Ridiculous Car Insurance Increase

Paulmee

Hi,
My insurance has increased from 800 to 1800.
I drive a mazda rx8, am 27, 4 years no claims, 7 years full licence.
The reason hibernian give, after lodging a complaint is as follows(the old 2.6 engine rubbish!!!!)

"We have reviewed the vehicle on cover with our Underwriting Department and they have advised that the vehicle has 2 Renesis (Wankel) engines at 1308cc and is
therefore rated as a 2616cc vehicle. This is standard practice across the Motor Insurance Industry"

I have shopped around, and can get cheaper elsewhere(800 with 123.ie and 1100 with axa), but am stubborn!! :-) , would prefer to stay with hibernian(7 years a customer), and the information they have supplied is clearly incorrect, and Im not gonna let this lie.
I know insurance has gone up, but 1000 euro!! Plus how can they insure me on the same car last year for 800

I am considering emailing the Financial Services Ombudsman.
I am also considering faxing in a copy of the logbook, which states 1300, but I really don't think I should have to. As an established insurance company, they should be correct with their information.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
Paul

wilson10

Just do as most people do.

Shop around for the best deal.

It'll be their loss.

Henry Ford III

They can review and rerate as they see fit. Ombudsman isn't relevant to the setting of rates.

It's clear they no longer want to cover these cars, so I'd suggest you move on.

TheColl

Potato Man wrote: »

I have shopped around, and can get cheaper elsewhere(800 with 123.ie and 1100 with axa), but am stubborn!! :-) , would prefer to stay with hibernian(7 years a customer), and the information they have supplied is clearly incorrect, and Im not gonna let this lie.

wilson10 wrote: »

Just do as most people do.

Shop around for the best deal.

It'll be their loss.

have to agree with wilson10, just go with someone else. i know you've been with them 7 years but they clearly don't care about that so why should you? if the 123.ie quote for 800 offers a comparable policy then why not go for it?

Johnny Utah

I've said it many times before, but insurance companies are gangsters. We are absolutely ripped off for car insurance in this country when you compare some of the figures quoted for car insurance in other EU countries. My own car insurance is up for renewal soon and I was quoted an increase of over 200 Euro, despite the fact that I haven't made any claims, I'm a year older, full NCD, and the value of the car is a lot less than it was last year. Joke!

Guy:Incognito

No point bothering the ombudsman because theres nothing for them to answer. Hiberian can quote you €50,000 if they want.

Have you tried getting an online quote wiht Hibernian?Chances are it'll be cheaper.

Paulmee

Cheers for the advice.
Yes, reckon ill be doing that alright, I suppose I just didn't want to hassle of moving, plus surprisingly Hibernian have been the cheapest for me on that car in previous years.

Obviously no loyalty should be shown to insurance companies, in this instance Im gonna keep at them(ive nothing to loose) to proove there rating system is incorrect

Hoping its a win for the little guy, but not that optimistic

Yes, tried hibernian online, but its the same, 1800. I have to choose 2.6 when entering the engine size to get the rx8 option

zziplex

Give them as good as you get.....

change, There loss not yours.

mone

Hibernian done a similar thing with me last year, put price up a ridicules amount for no real reason. When queried they came up with a reason of course. I just took my business elsewhere, and got a better policy too. I'd recommend going to a broker, they seem to be able to give better prices than going direct to the insurance co.

Damien360

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I've said it many times before, but insurance companies are gangsters. We are absolutely ripped off for car insurance in this country when you compare some of the figures quoted for car insurance in other EU countries. My own car insurance is up for renewal soon and I was quoted an increase of over 200 Euro, despite the fact that I haven't made any claims, I'm a year older, full NCD, and the value of the car is a lot less than it was last year. Joke!

The simple reason for this is our justice system pays out millions for broken ankles and sore hands. Until we bring silly judgements and judges to rule then this will continue on.

Even if the number of claims per capita were lower (have'nt a clue where we rate in europe on this), the very fact that the claim could be potentially huge allows the insurance companies the excuse that our premiums must be high to cover the potential costs. The profit per person published in the indo a few years ago comparing us to other countries shoots this down a bit (huge profits per person made by companies here) but the perception lives on.

J.S. Pill

I'd say what happened is that your car was incorrectly rated at inception. I've been working in Hibernian for a number of years and rx7/8 have always been rated as 2.6l (plus additional loading points). I'd say somebody just spotted the error on your policy this year, hence the big premium jump.

LookBehindYou

Its not the cc they go on.
They have their own logic for their rules.
For example, a motorbike.
I have a hayabusa 1300cc and its cheaper on insurance than my 1000cc Honda sp1.

Paulmee

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Its not the cc they go on.
They have their own logic for their rules.
For example, a motorbike.
I have a hayabusa 1300cc and its cheaper on insurance than my 1000cc Honda sp1.

