JUST NEED A RANT ...

[GraceK]

I've been working as a temp in the NHS since January. My job comes to an end next week so I'll be unemployed again and I also need to sleep for a week because I'm totally exhausted.

To top that, I received my insurance renewal this morning and it's DOUBLED and the following words were printed below the new premium - "You may see that your renewal price looks different this year. That's because insurers can no longer take a customer's gender into account when preparing their car insurance."

I was never aware that my premium was HALVED because I'm female and I doubt it ever was HALVED because of that, but they've DOUBLED it this year supposedly due to the fact that I'm female. I've driven for 37 years, no accidents, no claims, nothing. And if that's because I'm female or because I'm a damned good driver, I deserve a low premium. But now at the age of 60 suddenly I lose that.

There is NO way now that I can run a car, even when I'm employed my job doesn't pay enough for me to cover this insurance premium, pay my rent etc. So I'll have to give up my car which is not a luxury to me, it's my lifeline and my ONLY pleasure in life because at least I can get out to a nice park for a walk at the weekends. It's also what enables me to get to work.

Does the Government and every other bl***y organisation that is squeezing our money out of us not realise the consequences and the impact of these financial demands on those of us who aren't lucky enough to be in perfect health, and who don't live in a two salary household?

And I'm supposed to belong to the so-called 'full of disposable income, baby boomer' bracket!!! Ha! Who started that rumour? :x

 

[hale710]

That's ridiculous! When my renewal came in this year it had increased by £59, mostly due to me getting a new car

I'm 23, had my license only 6 years. No accidents etc but still. I should be the one with a high premium, not you!

 

[mandydowns]

Hi GraceK

I am in precisely the same situation as you - I work for a local authority, had a pay freeze for 5 years and am having a pay cut in April 2014, although all of my bills have increased, including my mortgage. I gave up my car as I could not afford it any more and now realise how hard life is without it - initially I relied on a bus to get me to work, but this was axed a year ago due to cuts in subsidies and I now have to rely on work colleagues for a lift or take SIX HOURS out of my day to travel 9 miles there and back to work using available public transport as there is no direct route.

This has made my diabetes so much harder to control due to stress and overtiredness. Like you, I dont think that I am an affluent baby boomer, barely able to meet my mortgage each month.

I totally sympathise.

 

[mo1905]

Wow ! I could crawl further than 9 miles return in 6 hrs ! Whatever sort of public transport is that ? Crazy lol !


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[leking]

Never EVER auto-renew your car insurance. They always increase it as standard for no reaon, hoping people just renew and don't 5think twice.

ALWAYS go online and get a new quote from scratch, you usually be able to get at least, or cheaper than what your old quote was. If you want to stay with the same company, call them up and get them to price match.

Again, NEVER AUTO RENEW CAR INSURANCE. #1 rule of owning a car!

 

[izzzi]

GraceK,

It is a pain in the back that you have to shop around for cheaper insurance to get the best deal.

All I can say is, when you find another one, think about the extra cost things you do not need from these racketeers. Legal cost, breakdown cover, replacement car, fully comp if your car is only low value, mileage, etc; They just add these things willie nilly .
I know that you are on top of all this.
Don't forget to cancel this current insurance as they automatically progress the deal.(the old CO-OP are quite good For the young over 60s female drivers)

Why don't you just steal a car when necessary without insurance etc; If caught you will only get a smacked hand, if worst comes to worst they might you a short well fed holiday in a lovely outdoor HM home. Or just drive your car and act daft.
Sorry you can't do the above if you have have passed a driving test.

Roy,

 

[hale710]

Never EVER auto-renew your car insurance. They always increase it as standard for no reaon, hoping people just renew and don't 5think twice.

ALWAYS go online and get a new quote from scratch, you usually be able to get at least, or cheaper than what your old quote was. If you want to stay with the same company, call them up and get them to price match.

Again, NEVER AUTO RENEW CAR INSURANCE. #1 rule of owning a car!

Totally true. I always shop around to make sure I get the best deal. I made a jump from a 15 year old 1L car to a 2 year old 1.2L car. Big car value jump but small insurance cost jump really

 

[RobinLondon]

In addition to shopping around (the importance of which I can't stress enough), if you use a comparison website try contacting the insurers that give the best prices directly. They are (sometimes) cheaper this way, but more importantly you will be able to make a more informed choice about level of cover, deductible, extras etc.


Sent from my brain.

 

[Thundercat]

It really does pay to shop around - the savings are considerable. Loyalty to customers is, sadly, a thing of the past

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[hale710]

Sent from my brain.

You mean like telepathy?!

 

[RobinLondon]

You mean like telepathy?!

I figure my phone now replaces most of the work that my brain does...


Sent from my brain.

 

[hale710]

You mean like telepathy?!

I figure my phone now replaces most of the work that my brain does...


Sent from my brain.

Haha so true!

