“There’s no evidence you bike was stolen because the chain and padlock are no longer there” “Oh ok, I’ll be claiming for a chain and padlock as well then”
I had this problem when I had less than a month to run on my policy and my insurer wouldn't change my bike over to my new one. I said I was going to sell the old one and they said I had to cancel and also lose that year's no claims. In the end I kept my bike for another 3 weeks until the insurance ran out on it and then sold it......more luck than judgement!!!! I hadn't a clue about this!
@@1000sofusernames any insurance company will do what ever they can to screw you out of money. An honest insurance company will waste alot of money, I suppose I should also say the underwriters of all insurance policies . There is thousands of insurance companies, but they will all use pretty much the same few insurance underwriters.
It’s crazy that we’ve been insuring our bikes for years without really being told the actual truth in layman’s terms about what we are or are not covered for. The point regarding insurance companies reaching overseas outside of the EU to gather historical data on you to avoid GDPR is disgraceful. If more videos and information gets out referring to this, some insurance companies, if named, could be in serious trouble as I’m sure the biking community will boycott them. Fantastic job Al, please keep things like this on the channel.....very useful and informing.
The problem with declaring modifications is if you declare a bunch, even if they are not performance enhancing, they will often ruse cover. Which encourages people not to declare them and therefore give them a higher chance of not having to pay out. This is probably why they do it. I bought a ratty cbr600 fy and had the suspension serviced and resprung for my weight, new better brake pads, brake fluid, braided lines, led indicators and headlights, lever guards (need for track), better tires and swapped the tail end for the sport version so i can get a lower seat hight which means i can now get both feet down. Most insurers just refuse straight away even though everything I've done makes the bike easier for me to control and safer to ride. None of what I've done makes the bike go faster than it did. It was only after the guy at bemoto said he would deliberately leave things out that I'd done that i got a quote. This sector needs to be way more heavily regulated.
They are con artists.a foreign driver hit my misses car drunk he didnt have a licence and insurance so we ended up footing the bill all he got was a police caution and the following year the premiums went up even though we wasn't at fault the car was parked on the road.
UK is next level though, in Australia it’s nothing like this in terms of cost and complexity. You will still get left out in the cold if you are dishonest in the policy details however, which is fair enough.
My old insurance company refused to pay out "Because of the area" after my bike was stolen. Told them it was used for commuting, parked at the underground car park at the National Theatre in London, disc lock & chain, immobilizer etc. They said it was fine, come to claim, they rejected it "because of the area".
@@harpersneil unfortunately not, every time I tried to appeal it, raise a formal complaint etc was met with the same excuse. In the end I was stuck liable for £7K to a finance company.
@@stevefaust3532 That really boils my p*ss mate; I'm so sorry. You should tell everyone you know who that insurance company is so we can all vote with out money.
@@stevefaust3532 what? That sounds VERY illegal. You cannot not pay someone for parking in "the area". Did they have a record of communicating a list of areas their insurance doesn't cover?
@@greyanaroth Good question! They would have to disclose if there were areas where their insurance isn't valid, and if they sold you a policy without taking steps to avoid that, it's them who are in breach, not the customer.
After I got my full A license I gave my insurers a ring to inform them about the upgrade. They charged me £50 to tick a box and hit update on a screen, and it's made no difference at all to my yearly premium. XD Absolute scummers.
Admin charges are ridiculous mate even like changing adress takes then 30 seconds and get charged £25 minimum. Some even charge you admin charges for updating it online yourself.
Insurance companies are the modern highway robbers. You can’t ride on the road without it but when you need them to pay out they try everything not to pay out. A friend of mine recently got refused a pay out because he had a sticker on his bike they said it was an undeclared modification.
Insurance is purely a legality.a woman smashed my bike up when it was parked and my insurance company took 5 months to get me my money and my premium went up the next year regardless of the fact it was a non fault claim and I wasn't even near the bike.i will name names as I dont give a shit they were meant to represent me and did a terrible job.i was chasing them every week.it was MCE by the way.
