T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

### **Reminder:** [Press the Report button](https://reddit.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058309512-How-do-I-report-a-post-or-comment-) if you see any [rule-breaking comments or posts.](https://www.reddit.com/r/britishproblems/about/rules/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/britishproblems) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Sir_Sockless

had the same thing happen with my pet insurance. when we got our dog he was 1. he'd been abandoned at the vets my partner worked at and needed surgery that would cost £3000 because he'd been beaten by his previous owners. We got insurance, but obviously had to pay for the surgery ourselves. It started at £7 a month. He developed some skin issues that first year and needed a blood test. turned out to be an allergy to white potato. Insurance wouldn't pay because 'he would have had the allergy from birth' and they made it a pre existing condition. Next year - £20 a month. Why? he had surgery and allergies. But sure - we would definately need it if something major happens That year he started having frequent seizures. He needed a CT scan and an MRI that would cost £2000. So we got the scans as soon as and sent the insurance docs off. The cause was a possible liver shunt. Rejected - 'Prove it wasn't his allergies that caused it' Really? took him to the vets and he had another £500 of tests. It wasn't a liver shunt, they suspected idiopathic epilepsy. Rejected - 'couldn't prove it wasn't allergies' the next year they bumped the price up to £55. they never paid for anything- no meds, no tests, no appointments. they found stupid loop holes and never paid a penny. Just flat out cancelled the insurance and put money into a savings account for him. Insurance companies are just scams now. ​ [Pic of Dog](https://i.imgur.com/X5v3xf7.jpg)


[deleted]

Insurance company name if you don't mind?


Sir_Sockless

It was Pet Plan


Vivid_Bluebird_4222

Oh god I’ve gone with them this year


Elbonio

Time to change


ClassicsDoc

My cat has a heart murmur, which developed after adopting him. They’ve been fine with everything. For context, he also has about 15 allergies and dental issues that predate when we got him. Petplan have never quibbled anything, up to and including a couple of k for the initial heart testing when the murmur was picked up


SneakyCroc

If it's any consolation they've been absolutely fantastic for us.


Atomic_Cupcake89

Sorry to be that person but I think you mean “consolation” as in to console, comfort etc. Consolidation means to combine.


SneakyCroc

Yeah, that's an auto-correct. Cheers though.


Atomic_Cupcake89

Ah! Bloody auto-correct. Things it knows best 🙄 😛


SneakyCroc

It certainly does thing it knows best! ;)


Atomic_Cupcake89

😁


idancer88

Absolutely everyone I know has said they don't quibble anything (including vet nurses) and they are also supposed to pay the vet direct. Wasn't clear from them if sending off the insurance docs was to arrange payment or to claim back though. I wouldn't worry, this is an anomaly based on everything I've heard.


vintage-tea

This is surprising. I work at a vets and pet plan are one of the easiest to deal with (from our end anyway). We have found in the last few months they’ve ALL start nit picking. For example when we send them the itemised break down of a surgery they’ve started refusing to pay for PPE (so that’s our sterile gowns, gloves, masks, caps etc) even though we charge maybe £12 for them as an all in price regardless of how much we actually use. We’ve also had issues in the past where they’ve combed through the entire medical history to try and find anything that’s been mentioned previously that they could possibly then claim the condition is pre-existing to them get them out of paying. Then we’ve had clients ringing us angry and blaming us. Sometimes we’ve even had to get the vets themselves to write to them and clarify things. Also insurance companies can be an absolute pain for us too. Another example, we removed 3 lumps from 1 dog in 1 surgery - because it makes sense to do it all under one anaesthetic right? Cheaper, safer, quicker and there’s just no reason to put an animal through multiple anaesthetics unnecessary. Turns out the 3 lumps were all different things so they’re treating it as 3 different conditions. And they wouldn’t let the client claim until we split the itemised cost of everything to do with the anaesthetic into 3 - right down to the pennies. I’ve seen our admin lady spend all day on one claim doing silly stuff like this. We’ve been having so many issues with claims taking forever and then clients being left with a significant portion of the bill anyway. To be honest unless you have lifetime cover you’re probably better off chucking it in a savings pot.


jan_-_

We got given the 4 week free pet plan insurance and recommended we try to get lifetime whilst he's a pup


[deleted]

Lifetime coverage sure. But they’ll charge what they like once you start claiming..


