Off Topic No claims discount nonsense.

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Off Topic No claims discount nonsense.

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Are Insurance Companies crooks, or are they just retarded?

I have a policy on my Multipla, full no-claims, wife as named driver on 3 years NCD.
I've just taken out a policy for a Wheelchair adapted vehicle, I got it from a family friend so I can take my (currently) Wheelchair-bound Mum out occasionally.
I used a comparison website, put in that I haven't made a claim for over 9 years (max NCD), and went for the cheapest quote (naturally).
Now, when I ask my Multipla insurers for proof of NCD, they say it can only be used for one policy at a time :mad:

That's just nonsense.
No claims means just that, you haven't made a claim in X years, so you're technically less of a risk than if you made a claim <X years ago, or every few years or so, it's not a 'solid thing' that can only be in one place at a time!
It's to do with you and how you drive, not how many cars you're insured on.

Imagine if you went for a second job, and when they asked if you had any criminal convictions you had to say yes, because you were using your 'no convictions' at your other job :bang:

I can however use my Wife's NCD (she's a named driver on both policies), which means I only have to stump up an extra £90...:rolleyes:

"Hi. I'm a psychopathic lunatic with violent tendencies, but my Wife isn't, so therefore I'm fit to work at your Creche, OK?"
 
totally agree, the only vehicle i know it's different is with a campervan, on a lot of the one's i rang for mine they said NCD wouldn't have made a difference, i assume they expect most folk to have something like that as a second vehicle and the car as a first with the NCD on it.
 
Some insurance companies will allow you to 'mirror' your NCD onto a 2nd vehicle, as long they are insuring the risk on both vehicles. Adrian Flux I believe are one example.

i know some ask for what NCD you have on another vehicle and give you a slight discount but not a full discount like it would be if you had proper NCD, that's my experience with it anyway, happy to be proven wrong as it would be quite useful!
 
But it wouldn't apply until renewal time, would it?
And people who crash more should pay more, that's fundamentally how insurance works, and how the premiums are set.
I'd be pissed off if I had to pay the same premiums as those little tw#ts that drive like...well, like themselves :mad:
 
I guess it works both ways though - you could crash your second car and wouldn't lose the discount on the first?

I think you would, if you make a claim on the one policy, it would be against your name, postcode etc on the insurance database.

But it wouldn't apply until renewal time, would it?

'pends if you mention a problem mid term to your insurer - as the law stands, you are supposed to inform your insurer of any changes straight away. Bloke down the road has written off a very expensive beemer & insurance won't pay as he didn't declare the 6 points he picked up earlier this year.
And people who crash more should pay more, that's fundamentally how insurance works, and how the premiums are set.
I'd be pissed off if I had to pay the same premiums as those little tw#ts that drive like...well, like themselves :mad:

You would think so wouldn't you? However millions of innocent people are picking up the tab for the millions of cnuts out there as insurance companies pay out for damages caused by uninsured drivers, they pass on their losses to the rest of us - just one of the reasons I will berate any muppet who comes on here looking for sympathy after they do stupid things.


OP "Are Insurance Companies crooks, or are they just retarded?"

Definitely crooks - and they seem to have the blessings of HM Government. It seems to me that rather than tighten up their act, the powers that be would rather let uninsured drivers carry on & take a million to one shot on getting caught than get on and introduce technology which could tighten up the system & make things as difficult as possible for the dodgers.
 
Quick update.
They (the company I'm insured with for the Multi') sent through my Wife's NCB confirmation letter, as promised.
Then the next day, another one dropped through the letterbox, it was for mine!
I sent it off to the insurers of the Wheelchair adapted Nissan.
I was expecting them to return it, or contact me saying it's not valid (as they originally told me), but they said everything's sorted, no more action (and more importantly no extra payment) required.
:woot:

Which all goes to prove, they are a bit retarded...but in a good way (y)
 
So basically you are committing fraud or your insurance have ended the policy.
A NCB only works on one policy unless an insurance company does some kind of deal. You now need to choose which policy you would like to be invalid.
 
I've done nothing fraudulent.
I asked for my NCD/NCB proof, I told them why I needed it, they sent it, I sent it to my other insurers.
My Multipla insurers haven't ended the policy.
Something said by one of their minions in a phone call is redundant compared to an official letter.
If they can't get it right, it's not my fault.
If they've made a cock-up, it's down to them to sort it out.
They're always ready and willing (and extremely efficient) at taking our cash, I'm not going to offer to give them even more if they don't ask for it.
 
As far as I read this. As long as bikedoc has two letters from insurance companies offering two lots of NCD, whether or not it a mistake, he has a very good argument that he was acting on the professional actions and experience of the insurers. They are the experts and should be expected to get it right. However insurance is a minefield and insurers somehow always seem to do better than we do!
 
Doesnt matter what way you look at it the insurance has accidentally sent out proof of NCB. Im sure you are entitled to have this proof at any stage in your policy but it is only transferable, not to be used in conjunction with another policy unless the 2nd insurance company will give you the NCB in kind.

