Insurance headache!

[TravisBickle]

I've just taken out a new policy with MCE to start on 1st March.

I specifically wanted cover to ride any other motorcycle, normally I wouldn't have given this a second thought as it's seems a bit of a random luxury I wouldn't expect many/any insurers to provide (not like in the good old days of car insurance when pretty much any comprehensive policy covered you to drive anyone else's car, not like nowadays) but looking into it, it seems to be not unheard of for motorbike insurance even these days.

The year before last I do remember seeing on my policy (for a 1999 FZS600) I could ride any other bike with the owner's permission (vaguely remember this being with Hastings but I could be wrong!), however unfortunately last year I just run a comparison (for a 2014 FZ1) and just selected the cheapest (Motorcycle Direct) without checking it had the same cover for other bikes, wasn't until mid-policy I realised it didn't have the same cover and they wouldn't even give me the option to pay extra to add it on (not impressed!).

This year I was determined to have it included (just makes my life easier I can ride my wife's bike and my son's bike to and from the garage and having MOTs done etc. without the worry or having to buy extra cover or add me as an additional rider to their policies, just far easier if I have my own cover to ride ANY bike) but my god what a headache it has been trying to get the insurance companies to commit to it being included before actually purchasing the policy! When you click to view the quote on the provider's website you can view the insurance product information document (IPID) and most of the different insurance providers have something worded along the lines of (under the section of things you ARE covered for):
Riding other bikes - we will cover you to ride another motorcycle
third party only. This only applies if shown on your certificate
of motor insurance limited to third party only

You don't get the certificate until after you've completed the purchase. So how the fuck are you supposed to know whether they're going to include it or not?! Correct me if I'm wrong but that's a pretty important part of the cover and something you would want to know BEFORE committing, right? This sounds like a good idea why not just systematically go through purchasing the same policy from every individual insurer on the list until you get one where it's included. You ring up and ask for someone to confirm it and they just give you the same old guff saying it's included as standard so long as you meet the criteria. But they won't tell you what the criteria are!

Tried calling RCIB, don't bother! Fucking useless! Just kept putting me on hold and transferring me to different people I gave up after an hour of being disconnected, put on hold and being transferred to someone else.

I finally thought I was getting somewhere with Motorcycle Direct (the company I'm currently covered with) who told me over the phone that as long as the bike I'm insuring is over 350cc and I'm not in the motor trade it'll be included. That's good news because they were one of the cheapest quotes. Should have been sceptical given they weren't willing to put it on the policy last year but I went ahead and purchased that online only to get the certificate and find it's not included. Spoke to them on the phone again and they said the underwriter can't add it to the policy so if I wanted to go with someone else and cancel with them I'd have to suffer a £25 admin fee. WTF?!

Next cheapest on the list was RAC but they were being underwritten by the same company as Motorcycle Direct were offering (Highway underwriters) so I gave them a miss.

Next down the list was MCE. Couldn't find any information on who was underwriting them, someone on the phone confirmed it's definitely included. Bought it online and I'm pleased to report it is included with this company. Not only that, check out the wording:
Mr Travis Bickle may also drive, with the owner’s permission, a motor vehicle not belonging to, or hired or leased to
them or their partner.
Think I could reasonably assume this covers me to drive anyone else's car and/or HGV/PSV? The wording is very general and open-ended by just using the word 'vehicle'.

Only drawback with this one is it states it doesn't cover me to ride my partner's bike which is half the reason I wanted this on the cover.

Policy is TP only. Cover to drive any other vehicle with owners permission. Two non fault accidents. One SP30 (6 points and £230 fine). I'm 36 with 2 NCD. £222.38. Seems like a good price?
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[yen_powell]

I always ask for riding other bikes and business use and after they say yes I check the policy documents to make sure it's there when I have renewed. I got 4 points whilst still a learner (82 or 83) for lending someone my bike who wasn't covered so I am extra careful. I do the same for my car insurance.

You have a set amount of time to cancel if they have got it wrong and they supposedly record conversations so if you ask them clearly on the phone and they have said something incorrect then you can cancel.

My certificate says KGM Motor, I think I got it via Devitts, not sure right now as I shop around at renewal time.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[TravisBickle]

Yeah there's a 14 day cooloff period and my policy doesn't start until 1st March so I've got plenty of time to cancel both policies but they're adamant they're entitled to keep the £25 admin fee even though in my eyes it was miss sold to me.