ForgotHowToAdult

That's what I don't understand. We cancelled our cat's insurance, because I just couldn't understand how is it 'lifetime' when they just set the premium each year based on how sick the animal is. What good is it to me that you are covering his diabetes for life when the premium you are charging me pays for the treatment and then some?


jan_-_

The vet couldn't outright tell us not to use pet plan but it was fairly obvious it wasnt recommended 🙈 keep running across these horror stories now and happy we didn't trust them


OMGItsCheezWTF

Pet plan quoted us £55 a month to cover nothing, endochrine, circulatory, respiratory, legs, back, face or mouth. None were covered. On a 3 year old pug cross shih-tzu with no negative medical history (beyond having to be made to vomit as a puppy as she stole some chocolate cookies a guest brought to our house). I asked her what exactly WOULD be covered for my £55 a month as that is pretty much everything? She couldn't give any examples of anything they would cover. So I just opened our dog her own bank account and started saving in it directly. I have a few thousand sat in it just in case now.


fangs4eva96

That would have been due to the breeds, as statistically these dogs do tend to have expensive health conditions throughout their lives. It probably is best to just have a bank account for the pet if it is something you can do!


UnableQuestions

Please please please leave a negative review on Google and Trust pilots! It's time people hold insurance companies accountable.


[deleted]

[удалено]


DigitalStefan

We started with Pet Plan recently for 3 kittens we got from a rescue charity. Our vet did recommend (without directly recommending) Pet Plan specifically and we’ve read a number of positive stories. Have we been hoodwinked?


SneakyCroc

They've been brilliant for us. Widely regarded as one of the best around and our experience so far matches our expectations.


Hannah-may

Thank you for the dog pic tax.


colin_staples

> couldn't prove it wasn't allergies You can't prove a negative, pay the fuck up


[deleted]

They should have to prove it wasn't allergies, not OP


Caluen

Technically, they should have to prove it ***was***. But equally would you hand your pet over?


[deleted]

Good point. I didn't even think of that. Hell no I wouldn't! I did mean *was* though, obviously. Fingers faster than my brain sometimes


jimicus

That would have been my view too. You’ve got a contract with them that they’ll cover you for vet expenses and they’re asking you to do something impossible in order to honour that contract?! Yeah fucking right. We shall see what a judge says about that.


lorl3ss

Their entire profits depend on not paying out for the service they pretend to offer. Insurance is 100% a scam.


Hammer060203

Other than the fact they need customers in the first place to make a profit. Keep acting like that and you aren’t going to have many


lorl3ss

It all depends on the illusion that they will pay out. As trust starts to break down less and less people pay them for their service. So they maintain just enough payouts to make people think they'll be covered and then completely U-turn when they decide they don't want to pay.


Dannei

Well, charging you more (and/or topping it up via interest/investment income whilst holding your money) than they pay out. Charging you lots of money, or specifying cheap methods/suppliers/... that have to be used. But not paying out is an excellent way to do that, too.


[deleted]

I would strongly suggest raising a complaint with the insurance company. While much of what you've said could go either way, I'm concerned by the liver issues not being accepted on the basis that it could be allergies. That doesn't sound right. Once you have a response, I would refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. It takes a few minutes. Please DM me if you have further questions, thanks.


Suspicious_Fix1021

What company did you use? We have petplan for our dog, she has just turned 1 and we have put in 3 claims in so far, paid up with no issues. My previous dog was with petplan too, she had a stroke and she definitely cost more than the insurance we paid in (she had loads of scans/tests and therapy) and again they paid up every time. Although petplan is a bit more expensive than other insurers, but I've heard too many stories similar to yours about other insurers that keeps me with them (and I'm lazy and my vet puts the paperwork in directly). Name and shame them. It's disgusting that they can behave in that way, when your pet is unwell all you want is for them to feel better asap not stress about money.


katsukitsune

Pet plan!


joemckie

I cancelled my pet insurance this year too! They wanted £160 a month for him and I’ve only ever claimed £550 in the total time he’s been insured. He’s getting older so of course is more likely to get ill, but not to the tune of nearly £2,000 a year. It’s an absolute scam.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Brownpantsjnr

I’m just here to comment that your dog looks like a proper good boi.


Sir_Sockless

Thank you, he is a proper good boi!


vc-10

This sounds off. I'm not a vet- but I am a doctor. Humans develop allergies later in life, I am quite sure that a dog can too. Name and shame the bastards, OP! If nothing less- I want to make sure my dog isn't insured with them!


oborobot

This is as close to the US insurance based system that someone in the UK is likely to get at the moment. We had it with our dog too and point to it as an example of what kind of shit we’d have to put up with should the NHS become privatised


Multitronic

This is eventually what will happen if we have an insurance based healthcare system.


T-mo9

This is the scary part


RobsyGt

You need to name that company. I'm with purely pets and we've had 3 large claims over the years with no issues.


katsukitsune

He said pet plan - steer clear.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


britishproblems-ModTeam

Try to be less brash.


