An Insurance Diversion

In amongst all the things I've been doing since my brother passed away is the tiny matter of my car insurance. When checking the policy renewal I happened to notice that one of my included drivers had the incorrect date of birth. Many years ago I'd put down his wife's birthday instead of his. He is two years older than I am. I popped in today to correct it. His wife is two year younger than he is. However he hasn't driven my current car which I've had for 6 years. When I lived in New Zealand half the year he always took the car out to keep it in good order. 

No problem said the NFU Mutual agent. It will just be an extra £10. "Don't bother" I replied. Just remove his name. "OK" she said and then told me that removing his name would INCREASE the premium by over £100. Yes. Really.

So he is still on my insurance policy. I wonder if I add another octogenarian onto the policy will I get another £100 knocked off the premium. 

Any insurance buffs out there who can explain the situation?

Speed

 IT'S A LIMIT NOT A TARGET *

I just read Red's post about exceeding the speed limit.

I'm obsessed by a fear of exceeding the speed limit. It's something that has been with me almost ever since I started to drive on the roads at the age of 16 when I had a 50cc Vespa called The Hippogryph. 

When I was in my late teens or early 20s I went on a police driving course for civilian drivers. It was incredibly instructive and I still have my copy of 'Roadcraft' the Police Driver's Manual although many of the techniques from those days are no longer relevant. Who, for example, can still double de-clutch (my car now is an automatic anyway) or uses hand signals?

However the thing that stuck in my mind more than anything else were the images of the damage to a child being hit by a vehicle at different speeds. It was gruesome and those images have lived with me for ever. 

If I killed a child who ran out into the road I'd not be able to live with myself. The idea of going to prison is, however, very real deterrent too. 

The "It can never happen to me" principle is not one that I have ever subscribed to.  Too many things that 'could never happen to me' have happened to me! 

Another thing many people fail to realise is that they must declare all speeding penalties to their insurance company and failure to do so could nullify their policy. It can also lead to an increase in premiums.

* this was the slogan of an anti-speeding television campaign in New Zealand which has stuck with me.

Yesterday's This and That

I haven't been out today....yet. If the weather doesn't deteriorate I'll go out early evening to play bowls. I have played very infrequently this summer. A neighbour popped in for coffee this morning and I prepared and primed the kitchen window surround this afternoon. It's been a sunny day but the wind is cold and very strong.  So I've been reading and catching up with blogs (but not doing much commenting). 

I find it very odd that when I'm busy (which, thankfully, is most of the time) I get a lot more done than on those days when I've got all the time in the world to do things. By that I mean that when I have the time I seem to ignore my extensive 'to do' list instead of tackling it.

All sorts of blog ideas have passed through my mind over the last week but I've just not made the time to write a post. So now that I'm making that time all the ideas have deserted me.

I was reading of an insurance company which had turned down a claim after a burglary because the person had been posting on social media when they were on holiday with the obvious conclusion that they were not at home. It is a condition in many policies that the cover for burglary and the like will not apply if there has been such a post. That can be a major problem in the case of a claim, given that many people post where they are on Facebook  when they are on holiday (and Facebook can be set to track you anyway). I rarely post on Facebook but occasionally comment and it can be obvious from that that I'm not at home.

It did make me think about the fact that I often blog to explain where I am or even blog about places where I am: many of us do. Living in a place where burglaries are virtually unknown I'm not too worried however if I lived elsewhere I would certainly curtain my activities.

Someone mentioned the use of car horns recently and the fact that they signified aggression and thus caused upset.  I have been looking for a car horn which says 'thank you' - eg a two tone sound but I can't find one. Of course it's use would be illegal but it would be better than trying to give two sharp beep-beeps (which is also technically illegal). When I was young I undertook a police driving course for civilians and was, of course, guided by Roadcraft: the Police Driver's Handbook. That advised a press to warn of danger and a light tap accompanied by a raised hand as a polite warning. On the whole I find that this still works although the horn on my present car requires a lot of force to activate it.

PS The weather was windy and cold but I was able to play bowls under floodlights for the last day of the season. I played well enough to be quite pleased given that it's months since I last delivered a bowl. 

Fire Safety

The terrible fire at Grenfell Tower affected me deeply in the same way that it has doubtless affected anyone who followed it during that night and in the days since. I've always been a bit obsessive over fire safety. During the war our Dad was a fireman by night on the Liverpool Docks which were a prime target for enemy bombers. When we were young Dad taught us quite a lot about fire safety. So I've always had fire extinguishers in the house and car. I've been fortunate never to have needed them for myself although I did once extinguish a car fire for someone whose car burst into flames in the middle of a roundabout near Chester many years ago. Nowadays with fire extinguishers being so cheap it's not even worth getting them overhauled. I just replace them every so often. 

It goes without saying that my house is fitted with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and that they are fully checked and maintained.I hope that yours are too.

