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Nitrous 28 May 2015 22:38:38 2,295 posts
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That time of the year again, been with Churchill for the past three years. Customer service when I've changed my car and address has been excellent despite the admin fee which all companies seem to charge anyway.

Renewal quote came in at Ł527. 7 years NCD.
Its due early June so only have a week left to find a deal.

Directline... Silly money for me!
Confused/gocompare/comparethemarket.com are all saying AXA is the cheapest closely followed by swiftcover. Anyone had to deal with AXA or is there another insurance company I should try that don't show on comparison sites?

AccidentProne 28 May 2015 22:42:02 1,380 posts
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Try Adrian Flux, always reasonable renewal quotes and will generally match your lowest quote from elsewhere. Never had to claim from them though, so no idea about that side of things.

Trowel 28 May 2015 22:52:32 24,512 posts
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Avoid Admiral. Confirmed to me in writing that they found the other party liable in a crash after we'd been interviewed by an investigator, only to settle in full with them and refuse to explain why.

Money Saving Expert is of course the best place to look.

superdelphinus 28 May 2015 23:05:44 10,507 posts
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AXA are fine in my experience.

Nitrous 28 May 2015 23:11:51 2,295 posts
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Admiral was very low down on the list and I've just tried Moneysaving Expert. Same results really. Thames City Car insurance/broker. Its the only one I can say to avoid. Cancelled a policy with them years ago knowing I could get at least half the money I paid back.... haha easier said than done as it turned out.

I'll look into Adrian Flux, never heard of them before.

Edited by Nitrous at 23:30:32 28-05-2015

elstoof 29 May 2015 06:03:51 28,125 posts
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Trowel wrote:
, only to settle in full with them and refuse to explain why.

They were probably with Admiral too.

CosmicFuzz 29 May 2015 06:55:58 32,632 posts
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Trowel wrote:
Avoid Admiral. Confirmed to me in writing that they found the other party liable in a crash after we'd been interviewed by an investigator, only to settle in full with them and refuse to explain why.

Money Saving Expert is of course the best place to look.

Could be a million different reasons why that happened. We get loss adjuster reports in that say other side is liable only for it to drag out into courts and we end up settling. So long as they covered you, does it really matter?

Did it affect your premiums etc? That would piss me off right enough.

Dougs 29 May 2015 07:08:11 100,414 posts
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Don't forget to ring and cancel the renewal or you'll be hit twice! (assuming you find a cheaper quote)

CosmicFuzz 29 May 2015 07:14:53 32,632 posts
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Spoken from experience Dougs?

Trowel 29 May 2015 08:05:42 24,512 posts
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CosmicFuzz wrote:

Trowel wrote:
Avoid Admiral. Confirmed to me in writing that they found the other party liable in a crash after we'd been interviewed by an investigator, only to settle in full with them and refuse to explain why.

Money Saving Expert is of course the best place to look.
Could be a million different reasons why that happened. We get loss adjuster reports in that say other side is liable only for it to drag out into courts and we end up settling. So long as they covered you, does it really matter?

Did it affect your premiums etc? That would piss me off right enough.

Up from around Ł350 to Ł900 for 3 years, plus the claim itself made it virtually impossible to change insurer. Happy to have moved on now.

Mekanik 29 May 2015 08:36:08 4,729 posts
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Been with Admiral for years. Never had to make a claim fair enough so no idea how they would be.

Almost the cheapest quote for me. Although their auto renew this year was expensive. Just gave them a phone call, told them i wasnt happy and voila, 100 quid off.

Always worth phoning your insurance company up and telling them you will go elsewhere. Get some quotes from moneysupermarket/comparethemeerkat and wave the cheapest at them. Almost every company can mysteriously find a way to reduce your premium with a phone call.

Also worth making 100% sure all your details are bang on correct. The slightest thing being wrong (occupation is a popular one)can cost you more.

binky Moderator 29 May 2015 09:01:16 11,163 posts
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Check that whoever you go with doesn't use an Accident Management Company to deal with 3rd party claims. I've discovered that my insurer does exactly that and dealing with an accident from March (that the 3rd party admitted to within 48 hours) has taken until last week to sort out.

Basically my garage of choice didn't want to deal with an Accident Management Company which left me in limbo until we could hammer out a work-around.

Deleted user 29 May 2015 09:05:12

And to answer a question above, your premium goes up even if you're not at fault in the event of any claim at all.

I asked why and was told:

"Statistics show that people involved in non fault accidents often go on to be involved in fault ones"

Seriously. A van had driven into the back of me while I was stopped at a junction.

Edited by zzkj at 09:06:49 29-05-2015

retro74 29 May 2015 09:08:18 3,798 posts
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Swiftcover and AXA are the same company. They are ok, my first car is with swiftcover and they are very competitive

My 2nd car is with Adrian Flux (mentioned above). They are the experts with more niche cars (especially performance) and gave me an excellent quote plus the service is very good

elstoof 29 May 2015 09:41:39 28,125 posts
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Mekanik wrote:
.Almost every company can mysteriously find a way to reduce your premium with a phone call.

More Than called up with a renewal rate of 500 quid, up from the previous year yada yada can't get lower, every company puts prices up, can't do a deal any cheaper, if you find it cheaper go for it because we can't match it.

I went on a comparison site, got a quote of 400 from... More Than.

