well before their current round of problems.

 

[Dustydog]

As already stated by the Prof and Emmo we did this to death years ago. The main protagonist, Euro (deceased) took the view self funding or self funding in a small group of say 10 was more economic than conventional insurance.
There are one or two Insurers we are not allowed to mention who a while back took umbrage at Forumites comments about the appalling claims service. I know they quote cheap premiums. Your choice.
You only get what you pay for. I've stayed with the C&MHC for years with no regrets.
Last year I had a quote from Caravan ????????? Who use a blue chip Insurer. They weren't keen on my storage site and flatly refused to cover the caravan whilst at my home. I live in a low crime rural area !
Please remember it is not just premium cost but the true extent of the policy cover and the reputation for dealing with claims that will count when you have a problem. Either of the two main clubs are still the best all rounders Imo.
If you choose the cheapest be very careful to read the small print and fully comply with all their security requirements at all times.