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Privilege insurance vs modifying

They say: You don't have to be posh to be privileged

But you do have to be over 25 for them to allow you to insure a car with any modifications, even factory optional extra alloy wheels!

My GF has been given a poverty 1994 golf 1.9 D (with optional metallic paint and alloy wheels). It ideally needs a backbox but is drivable and has a years MOT and 3 months tax. Yep she got given it for free, it's at least a grands worth of car, looking at autotrader.

Anyway she's the kindhearted type and is giving it to her brother, whose Orion has died. As they all rightly should have, years ago. It's up here in Manchester and her brother is down in the home counties. We're travelling down tonight and were going to bring him back up here with us so he could drive the Golf home.

I offered to drive the golf down for him and get a lift back up with my GF, so tried to get the car added temporarily on my insurance.

They asked if it had alloy wheels and I said yes, VW factory option ones. They were quite happy with this, carried on with the process of getting me insured, asked me a few more questions about the car and then told me that because I'm under 25 they won't insure me because of the factory option alloys!!

I pressed them on this and they wouldn't budge, blaming Royal Bank of Scotland (the underwriters).

I said I could just get added as a named driver by the GF's brother (once he's transferred cover from the Orion to the Golf) but he's with Direct Line, also underwritten by RBS, so we might encounter the same problem again.

The car isn't currently insured by anyone and is parked in the GF's works car park. I don't have a third party extension with my policy (again, you don't get this privilege with Privilege until you're over 25 and can't pay extra for it either).

It's not like we're asking the earth is it. I think the GF's brother is also under 25, so if RBS are so fascistic about alloys, he might not get insured without lying about whether the car has alloys or not (or fitting some steelies and selling the alloys but we can't do this before tonight!)

Privilege: PITA

Reply to
fishman
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They are a specialist insurance company aiming at over 25's.

cut a long stiory short they dont WANT to insure under 25's so the do everything they can to put them off.

Go ot an insurer who wants your business.

Frizell/liverpool victoria CIS

Mason

Reply to
Mason

just to add it's simply company policy. they arent interested in insuring young drivers.

direct line are quite happy to insure young drivers with modified cars (i used them for 12 months at 18) even though they share an underwriter.

You've basically been lied to.

Reply to
Mason

"Mason" wrote

-snip-

Thanks for your comments.

I only insured with Privilege because they were by far the cheapest for insuring me on my 1986 1 litre Micra!! And they were cheaper Fully Comp than TPFT.

As long as I don't ask too much of them (ie anything other than give me cheap and basic insurance for my micra) they will be fine! They are really good on the phone, far better than "Bombay" Union, all credit to them for their customer service skills.

Reply to
fishman

aye i;m not disputing them as an insurer. just not good for sub 25 drivers with modified cars. :o)

i'd never insure with more than or whatever theyy are called today.

i've got nothing against sourcing callcentres out to india but when you cant understand people and it's something as critical as car insurance i draw the line.

Reply to
Mason

"Mason" wrote

I have. Have you ever tried phoning Dell lately? They are trained to sound like robots with a subcontinent accent. Three aren't great either but then £4.99 per month for 500 anytime xnet minutes / 100 texts I can't complain.

Anyway, the British economy was brought out of the doldrums following the decline of the manufacturing industry by the call centre industry. If we move all the jobs that are propping up our economy to India, what money are the people in this country going to buy the products and services supported by call centres in India with? And when they do find the money, the person at the call centre can't understand them, can only follow a very defined script, can show no empathy with the customer (I am generalising here but it is all based on personal experience)

anyway its going OT already. Modifications, er, gasket, spanner, dump valve.

Reply to
fishman

Heh i've never tried to ring dell. I avoid call centres if possible.

Actually I think one of my credit cards has an asian callcentre but i've only had to ring them once. It was terrible tho.

/me ends OT rant.

yeah headgaskets n stuff :o)

Reply to
Mason

Is that because you cannot get coverage ?

Problem is, everyone wants something for nothing - they do not realise that this forces companies to get things cheaper, including staff...

bleh

------------------------------------------------ "We are all individuals" "I'm not!"

Reply to
Carl Smith

"Carl Smith" wrote

Yes it's all the fault of the consumer... give over.

Reply to
fishman

Heh. we're shedding customers at the minute (I work at PlusNet) because Wandoo offer free connection....

Do people not think there must be something wrong with a company who are willing to make a loss to secure a customer?

Makes me laugh.

Mason

Reply to
Mason

It's done all the time all over the consumer industry.

Reply to
Depresion

I know that. But when it's an ISP it soesnt inspire confidence in the quality of the connection (as prooved by wanadoos crapness)

We like to make a profit on our customers :o)

Reply to
Mason

THats why people with modified cars know to stay well clear of mainstream insurers.

Reply to
Conor

I'm with Admiral at the moment - they were perfectly happy to insure me (Age

22, 1y NCD) on my car even after I told them about aftermarket alloys, uprated brakes (larger discs + calipers) and having a chipped engine. They didn't want too much extra either.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Tucker

admiral are ok with small mods, add some really cool stuff though like boost controlers and chargecoolers and they don't like it to much :)

what i hate is the blurb that says they only replace shit with standard parts! good thing is standard parts and normaly more!

Reply to
Vamp

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