I wish I knew this before making an insurance claim!

[62272]

Can you actually justify a statement like that with facts, not fiction?

He/she doesnt need to, its their opinion. IMHO

 

[Ridgeway]

This is not so in my experience. The identical car in the UK is on average 25% more to insure fully comprehensive in the UK that in either Italy, Spain or Portugal.

For example, Peugeot 208 is 410 Euros (Zurich) fully comp in Portugal, any driver over 18, total glass cover (no excess), breakdown recovery and guaranteed replacement loan car during repair. No NCB, but premium is guaranteed to lower annually. (If you have too many claims (usually 3 or more in 12 months), they may refuse renewal).

The UK (a UK registered 208 same year) is £430 (Aviva) fully comp, driver + named driver only, £75 excess on glass), with AA recovery (and no loaner) adding £60. Loaner 7 days £160 extra = £490 to £650. Protected NCB is £30 on top.

No nonsense about preferred repairers either. The UK is not the utopia that they would have us believe

Yeah but it's 25 x more likely to be stolen....

 

[The Wino]

Yeah but it's 25 x more likely to be stolen....

And do they have the same claim culture if theres an accident

 

[gus-lopez]

The UK (a UK registered 208 same year) is £430 (Aviva) fully comp, driver

You are paying too mch. My mate doesn't pay much more than that for 2 cars & a 30k+ motorhome all full comp, all insured seperately. & it includes me on one of them at another 40 quid.

I think one of the reason vets seem expensive is that people have no idea of the cost of human health-care it's one of the reasons they miss appointments. A bill of£130 for a failed outpatients appointment would soon cause a rumpus

cruciate anterior ligament repair, + leh pinned & snday call out 430€ all in. No insrance involved here

And do they have the same claim culture if theres an accident

most would be 3rd party & who ever was deemed at fault would pay for all the rest.+ they are all required to fill in the triplicate european accident form & sign each others. If a write off ins company has 42 days to settle claim

 

[pyro]

I think one of the reason vets seem expensive is that people have no idea of the cost of human health-care it's one of the reasons they miss appointments. A bill of£130 for a failed outpatients appointment would soon cause a rumpus

I admire the principle, as with the idea of making medical insurance compulsory for those engaging in high risk sports.

Yeah but it's 25 x more likely to be stolen....

A fascinating question. The total crime level in the UK is reported as being 30% higher than Portugal, with drug related crime a startling 29% higher;. Country Comparisons

And do they have the same claim culture if theres an accident

What is a "claim culture" precisely? Because NCBs don't exist, there's no point in contesting blame if you have a claim. You have nothing to lose except your insurers refusing to renew your policy because you have been involved in too many accidents.

I have only made one claim in Portugal myself, I was rear ended by someone in a van. Insurers dealt with all matters in a civilised fashion within 3 weeks, during which time we had an insurance funded hire car.

Regarding the previous posting, gus-lopez, are you comparing Spain and Portugal? Is so, Portugal is a lot more expensive on this, I believe

Same for 3 rd party settlement, haven't come across that, so far although the 42 day limit for settlement is known.

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[JohnFX]

insurers will always lend an umbrella in fine weather, when it rains???

 

[The Wino]

I admire the principle, as with the idea of making medical insurance compulsory for those engaging in high risk sports.

A fascinating question. The total crime level in the UK is reported as being 30% higher than Portugal, with drug related crime a startling 29% higher;. Country Comparisons


What is a "claim culture" precisely? Because NCBs don't exist, there's no point in contesting blame if you have a claim. You have nothing to lose except your insurers refusing to renew your policy because you have been involved in too many accidents.

I have only made one claim in Portugal myself, I was rear ended by someone in a van. Insurers dealt with all matters in a civilised fashion within 3 weeks, during which time we had an insurance funded hire car.

Regarding the previous posting, gus-lopez, are you comparing Spain and Portugal? Is so, Portugal is a lot more expensive on this, I believe

Same for 3 rd party settlement, haven't come across that, so far although the 42 day limit for settlement is known.

