Mona Lott
Yes, it’s grumpy old me again.
Today’s moans are about the house insurance industry and dog turds.
Over the past few days, I’ve phoned a few insurance companies to
see if I could get a better quote for some home contents insurance
for an elderly relative of mine. She’d been sent a renewal letter
for this, which asked her to pay out about £160 for £40,000 worth
of cover.
When she phoned up the company to see if they’d be willing to offer
her a lower figure (she’d got 9 years’ NCD on this policy), they
reduced the premium to about £140. What they omitted to tell her
(and what she didn’t know about) was that she could pay a greatly
reduced sum if she were to agree to a £100 excess on any claim.
Well, surely she should know that, you might be thinking, but
she wasn’t aware of this option.
When I phoned around for quotes, I got figures of abt £90 from
Norwich Union Direct and abt £70 from Churchill … these included
a bit extra for NCD protection… and Churchill’s was for very
basic cover. It was a £50,000 new for old policy.
These figures of £40k and £50k appear to be the industry’s
standard figures, which seem to me to be gross over-insurance
for the likes of any old pensioner living in a 1-2 bedroomed flat
with tatty furniture. Perhaps someone like this wouldn’t bother
with contents insurance anyway, but it does look like insurance
companies are ripping old folk off … certainly anyone who is
going a bit dotty (though not my relative I wish to add).
I noted that the original insurance company gave out an 0845
telephone number in its letter (which costs more than a standard
phone number to use in the UK), whereas by using the saynoto0870
website I found out that it had a freephone number I could use
(and use it, I did). The swines.
The upside of this yarn were some very warm thanks from the woman
concerned.
On my return to Justin Towers, I set about sweeping up some
leaves that were strewn around our forecourt area and pavement …
whereupon I stepped on some well-camouflaged doggy-doo. You can
feel that you’ve trodden on something unpleasant, can’t you?
It's softer underfoot, slightly slippery and yet at the same
time rather sticky. So I spent the next 15 minutes or so
removing the muck from the craggy sole of my shoe ~ I’ll spare
you the graphic detail, as some of you might be eating while
reading this.
As they say: “One good turd deserves another.”
Today’s moans are about the house insurance industry and dog turds.
Over the past few days, I’ve phoned a few insurance companies to
see if I could get a better quote for some home contents insurance
for an elderly relative of mine. She’d been sent a renewal letter
for this, which asked her to pay out about £160 for £40,000 worth
of cover.
When she phoned up the company to see if they’d be willing to offer
her a lower figure (she’d got 9 years’ NCD on this policy), they
reduced the premium to about £140. What they omitted to tell her
(and what she didn’t know about) was that she could pay a greatly
reduced sum if she were to agree to a £100 excess on any claim.
Well, surely she should know that, you might be thinking, but
she wasn’t aware of this option.
When I phoned around for quotes, I got figures of abt £90 from
Norwich Union Direct and abt £70 from Churchill … these included
a bit extra for NCD protection… and Churchill’s was for very
basic cover. It was a £50,000 new for old policy.
These figures of £40k and £50k appear to be the industry’s
standard figures, which seem to me to be gross over-insurance
for the likes of any old pensioner living in a 1-2 bedroomed flat
with tatty furniture. Perhaps someone like this wouldn’t bother
with contents insurance anyway, but it does look like insurance
companies are ripping old folk off … certainly anyone who is
going a bit dotty (though not my relative I wish to add).
I noted that the original insurance company gave out an 0845
telephone number in its letter (which costs more than a standard
phone number to use in the UK), whereas by using the saynoto0870
website I found out that it had a freephone number I could use
(and use it, I did). The swines.
The upside of this yarn were some very warm thanks from the woman
concerned.
On my return to Justin Towers, I set about sweeping up some
leaves that were strewn around our forecourt area and pavement …
whereupon I stepped on some well-camouflaged doggy-doo. You can
feel that you’ve trodden on something unpleasant, can’t you?
It's softer underfoot, slightly slippery and yet at the same
time rather sticky. So I spent the next 15 minutes or so
removing the muck from the craggy sole of my shoe ~ I’ll spare
you the graphic detail, as some of you might be eating while
reading this.
As they say: “One good turd deserves another.”
posted by justin at 11:36 pm
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3 Comments:
Thanks for that link Justin, I have saved it to my favorited
Hi LOM ~ yes, it's brilliant. I'm fed up with being charged extra to phone up businesses (and being kept waiting in a queue for my call to be answered). I've got a freephone number for Alliance Leicester if you use them.
Thank for the offer Justin, but we don't use them
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