However I was thinking about means of escape this morning. My house is all on one ground floor (apart from the loft which is used for storage). It has three doors to the outside and, apart from the bathroom and bedrooms all rooms have more than one door. 

Windows (except ones which open to the floor) are not (unless things have changed in the last couple of decades) allowed to be counted as means of escape in case of fire. However in an emergency anyone able bodied enough would obviously uses a window if they had to. That's probably more the case if one had to be rescued from the first or second floor by a fireman.

However it is a requirement of most, if not all, house insurance policies that windows fitted with locks (which means most double glazing for a start) are locked when the house is not occupied and that the key is not visible from the outside. Failure to comply can invalidate the policy. Of course most people check that their windows are shut and latched before they go out but I suspect that very very few people lock them. I'm also fairly sure that those who do cannot be bothered unlocking them all when they come home.

I'm also a bit obsessive over making sure that I follow the letter of insurance policies (which is probably one reason why I've never had any trouble with claims). So my windows are locked even though up here on Lewis theft from private properties is almost unknown. The trouble with that is that I only unlock them when I want to open them (which, in all honesty, is not that often here). 

If, therefore, in the middle of the night there was a fire cutting off my escape from my bedroom I'd hop out of the window. However in such a case I'd almost certainly find that the key for the windows had dropped off its hook and disappeared into the washing basket or under the bed. Life's like that.

When Loyalty Doesn't Pay

Loyalty is one of the traits I with which I was fortunate enough to be born.

I tend to be loyal and I tend to assume loyalty in return.

One thing, however, that does its best to try and keep destroying my faith in that quality is big business where loyalty is demanded (though bribery, loyalty schemes and so on) but not earned. And therein lies the crux: loyalty has to be earned.

I know that what I am about to say is reasonably well known and, indeed I blogged about insurance fair deals a few years ago and suggested shopping around each renewal. Of course I've never taken my own advice: the principal reason being that I'm in NZ when my principal policies coe up for renewal.

Anyway my latest irritation stems from my house insurance renewal. This year the sum came in at just under £1400. My house is a modest pad in an extremely safe part of the world from almost every point of view. I got fed up and went to a very reputable insurer which gets great plaudits from consumers. They wanted £550 for similar cover. No contest there then. What's more there is a linked price rise guarantee so I won't suddenly find myself in year 2 with a huge hike in premium.

Now it looks like I'll be able to go to another reputable insurer and more than halve my car insurance premium.

Honesty, Insurance and Double Standards

I was part of a group of people discussing insurance recently.  Insurance companies are not, it seems, particularly popular with many people.  What struck me, though, was the rather illogical approach people sometimes have.

Of these otherwise upstanding members of the community one was proud of how he had saved on his premiums by making false statements to the insurance company.  Another was gloating at how he had managed to get more out of the company on a claim than he was entitled to.

How come, I wonder, was I being made to feel the odd one out in the conversation: either a fool or a prude.

The first person was aware that if he was found out (and in the event of a claim he was bound to be) his insurance policy would be null and void.  He needn't have bothered with insurance in the first place. Oh no, sorry, one has to have car insurance - he'd never have thought of breaking the law.  The second would probably never have been found out so will have got away with it.  But had he been......

However, and herein lies the rub, both those people were defrauding me and the millions like me who are honest with their insurance companies and are actually subsidising and paying for the dishonesty of the others.  

Fraud costs each of us with car insurance about £50 annually. It's the same principle as honest shoppers in supermarkets paying for the shoplifters.  The irony is that not one of those who defrauded the insurance companies would ever have dreamt of shoplifting: that would, after all, be stealing and they are all honest upright citizens.

Thankful Thursday

I am not a Grumpy Old Man.  I'm not old yet for a start.  However this evening whilst trying to log into a bank account I received the following (amongst many other) message:

I have no need of an overdraft nor any loans and the account is not a premier one with benefits related to income so why do I need to tell them my income?  The problem is that if you don't answer the questions you can't access your accounts.  Whyyyyyy? 

The last few days I have felt overwhelmed.  So many emotions have been churning around.  The number of things which need attention, the amount of clutter to be sorted, the things I want to achieve and the planning for the summer have all seemed to be much bigger tasks than they are in reality.  And I've been visiting friends and none is as fit as when I left 6 months ago.  

I need to change my house insurance.  I have been with the same insurer for years.  I am, as a consequence, paying over twice as much as quotes I have had from other reputable companies and nearly £1000 more than a friend with a larger house in an urban area is paying with an equally reputable company.  Now I haven't checked the wording of all the policies.  Have you?  Of course you haven't.  Why?  Well one reason could be that if your car is insured with Endsleigh the policy will run to 37,674 words.  That is more than Orwell's classic novel Animal Farm.  Apparently 73% of people do not read their car insurance policies.