The blame culture is anyone involved in an accident claiming whiplash knowing they will get some sort of payout to the point where people were engineering accidents to claim. I think they've changed the law now to stop it.
It's similar to people who used to claim under new for old insurance for a new carpet after they ,"accidentally" spilt a bottle of red wine on it we had someone who worked for us who was always claiming for stuff lke that.

 

[Silver-Fox]

A bill of£130 for a failed outpatients appointment would soon cause a rumpus

And shuffling them to bottom of the list would be a good idea as well.

Part of the problem is everyone thinks the NHS is free

 

[Bognor Saint]

I hope that your son's dog does not have any major issues as unfortunately 2k is not a large bill nowadays...vets fees are totally criminal. Many vets have been bought up by venture capitalists and as many pets are covered by insurance, this has allowed massive inflation in charges.

When our dog was 5 (now 13) he ruptured both his cruciate ligaments. Specialist hospital and the bill was £5300. Same hospital for a laryngeal tie back last year £3300. Thank God for insurance.

 

[Bluethunder]

Stealaway

Late last year whilst driving onto levelling ramps, both ramps on the same side, front and rear, the front driving wheel skidded on wet grass and the van slid sideways and off the ramp. Damaged front bumper and quote to fix was / and is £1800. I claimed on the insurance.

So this turns out to be a fault claim. Come to renew my car insurance, despite more than 40years without a claim / accident, the van claim affects my car policy and its loaded as I made a fault claim. Renew my Mrs insurance, that too is loaded because I made a claim. My daughters car, as a named driver, that was also loaded.

I now wish I paid for the insurance claim! This carries on for the next 5 years.

It amazes me that NC BONUS can only be applied to one vehicle policy,as the insurance company's state that each vehicle insurance they state is individual and stands alone.
But when it comes to a claim they change the rules and one accident has to be declared on all policies irrespective of fault.
So the insurance company's want there cake and eat it .

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[Bluethunder]

When our dog was 5 (now 13) he ruptured both his cruciate ligaments. Specialist hospital and the bill was £5300. Same hospital for a laryngeal tie back last year £3300. Thank God for insurance.

And they paid and didn't try and wriggle out of it.

 

[Molly A]

When our dog was 5 (now 13) he ruptured both his cruciate ligaments. Specialist hospital and the bill was £5300. Same hospital for a laryngeal tie back last year £3300. Thank God for insurance.

Indeed... total rip off knowing that people will pay....

 

[The Wino]

Indeed... total rip off knowing that people will pay....

What would the same treatment be privately for a human?. I've no idea but I bet not cheap.

 

[Molly A]

It certainly is. I'm very lucky to be able to share their enjoyment now as it'll be too late when I'm just a bag of crisps.

Thoroughly agree with you!

 

[Silver-Fox]

It amazes me that NC BONUS can only be applied to one vehicle policy,as the insurance company's state that each vehicle insurance they state is individual and stands alone.
But when it comes to a claim they change the rules and one accident has to be declared on all policies irrespective of fault.
So the insurance company's want there cake and eat it .

I was only thinking the same thing today.

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[Silver-Fox]

What would the same treatment be privately for a human?. I've no idea but I bet not cheap.

Some time ago I read how much a hospital theatre costs per hour to run.

I can’t remember exactly but it was many thousands of pounds.

 

[The Wino]

The morning I sat in on there were 3 ops plus a revision of one that had failed. Looking at the staff and equipment it must have cost a bomb. I must admit I was a little surprised when the consultant suggested meeting him there at 7.00am I realised the stories about spending days on the golf course aren't the reality and I've seen that ever since.

 

[Chris]

I hope that your son's dog does not have any major issues as unfortunately 2k is not a large bill nowadays...vets fees are totally criminal. Many vets have been bought up by venture capitalists and as many pets are covered by insurance, this has allowed massive inflation in charges.