Yep, know what you mean.
But to imply that the car has 2 engines is clearly wrong.
Last time I checked it had one.

Piston engines can't be compared to rotary, so the logic is flawed.
From mazda
"The 13B 'Renesis' engine used in the new Mazda RX-8 has 2 rotors and Mazda Motor Corporation calculate the swept volume (cc) as 654cc per rotor.
The car is therefore homologated at 654x2 cc, hence the Mazda RX-8 engine size is 1308cc."

Johnny Utah

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Its not the cc they go on.
They have their own logic for their rules.
For example, a motorbike.
I have a hayabusa 1300cc and its cheaper on insurance than my 1000cc Honda sp1.

You can say that again. I've been told a few times by different insurance companies that my own car is classed as "high performance" (their words)- it's only a 320 diesel coupe, so it's hardly high performance. Maybe if it was a 330 or even a 325 petrol I could see their logic, but not a 2 litre diesel. When I was with Axa, apparently my car was classed in group 6 (out of ten groups), so at that rate it would probably be good value to get a proper performance car like an M3.

Paulmee

Johnny Utah wrote: »

You can say that again. I've been told a few times by different insurance companies that my own car is classed as "high performance" (their words)- it's only a 320 diesel coupe, so it's hardly high performance. Maybe if it was a 330 or even a 325 petrol I could see their logic, but not a 2 litre diesel. When I was with Axa, apparently my car was classed in group 6 (out of ten groups), so at that rate it would probably be good value to get a proper performance car like an M3.

Ah yes, the famous group 6. If I got a euro everytime I heard that....
In the last while fdb, allianz and quinn have used the group 6 excuse to not give me a quote.

RGS

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I've said it many times before, but insurance companies are gangsters. We are absolutely ripped off for car insurance in this country when you compare some of the figures quoted for car insurance in other EU countries. My own car insurance is up for renewal soon and I was quoted an increase of over 200 Euro, despite the fact that I haven't made any claims, I'm a year older, full NCD, and the value of the car is a lot less than it was last year. Joke!

Compensation in Europe is far less than in Ireland.
For example France do not believe in Whiplash injuries.
A recent case for your consideration-EU 4th directive case.
Irish driver injured in France can sue in either Ireland or France however French values are applied:
We assessed the injury at approx €10K--our french colleagues valued the case at €1K.
So when your compensation rates are 10 times higher than France your premiums are naturally going to be higher.

bazz26

If you really want to prove a point with Hibernian then just vote with your wallet and go to a more competitive insurance company. I think Hibernian are not really interested in covering you or simply are taking for granted that you are loyal to them for 7 years, hence the crazy renewal price. I think they are more interested in making money from all those young drivers out there on provisional licenses driving cheap 1.0 litre Micras and Corsas who need insurance. There are more of them out there willing to pay €2k or more in premiums than performance cars.

chucknorris

I'll be 30 when renewing in February.
I have eight years no claims bonus. I have my full license two years and had insurance on my provisional for the majority of my driving. The car is a 1.6 cooper S 2005. Here are my fully comp quotes. 123.ie is the best on the market.

Aviva - €785
123.ie - €500 – or €515 with full no claims protection
Britton.com - €703
Jtt.ie - €610
Bestquote.ie - €693
Insure.ie - €720 to €1,300
Nononsense.ie - €600

I hope this is useful information!
ps: Never show loyalty to an insurance company, they will show no loyalty to you.

roosterman71

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I've said it many times before, but insurance companies are gangsters. We are absolutely ripped off for car insurance in this country when you compare some of the figures quoted for car insurance in other EU countries. My own car insurance is up for renewal soon and I was quoted an increase of over 200 Euro, despite the fact that I haven't made any claims, I'm a year older, full NCD, and the value of the car is a lot less than it was last year. Joke!

This is exactly what happened me. I have 5+ no claims, full licence 10 years, car worth less and I'm a year older. Yet One Direct seemed to think that upping my insurance from 440 to 645 was OK.
So I went online, and filled in my details umpteen times and got the following quotes:
FBD €556.74
One Direct €569.99
AIB €830.96
123.ie €536.46
AXA €501.93
Hibernian €510.43
Nononsense €480.12

Armed with this info, I rang One Direct. The nice girl on the phone just said that rates were up across the board and that was it, but she could give me it for €600 "as a favour" I laughed and told her about my online quote of €569.99 and she said she'd have to ask the underwriters. And the underwriters are Hibernian!!!! So I told her about Hibernians quote of €510.43 so she said that One Direct have to match that.