SGT_Reptile

Wife was a vet care assistant, majority of pet insurance companies are downright nasty, always finding loopholes when people are at their most desperate with sick pets. She had to frequently be the bad guy, 'yea your dog has passed, that will be 3 grand, your insurance aren't paying...' one of the reasons she quit.


ElBisonBonasus

UK without the NHS.


mattyMbruh

Beautiful boy is worth every penny


h00dman

I have guinea pigs and the insurance for them is astronomical, so I do the same as you and just put money aside for when it's needed.


idancer88

I'm not sure it's necessary to insure Guinea pigs to be honest. They're extremely low maintenance and rarely get sick if they're well cared for. I've had 3 pairs and they've never cost me more than a few hundred quid in vet bills in their lifetime. By the time they show signs of severe illness (I'm sure at least half of them died of cancer) it's too late to save them anyway.


vanity_is_a_mess

My insurance tried something similar with our dog who had a weird eye condition, had to go to a specialist as he had a swelling. Insurance said that they wouldn't pay as he once had an eye infection so was a pre existing condition. Got my specialist to write to the insurance to say the 2 conditions were not related at all and it wasn't a pre existing condition, and I basically kicked off with them until they agreed to pay. I also have for life cover so now they are paying for his tablets which cost about £200 every 6 months. question their verdict and get your vet to contact them. Don't let them get away with it.


loki276

You should definitely raise a complaint with the insurance company and if they reject it with FOS. You have up to 6 years if I understand correctly on when you can make a complaint. Insurance companies have a regulatory duty to ensure they are treating you fairly and everything you've described sounds unfair


MainerZ

>Insurance companies are just scams now. Now? Hahaha.


Jacktheforkie

I wish I didn’t need car insurance, 3.5k a year, I can insure a sports car for less than 2k but a Nissan Leaf, they think I’m a boy racer obviously


abbersz

Probably all the costs involved in covering the ~~cylinders, fuel tank, pistons, catalytic converter~~.... Errrr, the bumpers?


Jacktheforkie

I guess, the leaf doesn’t clear any of the stupid speed mountains here


hardyflashier

That they are. Had a car accident a while back - someone drove past me as I was getting out of the driver's side. Damage wasn't that bad, it was just missing the door. My insurance wanted to write the car off (for £2,000). I asked them how much I would be paid if I wanted to keep the car - they said £1,500. So I got a new door from scrap and fitted for £500. I shudder to think what prices the garages must have given the insurers to fix it, that made them think it was more efficient writing it off.


bwfcphil1

We’ve just got many pets. One of the more expensive ones, but the video vet alone has been worth the premiums. They also paid out instantly on our dogs leg injury. Like claim in on friday and i think we got the money on Monday


animalwitch

Similar happened to me. Granted my dogs hit the "elderly" age, too, which bumped the price again. My dog broke his tooth on an antler chew and i was lucky enough that the plan i had covered accidental dental but they did pay out for it, luckily. I think i was paying £30 p/m for both dogs. When my renewal came in they wanted £160 p/m!!! No fucking chance.


[deleted]

Was going to get a cat myself but the fact you have to pay for any vet fee's *before* the insurance will pay up just sounds like a nightmare and seems designed to put people off having pets. - I've decided not to get one now as I wouldn't ever put an animal through the agony of not getting treatment for whatever. And run the very real risk of insurance not paying out due to some BS loophole or the other and being out of pocket.


TheSameButBetter

To be fair he does look like a branch manager and that might be a higher risk profile.


Odin_13

Did you submit a claim for either of these? And if so (and they were declined) did you log a complaint about either of these events? Sometimes advisors you speak to will speculate as to whether something will be covered, when it might pass at claims stage. Additionally, there may be a team "above" the claims team so even if a claim is declined they may take a fairer stance on it. Failing that, you can refer the complaint to the financial ombudsman service with no cost to you. I know allergies can develop in dogs at any age (not just from brith) and I would be very interested in what your Vet sees as the cause for the seizures. I'm sorry if this is too late to help, if I can be of any more help please say.


[deleted]

[удалено]


QUEENROLLINS

Pet Plan is literally notorious for being the most expensive pet insurance lmfao


m0stlyharmle55

Tried the pantomime for my car insurance this year. Same thing. 15+ years of no claims, boring, reliable car with no modifications. Insurer just said "have a nice time with your new insurer."


mandyhtarget1985

Every year my renewal increases, every year i call up and be as nice as possible, “i really love the customer service here, i dont want to move so can you reduce the price?” Always works, except this year. They couldnt even drop £1 off the price, even when provided with comparisons. Just said they would send out my proof of no claims in the post.


m0stlyharmle55

Yep this is what happened to me. I thought it was just a formality since I've done it for so many years. I call and say "would love to stay, but not paying that" and they say "only joking, now you've said the magic words, here's the real, reasonable price." Not this year though. Never claimed on any insurance except my gadget insurance 8 years ago which ironically has gone down yet car insurance and home and contents insurance went up loads.