I fear sometimes that their professional judgement might be affected by commercial pressures too. I don’t want to cast aspersions but my vet was suggesting my then 18 year old cat should be referred to a cardiologist for a heart murmur we were told about when she was a kitten. We were also told at the same time ( ie 18 years ago) that she would only live months

 

[The Wino]

I fear sometimes that their professional judgement might be affected by commercial pressures too. I don’t want to cast aspersions but my vet was suggesting my then 18 year old cat should be referred to a cardiologist for a heart murmur we were told about when she was a kitten. We were also told at the same time ( ie 18 years ago) that she would only live months

It depends if it was your other half would you want to be told that there was a problem or not. The way I see it the vet is there to say what is the best course irrespective of cost. The owner then looks at the cost compared to what they think is a reasonable price to pay for what after all is animal.......... I hope scruff doesn't read this!

 

[Chris]

It depends if it was your other half would you want to be told that there was a problem or not. The way I see it the vet is there to say what is the best course irrespective of cost. The owner then looks at the cost compared to what they think is a reasonable price to pay for what after all is animal.......... I hope scruff doesn't read this!

It was just the fact that the cat was 18 already. Surely the best interests of the animal come into it too?

She is still with us by the way although she wasn’t right over the weekend.

21 and going strong(ish).

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[Chris]

It depends if it was your other half would you want to be told that there was a problem or not. The way I see it the vet is there to say what is the best course irrespective of cost. The owner then looks at the cost compared to what they think is a reasonable price to pay for what after all is animal.......... I hope scruff doesn't read this!

I should add by the way - she had only gone to the vet to have her claws clipped

 

[pyro]

The Wino The point you make about claim culture is a perfectly fair one, as far as I am aware they've introduced fairly strict limits/burdens of proof on personal injury payments in the UK to keep things in control. I gather the personal injury process there has been a bit too easy going, hence it attracted more than it's fair share of abusers. In turn that probably resulted in higher premiums for all, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to ever go down again!

Insurance seems to be self defeating. Insurers saw a potential demand because people were becoming scared of ending up with high vets bills. As a result of which, vet's fees seem to have gone further through the roof, in the belief that an insured vet's bill costs the customer nothing personally. Fine, but the premiums go up for everyone, and uninsured clients are then fleeced even more. Trouble is, we do anything for our loved pets

gus-lopez, on re-reading your post. I better understand what you are saying. I'm sorry if my answer was a little short. I did shop around for a lower premium over here, but it seemed competitive and for the inflated cost of cars here, not too mention the appalling standard of Portuguese driving, all risks insurance was the only option. Not sure if they still offer 3rd party only any more, though. I'll look into it again, and thanks for the tip off.

What you say about filling in the accident forms (all in Portuguese) and the 42 day window for settlement definitely applies over here, though. All very civilised in theory

As for the UK price, agreed it's high, but even at half price, it comes out higher in proportion to the value of the car. In the UK, the three year old 208 automatic high spec is valued around £11,000, over here it's around £15,000 - total rip off

 

[Bognor Saint]

And they paid and didn't try and wriggle out of it.

No issues with payment. We just paid the excess. It was predicted that when he was older that arthritis could be an issue and this has been the case. Medication costs now covered

 

[The Wino]

The Wino The point you make about claim culture is a perfectly fair one, as far as I am aware they've introduced fairly strict limits/burdens of proof on personal injury payments in the UK to keep things in control. I gather the personal injury process there has been a bit too easy going, hence it attracted more than it's fair share of abusers. In turn that probably resulted in higher premiums for all, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to ever go down again!

