Best at the mo

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callum
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Best at the mo

Post by callum » Tue Sep 27, 2016 5:07 pm

As per title, about to go on the insurance merry go round.
Anybody had any particularly good experiences recently?
Our van is converted, though not officially and it doesn't have a table or sink.
I had wondered about the merits of just declaring it as having a fixed gas hob and cupboards, as it isn't a lie. I know It wouldn't pass as a camper for the v5, so why should it be classified one for insurance?

Cheers!
peridot
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by peridot » Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:20 am

Just bought my first Bongo recently and in shopping around for insurance Adrian Flux was the cheapest so I went with them.

It is a painful experience compared having to ring up each company and go through the fifty questions, compared to the simplicity of the online comparison sites for general car insurance.

Does campervan classification not mean cheaper insurance?? I'm new to all this and pretty clueless, but once I got a quote similar to my car insurance I though that sounded ok :)
callum
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by callum » Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:55 am

Hey,
We're will Flux at the mo, so may juat stay with them.
The van is in my wife's name, but i had a look on Aviva as my car is insured through them and it came back as a very competitive price, but they don't do motorhome insurance. It's a tough call, as like i said, i wouldn't be able to change the v5 to motorhome, so insurance shouldn't be either.
I did have an online chat with Aviva to say it had a fixed gas hob and cupboards, but no table or sink, so is not classified as a camper. They were ok with that.

We will just do the rounds i suppose!
George217
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Location: Ponthir, South Wales

Re: Best at the mo

Post by George217 » Sat Oct 01, 2016 10:20 am

I've just insured mine on the Admiral multicar policy. It came to £343 which included 12 months full European breakdown cover including recovery. My Bongo is currently registered as a motor vehicle not a campervan (it has a removal rear kitchen unit).
Mike

JAL supplied Caribbean Blue V6 Bongo with Skylift roof and rear conversion - Viv.
callum
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by callum » Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:22 pm

What were their views on the kitchen unit? Didnyou disclose it?
I don't want to grt in the trap of not disclosing stuff and getting void insurance in the event of a claim (happened couple of years ago after my motorbike got stolen and torched, discrepancy about a car port or garage!)
George217
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by George217 » Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:42 pm

Didn't tell them Callum, mainly because it is not a fixed unit. You can literally lift it in and out and I don't believe this qualifies as a campervan conversion.
Mike

JAL supplied Caribbean Blue V6 Bongo with Skylift roof and rear conversion - Viv.
callum
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by callum » Sat Oct 01, 2016 2:10 pm

Yep, i totally agree. I just hate insurance companies that can be so unscrupulous.
Good price though, i will give aviva another shout
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the1andonly
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by the1andonly » Sat Oct 01, 2016 10:30 pm

will be interested in what Aviva say as a couple of years ago as an existing customer they wanted all my insurance needs and the price was right until the Bongo was mentioned, no grey imports.
Have been with admiral for 4 yrs. (need proding about the price each year) due for renewal soon so merry go around begins again. Does It need a V5 classification to be insured as a campervan (fits requirements).
George217
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by George217 » Sat Oct 01, 2016 10:50 pm

Yes I agree. Admiral can take the proverbial year on year if you let them.
With my regular car, the premium was quoted at £80 more than last year despite me having no claims or penalties.
When I queried it they said ( rather lamely) that there had been a lot of claims for my make and model vehicle. Absolutely ridiculous, and when I threatened to leave, they backed down and went down to a sensible level.
What really annoys me is that insurance companies ( like broadband and satellite tv suppliers) never look after existing customers but are always offering incentives to newcomers. Life is too short for this nonsense and I for one don't need the hassle every 12 months.
Mike

JAL supplied Caribbean Blue V6 Bongo with Skylift roof and rear conversion - Viv.
Frankie
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by Frankie » Mon Oct 03, 2016 11:19 pm

I've just arranged the insurance for a bongo I am buying. I was surprised that insurers on the bongo fury list were not able to insure me as I was going to have it as my only vehicle. Has anyone else had this issue? One insurer would only insure it for 5000miles. It was concerning.
callum
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by callum » Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:17 am

We insured our Bongo last year with Flux as our only vehicle, so they do it.

We got our quote from Flux this year, £425. We thought it was a bit high as we now have another vehicle to use as our main car (according to flux, that didn't make much difference!)
I rang Lifesure, they wouldn't do it with a part conversion, which is fair enough.
2gether gave us a nice quote of £348, so rang Flux back up and they did it at £345!
It does make me cross that you have to jump through hoops, but hey ho, saved ourselves £80. It shaved £18 off our monthly direct debit compared to this year, which is a nice saving.
Frankie
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by Frankie » Tue Oct 04, 2016 8:07 am

Hmm thank you. I ended up with Adrian flux for £550. It is not a camper van by dvla terms but has five seats (back row removed) and shelf added to supplement front two as a bed. Table rail and table added. But no cupboards sink or cooker. So it's not listed as camper on v5. Would I have been better insuring it as a car? But would I then not be insured to camp in my it? Confused.

It was 2gether that said they could only insure for 5000 Mike, so despite the chap been very helpful I decided to go with Adrian flux. At that point he wasn't so pleasant and suggested his insurers had gone out of their way to give me a quote and wouldn't be so keen to next year as I turned them down. It was pretty intimidating and left a bad taste. I am not sure what to think of that.
peridot
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by peridot » Tue Oct 04, 2016 8:32 am

Frankie wrote: ... At that point he wasn't so pleasant and suggested his insurers had gone out of their way to give me a quote and wouldn't be so keen to next year as I turned them down. It was pretty intimidating and left a bad taste. I am not sure what to think of that.
I'd have burst out laughing at that point and called him pathetic for using such complete nonsense to try and intimidate a potential customer :)
Frankie
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by Frankie » Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:44 am

Yes I was bemused. He obviously thought he had the upper hand and insurance would be difficult for me in the future. Which would be concerning. However I do think what was he trying to do and not great customer service. It was a change from the helpful manner he had up to then.
Dudleian
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Re: Best at the mo

Post by Dudleian » Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:10 pm

Newbie Bongoer (unconverted) Meerkat came up with RAC @ £410 if I accepted a data box but it was showing Bongo as manual when it's an auto, so I phoned them and when they entered the details I was told that they couldn't insure it but didn't know why the system wouldn't allow it offered to put me through to van division but connection got broken so didn't get anywhere. Today I tried go compare and again RAC was cheapest, this time @350 (without data box! ) - still showing as a manual but I thought "sod it" and went ahead, accepted without question! Weird stuff!
Why be the same as everyone else when, with a bit of effort, you can be different?
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