In March last year I had a Motorcycle stolen it was a shiney brand new Harley Davidson Road King Classic, Great Looking bike but in a way I'm glad it was stolen as it was probably the most uncomfortable bike I have ever ridden, and the lump complianed about the pillion position so all in all it was due to go back up for sale and a switch of bikes was needed, hence my odyssey with the gtr. Anyway I'm getting off the point, the bike was stolen I was paid out. Then bugger me 3 weeks ago my Triumph Daytona was nicked from my workplace car park despite being locked alarmed and having a tracker fitted and the presence of cctv of which i have sent a copy to my insurance company who are asking the police why they called me 3 days after the theft to say they were not investigating it further because of a lack of man power (another rant for another time). Anyway I have been paid out for the Triumph. MY policy is up for renewal on the 21st of this month and I hadn't heard anything from my broker (MCE) so I called them and they came back with. "I am terribly sorry but we are unable to offer you insurance" When asked why they said 2 thefts in a year game over. This is despite the fact that I had taken every precaution known to man. Any way a ring round to all the major players and the same answer came back, sorry you are un insurable. despite 34 previous years of relative claim free riding. In the end after 4 hours on the phone and tinternet Carol Nash came good, but all I can get is Third Party. I suppose it keeps me on the road and legal, but my point if you are still reading is that motorcycle theft is not a victimless crime and the victim has to pay. Why?
Will the same apply when you try to insure your car if you have one?
Insurance companies are really clamping down at the moment on who they will and will not insure. Gone are the days when you used to be able to play one company off against another to reduce your renewal premiums. They just wont budge these days.
I live in an area which is 'loaded' as far as high premiums are concerned and this is reflected at renewal time. Apparantly there are a lot of un-insured cars in the general area where I live and additionally insurance companies have been stung for many fraudulant claims, i.e. staged accidents which knocks all our premiums up.
We have been reduced to installing CCTV, alarms etc. If someone gets past all that and then gets past Clyde, I'll personally hand them my bike keys. ;D
Meet Clyde....
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s139/Jaffa_Cake101/Fingers/ViciousDog.jpg)
Is clyde taking work home with you perchance Steve?
I haven't got a car, but it would be interesting to find that out as if you try to swap over NCD between bike and car you can't so I wonder if it works in reverse. I guess not. Clyde looks adorable, I have a staff who looks just as fearsome if you catch her in the right light other than that she will wag her tail and bring you a bone. Totally useless lol. In fact she probably held the bolt croppers while they nicked the Harley.
German shepherds are my favorite breed but I think I'll give clyde a wide berth
As for insurance the way premiums have shot up this year. We have two cars and a motorbike. Cost to insure is 2.2k this year up from 1.4k a few years ago. Our area has been gradually getting worse over the years. One of the worst council estates was closed, land sold to property developers and the rif raff spread around. Go down to our local village and there's a ton of claims companies so you can imagine how the local economy functions. All of them are scum imo.
Looks like we'll be moving in a few years
In the end my insurance cost me a total of £575.86 for the 2 bikes which i suppose with my recent claim history is really good but you have to bear in mind that it is 3rd party only, this being the case the optional extra injury and clothing/helmet cover was taken at least that way I ONLY loose a bike.
Sorry to hear that Jake, but Dartford does have a bad rep for vehicle theft.
I worked there for 5 weeks (UPS) in Oct 2009 and always locked my 1400 to a lamppost as well as fitting a U-lock on the front.
In those 5 weeks UPS Dartford had 2 vans stolen.
Both were dumped after being emptied of their parcels, and stripped of anything else of value.
And it's not like UPS vans are inconspicuous.
You need to move away! I pay £300 per year fully comp for my 1400.
My GTR1000 costs me £100 per year but then it's not worth anything.
I'm only 22 miles away.
Know what you mean about the area full of pikey's only the Harley went missing from dartford and to be honest I think it was a section of a famous so called "motorcycle club" ( I do have a few contacts who would'nt deny it). The Triumph was taken from my work place which is yet another fantastic area Canning Town East London and 4 of our tinted friends lifted it up and threw it in the back or thier "T" reg rust coloured Transit. With this knowledge passed onto the police I would have thought that doing a portion of thier job they might have taken the view that they may possibly get a result therefore take the trouble to investigate, but as I was told by both the Kent Police and the Newham division of the Met Police they just haven't got the man power to have more than a curseroy look for it.
A tip when looking for renewal of house or bike or car insurance.
1. Note the price of your renewal reminder.
2. Use as many comparison sites and direct sites as you can suffer on a daily basis and make a note of the reference number for the cheapest.
3. day before renewal is due, call the cheapest and quote the reference number you have saved.
All insurance companies update and amend their prices and rates on a daily basis to stay competitive. They can go up or down as market forces dictate, thats why you need to keep a note of the reference numbers as they will always honour that quote.
Be careful. Always make sure your comparison nis for a like for like basis, and always read your policy documents when they arrive so you can cancel within the cooling off period should you need to.
If anyone has any questions on financial services including insurance, I will always answer honestly, but cannot give advice as I am a Compliance director, and not authorised to advise the public.
Insurance going through the roof ?? I know what you all mean ...Myself, Mrs Rusty and 19yr old son, a 10 year old Renault and 8 year old Fiesta ( son drives this one ) .. clean licences all round fully comp ...£1360 last year ... I read in the DT that insurance premiums are going up by 40% this year and mostly due to the culture of whiplash injuries and Solicitors with their " claim for everything " policy .. makes my blood boil, no wonder there are so many people out there with no insurance. With 2 oldish cars ( I usually keep them till they rot ) I am now looking at getting rid of one or both and buying a small eco friendly little thing, you know like a Fiat 500 .. no tax no congestion charge that sort of thing with a low insurance rating all for £100 a month, then after 3 years give it back and start again .. not quite the Landrover Discovery 4 that i would like in my garage but cheap as chips !
PS ... Christ ! Just realised I was talking about those 4 wheeled things .... and on a GTR forum too .... just off to pull my toenails out.
Whats Congestion Charge?? ;D ;D
Something car drivers have to pay if the want the privialige of driving at under 10 miles an hour in the centre of London
Sounds great, where do I sign up?