Insurance seems to be self defeating. Insurers saw a potential demand because people were becoming scared of ending up with high vets bills. As a result of which, vet's fees seem to have gone further through the roof, in the belief that an insured vet's bill costs the customer nothing personally. Fine, but the premiums go up for everyone, and uninsured clients are then fleeced even more. Trouble is, we do anything for our loved pets

gus-lopez, on re-reading your post. I better understand what you are saying. I'm sorry if my answer was a little short. I did shop around for a lower premium over here, but it seemed competitive and for the inflated cost of cars here, not too mention the appalling standard of Portuguese driving, all risks insurance was the only option. Not sure if they still offer 3rd party only any more, though. I'll look into it again, and thanks for the tip off.

What you say about filling in the accident forms (all in Portuguese) and the 42 day window for settlement definitely applies over here, though. All very civilised in theory

As for the UK price, agreed it's high, but even at half price, it comes out higher in proportion to the value of the car. In the UK, the three year old 208 automatic high spec is valued around £11,000, over here it's around £15,000 - total rip off

I don't think that insurance is related that much to the cars value. I think there's a base amount plus a bit related to value then occupation etc.

 

[gus-lopez]

What would the same treatment be privately for a human?. I've no idea but I bet not cheap.

If I need a crciate ligament reconnected & spported I'll get Alfonso my vet to do it .

all risks insurance was the only option. Not sure if they still offer 3rd party only any more, though. I'll look into it again, and thanks for the tip off.

here once a vehicle is 3 years old they wonder why you still wish to insure full comp? Once a vehicle is around 10 years old they usually will only offer T,P,F&T

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[pyro]

I don't think that insurance is related that much to the cars value. I think there's a base amount plus a bit related to value then occupation etc.

That is so true. Back in the UK, insured's occupation, his accident history, his conviction history, his postcode, where the car was kept overnight, the type of car, whether it was factory standard, etc are all taken into account when calculating the premium.

But when there is a claim, even though the driver hasn't changed occupation or address, and the location of the car overnight isn't necessarily relevant, the entire premium increases.

As for the insurance over here, it's easy, but the bureaucracy is enough to drive you insane. And nobody understands Brexit!

 

[MacroMad]

I always insured everything, I spent thousands each year.
I never made a claim unless unless i absolutely had to, why ? because insurance is for saving your way of life and not for claiming for a fag burn in a carpet.
A Invoice to an insurance company is loaded to start with, i bet you could have got it done for a lot less.
Insurance companies are profit making, not loss making, they have to get it back some way and you give them an excuse by claiming.

 

[Kelvin Barnett]

Stealaway

Late last year whilst driving onto levelling ramps, both ramps on the same side, front and rear, the front driving wheel skidded on wet grass and the van slid sideways and off the ramp. Damaged front bumper and quote to fix was / and is £1800. I claimed on the insurance.

So this turns out to be a fault claim. Come to renew my car insurance, despite more than 40years without a claim / accident, the van claim affects my car policy and its loaded as I made a fault claim. Renew my Mrs insurance, that too is loaded because I made a claim. My daughters car, as a named driver, that was also loaded.

I now wish I paid for the insurance claim! This carries on for the next 5 years.

Insurance companies I hate them, drivers are at their mercy, they know we have to have insurance., you make an alteration, £30-£50 for the privilege. I down graded my motorbike to a smaller cheaper one hardly any difference in my premium , reason its a new bike, made no difference it was worth half what the other one was.

 

[steve69]

A few years ago I rear-ended the car in front. Damage was largely cosmetic but I asked him to let me know the cost of his repair - £300 - and just paid him. The damage to my car was slight enough to ignore - it still passes the MOT - and decided it was too old to be worth spending any big money on it. Insurers not informed by either of us and premiums kept nice and low since.

 

[The Wino]

V

A few years ago I rear-ended the car in front. Damage was largely cosmetic but I asked him to let me know the cost of his repair - £300 - and just paid him. The damage to my car was slight enough to ignore - it still passes the MOT - and decided it was too old to be worth spending any big money on it. Insurers not informed by either of us and premiums kept nice and low since.

Very sensible but lucky he didn't fancy a few quid for a whiplash claim

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