There is many ways around it. But you need to educate yourself in many ways and understand the exact wording of law and legislation and then know the difference in them. Its not for everyone but can be done legally. But you are at higher risk as your personally responsible for everything. I have 11 vehicles, none of which carry dvla registration plates, dvla do not hold any certificates of manufacture for my items and I accept full liability for them as they are not property of the crown or dvla. When you buy a new vehicle it has a certificate of manufacture which holds all vehicle details. If you pay for it out rite fully with no financial backing at all. Not even a bank loan then you own that vehicle, if you apply for a v5 you are then giving ownership of title to another party, you are then subject to any and all rules and regulations they declare. Failure to comply results in penalties, no longer called " fines " but thats another topic... All my vehicles are fully insured and the underwriters know the details. Sadly police don't understand this is legal when carrying my own personal registration plates, and this is where you need extremely good legal understandings. They will seize your vehicle and arrest you etc, but when court date comes you place all your evidence and situation to the magistrates remembering to ask them to uphold the law equally. You calming explain how you do what you do and that there is no laws to say you must comply with dvla, you provide insurance to show your covered for a financial loss. If you lack any legal understandings dont do it, until you do understand everything involved. When your given your property back, you then file civil claims upon each officer involved and the police service they belong to for theft, kidnapping false arrest etc etc. Claim for loss of use damage etc and of course a small legal fee for your troubles. That goes to court and you show the case you won that ment police were wrong for what they did, you get compensation. That force and police officer will likely not bother you again if your sensible as they pay from their own wages for your claim. It also applies that ignorance of the law is no excuse to a police officer if he does not know it, rather he should know more than you do as its his job 👍
If an insurer is claiming they've not got documents etc, you can submit a data subject access request and this paints them into a corner as there is a legal obligation to provide every bit of information with your details on and should you end up in litigation, the insurer is up the creek if they've not compiled with DSAR. 👍
I made my first ever claim last year and was amazed to be offered the full insured value of my bike minus excess. Really thought i was in for a rough ride. It pays dividends to pay a little extra for a more reputable company. I'm with Bennetts btw. Helped i'd told the truth on my proposal so there was nothing to quibble on. The last point is fascinating though, will definitely be doing that from now on! Cheers guys
This is ace I love this series. What makes it ace is it's something different from any usual bike RU-vid videos. Proper legal advice and some laughs and chin wagging
Dont forget to declare any changes/modifications mid way through your policy to your insurance, they will then charge a £25 fee and increase your monthly costs.
Of course they will. They insured you, originally, on the basis of the original spec you gave them. You make changes to the bike and that means their original agreement with you is no longer applicable, hence they'll charge you a new price based on your mods. I don't understand why that is so hard to understand, it's not rocket science
@@westers1514 it's never a reasonable price increase in my experience. When you come to make a claim they only pay for the original bike and not the accessories, yet they charge you for for it.
@@andy_xtr3861 Agreed, which is why it pays to shop around; insurers enter and leave the market depending on what their business strategy is. Sometimes they want bikes, and the price is competitive, other times they want to get out of the sector and so put the price up. Renewal time they play the numbers game - some people still renew without shopping around. As for what they pay: it's based on what they think the value of your bike and accessories are at the time of claim. They factor in depreciation, which is fair. It's not reasonable to expect them to pay you the original cost of everything if you'd had a few years use out of it (or more.)
I am old enough to remember when compulsory passenger insurance, as it was then referred to, came in and the furore it caused (it was required whether or not a vehicle could physically carry a passenger) . I had been with the same insurer for nearly fifty years, based on a proposal form submitted at the start of the policy, when, two years ago, my broker tried it on at renewal time with the "passengers are not covered" thing. I quoted the relevant section of the Road Traffic Act requiring that cover must be given for liability to all third parties and that what they were suggesting meant that the policy did not comply with the requirements of the law and they could not offer a non-compliant product. The reply? "Oh, oh! You're right, of course passengers are covered". I'd be interested in White Dalton's opinion on that one.
when i was 17, i told an insurance company i was 72, a retired yoga instructor named gerald. My insurance for my 2 litre focus shot down from 5 grand to 200 quid.
I got told a long time ago(by someone at swinton) to never say I used security devices locks, chains, immobilisers even in the garage, my premium is not noticeably higher although I don't live in a city. Then you never have a problem if its stolen, You obviously CAN use all those things. I also got told to be clear that the garage was not brick built but concrete sectional.
Interesting article, nice work. I remember reading an ‘on risk’ scenario by Andrew a few years back. Shocker!!! Additional tip- if your bike gets nicked or smashed up, when you’ve calmed down, thoroughly read every word of your policy before you pick the phone up. There’s much less chance the fuckers will trip you up if you’ve just swatted up.