 

[Ambersilva]

No way should your car insurance double. I am a senior with a new car - a top end Astra - my insurance has gone down to £189.

 

[Sid Bonkers]

It really does pay to shop around - the savings are considerable. Loyalty to customers is, sadly, a thing of the past

100% agree, loyalty seems to be a dirty word nowadays. I shop around every year and often switch between companies, I have also found that the compare type web sites never give the best prices which I always find from companies like Churchill and Direct Line and others who do not use compare sites or have to pay their commissions. All the companies as far as I am aware that are recommended by compare sites pay to get listed by them and that cost of course is passed on to us :thumbdown:

In fact I will often play one off against another, I get my renewal and phone up asking why it has gone up, that normally gets you an immediate discount and then I phone around and see if I can get that price beaten which I usually can.



Oh and can I add to your RANT Grace? Every time my mobile phone contract expires they stick the price up and I have to ring up to get another discount which always means locking myself into a lengthy contract and thats even with SIM only contracts :evil:

There seems to be no customer service any more, every company talks about it but very few offer it to their customers :twisted:

 

[WeeWillie]

Totally outrageous GraceK, It's a pity you couldn't cancel it, but that would be just too easy, wouldn't it.

You know, there's a huge number of motorists who've been caught like you. Very sad really.

I'm not sure if cancelling the Insurance actually is an option or not. If it was, and I know it's a dicey option, but there's always the "Third Party Fire and Theft" Ins policy to think about.

Perhaps you could discover what action others have taken who've found themselves in the same dilemma as yourself, by looking up some motoring forums.... May be worth a try.

Here's a couple for starters. (I haven't had time to look through the threads, sorry)

Dedicated Insurance Thread....
http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/45.aspx

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http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/carshub/car-insurance.html
http://www.rac.co.uk/forum/forum.php?s=fa9342c2e2365a53d7d00c2c7d9b6805
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=72&page=1

Give it a try, you just never know,
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetic-car-insurance.html

 

[Sid Bonkers]

Talking of cancelling insurance policies has reminded me that a few years ago after the annual increase in premiums I shopped around and found an offer from my insurance company that was cheaper than I had been quoted for renewal, I contacted my insurer to be told that it was an introductory offer only for new customers taking out a new policy and was not being offered on renewals.

I ranted on for a while about customer loyalty and then in a flash of inspiration asked what would happen if I cancelled my policy and took out a new one, I was amazed to be told "yes that would be OK and I could allow the the new policy discount"!!!

You couldnt make this stuff up could you :lol:

 

[GraceK]

Totally outrageous GraceK, It's a pity you couldn't cancel it, but that would be just too easy, wouldn't it.

You know, there's a huge number of motorists who've been caught like you. Very sad really.

I'm not sure if cancelling the Insurance actually is an option or not. If it was, and I know it's a dicey option, but there's always the "Third Party Fire and Theft" Ins policy to think about.

Perhaps you could discover what action others have taken who've found themselves in the same dilemma as yourself, by looking up some motoring forums.... May be worth a try.

Here's a couple for starters. (I haven't had time to look through the threads, sorry)

Dedicated Insurance Thread....
http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/45.aspx

---------------------------------------------------

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/carshub/car-insurance.html
http://www.rac.co.uk/forum/forum.php?s=fa9342c2e2365a53d7d00c2c7d9b6805
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=72&page=1

Give it a try, you just never know,
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetic-car-insurance.html

Yes, there is an option to cancel/not renew when it's due. I did check it at TPFT but it dropped by only £2 so very little difference there. The whole insurance industry makes me cringe. I've never made an insurance claim for anything in my life but I've heard from others who have and it sounds a horrendous process to go through. As far as I'm concerned the insurance companies of today are just a legitimate form of the illegal 'protection racquet gangs' of yesterday. Thanks for the links Willie, I'll have a look at them today. :thumbup:

 

[noblehead]

A big rip off insurance, I never stick with the same insurer unless they quote a competitive price. Unlike Sid I do find the price comparison sites useful, used them in the last year to change both car and house insurance and got good deals each time, for me the biggest hike has been in my dog insurance, once a dog turns 6 the price seems to go up and they introduce more clauses in the policy :x

Definitely pays to shop around!

 

[GraceK]

Thanks all ... for your support of my rant :clap:

Willie ... I went to confused.com and I've just insured my car for LESS THAN HALF of the quote I received, so it's even LOWER than it was before the huge hike. I ticked to say that I would use one of those little black boxes that tells them whether you're driving carefully or not. Does anyone know anything about them or have one themselves?

 

[Cupcaake32]

Tesco tried to charge me 98 a month for a 62 plate 1 litre for fiesta im 24 and have been paying 55 for the last 2 years i changed companies and now pay 38 a month when i phoned tesco they said we cant give you a discount youll have to find some other company i was with tesco for 6 years since i started driving

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