motorhome insurance

[ROYSKI]

sold my motorhome and cancelled my insurance with 3 months left. Adrian Flux kindly say they won't charge me for cancelling------but won't repay anything either. That's about £100 up my shirt ! insurance ? or daylight robbery. >:-)

[Keithl]

Hi Roy and welcome to the forum (although a bit late now you've sold your MH)

 

If you had read the T & C of your policy you would have no doubt found out what the charges for changes to, or cancellation of, the policy would be and this should not have come as such a shock.

 

Although why you have to join a forum to complain as a first post seems like nothing other than to vent your anger at not having read the T & C.

Sorry but if you hadn't read the small print then it's hardly the fault of the insurance broker!

 

Keith.

[Iain Strachan]

Are you Harrigton or Hubert? Had u insured another motorhome there would be no problem!

[docted]

1foot take the battery back does the garage know who you are?

[ROYSKI]

You are quite right Keith, should have read the small print. Many people don't- but perhaps more will if they read this. However, it's just another insurance rip off. It didn't use to be like this. I use to phone to cancel and they would either suspend the policy or make a refund. Now you get a few days to register another van (I expect even that will soon disappear ) ---But who cares ?

[Brian Kirby]

ROYSKI - 2013-12-29 11:27 AM

 

You are quite right Keith, should have read the small print. Many people don't- but perhaps more will if they read this. However, it's just another insurance rip off. It didn't use to be like this. I use to phone to cancel and they would either suspend the policy or make a refund. Now you get a few days to register another van (I expect even that will soon disappear ) ---But who cares ?

Truth to tell, Roy, I think you must have been very lucky in the past when cancelling. Insurance is a contract, and when you cancel, you break the contract. When you break a contract, the contractor is entitled to compensation for any loss your cancellation causes him.

 

It will cost the insurer money to make the cancellation, why should he bear that cost? Their costs will be administrative: they have to notify the underwriter of the cancellation, and remove the insurance record from the Motor Insurer's Database. That is why they reserve the right to levy a cancellation fee. Doing this requires the raising of a further invoice - more admin - so it has presumably been deemed more economical to keep any balance of the premium (probably very little, after underwriter's charges are taken into account) and waive the cancellation fee.

 

You appear to be making the mistake of assuming that what you could expect after being insured for 9 months of a cancelled 12 month insurance contract, would be 25% of the premium. That is very unlikely to be the case, and I would be surprised if the premium return would equal the cancellation fee. In short, in the absence of any concrete evidence on actual costs, I suspect Adrian Flux have let you down very gently, and have most definitely not "ripped you off".

 

Your loss is, I'm afraid to say, due only to your decision to cancel. You may have been better advised to speak to the insurer before acting as you appear to have done, as they would then have been able to tell you where you stood. If you don't want to waste money, don't change your mind after you have entered into a contract! Sorry.

[Will86]

When I parted with our M/H it had 2 months insurance remaining so I did nothing and just left it running as I was hardly likely to have needed it.

[Brock]

Sorry, I don't see this as a rip off. Both sides have entered into a contract for 12 months. One side cancels and so must compensate the other. I don't see 3m premium being excessive on a 12m contract.

[RogerC]

I used to use Adrian Flux many moons ago and always found them to be 'amenable'.  Maybe a phone call to 'suspend' the policy would have been the thing to do 'if' you intend to get another MH.  If not then as has already been said it's the way of things these days......cancel within a certain period and you get nothing back.  The only option to make sure you 'get what you pay for' is to go for one of the 'pay monthly' policies but they tend to cost more.

 

[Brian Kirby]

RogerC - 2013-12-29 2:01 PM...............  The only option to make sure you 'get what you pay for' is to go for one of the 'pay monthly' policies but they tend to cost more.

Not necessarily! Some of these are mere finance packages, where the preminum is paid in full by the finance company, and your agreement is to re-pay the finance company in however many months. Cancel one of these, and the finance company will apply severance charges to your cancellation, as well as applying reimbursement for the calculated loss of profit on the remaining months, plus admin charges. Don't go there! Just do your research before you buy, and then don't change your mind.

[RogerC]

Brian Kirby - 2013-12-29 2:50 PM

RogerC - 2013-12-29 2:01 PM...............  The only option to make sure you 'get what you pay for' is to go for one of the 'pay monthly' policies but they tend to cost more.

