My Insurance Renewal 2019-Beware Folks

[bongogreenride]

Been with Camping and Caravanning & Insurance Club (CCC) 10 years.
They put my Bongo insurance with AGEAS.

The other day I parked outside my local shop in the far north of scotland which gets tourists.
Came out of shop and someone who had a tow bar on their vehicle smashed into my
precious Bongo. Pierced the bumper, pushed the front member which supports the radiator back and dislodged the rad.

Got a police crime number, because no witnesses, they had hit and run, and left my Bongo in a sad state.
I put a claim into my insurance, they originally agreed it was not my fault and a crime had been commited.
I have a life times no claims bonus, and it is protected.

Insurance is up for renewal at end of month, and just got a quote, its gone up from £294.10 they said the insurance would now be £544.34. £250.24 extra.

When I questioned AGEAS as to what they were about, they told me all sorts of silly things as a confusion and distraction tactic, eg your camper is your sole vehicle so we have put on £100, then the far north of Scotland is a high risk, paying for a protected no claims bonus does not mean its premium protected, and insurances have gone up vastly in 2019 because of fraud and you the genuine one have to pay, no fault claims or hit and runs are high risk to us, so you will pay higher premiums.

I have cancelled my claim, and will not renew with CCC again.
I am shocked such behaviour from Insurance companies is taking place.
I have no idead who will now insure my Bongo??

[g8dhe]

Pretty typical behaviour from what I see! All you can do is ring around the various firms - see the Insurance link https://igmaynard.co.uk/insurance/ - and get a variety of quotes, don't give up with C&CC or Ageas get back to them with your best quote and see what they then offer. Remember its a Market Place and the prices vary during the month as individual salespeople hit targets or not likewise the company as a whole, so even ringing back a few days later will often get you a different price!

[bongogreenride]

Thanks geoff will keep trying

[bongogreenride]

After much struggle, and because of where we live, being told fibs to justify insurance increase on Bongo, which doubled the premium by CCC, who said amongst things that, where we live is high risk, (probably from deer and single track roads, wilderness machair and loggers and route 500 and many campervan accidents, from tourists who fly in, collect the large campers from the airport never driven them before or on left), some restrict to 6,000 annual mileage, (we live 100 miles from a supermarket, so no leisure activites) and no named driver can drive a courtesy car or other car with owners permission, (2gether) and even if you have a prang and its others fault, & you don`t claim, you premiums will go up (CCC), and this is the wildest, if Bongo is your sole vehicle, many insurers will slap another £100 on you because you are high risk, and insurers don`t want you to drive Mr-Mrs Bongo all the time, so they would like you to own a runabout and tax and insure it. Also, insurers informed us Bongos were highly desirable and many had been stolen, (2018) and so we were a high risk to them and insurers had to pay out a lot last year, so the genuine ones have to pay,(all things we have been told on the insurance journey to justify insurers screwing us for money, this year).

Bongo was going up for sale, we were so disheartened with 2019 rules and regulations together with insurers fibs. He was no longer viable, going shopping in the van was all we could do.

HOWEVER FOLKS just to let you all know, there is light at the end of the Insurance tunnel.

Chloe Gaylor Lifesure Advisor (Bongo Fury site) came up with the goods. She found us a policy with everything we wanted on a fully comp policy, with breakdown etc, and 10,000 annual miles, and able to drive a courtesy car, off the policy, and reasonable premium, (e.g. not double & treble last years premium), we can now go shopping and more.... Yipee.

[g8dhe]

Excellent news!
....... here follows a tirade against modern business's - self censored .........

[bongogreenride]

Excellent, for sure is the word...

Its a minefield out there today, especially for us Bongo drivers.

At least, (for today 7th September 2019) there are some decent people and insurance companies out there. 2020 who knows what will beset them

[Flanners]

Renewal with Caravanwise for another year@£170 with 4K miles. Great price.

[Capt Ham]

Just renewed Insurance with LV as part of multi-car policy - £198 fully comp, protected NCD, 5000 miles per year. No breakdown or replacement vehicle. Previous brokers (Lancaster) who were doing policy with LV, were quoting £390 plus £50fee!

[stu1972]

just renewed my insurance for the second time with 2gether. £230 fully comp 5000 miles.

[Bob]

Sounds pretty good.

[PLM]

September 2020 new Bongo owner: £189 for 16,000 miles, one named driver, fully comp, courtesy car, legal fees, personal accident, NO breakdown cover. 2Gether Insurance said they couldn’t come close. Peter Best Insurance

[joebongo]

Does anyone know if the companies mentioned offer "laid up insurance" for when the vehicle is SORNed? The latest lockdown and ban on breaks and holidays has postponed our winter trips so no point in re taxing or insuring until it can be used.

[Bob]

You'd need to ask the insurers as it is an individual thing.

What they might do for one risk they might not do for another, companies will vary, and it could be as simple as where you live.

My advice, however, is take it for a run once a week. Vehicles don't like being sat for months and you will likely pay out more on repairs than you save on SORN.

[joebongo]

As always Bob,good sound advice from yourself. I may now consider that rather than 10 yds back and forth occasionally after a 30 minute warm up.
That's the van by the way, not me. I should be so lucky!

[Bob]

Just a few things, belts and hoses will harden, tyres will flat spot and sidewalls crack (there's a lubricant in the rubber compound which only works when the tyre revolves) aircon seals will dry out and release the gas, brake disks will rust and pit, hand brake can stick on, manual clutch can stick to flywheel, fuel goes off...

30 Min run weekly does it for me.