Edited by elstoof at 09:43:47 29-05-2015

freddymercurystwin 29 May 2015 10:43:00 2,825 posts
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Is there really much/if any difference between company's? Most are intertwined with each other often with several different companies owned by one etc etc. I just go with the cheapest. Yes Direct Line would be nice as they consistently do seem to be good at handling claims but they are soooo expensive.

I used to use Adrian Flux years ago when my cars were non standard and they were fine, they're properly independents too I think, which is rare nowadays, on a side note the lowest quote I had this year was Ł116! For my next motor (Focus ST) when this one dies quotes are still only Ł188! There are some distinct advantages of living in the SW and being old!

Dougs 29 May 2015 10:44:11 100,414 posts
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CosmicFuzz wrote:
Spoken from experience Dougs?

Every. Single. Year. You get it back but it's still a pain in the arse.

House insurance for me, can't find a better deal (well, bar Ł5 cheaper) so will stick with what I have...

wrinkly 29 May 2015 10:46:39 3,721 posts
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freddymercurystwin wrote:
Is there really much/if any difference between company's? Most are intertwined with each other often with several different companies owned by one etc etc. I just go with the cheapest. Yes Direct Line would be nice as they consistently do seem to be good at handling claims but they are soooo expensive.

I used to use Adrian Flux years ago when my cars were non standard and they were fine, they're properly independents too I think, which is rare nowadays, on a side note the lowest quote I had this year was Ł116! For my next motor (Focus ST) when this one dies quotes are still only Ł188! There are some distinct advantages of living in the SW and being old!

You are a lying bastard.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/7835729/Pensioners-overcharged-on-car-and-travel-insurance.html

freddymercurystwin 29 May 2015 10:53:36 2,825 posts
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Haha, I guess in a couple of years mine will start going up again!

CosmicFuzz 29 May 2015 11:14:36 32,632 posts
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Trowel wrote:

CosmicFuzz wrote:

Trowel wrote:
Avoid Admiral. Confirmed to me in writing that they found the other party liable in a crash after we'd been interviewed by an investigator, only to settle in full with them and refuse to explain why.

Money Saving Expert is of course the best place to look.
Could be a million different reasons why that happened. We get loss adjuster reports in that say other side is liable only for it to drag out into courts and we end up settling. So long as they covered you, does it really matter?

Did it affect your premiums etc? That would piss me off right enough.
Up from around Ł350 to Ł900 for 3 years, plus the claim itself made it virtually impossible to change insurer. Happy to have moved on now.

Jesus! That's awful.

AccidentProne 29 May 2015 13:00:28 1,380 posts
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Yeah, they're generally a bunch of fucking crooks in my experience. The only company that haven't tried it on with my renewal are Adrian Flux, which is why I've stayed with them for a few years now. Plus they guarantee to match any other quotes you get.

CosmicFuzz 29 May 2015 13:48:22 32,632 posts
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AccidentProne wrote:
Yeah, they're generally a bunch of fucking crooks in my experience. The only company that haven't tried it on with my renewal are Adrian Flux, which is why I've stayed with them for a few years now. Plus they guarantee to match any other quotes you get.

Anything to do with your username?

Nitrous 29 May 2015 14:07:57 2,295 posts
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We are about to find out how good Esure is. My mum has been shunted in stationary traffic and her insurance is due for renewal.

The women is taking full responsibility for the accident. I'm not sure if my mum has protected her NCD but I'm guessing its now going to affect her insurance price for years?

AccidentProne 29 May 2015 15:23:28 1,380 posts
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@CosmicFuzz Heh

I've actually managed to avoid accidents completely up until this point. I expect after tempting fate like this I'll crash horribly on the way home...

askew 29 May 2015 15:30:23 24,121 posts
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@Nitrous If the third-party is found at fault, your NCD should be safe without the protection.

I found that this years renewal quote was the cheapest :s Despite me getting older, more years without accidents (touch wood!), more experience etc, it doesn't seem to be going down in price. But I'm probably offsetting that by driving a car that's actually worth a chunk, rather than the sheds of my youth...

Mekanik 29 May 2015 15:35:28 4,729 posts
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retro74 wrote:

My 2nd car is with Adrian Flux (mentioned above). They are the experts with more niche cars (especially performance) and gave me an excellent quote plus the service is very good

If you are a member of certain owners clubs apparently you can get some discounts form them too.

I`m going to check them out next time my insurance is up for renewal.

wrinkly 29 May 2015 15:37:19 3,721 posts
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Certainly you get discounts with the TVR club.

Nitrous 29 May 2015 18:39:36 2,295 posts
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I gave Adrian Flux a ring and got a quote for Ł450 with markerstudy. Its slightly cheaper than AXA and includes protected no claims, courtesy car and legal assistance.

Esure have been great so far for my mum. Car is being taken for repair and a courtesy car has already been collected.

Deleted user 29 May 2015 20:17:47

Trowel wrote:
Avoid Admiral. Confirmed to me in writing that they found the other party liable in a crash after we'd been interviewed by an investigator, only to settle in full with them and refuse to explain why.

Similar experience here. Other party to blame, driving a dangerous left-hand drive with a dodgy sounding east european insurance company. Admiral decided I was to blame having been told a pack of lies backed up by witnesses who weren't there, and I only found out when they said they'd settled. They eventually agreed to go 50/50 since I got rammed (from behind!) on a roundabout.

Then having told them they were terrible and was switching cars elsewhere, I got routed to their finest asian helpdesk who spoke terrible english and dragged out the switch for months. Plus letters saying I owed them money for the multi-car policy. A crap experience.

Currently with Swinton, who have been fine.