Brilliant advice as always. The whole thing with pillions I've never understood as I can take 6 passengers in a car and I don't have to tell my insurance but 1 on a bike and I do. I understand the risk is higher but surely the risk for the insurers is much more with 6 potential injured parties than it is with 1
I've got an idea, next time i'm getting quotes online I'm getting a photo of myself with a empty bottle of my favourite spirit slumped over my keyboard and claiming careless decisions if my quotes wrong lol
Well morally yea that would be true. But their point is and always has been, to earn money off of you. It has always been a lucrative business, praying on other people's potential for misfortune. They are not there to help you, they are there to take advantage of you as much as they can, and then pay up the few times where they legally have to (and somethimes not even then if they can trick you into believing you're liable despite the law being on your side).
I had the shed/garage issue with my current insurer (well not an issue) I explained where my bike was kept and the fact it was behind a gate, 4 locks and an immobiliser + Oxford chain + alarm lock.. All I had to do was take pictures and upload them, they were happy enough.
The bit of advice given about letting your insurer know about selling your bike is well received and slightly terrifying of the ramifications when you don’t.
I love this series, more please, Bennetts have removed my exhaust modifications from renewal and when I asked them they told me exhaust modifications are now covever standard with us.
Instead of the "locked in a garage" rule. Could you not say that you got beatup and keys took off you after you just got off a ride? As if you were mugged for the keys before you put it in the garage
Having worked in insurance for ten+ years, it's always the same on public forums with claims of 'insurers will try to WRIGGLE out of' I don't doubt the anecdotes cited in this video are true but it really is a case of get what you pay for! Pay the cheapest premium gets the most restrictive terms and outsourced claims companies. Pay a respectable premium for peace of mind you will get what you pay for 👍
Never say I have a lock because it’ll be that one time you forget it something happens, my last quote it was virtually no difference in the premium with or without. The other thing that really gets me is when they ask the value you can say £10k and they’ll take a premium based on that but on payout they’ll pay what it’s book value is, it seems to be a way of selling gap insurance.
Agreed. I do the same. The difference for not having a lock was only about £5, I think.Very little anyway. Likewise with a pillion - about £5 difference.
So, legally we have to have insurance to ride our bikes and if there's an accident or it's stolen they'll try to use fine print and unsubstantiated evidence to avoid paying a claim. And we're ok with that? Should there be an independent regulator that we can go to to prevent this kind of fraud on the part of the insurer?
would like to hear about the potential legal repercussions and insurance repercussions of running "not for road use" exhausts or exhausts without baffles on the road
I’m a former motor underwriter - good advice being dispensed here, I would add before you purchase make sure your chosen insurer is registered in the U.K. and not off shore, or better still use a broker.
In canada, so might be different. I was adamant in telling the insurer that I WOULD definitely use my bike to commute. The broker wouldn't check the 'commute' box though and said they always just check 'pleasure' for motorcycles. You bet I have kept that email in a very safe place.
From my experience MCE are utter fraudsters and cowboys, Bennetts are magnificent, bike stolen and no quibble the claim was settled promptly (so Thank you Bennetts if you are reading this)
The prices look too good to be true, the garage term is shocking, you can't even park "in the vicinity" of your own garage or its a chunk of cash off the settlement, which is why I chose Karen bash instead
Hmmmmm I told my old insurance company that my bike was stored in a flimsy metal shed but it that was on a concrete base, according to them they classed it as a brick built garage, lucky I never had to claim.
Thanks for that , just sold BMW 3 litre M sport . Thought I'd let the last 2 months insurance run its course as I wouldn't get any premium back! Just cancelled it 👍
That last bit is very needing to do, even when it comes to the registration. Sold a car, they went past 2 red light cameras and reversed into another car when parking somewhere to get food and took off. The plate was caught on camera and people tried to come after me, the license details they gave me were invalid. But I already called up to say it was sold earlier in the day.
An insurance solicitor on video is telling you that insurance companies consistently Misrepresent the law to defraud you of money and we still just let them crack on
That's not what he said at all. He advised us bike owners to be truthful. If you then have a problem with an insurer refusing a claim then you can complain to the Insurance Ombudsman.
Great video, I’ve been with Bemoto now for 3/4yrs running , I knew you have to be truthful when setting up your policy , I’m now hoping Bemoto aren’t in the category of trying to wiggle out of every claim , there are honest hard working folk out here who don’t take the piss and do declare everything , but now I’m thinking fucking hell, hope I’m never in that situation
I say I keep my bike on the driveway with no locks at all even though I keep it in a locked garage with a disk and chain lock with the car in front. The reason is someone could nick it when I am cleaning it on my driveway or from a garage forecourt! Also, READ THE T&CS BEFORE SIGNING UP, a lot of insurers mandate that you use a disk lock AT ALL TIMES hidden in the small print. I hate insurance companies...
