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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25
years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. -- *It is wrong to ever split an infinitive * Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#2
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On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) |
#3
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![]() wrote in message ... On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Yep, AA wanted £280 renewal, Halifax was £180. |
#4
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![]() "bm" wrote in message web.com... wrote in message ... On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Yep, AA wanted £280 renewal, Halifax was £180. And next year, Halifax will want £280 and someone else will be £180. I change insurers every year without fail. |
#5
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On 29/05/15 15:45, Phil L wrote:
"bm" wrote in message web.com... wrote in message ... On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Yep, AA wanted £280 renewal, Halifax was £180. And next year, Halifax will want £280 and someone else will be £180. I change insurers every year without fail. LV came up with a renewal quote that even Compare the Meerkat could not beat (well, not by much, there was one £10 less from an insurer I have never heard of). So LV got the business again - quite refreshing.... |
#6
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On 29/05/2015 15:45, Phil L wrote:
"bm" wrote in message web.com... wrote in message ... On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Yep, AA wanted £280 renewal, Halifax was £180. And next year, Halifax will want £280 and someone else will be £180. I change insurers every year without fail. Last year I used Halifax. This year they were very slightly higher (I thought) for a like for like quote. But when I got my statement there was an extra exorbitant bit for contents, which had been included in the previous quote. I will not make the same mistake this year! So beware. Just call me stupid, I never would have made the mistake a few years ago, but age is creeping up on me in the most unexpected ways. |
#7
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Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. On getting a house insurance renewal offer from M&S, I went comparison shopping and found a twenty quid cheaper quote from... M&S. Rang them up, they said they couldn't match that, the only way was to take out a new policy and allow the existing one to lapse. Not only that but when I accepted the new quote and came to pay, the price had mysteriously dropped another fiver. They're bonkers, the lot of them. -- Mike Barnes Cheshire, England |
#8
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On 29/05/2015 15:56, Tim Watts wrote:
On 29/05/15 15:45, Phil L wrote: "bm" wrote in message web.com... wrote in message ... On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Yep, AA wanted £280 renewal, Halifax was £180. And next year, Halifax will want £280 and someone else will be £180. I change insurers every year without fail. LV came up with a renewal quote that even Compare the Meerkat could not beat (well, not by much, there was one £10 less from an insurer I have never heard of). So LV got the business again - quite refreshing.... And their home emergency add-on is pretty good value given that it covers any boiler that has been serviced within 3 years. |
#9
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On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. Probably 5 different owners of the company during that time. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. Why this misplaced loyalty? You say that you have not made a claim so limited experience of their customer service - except you have seen that they are prepared to rip you off as a loyal customer with a renewal quote which wasn't the best price that they were later prepared to offer. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. Was the loyalty discount more than the 30% that the same company probably gives to a new customer? After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. If you have never claimed consider what type insurance you really want. If you are prepared to exclude your own fault accidental damage etc. you may/will be able to reduce the price even further. Last year my insurance for £1million building and £50,000 contents was £130. This week the renewal quote dropped through my letter box - £148 or an increase of around 14% if I chose to accept it. -- mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
#10
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On 29/05/2015 17:31, alan_m wrote:
Last year my insurance for £1million building and £50,000 contents was £130. This week the renewal quote dropped through my letter box - £148 or an increase of around 14% if I chose to accept it. And quickly checking the renewal quote again the excess amount has been raised so its 14% more cash for less of a risk for them. The renewal cost is NOT a like for like quote with last years policy -- mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
#11
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On Fri, 29 May 2015 17:31:40 +0100, alan_m wrote:
Last year my insurance for £1million building and £50,000 contents was £130. This week the renewal quote dropped through my letter box - £148 or an increase of around 14% if I chose to accept it. Which company? That sounds remarkably cheap - does it cover for full accidental damage, valuables away from home, garden items and proper replacement of matching items if only one of a set is damaged beyond repair? |
#12
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On 29/05/2015 17:41, Mark Allread wrote:
On Fri, 29 May 2015 17:31:40 +0100, alan_m wrote: Last year my insurance for £1million building and £50,000 contents was £130. This week the renewal quote dropped through my letter box - £148 or an increase of around 14% if I chose to accept it. Which company? Direct Line - but last year that was the company that matched my previous premium from another insurer that I ditched because of the high renewal quote. My insurance cost have remained virtually static +/- a few quid in the past 5 years by changing companies when the renewal quote was uncompetitive. That sounds remarkably cheap - does it cover for full accidental damage, valuables away from home, garden items and proper replacement of matching items if only one of a set is damaged beyond repair? As I said - if you are prepared to accept certain conditions and accept the risk yourself for your own accidental damage etc. then the price can remain very low. The add-ons from a lot of insurance companies can be overpriced and purchased cheaper from elsewhere - or you can easily live without them. These add-ons often are defaulted to be included (at an extra cost) unless you turn off the option(s). Some people pay twice for the same add-ons from the car insurance and the house insurance. In the past, I've found that accepting a £50 higher excess can reduce the premium by £50 from some companies so again its the amount of risk that you are prepared to accept yourself that is important. The higher the excess the less likely you are to make a small claim. The one for all £0.5/£1 million building and £50K contents policies can also work out much cheaper than a tailored policy. -- mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
#13
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#14
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#16
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On 29 May 2015, Sam Plusnet grunted:
Never assume that all the details you gave to the comparison site were faithfully transmitted to the insurers & that the insurers took them into account when creating a quote. Yeah there are often discrepancies. Plus, if you access the insurer's site via a cashback site there's aften a decent kickback to be had too - no point in giving that to the meerkats. I find my preferred insurer via the comparison sites, then quit, go to topcashback.co.uk, and log in to the insurera gain from there. -- David |