Does anyone have cover to ride other bike that DOESN'T exclude their partner's bike? If so, who are you insured with please???
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[Nobby the Bastard]

3rd party insurance is third party insurance. I've never heard of that before. You could always threaten them with the insurance ombudsman for misspelling.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[yen_powell]

[t121anf]

Bennett’s doesn’t have a partner clause that I’ve noticed, wife doesn’t ride so it’s irrelevant but I would have noticed it to think how odd it was.

[Blah blah]

My insurance had the ability to ride someone else's bike third party only, but when I added another bike to it, it became a multi-bike policy and I lost the cover.

What really narked was the fact that it cost as much to add a bike to my existing policy as it would have to take out a separate one for the other bike with no NCD.

[weasley]

My policy says:

We will also provide the cover shown above (if this is specified in your Certificate of Motor Insurance) for you to ride any motorcycle that you do not own and have not hired under a hire purchase or leasing agreement, as long as you have the owner’s permission to ride it.

Carole Nash.

On the subject of your partner’s bike, can you not get added to their policy as a named rider and hence enjoy all the policy cover benefits rather than just 3rd party cover?
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[TravisBickle]

Thanks guys for all your replies!

[Nobby the Bastard]

Carole nash is an insurance company.....
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[TravisBickle]

Oh yes of course didn't see that!
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[Freddyfruitba...]

[TravisBickle]

Ok so seems I'm in the minority and being shafted. First by the first company who didn't add it at all after saying they would and now by the second company who are excluding my wife's bike(s) even though that wasn't mentioned in the description before I purchased it.

Do I REALLY wanna go ahead and try buying a third policy from a third company and get the other two refunded? Probably a job for tomorrow but I'm getting sick of this shit.
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[Ste]

[TravisBickle]

A broker is still a company.

But I get what you mean, they're a broker and not an underwriter.

I think most of them are brokers right? Me thinks that not many underwriters deal directly with the general pubic.
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[Ste]

[Monkeypony]

I've never had a policy that doesn't include riding other bikes, although, my policies are always fully comp.
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Current bike - 2018 H2-SX, 2004 SV1000s, 2016 Aprilia RSV4 RF, 2017 Sherco SERF 300, 2003 Suzuki DRZ400 (stolen - AY53 JUU)

[wr6133]

3 current policies with Bennetts all have this exact wording

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50901040752_772db72455_o.png

[TravisBickle]

Update for anyone interested MCE are saying they can't change the wording on the certificate because "that means changing it for everyone and it would be a system-wide implementation they would have to make" (well my argument to that is if it's wrong in the first place doesn't it need fixing?). However they have assured me it DOES cover me to ride any other bike including those owned by my partner, I wasn't happy with this verbally so they directed me to page 2 of the policy schedule where it says any other bike and doesn't exclude partners bikes, still wasn't 100% satisfied as one document contradicts the other so they've emailed me written assurance that any bike owned by my wife is covered. So I'm reasonably happy with this, just means printing three documents out and keeping them together in case of a pull rather than just one but it's an acceptable solution.

Cancelled the policy with Motorcycle Direct, they wouldn't budge on the £25 admin fee, could throw my toys out the pram and take it further but for £25 it's not worth my time :-/

Still kinda perplexed by the use of the word "vehicle" instead of "motorcycle". Think there's grounds here to just drive other people's cars, HGVs and coaches willy and indeed nilly and just produce that if pulled? I doubt the underwrites actually intend to cover this, and again comes down to piss poor wording, but perhaps a legitimate case for taking it at face value.
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport

[Weisse Schlange]

Seems to me what you are talking about is the third part extension that most policies have.

It is always just 3rd party only, you would have to have a policy that covers the rider for any vehicle to have the same level of cover for all.

Would love to be proved wrong but I've always had this extension and it's always just been 3rd part cover.
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Hing Oan

[TravisBickle]

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Weisse Schlange]

Every car policy I've ever had came with a third party extension, and I've only ever had an extension on fully comp bike policies

I knew I was right. lol.

I didn't mention it not being available on third party cover policies, sorry, You're right about that.

Third party fire and theft policies generally don't have it either.

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Hing Oan

[TravisBickle]

I must be in the minority then as pretty much every (if not all) private car policy I have had since the late 90s has not included TPO cover for other cars even if the policy itself was fully comp :-/

Can't comment on my current policy as we don't have any private cars just 8 taxis on a fleet policy that's any driver/any car.
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2024 BMW M1000XR
2021 Honda CMX500 Rebel S
2016 Triumph Tiger 1050 Sport