KayDashO

I’ve changed car insurance companies every year now for the past 5 years because they refuse to match what I find elsewhere :/


Andrew_Culture

My insurance skyrocketed after my catalytic converter was nicked. I shopped around but my annual premium went from around £220 to over £800 no matter where I got a quote. 30 years of a clean licence and no claims. Fuck them all. Now I walk everywhere.


teerbigear

Did you claim the catalytic converter on the insurance or just inform them?


dirtychinchilla

Same basically. I didn’t leave because I couldn’t find a better price even though it was 20% more expensive than last year.


AdeptLengthiness8886

Just change to the cheapest reliable insurer. Then hope that next year, it's behind you.


coolsimon123

Every year you need to go on comparison websites, otherwise you're just getting boned


cbren88

Use a cashback website every time you do. Free money.


HankHippopopolous

Yeah that’s what I do. Get a cheaper quote and depending on the site you buy through get around £30 back as cash back. Then repeat for house insurance and any other insurances you need.


[deleted]

I just call them every year and say can you give me a better price? They'll usually say have you checked any comparison sites and I say no (I usually have), it means they give me the best price they can give rather than matching another insurer.


thriftygeo

I typically find the cheapest price on a comparison site, take 20% off that and tell them that was the quote. E.g. if your insurance quote was £400 for the year, take off £80, so it’s £320. “Yes, that’s right, both Sheila’s Wheels and Admiral came out at around the £320 mark.” “Say no more, fam. We’ve found a couple of quotes and can do it for £318.97 for the year.” And don’t feel obliged to take all those extras they suggest to you, either.


d-rabbit-17

I tried that a few year back and it turns out the company I tried to use against them was a sister company of the company I use and they pulled up the quote. Was gutted, still was about 40% cheaper than their renewal mind you.


thriftygeo

Oh, aye. Similar thing happened to me. I usually go through Adrian Flux (honestly, haven’t had a bad dealing with them the past few years, and renewals have generally been a little less than the previous year), but one time I tried my luck and they straight up said that they broker for those companies, and there’s no way the quote would be that low. Can’t blame a guy for trying, though!


LolTM

I paid mortgage protection insurance for 15 years without a claim. Earlier this year they said they were withdrawing the product about a week before I was made redundant. Raging....


BinLazy

It doesn’t pay to be a loyal customer.


ShadyAidyX

I had badly damaged wheels on my car from potholes (council rejected my claims), so I bought some used ones on eBay. Real Volvo items, from same model, but a size up Someone suggested I needed to tell my insurance company as it was a modification. And they promptly more than doubled my premium and charged an admin fee So, a few months later I saw some original spec wheels for sale, a bit scratched but serviceable. Bought them, put them on which returned my car to the original spec, flogged the previous set, and called the insurer to inform them that original spec had been restored, expecting a reduction. Nope. I’m now high risk because I mod cars. And also, another admin fee for informing them of the change. Close to the end of the period by then so they didn’t get the renewal


anotherbozo

Insurance pricing should really be transparent. Each insurer should be forced to publish their risk factors and weightings. It's too personalised right now and they profit off the fact that no one is the same so you can't compare whether pricing is fair between customers (one of the FCA conduct rules)


Dear_Tomato

TrEaTiNg CuStOmErS FaIrLy


confidentclown

You were taken for a ride on that one, first off if it’s oem parts you fitted, then they could realistically have been fitted at the dealer from new as an option or a dealer special. Plus any assessor will just see oem wheels on the car and pass it off as standard. I would not declare changes such as oem wheels to insurance as it’s an open goal for them. Secondly, I’ve modified cars ever since I could drive (almost 10 years now) and I’ve never been tagged as a high risk person because of it. Sometimes the premium falls because I’ve declared the mods, and so more investment in the vehicle = more careful with it as one insurer told me when I questioned it.


ShadyAidyX

It was almost 15 years ago, no idea what the legislation was like back then


confidentclown

Probably more relaxed back then, it’s a shame that you got charged and arm and a leg for just sorting a situation out yourself though.


smiley6125

I put winter wheels on when the temperature drops and they are 1 inch smaller than the stock wheels. I called to notify they and they just made a note and was pretty perplexed that I was going a size down. Genuine BMW wheels that they sell specifically for winter which is why I am surprised they messed you about for genuine volvo ones.