The best thing to do in terms of security is declare no security fitted/used on the bike, because it doesn't change your premium anyway. Try it, add the best locks and alarms etc and it won't lower your premium any more than saying no security. That way they can't say anything about security other than where the bike is stored.
You couldnt have timed this episode better for me! Watched it last night and sold my bike this morning! First thing i did, even though the new buyer phoned his insurance in front of me before riding off, was phone Be Moto to cancel my policy and get the bike' off risk' as the man said! Downside was after waiting about 20 mins. for BeMoto to answer the phone! i decided to email them suggesting they answer their phone which is also the number they give for an emergency! I put it in writing that i wanted the bike off risk at the time he left to hopefully cover myself? They eventually phoned me to ask if they could help? and i finally got it sorted despite the email i sent explaining everything and my details.
I Use Lexham, they were the cheapest when quoted from the MCN comparison site. Someone did a U-Turn infront of me on my VFR800x. They sorted a loaner within a couple of days. Sorted payment quickly. Organised a personal injury lawyer and I got my expenses paid. Excellent service. Still using them n a VFR1200x
I get insurance in the full knowledge that I will not be paid out or that ultimately it will be too costly to claim. It is a purely legal venture. for that reason, I never by new.
@@philthompson4174 mines gone up by £60... bet if I tell them no thanks it’ll magically come down. “You’re all set to auto-renew... you don’t have to do anything!” 😂😂
@@philthompson4174 good man, it’ll be the 2nd of many years I’m sure! And you’ve found 44T so you’re well away my man! What bike you got? Arrow is a great shout, ask Perkins, he’s got a sexy arrow on his RF I think! The big question is.. did you declare it on your insurance haha!
@@turnipboyon2520 haha I’m yet to fit it, so I’m in that position of deciding now, only ordered it the other day 😁. Went for an MT07, the exhaust is to put off exchanging it for something else before I’ve had a good summer on it.
Dang that is some complicated stuff compared to Finnish insurers. They ask the license plate, your social security number, your ZIP-code, are you the only one in possession of the bike, is the bike owned by a bank or loan company and how long is your driving season. And of course if you want only the mandatory insurance that covers all people damage and material damages to the opposing party if you were at fault or do you want some extra coverage like towing in case of breakdowns, collisions with animals, fire, theft etc.
This is what it should be. Not a few hundred questions that can change at any time. It's a vehicle and it will be used as such in all its capabilities, just cover it...
When he mentioned the MID - Motor Insurance Database at 6:29 what wasn't said is that it's _your_ responsibility to check you and your vehicle are on there as having cover. It doesn't matter whether you have policy documents, proof of payment or even if you can prove you weren't told of a policy cancellation/voiding etc. if you're not on the MID then you are not covered and it's your fault. Insurance = legalised racketeering.
Thanks to the guys at 44 Teeth it prompted me to check the details of the policy. There were errors as to address of where bike was kept and what the building was made of. I’ve emailed BeMoto to correct this. Very wise advise I would have been screwed !
How can the part at 16:44 hold any water…the rider is insured, not the bike as its own entity. Plus, just by selling the bike, doesn’t mean you knew the buyer would ride it without cover (though that could be claimed to be reckless).
Interesting the difference between the UK insurance companies and the US. I added my bike onto my car policy online. No questions other than the year, make and model.
Interesting point at the end there about cancelling when you get rid. When I traded in my 125 I rang to cancel my insurance and they wanted to charge me £35 with a month left. Despite the policy only costing £80. I kicked off and it took me a while but they finally agreed to cancel for no charge. They will try to rinse you for every penny they can get.
Great vid very informative. I have a question if you see this comment. Who is liable if you have sold your at the end of the policy, you don’t renew. but the insurance company automatically renew the policy.
Hope one of you see's this post. My dad recently bought a 2001 cbr 600 f4i. We ran an enhanced check on the bike when purchasing from the private seller which didn't flag anything. No categories and not showing as stolen. The logbook matched the guys home address where we bought the bike from and he had the bike for 6 or so months before selling as he fell off and got a fright. Now 4 months on my Dad has been using the bike for work and weekend rides out. The police turned up and have recovered the bike late last night stating that the bike was stolen in 2009 but the owner who reported this has since passed away. The bike has been through mots and done 14k miles since 2009 as well. So my question is this do you think he will get the bike back?
