Bike Insurance Rant - Bennets

[95Theses]

FFS

I got my CBT last October and got a YBR125 and insured it with Bennets online. I didn't use a price comparison site because someone reccomended Bennets and it was £220 which I figured wasn't going to get much lower with anyone else (32 then 33 now, decent part of London, parked on a driveway)

I'm doing MOD1 thursday and MOD2 the following Thursday so I've been looking at bikes, almost certainly either a VFR800 or a CBR600F. So I went on a couple of sites to get quotes.

A 2000 model £2.5k bike is around £230 TPFT with a years no claims or £370 with 0 no claims (I know makes no sense to get that much for 1 year but there you have it, two sites, exact same details except altering NCB and requoting)

So, Clearly I am best off changing my current insurance to a new bike having passed my test, finishing the year and then taking out a new policy.

Which is where the fun started, I phoned Bennets to see how much they would charge me for the additional 2 months on a bigger bike and was told

"Ah, sorry but the current underwriters for your policy won't insure you on that bike until you have two years experience, you will either have to cancel this policy with us and lose your NCB and we will give you a new policy from a different underwriter or keep your YBR until October and we will give you a new policy then"

Clearly keeping the YBR until winter isn't happening, but what annoys the hell out of me is that at no point did Bennets discuss underwriters with me when I took the policy out. I didn't take out a policy with their poxy underwriters, I took it out with Bennets. The same Bennets who are perfectly happy to insure me on either bike using a different underwriter.

The Lady on the phone seemed to think it was just a bit of tough luck and there was nothing I could do about it except cough up to them. Which is almost true, except I will of course be cancelling my policy with Bennets, never using them again, posting on here to tell everyone how shit they are and to be careful if they take out insureance and telling everyone who ever mentions insurance of any sort to me about how crap they are.

What did they think I was going to do? Keep the YBR for a year? that was never my intention (I've been too slack with my DAS as it is!) If they'd asked me I would have told them, I was already considering a VFR800 when I did my CBT.

Grrrrrrrr.

[CaNsA]

Go with a diff company.

[95Theses]

[P.addy]

Just keep the YBR running, its only 2 months. Then dont renew... go with another insurer

[95Theses]

[jjdugen]

Just keep the policy active, Youll gain nothing from trading it in, it might even cost you more once cancelation fees are added. Get a new policy somewhere else and declare your currant insurance.
Play them all off against each other, once you get a body on the phone its amazing how many different deals they seem to magically come up with.

[iooi]

[Stowelly]

same happened to me with bennets. i just sold the bike and left the policy to run its course (2 months) and went with someone else for bigger bikes, got the no claims from bennets, but was fairly useless as insurance companies dont seem to take no claims if the policies have run even slightly consecutively!

[Black Knight]

As much distain as I have for the scum that are Bennetts, on this occassion, they are right in what they have said.

You insure for a year period. It's a contract. Any changes to that contract are likely to incur fees.

With regard to underwriters, again they are correct. Bennetts are just a broker, a poor one at that.

If you are really keen to change bikes, I suggest a PAYG policy for a few months until you have received you NCB confirmation from Bennetts. You can then use that to discount a annual policy.
____________________
Where does a turn end? 'Where you can do anything with the gas you want to, where you are brave again, where your attention is free from the turn, where you are sure you can do it better next time; that's the end' - Keith Code.

[P.addy]

[njd27]

[leonski]

ive just insured with bennets had no problem untill the dd was taken from my account

dd should of been 16.50 but instead 26.50 was taken cue the problem as it was taken towards the end of the month i found my money has slightly depleted since pay day and only had 20 pound in ones account so bounced the dd
so fine from bank £35
im now pissed right off
then i get a letter from close finance saying due to the returned dd and they have placed a charge of 35 pounds and i charge of another 10 for not returning my credit agreement back
cue me ranting down the phone for an hour funny thing is they cant even print my address right so naturally the paper work was never received by me but what makes me laugh even more a letter telling me ive been fined arrives no problem so from 16,50 D/D i'm now expected to pay 95 pounds

naturally im not paying it my bank will meet me half way coz nor mine or my banks fault
and guess what close finance blame Bennetts for giving the wrong address and Bennetts blame close finance

i feel like i wont use them again but i will be going strait to aivia direct
____________________
there is nothing like the smell of 2stroke in the morning
current beasts..lol de-restricted ludix classic 50 fastest ped ive ever ridden
yamaha ybr 125 working progress .......

[P.addy]

Good point, you could get temp cover..

[leonski]

guess what!!!!!!
they admitted they were in the wrong, well well well thats a turn up for the books and now i have no fines for there incomptance
____________________
there is nothing like the smell of 2stroke in the morning
current beasts..lol de-restricted ludix classic 50 fastest ped ive ever ridden
yamaha ybr 125 working progress .......

[Kickstart]

[iooi]

[P.addy]

[phonesurgeon]