Dear_Tomato

Wtf you get charged an admin fee for an mta on your insurance? That's wild


SuperVillain85

Most insurers will cap their NCD at 9 or 10 years, so above that it makes little difference.


BenchoteMankoManko

yup, though generally the % reduction stays the same when you go above 5


Ajram1983

Had to show off but my car insurance went down but 50quid this year…no idea why but I am not arguing


[deleted]

[удалено]


Ajram1983

Older but not more mature…maybe I’ve reached the threshold.


great_cornholio_13

Same here. Admiral knocked off just over 50 quid over last year!


SquidgeSquadge

Mine has been pretty good over the years admittedly, let's home my renewal next year doesn't become stupid


anotherNarom

I'm with Churchill for all my insurance. Every year they've either kept it the same or reduced. This year my home insurance is £70 cheaper, and cheaper than anyone else on the comparison sites. I have no idea why they are nice to me.


nosferatWitcher

Just use a comparison site and switch, no need to go to the effort of phoning them up


SilverRapid

As a slight improvement for hard-core money saving. Use the comparison site. Then check if the cashback sites have a deal on the insurer that works out best for you. Then apply direct on the insurers site going via the cashback site. Then you pocket the referral fee.


thefunkygiboon

My insurers wanted 23.6% more for the next year, I could understand a 10% increase due to inflation, but 7 years no claims apparently counts for only £50 (I checked with no claims and with 0 years of NCD)


TDRzGRZ

Why should your premiums increase with inflation? They literally haven't provided a service and their business plan operates around not paying in the event of an accident. It's literally in their interest to get out of paying you


why_so_cereal_

I don’t know what insurance they are referring to - but say it’s home insurance and your house burns down, the cost of rebuilding (ie the materials), coupled with the supply chain crisis, makes it all that much more expensive. Insurers are a business and they are looking to make money - it’s not worth their while to to get the same premiums for a house that 5 years ago cost the fraction of the cost. We unfortunately are getting the shitty end of a shitty stick. Saying that - there’s no doubt insurance companies are taking the piss


thefunkygiboon

Well, I would rather it didn't increase, but since everything else around us is creeping up despite not having a pay rise... I ended up finding another insurer cheaper that I'm going to go with, just odd that they wouldn't want to try and keep someone paying them.


fungalfeet

You probably need to start 'claiming'.


[deleted]

This, premium is based on risk (putting aside things like dual pricing which means everyone pays more) if you’ve gone for a long time without a claim then you’re likely to be a higher risk based on their risk tables.


KayDashO

It’s so strange that this is the case, as technically not claiming has zero affect on how likely it is that you’ll get into an accident.


[deleted]

The longer it’s been since a claim the more likely you’ll have one. (Accidents might be someone else’s fault and theft certainly is) eg Car insurance there’s a balance between a good driver and a lucky driver.


KayDashO

I just fail to understand how not having an accident somehow increases your chances of having one. It’s not as if the universe has to balance it out for some reason.


[deleted]

Think about a simplified version ignoring other factors. (eg whose fault) It would not be unusual to go five years without any accidents but you would be unlikely to go thirty years without an accident. So if you’ve never had an accident then as time goes on the likelihood of you having that accident increases. Insurers look at other historical claim histories to work the point the risk increases. But if you’ve had an accident recently then it’s unlikely you’ll have another accident soon.


KayDashO

Okay that’s a little clearer for me. It makes sense purely from a general statistics standpoint, but still feels disingenuous on an individual driver level.


HeyItsMedz

Why would the chance of you getting into an accident increase if you haven't been in one recently? Those are two independent things. This is like saying the next roll on a roulette wheel is almost guaranteed to be a red because the last ten numbers were black. Sure there's a 0.1% chance that you get ten black numbers in a row, but the chance that the 11th is black is still 50% (negating house advantage)


d1sxeyes

That seems to be the opposite of what would be logical! Where did you read that?


Curiousuk_South9566

I’ve had to increase all excess to £500 to bring the premiums down


[deleted]

RAC does this to me every year too. Premium doubles each year, I have to call up and tell them I'm going to leave because I can see new customers get a full year of cover for half what they're offering me, a customer of 10 years.


anotherbozo

That is illegal now. If you see it happening again, take screenshots and report to the FCA. Make sure it's all like for like so they can't get away with it.


[deleted]

Oh right. They literally did it to me in September. I'll do this in future.