Just about to instruct White Dalton, based off these and the Fast Bikes bits - I've already spoken to Martyn before, and it's clear these guys are the go to for bikers! Here's hoping that White Dalton wipe the floor, as my appointed lot (though not yet instructed) are so wishy washy, I've got no faith in them whatsoever.
What gets me the most is the legal requirement for insurance vs the lack of accountability to any real consumer body. There was a programme on back in the early 2000's which interviewed an ex risk assessor who claimed road risk premiums were around 80% higher than necessary in some cases simply because there is nothing to stop companies loading premiums for any reason they can think up. That was just before the big outcry where womens and mens premiums were meant to now be equal. If its a legal requirement (and I fully agree it should be) then it should be highly regulated to prevent the ott premiums followed by the lack of paying out for something which has no material bearing on the claim.
Are you required by law to have insurance in the UK ?some states in the USA let legally not have insurance. But if you have an accident you are financally responsible for any property damage or injured parties if you are found at fault.
My 1st year insurance (£900) tried to renew 2nd year at £900 again and also slipped in a small change where my bike was only insured as long as it was in my garage by 6pm. As a person that tours and stays over other peoples houses this was total BS. I shopped around and my second year was half the price with full insurance all day every day and overnight anywhere. They do have a clause where you aren’t insured if the bike is outside the garage within I think it’s 50metres, but that’s just to encourage keeping the bike in the garage overnight so I understand that bit. Always listen to the blurb, they will slip in weird stuff you didn’t agree to.
I'm a motor vehicle assessor for an Australian insurance company of 15 years. We don't insure bikes but, the best advice I can give you is, answer all the questions truthfully and to the best of your knowledge. The temptation is there to deliberately be dishonest, which may seem innocent enough to you, to get your premium lower but ask yourself this, do you want to risk your insurer voiding your policy for the sake of saving a few dollars? On the other side of the coin, consider this. Insurance fraud is rife, especially throughout the pandemic. Insurers are investigating claims more heavily than ever before, not to catch honest John who said his car was parked in the garage when it's actually parked in the street, but to catch the career criminals who make a living out of insurance fraud. Unfortunately, some smaller fish get caught in the net when catching the sharks. At least that's how it is in Australia. Please tell the truth to protect yourselves.
Very interesting & a bit of an eye opener too. My main take home point is the best phrase to sum up those dodgy insurance companies rhymes with clucking stunts!
@@alexmorgan3435 Very true, there are lots of idiots about for sure but I was referring to the unscrupulous big insurance company mentioned that "loses" your paperwork & denies it existed in order to avoid paying out.
Interesting point about declaring a pillion passenger, in 1971 or 72 compulsory passenger insurance was introduced, since then has it been removed I think not. When it was introduce their was exemption for single seat bikes.
I in Germany pay 60€ for my CBR 600F every year. Payed about 160€ for a R1 a few years ago. And they dont ask any of those questions except if its parked in a garage. The way you use it its up to you. They cannot wiggle out of coverage if you use it however you like, except racetracks. Is insurance that much more expensive in the UK? It at least seems much more complicated.
Some good points here but why didn’t you interview and Insurance person (underwriter) for example? Dislike the emotive language such as “wriggling out”; insurance law is based on “contract law” and that relies on both parties to the contract being open and honest. The CIA only updated the old “utmost good faith” principles with something more robust and year still unworkable; take the advantage of Pillion or not. You might say No to pillion and so the insurer gives you a discount but when a collision occurs which is the riders fault, that pillion can claim unlimited liability for their injuries; unlimited and that’s the RTA. Of injury awarded, 70% goes to claims management and legal firms in fees plus their disbursements so that’s not into the pockets of insurers, it’s from our premiums!! Don’t lie to an insurer and they will honour your claim; the FCA, PRA and FOS will make sure of it so less of the insurer bashing please...
never put locks or secure markings or anything on my quote and always set it to driveway and set it to the basic and my premium isn't affected by it to much only few quid more then adding them
I've been riding in a different country for nearly 30 years. I've own 5 bikes in the past. However I've just bought my first bike in the UK. The insurance companies are treating me like a new rider and aren't insuring me. I've tried the comarison site and they all come back with " we can't offer you insurance" Any advice extremely appreciated!
I've often found the Proposal sent is incorrect, always to their advantage. Treat insurance companies honesty and reputation as if they're estate agents or politicians and you won't go far wrong. Property insurance is similar. I always state I do NOT have locks on windows, 5 lever mortice door locks or a house alarm, even though I do, as it takes away some excuses not to pay out if you get burgled, etc.