You seem a man of reasonable age who isnt in the bend over and take it extortionate insurance bracket anyway. So for the sake of a couple £100 is it worth the risk you are taking? You never know the insurance companies may agree you can have the Bonuses but its got to be worth a call to check.
 
I don't get it, why should a NCB only work on one policy? You personally can't drive 2 cars at the same time. Then regardless of which vehicle you are driving in, if you had an accident in either, you will lose your NCB as soon as you go to insure either vehicle again. Although NCB Protection would probably be a different matter.:confused:
 
My eldest recently took out insurance on a multicar policy to get a good price. when the docs came through they had a number of glaring errors - Reg no was SJD instead of SJO - and yet when he said the reg to the woman on the phone she confirmed the exact make & model of the car.
His firstname was spelled wrongly and there was no mention of the breakdown cover he was promised on the phone.
So I told him to phone them up. on the phone, the 6 digit ref number printed on the letter didn't exist, it had to be 7. Going by the postcode, he was insuring a golf (so THAT's what reg no SJD comes back as!).
We then got another letter asking for more money - midterm changes in policy cost £35.
So I got on the phone. I asked if the call was being recorded for training purposes - it was. I told them that I, too, was recording the call for legal purposes.
I pointed out that I was sat beside my lad as he made the initial call and that he gave all the info correctly, the woman even confirmed the exact description of the car. And as the policy wa but a couple of days old & the mistakes (plural) were all theirs, how on earth could we be charged?
I asked them to check their call records for a specific time and date (Been here before so ever so careful now) and they could hear exactly what was said.
Ended up having to go through to a supervisor to get some satisfaction.
When my current policy ends, I am supposed to be taking on this multicar one for a couple of months - but not so sure now if I want to be insured with a bunch of morons.
Point here is that no matter what they tell you, check all the details, go through the policy with a fine toothed comb - and even then, do not trust them. there will always be something in there that they can use against you to get out of paying for a prang.
 
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I don't get it, why should a NCB only work on one policy? You personally can't drive 2 cars at the same time. Then regardless of which vehicle you are driving in, if you had an accident in either, you will lose your NCB as soon as you go to insure either vehicle again. Although NCB Protection would probably be a different matter.:confused:

When you buy insurance you are entering into 1 legally binding contract. If you don't claim then you get a bonus discount on that 1 contract.
If you take a second contract out then you have to earn the rights to a discount on that as well.
If anybody didn't know this then I would seriously question if the person has the mental capacity to be in charge of something as deadly dangerous as a car.
 
When you buy insurance you are entering into 1 legally binding contract. If you don't claim then you get a bonus discount on that 1 contract.
If you take a second contract out then you have to earn the rights to a discount on that as well.
If anybody didn't know this then I would seriously question if the person has the mental capacity to be in charge of something as deadly dangerous as a car.

Just like to inform you that I have the mental capacity to drive a car thank-you, as i have been driving for 30 years with-out an accident or insurance claim. I know you have to earn your own NCB as I drove a company van for 10 years, which I had full use for social driving. I then got my own car and had to earn, my NCB, from fresh. My point was that regardless of 1 or 2 policies that when you go to renew either, you are asked have you ever had an accident in the last 3 years. I would think that if you had and answered yes, it would effect your NCB regardless, which vehicle or policy you used. I.E I have my multipla insured with full NCB, then get a second car for a runaround, then get that insured, also. But if I then have an accident in either car, and an insurance claim is made, then I lose my NCB.
 
Sorry my comment was more aimed at the op. If you have 1 accident with protected No Claims then you don't loose any at all. If you have an accident then the starting price of your premium go's up. The percentage discount from your NCB is then worked out from the new price.
 
When you buy insurance you are entering into 1 legally binding contract. If you don't claim then you get a bonus discount on that 1 contract.
If you take a second contract out then you have to earn the rights to a discount on that as well...
So how come you can transfer your NCB/NCD to another policy (as in ending one and starting another with a different company)?

I can understand your insurance company (call them company 'A') offering you a discounted premium when you renew your policy with them after each claim-free year, but how the hell does company 'B' (i.e. any company you switch to) benefit from your previous year(s) with company 'A'?

Would you argue with company 'B' that you shouldn't have to declare a motoring conviction on a new policy with them, because you got it when you were with company 'A'?
To me, that's the same principle.

As I said in my original post, having 'No Claims' (same as having no convictions) just proves that you're (supposedly) less of an insurance risk than if you've made claims (or had convictions) in the recent past, so they offer a discounted premium to attract your business, or try to keep it.
It's not a physical 'thing'.
 
While NCD isn't a physical thing, a licence is. If you incur points on your licence then from an insurance company perspective this potentially affects your risk rating.
It could be argued that if you have an accident on one policy, it should only affect that policy but again from an insurance company's perspective this potentially affects your risk rating so its a mandatory requirement to advise the insurance company(s).

As regards NCD transferral, this is simply insurance companies not wishing to commit commercial suicide, if you have proof of NCD then they can compete on a level playing field. If it wasn't transferable, very few people would change insurance company as it wouldn't make economic sense, prime reason for moving is usually financially driven.
 
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