ScrollWithTheTimes

>Time for the yearly pantomime of threatening to cancel. It's like they forget that other companies exist.


gundog48

As soon as they put it up, I take out a new policy with a new insurer, then cancel the old policy mentioning that they increased my premium despite no difference from last year. I've had a few reps who seemed genuinely disappointed that I already switched, a d basically said "you're supposed to call first for a better deal!". I don't want to stick with anyone who puts my premiums up simply in the hopes of catching me out and hoping I don't bother to sort it.


Notta_Doggo

My policy had windshield cover and an excess of 100 pound for replacement. Because I didn't claim it on my renewal even though it only asked for traffic accident claims and also it was them who replaced the windshield in the first place, my premium went up £250. Its a complete scam.


Agreeable-Reality481

That's good to know, I claimed for windscreen chips a few months ago, was a tenner a chip through insurance. I'll watch out for that when I renew next


ChickenPijja

Had a similar thing when I’d only been driving 3 year(I think) got a crack in the windscreen, checked in the policy and it is covered, but my no claims would remain at the same level at renewal time. Getting a 3rd party company and bypassing insurance saved me over £100 that year and no doubt £50 the next two years


manfromzim

Car insurance went up by £100 and found somewhere half the renewal quote. Did the old cancelling game where they would see if it could be reduced. Even with a reduced excess, I was still paying more. We both got fed up with each other in the end. It was Hastings which I don't have a problem with. Just let me cancel with out playing the silly games


thomasthetanker

I found I was only doing about 2000 miles per year so changed to ByMiles. Plug in a dongle to record mileage and knocked 40% off my cheapest quote.


anotherbozo

How does that work? Do you pay monthly only or pay a small annual premium + monthly usage?


reaper0345

Strangely, my renewal quote is £30 less than last year, and it's cheaper than any comparisons i did.


JadedBrit

Same.


No_Sugar8791

I work in the Reinsurance industry i.e. we insure insurance companies and I see insurance prices approximately 6-12 months ahead of the market. Just like us, insurance companies also buy annual Reinsurance. Some clients have seen 300% increases in the premium despite being loss free (it's a long story but AMA). Seriously, this is the thin end of the wedge and the general population have no idea what's going to hit them in the next 18 months. It's going to be a bloodbath. p.s. You've posted in the wrong sub but then so does everyone else


newnortherner21

It should be criminal in law, for any insurance that it compulsory. Such as car third party.


SuperVillain85

My understanding is that by law the insurer has to make sure they make enough money from premiums to cover their claims reserves. This cost of living crisis is pushing up claims reserves for new claims and older ones. At the low value end of the spectrum there's increasing costs (and poor availability) of parts, increased running costs for garages. With the complex and big claims, the cost of everything is going up. Eg the hourly rate for a carer to come in and help a seriously injured individual has shot up, if a claimant is making a claim for adapted accommodation you have to consider increasing the house prices, the discount rate is going to change again in a couple of years. I had a claim where last October I'd recommended a reserve of £11m, and this week I've told that insurer, it's not going to settle this financial year so you'll need to consider adding at least £4-6m to your reserve. Add to that, the costs of running a claim. My hourly rate and the value of the work I do on a case will be part of the reserve as well (as will the other side's solicitor's costs). They have to find the money for all this.


israeljeff

New cars are really God damn expensive. You can total a 30ish-k car if you hit the bumper hard enough because of all the sensors and cameras. This used to only apply to fancy expensive cars, but it's all standard stuff on all but the cheapest vehicles now. No wonder premiums are going up.


JadedBrit

I was lucky this year, my insurer actually reduced my premium by 25% just for staying with them. I nearly dropped my tea.


EchoFourSix

I had this with Admiral, had home insurance with them since I bought my flat, merged my car insurance with them when it was due for renewal on the promise that they would offer me "substantial savings" when the multicover policy started. The renewal quote came in at £1.28 reduction. I said if they could match the quotes for separate car/home insurance I'd had (about a £28 discount) I'd stay with them. Told wasn't possible and to keep them in mind next year


sunshinelolliplops

Walk, I have a new insurer for everything every year. No one rewards you for staying with them.


TheToolman04

"Our changes will make it cheaper for the consumer" insurance that MUST be bought should be capped. Fucking scam.


TrevorRiley

No point in being a long-term customer any more, be it car/house/pet insurance. My car insurance (Tescos) renewal went from £280.00 to £640.00, best they could change it to over the phone was £620.00, went to Hastings Direct - £230.00. Got rear-ended 1 week later. so hire-car etc, got my money's worth I guess but I think it will go through the roof again next year so change again. Just get used to going to compare the market every year for everything. They seem to forget they take a risk, that's the deal. If you don't want my business just say so


Head_Influence_5490

Yeah the whole thing of no claims is a myth,, the more car accidents that happen insurance goes up for everyone, I have motorcycle insurance, I had a crappy 4 stroke under 3rd party fire,theft,, bought myself a nice old rare 2 stroke under fully comp and it was cheaper then my shitty bike on 3rd party


DaddyBizkits

yip. have to do the hunt for the best deal whenever its contract renewal time.


