eBike - They don't pay because I have different address?

[Snapworld]

Hi all

My motorbike got stolen two months ago (boo). The police found it around East London and it was taken to a depot,then a garage. The insurance asked me for plenty of paperwork in order to give the garage the green light for them to start repairing my bike. Then all the drama started.

I have two addressed, the address where my stuff is registered (I don't live there, I may sleep there once every two weeks or so) and then my partner's address, where I sleep and where the bike stays overnight.

On the V5 the bike is registered to my address, as in for the insurance records the bike is registered my partners address. When I filled in the form for the insurance they asked me where the motorbike stays overnight, so I gave my partners address. Now they are accusing me of lying and they are not giving the green light to the garage because they say that I have two addresses. WTF? They are also getting solicitors to get back to me as they won't listen to me and just tell me to wait for letters from the solicitors. This is ridiculous. I need to use my motorbike for work and I haven't lied!


Any tips? What can I do? If i ring them they will just tell me to wait for solicitors and to deal with them. ahgrrrrrrr


Appreciate your help

L

[moppy]

Where was your bike stolen from? V5 address or partners address?

I can imagine insurance companies having a fucking blast with this.

[JP7]

Was it stolen from your registered address, or your partner's address?

If it was stolen from your partner's address and this fact is recorded by the police, the insurance company should have no cause for complaint. If that is the case, write to them directing them to police crime report xyz, stating that the vehicle was stolen from the address where it was insured to be.

If it was stolen from the other address, you will have a much harder job, as the insurers will just tell you that you lied to them and tried to insure it at a "safer" address to keep your premium down.

[Snapworld]

it was stolen from V5 address, sadly.

What is the worst that could happen? Would I just pay the difference between postcodes charges just so they can just get on and fix it or would they try to cancel my whole policy and not pay a single penny?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Insurance is an agreement of utmost faith. You don't have to tell them everything, but you do have to tell them anything that you think might be relevant. I would say that having the bike at a different address would be deemed as obviously relevant for theft insurance purposes.

As such you might well be stuffed. I would not be surprised if they refuse to pay out on this claim entirely, and on this I would think all you can do is appeal to their mercy. I would expect them to do something with the policy for the future (ie, charge you an increased premium for the rest of the year or cancel the policy).

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Polarbear]

[G]

If it was stolen from another address, then you'd have a much more reasonable chance - but it's going to look pretty suspicious that it was stolen from the address on the v5, but insured at a different address.

They will reasonably presume you intentionally gave them incorrect details.

[Rogerborg]

[Snapworld]

But the bike is fully insured, what if it gets stolen near V5 address?

If i pay for the repairs myself, would I still be able to ride continuing using my insurance? Would I just need to keep the bill from the garage so they can pay for it in the future?



Thanks guys

[moppy]

[G]

[cb1rocket]

So on another note, if I have TPFT and the bike gets nicked away from home, ie a mate's house or down town. Are the insurers going to mess about paying out when you go on trips?

[Kwaks]

First of all is it more expensive to insure at the V5 address? Run some quotes and check.

Second of all if they are closing ranks and not discussing things then I would class that as an unnecessary delay and inform them I will be contacting the ombudsman, Meanwhile gather evidence that you do stay at the partners house and signed statements from neighbours that the bike is usually kept there overnight,
____________________
Fallen Angel "Nae sniffing my seat now!!!!! "
www.cliqueycuntsmcc.co.uk
I AM NOT A FAST RIDER!!!!!!!!!

[G]

[Jamey]

Why don't people just say it was nicked from the insured address in the first place, save themselves a lot of hassle.

They're never gonna know where it was nicked from.

[moppy]

[Raffles]

In the eyes of the insurers this probably does look dodgy and I don't blame them for smelling a rat. As far as a vehicle's sleeping arangements are concerned, I've only ever been asked where it is normally housed. The insurers should not be allowed to wriggle out of payment simply because you occasionally stay at a different address.
____________________
A good loser will always be a loser.

[Rogerborg]

[Recluso]

Well, the big question here is, why did you have it insured to another address?

If it was to try and cheat out a lower premium then sorry, sucks to be you and being clever has just bitten you in the backside.

If it was because your girlfriend lives in a dodgier area, you could try and explain to the insurance that although you don't live there, because you DO stay there and it's a less than nice area, that you thought it would be safer to insure it there in case something happened.

Sometimes if you can prove/explain that your actions were through a bit of (perhaps misguided) common sense (or rather, was something that made sense to you and you didn't realise/fully understand the possible rammifications) then they may be nice to you. As blood-sucking as insurance brokers can be, even they realise that sometimes an innocent mistake is made.

Either way, I hope you manage to sort something out at any rate. It's still a bummer and a half that the bike was stolen at all.
____________________
'Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.'
Honda PS125i > Yamaha YBR125 > Yamaha XJ6 Diversion > Yamaha Tracer 900

[Snapworld]

Thanks.

The true is that I spend most of the nights at my girlfriend's place. And yes, I do sometimes sleep at the other address, but it's rare because her place is closer to my work and I share flat, she doesn't so we have more privacy at hers. I genuinely registered it at hers because the motorbike spends most of the nights there and that's what they asked me when I was filling the form. that's all. If i would have chosen my place then it would had been a lie.

I have checked postcodes and apparently my area is less safer than hers, so don't know what I will say to the insurance. It does sound dodgy.

Could I suggest them to pay extra money and have the bike registered at two addresses or something? Is that even possible?


Thanks guys

L

[Capt Castle]

When I was doing my PGCE I was living in different places for months at a time.

I rang my (car) insurance company to ask about what they need to know and according to them (Aviva) they are only interested in where the car was for the most time during the policy.

I would explain to your insurance company that you insured the bike at the address it (and you) spend most of the time as you thought that would be more honest.

It makes sense to do that so you may get some leeway.
____________________
Bikes: GZ125>CBR125>Yamaha MT03>Triumph Sprint ST 955i
CBT: 06/06/08 DAS:14/07/09

[0l0dom0l0]

What bike is it?

It might not even be worth claiming, you'll have to pay an increase in premium for the next 5 years and an excess so it maybe well be cheaper in the long run to just fix it yourself.

Just a suggestion.
____________________
CBT Passed: 30/08/2009, Theory Passed: 31/08/2010, Mod 1 Passed: 6/9/2010, Mod 2 Passed: 13/09/2010. Restriction ended 13/09/2012.

Bikes: 2007 Derbi GPR 50, 1998 Yamaha Fazer 600 (written off), 2002 Yamaha Fazer 600, 1994 CBR 600F, 2003 Triumph Daytona 600, Kawasaki ZX6R J1.....Current: 2006 Yamaha FZ6, 1998 Suzuki TL1000R and a Honda VFR 400 NC30.

[Recluso]

[Rogerborg]

Actually, reading your original post, you don't have to wait for their legal ghouls to deign to contact you. Write to their complaints department, explain the situation as you've explained it to us, and state that unless they either pay up or authorise the repairs immediately, you'll take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (and they'll be £400 out of pocket regardless of the outcome).

And I agree with 0l0dom0l0; is it so badly damaged that it can't be ridden? You might be as well just taking it back - it's your bike - and seeing if you can bodge it.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[.....]