So to end this story, I renewed with One Direct at €510.43. I knew the premium was going up so I'm not too unhappy about the increase. And because I didn't want the hassle of switching, I stuck with One.
I guess I'll have the same fun next January though:(

Morale of the story, ignore what the renewal quote is, spend the few hours shopping around and go with what you see as the best deal

metzengerstein

Potato Man wrote: »

Hi,
My insurance has increased from 800 to 1800.
I drive a mazda rx8, am 27, 4 years no claims, 7 years full licence.
The reason hibernian give, after lodging a complaint is as follows(the old 2.6 engine rubbish!!!!)

"We have reviewed the vehicle on cover with our Underwriting Department and they have advised that the vehicle has 2 Renesis (Wankel) engines at 1308cc and is
therefore rated as a 2616cc vehicle. This is standard practice across the Motor Insurance Industry"

I have shopped around, and can get cheaper elsewhere(800 with 123.ie and 1100 with axa), but am stubborn!! :-) , would prefer to stay with hibernian(7 years a customer), and the information they have supplied is clearly incorrect, and Im not gonna let this lie.
I know insurance has gone up, but 1000 euro!! Plus how can they insure me on the same car last year for 800

I am considering emailing the Financial Services Ombudsman.
I am also considering faxing in a copy of the logbook, which states 1300, but I really don't think I should have to. As an established insurance company, they should be correct with their information.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
Paul

thats pretty bad stuff ,but thats insurance companys for you

mike65

If you are willing to go via a broker www.travellers.ie are worth a look, they are new to the general auto insurance market here and appear to be priced to get new trade.

bada_bing

same thing happened to me a few months ago, was a loyal hibernian customer 8 years and my premium had been going down or remaining the same over the years. So imagine my surprise when i saw a jump of 200 euros in the renewal quote. That was the end of my loyalty to Hibernian and i saved myself about 180 by shopping around and using a different company. I reckon Hibernian just decided to increase premiums on the sly and expected their loyal customer to take it on the chin!!!

John_Mc

Yeah same happened with me at Hibernian. Insured with them since I started driving 9 years ago. Maximum NCB, a low powered car (Ford Focus 1.4) and I'm a year older.

My quote went up €300 so I complained about it. The usual BS investigation followed by BS reasons so I left for another insurer at a better rate and the same insurace coverage.

I wont be going back to Hibernian again, no matter what premium they offer me

I wouldn't give Hibernian the time of day, they really are gangsters.

They wanted 1000 euro more for 3rd party than I'm paying Axa for fully comp. I know a lot of people who were with them and they are all moving because they are upping there premiums considerably.

PaulieC

Kind of related...

I have heard that the Aviva (Hibernian) employees have moved their Health Insurance policy to Quinn as their Aviva premiums were too high. Says it all really

douglashyde

I know its a long way around it, but you could always get a better car, the one you have at the moment is a terrible one afterall.

Eoin

Potato Man wrote:

I am also considering faxing in a copy of the logbook, which states 1300, but I really don't think I should have to. As an established insurance company, they should be correct with their information.

You don't really feel that it should be rated like a bog standard 1.3 car though, do you?

Pkiernan

Why would you want to send hard earned money to a company that has just proven how bad they are to you?

Since you already have a quote for €800, just go with that.

Anan1

douglashyde wrote: »

I know its a long way around it, but you could always get a better car, the one you have at the moment is a terrible one afterall.

Come back in a week/when you've learnt to contribute constructively.

Anan1

John_Mc wrote: »

Yeah same happened with me at Hibernian. Insured with them since I started driving 9 years ago. Maximum NCB, a low powered car (Ford Focus 1.4) and I'm a year older.

My quote went up €300 so I complained about it. The usual BS investigation followed by BS reasons so I left for another insurer at a better rate and the same insurace coverage.

I wont be going back to Hibernian again, no matter what premium they offer me

I had exactly the same thing happen to me, but with FBD. I'm currently with Hibernian, as they're cheapest for me this year (mainly because they alone offer 30% discount for an IAM license), but i'll be shopping around again when renewal rolls around. My advice is not to take it personally, it's just business.

TestTransmission

douglashyde wrote: »

I know its a long way around it, but you could always get a better car, the one you have at the moment is a terrible one afterall.

I would think most people here would disagree with you

Anan1

jackncoke wrote: »

I would think most people here would disagree with you

That's been dealt with, best just to move on now.:)

robtri

even if hibernian took it that the engine has a 1.3 engine, it propably wouldn't make a difference to your quote... as the BHP on that car is far more substantial than virtually all other 1.3...... that would be the next excuse....

From an insurance risk point of view, a RX8 with 231BHP is a much much higher risk than a 1.3 fiesta or even a 1.4 astra/focus/corolla ect... so the engine size will have little bearing on your quote....