#18
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Tim Watts wrote:
OTOH sometimes the insurer doesn't even understand their own product. Them: Got any flat roofs? Me: Yes: Them: How much, by percentage? Me: Percentage of what? Plan area or physical surface area? Do I include or exclude bays? Them: ??? :-) I recall one from many years ago - travel insurance. Them: I see you list mountain climbing an activity. How high? Me: How high above the ground, or how high above sea level? Them: ??? -- Mike Barnes Cheshire, England |
#19
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In article ,
Bob Minchin wrote: After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Generally I'd agree but Direct Line won't play ball with this technique IME It's DL I'm insured with. -- *Heart attacks... God's revenge for eating his animal friends Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#20
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In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. Confucius he say, "If ye don't ask ye don't get";!)... -- Tony Sayer |
#21
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In article ,
tony sayer wrote: Confucius he say, "If ye don't ask ye don't get";!)... They certainly give in a lot more quickly than once. -- *I don't suffer from insanity -- I'm a carrier Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#22
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Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article , Bob Minchin wrote: After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Generally I'd agree but Direct Line won't play ball with this technique IME It's DL I'm insured with. They must have changed their "policy" It was a few years back that I got blank refusal to discuss premiums. I've got both cars with SAGA now - under £200 for both fully comp on separate policies. |
#23
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On 29/05/2015 22:29, Bob Minchin wrote:
wrote: On 29/05/2015 14:50, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: Renewal came in from my house insurer that I've been with for perhaps 25 years. Never made a claim of any sort. I'm happy enough to chop and change insurers with the cars - but do prefer to have a history with something as valuable as a house. I could replace the car if it got totalled and no insurance, but not the house. I'd noted down what I paid last year - both the original amount and the actual premium after getting their 'loyalty' discount. Which was substantial. This renewal was some 8% higher than last year's full amount. So I phones them up. Asked the very pleasant bloke to look at what I'd paid last year. And the figure he had was the high quote - not the amount I'd actually paid after discount. After simply saying their price was way out of line with all of the comparison sites, he reduced the premium by over a third to almost exactly what I'd paid last year. Still quite a bit higher than I could have paid with a different company, but I decided on balance to stay with them. I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Generally I'd agree but Direct Line won't play ball with this technique IME I think you'll find they have changed that approach: I'm useless at the insurance game and never seem to find time to do any comparisons. I called DL this year to renew on the day my car insurance expired, so no time to do anything else. After sorting the renewal, I was asked if I was happy with everything. I said it was fine apart from the price, whereupon I was offered a 10% discount. Not bad, considering I was over the proverbial barrel.... |
#24
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GMM wrote:
Bob Minchin wrote: wrote: I've just done the same with car insurance - querying the quote and mentioning a few alternatives saved about 10%. It seems that making a call is worthwhile for any renewal (especially the AA!) Generally I'd agree but Direct Line won't play ball with this technique IME I think you'll find they have changed that approach: The past decade or more I've alternated between Direct Line and Privilege, who are both part of the same group, they are always "surprised" when I want to cancel, but "sorry, that's the best we can offer" and the other of them is always cheaper than anyone else ... |
#25
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On 30/05/2015 09:03, Lobster wrote:
I find my preferred insurer via the comparison sites, then quit, go to topcashback.co.uk, and log in to the insurera gain from there. No doubt you're aware, but others may not be... either delete cookies after quitting the comparison sites and before going to TopCashBack or, better, use a different browser. Don't do that and you don't get the cashback. -- F www.vulcantothesky.org - 2015, the last year to see a Vulcan fly |
#26
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Having renewed with my original company after 'negotiating' a discount,
they sent me an email wanting feedback on the transaction. Of course the questions were mainly about the service I'd had when phoning them, and I had no complaints about the person I dealt with. But they did also ask about overall satisfaction, so I told them exactly what I thought about the practice of giving a large discount if the customer complained enough. -- *Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.* Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#27
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Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
they sent me an email wanting feedback on the transaction. Three days after some wallpaper was delivered, I was asked by G&B to review my purchase, do they really expect people to hang the stuff that quickly? |
#28
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In article ,
Andy Burns wrote: Dave Plowman (News) wrote: they sent me an email wanting feedback on the transaction. Three days after some wallpaper was delivered, I was asked by G&B to review my purchase, do they really expect people to hang the stuff that quickly? Most of these surveys tend to concentrate on 'service'. Hardly ever the product or value for money. And never ever ask a direct question about the one thing which has annoyed you (if there is one). -- *If you ate pasta and anti-pasta, would you still be hungry? Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#29
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On 02/06/2015 08:19, Andy Burns wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote: they sent me an email wanting feedback on the transaction. But there are idiots who post a review to say they've giving 5 stars for an item that's just arrived but is still in the box. -- F www.vulcantothesky.org - 2015, the last year to see a Vulcan fly |
#30
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In article ,
F news@nowhere wrote: But there are idiots who post a review to say they've giving 5 stars for an item that's just arrived but is still in the box. Bit like Ebay feedback where you're expected to give the maximum 5 stars for just OK. ;-) -- *Microsoft broke Volkswagen's record: They only made 21.4 million bugs. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
#31
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On 02/06/2015 11:14, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Most of these surveys tend to concentrate on 'service'. Hardly ever the product or value for money. At work the outsourced IT provider sends out customer satisfaction survey emails BUT only if the service call results in a relatively fast fix. If they have real problems no survey form is forthcoming. Plus -- the survey only asks if the phone was answered quickly, if the front line service person was polite etc. There is nowhere for any comment about the sometimes crap overall service they provide. -- mailto: news {at} admac {dot] myzen {dot} co {dot} uk |
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