On the bright side Nissan is trialling a new 'self-cleaning' paint that's resistant to rain and dirt.  That should cheer us all up no end.

Oh yes.  It's Thursday.  I should be thankful.  I am.  There is an hour and forty minutes (BST) to go until it's tomorrow.  There is a sporting chance that I will have survived another day.

That's Technology For You

When it comes to technology I am quite sanguine and laid back.   Mostly things to do with computers don't fash me.  I used to get quite uptight about some things when my life was much more stressful than it is now but circumstances have changed that.  So the fact that I only have three more sleeps to departure from Lewis for about 5 weeks and still haven't booked my flight back to New Zealand, acquired my travel insurance or car breakdown cover for the impending holiday nor done many other things I need to do before I depart wasn't an issue this morning.

Until.....

It poured with rain meaning that three loads of washing had to go through the dryer.  Glad Game: I have a dryer.   I remembered various important birthdays and so on that have crept up on me unawares. The satnav told me that there were new maps available and so far it's taken 7 hours to download them from the Garmin site and there seems to be no end in sight.  The Direct Line insurance site has given me the following message all afternoon: 

The website for the hotel chain in France told me that my booking could not be finalised because of Erreur traduire-SF39 or SF12 depending on which particular mood it was in.  So I had to ring the hotel who charged me an extra €18 because I wasn't booking on line. My French isn't good enough to hold an argument on the subject.

The company that usually provides my travel insurance wanted to charge me more for 24 days away than it usually charges me for my 6 months in New Zealand.

The Good Things about the day were coffee at The Woodlands with Gaz this morning and a visit from him here this afternoon.

I've been tracking CJ and Jo on their mobile phones and I know that they have reached their hotel for the evening but I've not had an answer to my texts so I'm hoping they are ok.  He may be my little brother but I suppose I have to accept that he's a grown lad now.

Tomorrow has to be a better day - I've still got all my packing to do and a house to clean.  I wouldn't want an untidy house if I have an accident.  Just like I wouldn't want tatty underwear.

Hey ho.  A few minutes off to write a post have made me feel better already.

PS As I was about to press Publish a text came from CJ: ...Had good day.  Weather mixed.  Midges say hello.....  I can rest easy. 

Banks and Insurance

I have spent the last few days trying to sort out bank account problems and insurance. I suppose it's my own fault to some extent for having so many bank accounts and actually wanting to be insured and honest about my declarations. One of the few things which sank into what passes for my brain when I read law was that contracts of insurance are contracts uberrimae fedei. In plain English that means that, whether or not you have been asked by an insurance company, you must declare to it everything that could possibly be relevant when you are seeking insurance (or, indeed, if your circumstances change when you have the insurance, you must tell the Company of that change). If you don't, then an Insurer has every right to, and almost certainly will, repudiate liability in the event of a claim.

When I came home in April I tried to log online into my Royal Bank of Scotland account. I have it because despite my heart attack and cancer they had indicated that they were happy to provide me with standard travel insurance ie not for my New Zealand stay but for any other travel, including the USA. I had forgotten my pin and despite phone calls and letters and promises to sort it and telephone me it remained unsorted and I remained unphoned - since the start of June. Yesterday I made it my mission in life to sort the problem and, eventually, after about 90 minutes on the phone and with another letter to go in the post to confirm my details I was assured that the problem had been sorted.

 

In the meantime I looked at the many benefits that one gets with one's RBOS account, including the travel insurance. There was a letter to the effect that whilst they had not sought medical details in the past they were now doing so. I'd already made a voluntary declaration in 2006 and been accepted. I decided I'd better check and update that. What a big mistake.  I cannot believe that the Bank's public relations staff or management can have any idea at all of the unbelieveble boorish rudeness of some of their insurance staff. The long and short of it was that I was told (despite having a letter from the Bank acknowledging it) that I'd never made a declaration and was not eligible for insurance cover for any heart or cancer related situation. 

This contrasted with the wonderful, sympathetic and friendly service from P J Hayman and Travellers Health Check from whom yesterday I again bought my long-stay insurance for New Zealand with no strings attached.  Guess who will be providing me with my standard travel insurance as well in future.

So today the RBOS have lost a customer although, admittedly. not a very profitable one and a very great deal of good will.  And I wasted all that time getting access to my account on line.   And I'll never really know whether it had been sorted.   Ah well.

An Unusual Offer

Yesterday I received a circular letter from Zurich Insurance. It wasn't addressed to me but one has obviously been put through all the letter boxes. I usually put them straight into the re-cycling bin but the fact that they were making me an offer for something which they could no longer deliver (this year anyway) I thought I'd glance at the details. And therein lies the rub. I had to have replied by 22 July. This is not an easy task when you receive it on the 31 July. Ah well. I wouldn't have replied anyway.