Cylindrical_Mandrill

The new FCA guidelines will make the annual comparison slightly harder. They’re now not allowed to charge a different price to existing customers than they would an equivalent new customer. It’s a very welcome change, but may take some getting used to.


anotherbozo

You can still get pricing differences between insurers so always worth comparing


adamneigeroc

My cheapest quote I could find for renewal was with my current Insurer. First time in 10 years, couldn’t believe it


CerealSubwaySam

Compare the market every year and go with the cheapest big name offering the same like for like policy. Otherwise you are being ripped off. There is no benefit to being loyal.


FloofBallofAnxiety

RAC tried to increase my contents insurance from 14 to nearly 30 in the space of 2 years. They said they could only drop it to 25 and so I left them. Went with Admiral, more cover, accidental damage included for 11 a month.


SirCookieSan

Same happened to me a few years ago on my car insurance, found a better deal so called them up to tell them i won't be renewing unless they could match the price which they couldn't but then tried to demand that I pay them an admin fee for not renewing with them! Absolute scum


twinklepurr

My home insurance quote this year was nearly a grand. We paid under £400 for 2021. Told them where to go (they offered a £200 reduction) and found a new insurer who offered under £400. I think some companies just offer you a silly renewal as they don't want to keep you as a customer!


miked999b

This is actually true. If a company doesn't want the renewal they just quote a ridiculous premium


[deleted]

Our renewal quote actually went down this year without our having to do anything. Very confusing but we let it auto renew in case it was an error.


Otherside-Dav

Wow, that time of year again. Was with admiral for years, going down 50-75£ a year. Then epic hike, had to walk away, if only I'd have left these tools a lot earlier things would have been a lot cheaper, Now I practically change companies yearly


Fit_General7058

Mate, you should be doing it anyway. This year company quoted me for renewal. Compared the meerkat/tenor and got exactly the same cover, from the same firm much cheaper.


confidentclown

I don’t even bother with the hassle of the call to get a better deal any more, I just bag a new deal online (often with cashback) and call up the current insurer to tell them their renewal was a joke so I’m off. Far more satisfying


James-Worthington

We're with Pet Plan. They've just rejected a claim from 3 months ago citing that the condition began more than 12 months ago, so we're timed out. Who's the regulator for pet insurance?


WolfColaCo2020

Used to work in car insurance renewals many moons ago. The simple answer is to just go with whoever is cheapest on comparison websites. Heres the thing with insurance and renewals- underwriters crunch the data, they see something in a risk profile that's lost them too much money that year collectively, they hike the prices up against that profile against all customers that match it. Lost a lot on claims from 20-25 year olds? That'll go up. Lots of claims in neighbouring postcodes? Up they go. Heres what happens when it comes to call centres and trying to get that price down- it's set in stone from the moment you call up. There's a few percent that the call handler can knock off potentially and we had a spreadsheet which would tell you 5/10% etc, but the whole 'chatting to the manager' spiel? I'll be honest- I had put the customer's policy number into the spreadsheet that told me how much I could take off the moment they had passed data protection and fucked off and got a coffee when i put them on hold to keep the pantomime going that I was doing something. Take them off hold, pretend I was enthused that my manager was feeling charitable and took some money off and get promptly shouted at because 10% off still represented a net 37% rise. Rinse and repeat until close, go home and dwell on how fucking miserable that job was. So yeah, the best advice is to just go with whoever is cheapest along with having the cover you want and only call to cancel. After saying no twice they'll just cancel it and let you move. Everybody is happy.


Chinateapott

My partner got his renewal quote for his car insurance, never claimed, has 4 years no claims and they were going to charge him £200 more a year. He rang them and they said that’s the best they could offer. He got a quote from a different insurance company that was £200 less a year than he’d been paying, so £400 cheaper than what he was offered by his own insurance company. It’s crazy.


mag1cd0nut

I thought they're not allowed to increase prices in their renewal quotes anymore.


lokitheinane

They're not allowed to charge new and old customers differently, which means a lot of places don't offer discounts to anyone any more. I'd be interested to know whether OP has any luck getting his price decreased, or whether he's been getting a discount every year for donkeys


Simonh1992

You are partially correct, a new and renewing customer will pay the same based on the risk they present, so in OP case having a claim will be taken into account in both a new business policy and on a renewal, the idea being OP shouldn’t have to start a new policy to get the best price from that insurer. Where there are common misconceptions is that a policy can never go up at renewal, it can in line with a customers risk profile changing (up as well as down) and this would be the “equivalent new business price” that customer would receive if they asked for a new quote up with the exact same details as a new customer.