Not necessarily! Some of these are mere finance packages, where the preminum is paid in full by the finance company, and your agreement is to re-pay the finance company in however many months. Cancel one of these, and the finance company will apply severance charges to your cancellation, as well as applying reimbursement for the calculated loss of profit on the remaining months, plus admin charges. Don't go there! Just do your research before you buy, and then don't change your mind.

 

Whilst that is true Brian I recently had a renewal offer from a company offering monthly installments which, should the occasion arise I could cease payments with no penalty whatsoever.  I declined as they were more than £50 over the price of my current policy providers.  So there are 'deals' out there for those who like the option of 'spreading the cost' with monthly payments and having the safeguard of being able to cancel free of 'conditions'.  It's not always the case that finance companies are involved.

 

[Brian Kirby]

1footinthegrave - 2013-12-29 5:40 PM And worth adding is not all companies keep ALL your money if you no longer want the cover, can't help feeling the "serves you right" comments are at all helpful, but there you go, some on here are infallible aren't they, happy to take you in to the headmasters office for a jolly good dressing down, except that in the case of these forums, in the full glare of everyone else, with their supercilious attitude, oh how much pleasure that must give, of course they never put a foot wrong themselves, and are not mere mortals like the rest of us. :-| no wonder I dislike them so much.

Anyone special in mind?

 

1footinthegrave - 2013-12-28 9:51 AM.................It's quite simple really, dish out abuse and ridicule and it's likely to be returned, is that unique to me on here, I don't think so, do you. ? .............

So, were you abused somewhere above?

 

I don't think so, do you?

 

Now, what is that word I'm searching for?

[lennyhb]

Will85 - 2013-12-29 12:50 PM

 

When I parted with our M/H it had 2 months insurance remaining so I did nothing and just left it running as I was hardly likely to have needed it.

 

Problem with doing that is you are only allowed to cover a vehicle with one policy. If the new owner insures it there would be two policies on the vehicle. In the event of an accident the insurance companies would probably refuse to pay out.

[Brock]

On reflection 1foot, I don't think my post was particularly helpful to the OP but I'm not sure whether I intended to be helpful to the OP. I wanted to redress the OP comment on the insurer. I've spent over 40 years in management dealing with unreasonable people and so perhaps I'm still tainted by the experience. I would add the number of reasonable people, even those complaining, far outnumbered the unreasonable.

 

Thinking positively, we seem to agree about the need to read the terms of conditions and that in itself will act as a reminder to everyone. I'm with you on believing kindly words are more effective than insults.

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

1footinthegrave - 2013-12-30 10:17 AM.................. Why would you take my post to be directly referring to you, as that's how it appears ;-)

Because that is what you continually do, and your familiar choice of words suggested I was probabaly the target of your tirade. You do follow me around, making similar unprovoked observations when I post. Conditioned reflex?

 

but never the less a kind word for the bloke would be better than effectively calling him a pillock for not reading the small print, as a couple of folk have done, did you ? perhaps in that case the word you're looking for is supercilious. ;-)

I thought I was kind in the way I pointed out his probable error. I also apologised for presenting the facts. Did you actually read it, or just imagine it?

 

Besides, these are not private conversations, they are in public, so others are informed by stating the facts. The OP can no longer be helped, as he knows to his cost. Others, on the other hand, may be warned off similar actions. So, for the greater good?

 

There is no point in encouraging folk to believe their actions will be without consequence. Just call it tough love.

 

No, I would never describe you as being supercillious. Definitely not your style.

[Brian Kirby]

On which basis, he would be well advised to explore doing as you suggest. Good post. I hope he lets us know how he gets on. Then we'll all know.

[ROYSKI]

Thanks for all the posts. The 'Serves you right' comments were, though true, particularly unhelpful, Many thanks to 'One foot' for introducing a bit of humanity and understanding. After 50 years of motor caravanning I have had to give it up---but then, who knows? *-)

[bob b]

Will85 - 2013-12-29 12:50 PMWhen I parted with our M/H it had 2 months insurance remaining so I did nothing and just left it running as I was hardly likely to have needed it.

As I understand it, you should always cancel your insurance immediately when you sell the vehicle. If the motorhome is involved in an accident in those two months, a claim could still be made on your insurance, even though you are no longer the owner.