Grouch Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 It's nearly time to renew my insurance and I'm thinking is it worth getting theft cover? From what I have seen and heard when a person who is covered gets their bike stolen they get shafted by the insurance anyway. So would it be better just to invest in more security and be more vigilant? I am considering going third party only. Opinions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Up to you I suppose but with my fully comp I get a bike to replace mine if it's nicked or crash damaged, plus theft usually means that the insurance company can say that you should have done more to keep your bike safe so that's why you get shafted by them. Best thing to do is ask them what is considered adequate for you to be fully covered if the worst happens that way you can say you did your best and no quibble from your Ins Comp also if your bike is nicked and they get it back with minor damage or bit's missing you can get it back and get the repairs done by the company and get 12 months cover on all the bits that were repaired or replaced. Seems a fair trade off to me but it's your money!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Any biker who does not have cover for theft is an idiot IMO. NO amount of security is going to be 100% and if they really REALLY want it, they will get it. That is what the insurance is for. That said, I'm all in favour of making a bike as unattractive and awkward a target as possible. The goal is for them to take one look and decide to bugger off elsewhere for easier pickings. If they look closely, you want them to see that if they want it, it'll still take a good hour and no fear of having their heads thoroughly kicked in to get it. I live in the countryside. I have a bike and that's it. No car, no bicycle, no trains, no busses. If someone nicks my bike, whether I'm at home, in town or out and about, that's it. I'm stuffed. At best, nearest assistance is 40 miles away and that's assuming he's not at work, either. Always imagine the worst case scenario, as that's the one that will catch you out when you least expect it. If you want to risk being stranded and screwed, skip the theft cover. Otherwise do everything you can to protect yourself. Personally, I advise nothing less than fully comp with all bells and whistles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DkD Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Always imagine the worst case scenario, as that's the one that will catch you out when you least expect it. Amen to that sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwan Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 risks and rewards, for me 3rd party is £250 quid, full comp is about a grand. that saves me £750 quid a year. my bike cost me £800. so assuming i don't get it nicked in just over a year i will be better of then if i would have paid full comp. if u can see what i'm getting at? Just check the relative prices matey. Ohh also if u can see if there are alot of bike thefts in your area, if so that's also something to take into consideration, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 It's just when people do have their bikes stolen, they get a third of its value back if that. So why bother? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwan Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 agreed man, that does seem to happen ALOT and with cars . the worse is when they try to not pay out because you have changed the handle bars or some other trivial thing and not claimed it. The real reason you should have to claim is that it might make the bike worth a little bit more, but when u need a pay out they will say this has invalidated your insurance and you wont get a fucking penny. hell you might even find your self in legal troubles. If anyone is in this industry...please do us ALL a favor and just kill you self now..... HAHAHAHAAH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwan Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 This little loophole of theirs also makes me wonder how much of the 'uninsured road users' there actually are just because of technicalities like this? Maybe this helps them fuck us out of even more money by saying that we pay so much in insurance to make up for the people that don't have any. Well maybe these people did actually pay for insurance but the company use some bollocks technicality like this to void it, making you technically 'uninsured'? Even though that i paid about 1700 quid a year to have my car 3rd party, It had some after market alloys on it which were obviously not claimed for in the insurance as that would add about another £800 onto my already ridiculously over priced insurance. So i never bothered, it wasn't until a long old time after id had this car did anyone even point out to me that now i was technically uninsured. Just watch out guys, they are blood sucking leaches and will fuck you out of every last penny. So unless you bike is completely standard, why bother with anything more then the cheapest insurance option! ...their only gonna shaft you in the event that u actually need their help anyways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 It's just when people do have their bikes stolen, they get a third of its value back if that. So why bother? Chose the wrong insurers then, or violated the terms. If you accept their first offer then yes, you will be screwed. If you read your paperwork, follow the T&Cs, know your stuff and argue it with them, you should get a fair settlement. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 This little loophole of theirs also makes me wonder how much of the 'uninsured road users' there actually are just because of technicalities like this? Maybe this helps them fuck us out of even more money by saying that we pay so much in insurance to make up for the people that don't have any. Well maybe these people did actually pay for insurance but the company use some bollocks technicality like this to void it, making you technically 'uninsured'? Even though that i paid about 1700 quid a year to have my car 3rd party, It had some after market alloys on it which were obviously not claimed for in the insurance as that would add about another £800 onto my already ridiculously over priced insurance. So i never bothered, it wasn't until a long old time after id had this car did anyone even point out to me that now i was technically uninsured. Just watch out guys, they are blood sucking leaches and will fuck you out of every last penny. So unless you bike is completely standard, why bother with anything more then the cheapest insurance option! ...their only gonna shaft you in the event that u actually need their help anyways This is why I am having to seriously consider my options. Every person I know has been shafted severely when having their bike stolen. Chose the wrong insurers then, or violated the terms. If you accept their first offer then yes, you will be screwed. If you read your paperwork, follow the T&Cs, know your stuff and argue it with them, you should get a fair settlement. I totally understand your view, but aren't they all as bad as each other? Also how long would it take to find the 'perfect insurer?' It would take a week, but then I suppose it would be worth it because you could stick with them for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I totally understand your view, but aren't they all as bad as each other? Also how long would it take to find the 'perfect insurer?' It would take a week, but then I suppose it would be worth it because you could stick with them for life. Yeah, just like every cop is a racist pig and every biker is a granny-raping, child-eating thug... Start by finding out what others have experienced. Plenty of good accounts on independent review sites. I ended up with Carole Nash, who have a reputation as being very expensive - For me, they were the cheapest and have always given me top service, but so many others found them fighting tooth and nail to get the best deal for their customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Yeah, just like every cop is a racist pig and every biker is a granny-raping, child-eating thug... Start by finding out what others have experienced. Plenty of good accounts on independent review sites. I ended up with Carole Nash, who have a reputation as being very expensive - For me, they were the cheapest and have always given me top service, but so many others found them fighting tooth and nail to get the best deal for their customers. I am with MCE at the minute and they offer the best deal especially with extras such as free breakdown cover etc. I have only used a compare site though. This afternoon I decided to get a renewal quote through a compare site and it is less than half what I paid last year. But with MCE again, they are always the cheapest, so I am going to phone them direct soon to get a quote. Now that I am paying less than half I did, I would be an idiot not to go third party fire and theft again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttaskmaster Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 I don't use compare sites myself and hear quite a few tales of companies that, for various reasons, cannot honour a 'quote' from a third party website. My trick is to get a quote from their website, then phone them up and get another. Often the two differ and you use that as a starting point. Then you play different companies off against each other. It takes a bit of legwork, but can be great fun! I also find Carole Nash the most willing to undercut the competition by a good couple of hundred quid!! "So you're saving me 30% because you're increasing my payment by £380? Well Carole Nash just quoted me £110 for absolutely everything. Can you beat that? Nope - Didn't think so. Bye!!" My last ever conversation with Bennets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 I'm going to phone them direct, I've decided to get theft cover as well now. Was just a thought I had about saving money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouch Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 If your bike does get nicked I have read your insurance trebles and your insurance companies become very limited. Seems all fucked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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