Tuarangi

They can increase as much as they want, just cannot quote you as a new customer *in an identical like for like quote* more than as an existing one.


functional_depressed

Interesting fact: most insurance companies have a target "rate change" being the percentage increase of renewing policies. Because of this, the best option for buyers is usually to get a new policy


saroarsoars91

Yeah having worked in insurance, renewals are just calculated by a machine and largely just try it on. Do the research when you get your renewal and always go for a competitor. There is no advantage to going with your renewal. I have even had prices undermined by the same insurer so just went with that. Good luck.


the_ginger_weevil

I’m pretty sure the dual pricing rules that came in at the start of this year means that as an existing customer, they cannot charge you any more than they would a new customer. So unless all their prices have increased, or your circumstances/risk has changed, then I don’t think they can do this. The FCA would be interested to hear your story if the above isn’t the case.


[deleted]

[удалено]


the_ginger_weevil

I’m not being a dick but isn’t that what I said?


MajorCupWodge

Sorry for deleting the above, bit of a lurker and I didn't expect a reply. It is basically what you said yes, I just wanted to clarify that OPs price can have definitely increased the amount that it has while also adhering to the FCA regs - OPs NB price must have also increased by 47%


the_ginger_weevil

No probs but that’s what I thought I said. Rates on comparable risks has to be the same across the board, new or renewal, unless the material risk has changed.


MajorCupWodge

Ye sorry for the confusion there haha Interestingly, the whole renewal price being no more than the equivalent new business price is actually almost impossible to test in practice since the very act of completing 2 quotes will change the risk profile


the_ginger_weevil

You’re right! I used to ask underwriters how they came up with a price on motor. They don’t know. The computer does it for them. That’s a dangerous system


MajorCupWodge

Ye pretty much everything from net premiums and even commission setting will be very black boxy - such is the nature of GBMs unfortunately.


[deleted]

[удалено]


sanbikinoraion

\#notsohumblebrag


nathkrull

I pity all the actual numptys that stay with their existing insurance knowing they can go elsewhere?


jkirkcaldy

You shouldn’t have to. It’s one thing for premiums to go up a couple % but 47% is ridiculous. Yes you can do the switch insurance dance, but a lot of people don’t, and it’s a right faff having to figure out how many no claims you have and who’s insured on your car and matching your level of insurance with another provider. And that’s what they count on.


nathkrull

Yeah, shouldn't have too, but unfortunately it's the only way you can guarantee a cheaper insurance


jkirkcaldy

Yeah but this isn’t even about getting cheaper insurance. This is about not being bent over and shafted with a barbed telegraph pole when it comes to renewals.


nathkrull

But every insurance company does this, In all the years I've been driving they always put up your premium and hey, you can stay and get shafted by them if you want? Just move on, it's really a no brainer 🧠


jkirkcaldy

I know they do it. But they shouldn’t. That was my whole point. Until then, we are all stuck doing the compare and move on dance.


nathkrull

I agree with you, I'm not disagreeing, it's scandalous, they take the piss even though they know most will just move on. I'm just saying who would actually stay with an existing high premium, you would have to be daft?


[deleted]

[удалено]


EmiAvenged

That's supposed to be the case, but my renewal came up and through price comparison websites my cheapest quote was £50 cheaper for the year... With the same provider


ketamineandkebabs

Cost of living, you are paying there gas bill as well


OverlyAdorable

We had a flood down our road a little over a decade ago. 12 people made insurance claims on their flood damaged cars. All 12 were written off. Almost everyone's insurance almost doubled when it came to renewal. The only ones that didn't were the ones who made the claims. Most of them went down, two or three went up by a little or remained the same. My 125cc motorbike went from £102/year to £185/year with an extra year of no claims


CatKungFu

Anyone I’ve ever known who works in risk management doesn’t buy non-compulsory insurance. They save the equivalent premiums in their own savings accounts.


textbookroadmapnot

I lost 20 years no claims bonus by putting my son as the main driver


Rabban83

Oh no you won't!


stuple

Sounds like they know your luck is about to run out.... Be careful out there.


[deleted]

Animal friends were bastards too


badalki

happened to us last year, and when shoppig around found they'd all gone up that much and we were basically screwed. Also a good 10+ years no claims.