Guy:Incognito

roosterman71 wrote: »

This is exactly what happened me. I have 5+ no claims, full licence 10 years, car worth less and I'm a year older. Yet One Direct seemed to think that upping my insurance from 440 to 645 was OK.
So I went online, and filled in my details umpteen times and got the following quotes:
FBD €556.74
One Direct €569.99
AIB €830.96
123.ie €536.46
AXA €501.93
Hibernian €510.43
Nononsense €480.12

Armed with this info, I rang One Direct. The nice girl on the phone just said that rates were up across the board and that was it, but she could give me it for €600 "as a favour" I laughed and told her about my online quote of €569.99 and she said she'd have to ask the underwriters. And the underwriters are Hibernian!!!! So I told her about Hibernians quote of €510.43 so she said that One Direct have to match that.

So to end this story, I renewed with One Direct at €510.43. I knew the premium was going up so I'm not too unhappy about the increase. And because I didn't want the hassle of switching, I stuck with One.
I guess I'll have the same fun next January though:(

Morale of the story, ignore what the renewal quote is, spend the few hours shopping around and go with what you see as the best deal

Why did'nt you go with nonnonsense at 480?




As for renewal prices, I'm amazed at the steady stream of threads on here with people giving out about them. My renewals have never ever been anywahere near the cheapest and I'm fully aware of that. Whats teh advantage of the companies giveing a much cheaper qoute year on year? For the first couple of years yes, if your coming from a very high quote but they know there a percentage of people that automatically renew at the price given, so that's free money, why **** with that? Then theres another large group that will shop around everywhere (including the compoany they are with ) and if the company is cheap they will renew with them anyway. So it makes a bit of sense to up premiums when the bottom out.

Eoin

Stekelly wrote: »

Why did'nt you go with nonnonsense at 480?

The lowest price doesn't always mean the best policy for you though.

Guy:Incognito

eoin wrote: »

The lowest price doesn't always mean the best policy for you though.

Surely since no information was given otherwise we can assume they all met his requirements or else it was a pointless comparison?

Eoin

Maybe not pointless. They could be all fully comp, but there may be extras with one policy that might tip the balance. I'd pay a bit extra for roadside assist, protected no claims and so on, but that's not to say that fully comp wouldn't meet my requirements, if you know what I mean.

Owen

Nonosense do a very stripped down policy. They usually have a standard excess of 500 where most companies are less, and no breakdown assistance. I think they even don't include windscreen assistance.

Marlow

mike65 wrote: »

If you are willing to go via a broker www.travellers.ie are worth a look, they are new to the general auto insurance market here and appear to be priced to get new trade.

123.ie is a broker and using Travellers for insurance and they've used Travellers for at least 2 years now I think. That's why they are so competitive.

/M

Paulmee

robtri wrote: »

even if hibernian took it that the engine has a 1.3 engine, it propably wouldn't make a difference to your quote... as the BHP on that car is far more substantial than virtually all other 1.3...... that would be the next excuse....

From an insurance risk point of view, a RX8 with 231BHP is a much much higher risk than a 1.3 fiesta or even a 1.4 astra/focus/corolla ect... so the engine size will have little bearing on your quote....

Yes, my argument is that I should be insured as a high powered 1.3(i.e 1.3 with loading), but not a 2.6.

So I have faxed hibernian the log book and specs from mazda.

As I said, I will be going with the cheapest, which is currently 123.ie(travellers insurance), but am just being awkward to hibernian just to proove a point.

Marlow

Potato Man wrote: »

Yes, my argument is that I should be insured as a high powered 1.3(i.e 1.3 with loading), but not a 2.6.

So I have faxed hibernian the log book and specs from mazda.

As I said, I will be going with the cheapest, which is currently 123.ie(travellers insurance), but am just being awkward to hibernian just to proove a point.

Right you are. They can't double up on cc, when Mazda already did that for them. Otherwise ask them to insure you as high-powered 650cc , as that's what each of the rotors has.

/M

anthony4335

Both my house and car insurance are due this month.
Curently with 123 for the car, was 440 last year now is 560, house with fbd was 430 last year is 510 this year, so not too happy at the moment.
However when I got my car quote last month I check on line with 123 as well as others and the quote from 123 was the same as I recieved, since then I have gone and checked it again with 123 online, as the quite is now 816 euro. So as usual we are in for pain again this year.

Theta

I change insurers nearly every year. Why have loyalty to a bunch of gangsters. Whoever is cheapest gets the money!

roosterman71

Stekelly wrote: »

Why did'nt you go with nonnonsense at 480?

As others pointed out, it wasn't the best policy. For the €30 more I got protected NCB, and a step back thingy where I wouldn't lose all the NCB if I did claim

road_high

Same thing happened me this year with my renewal.
05 Volvo S40 1.6 d, 27yrs old,4 years NCB in own name; Had been with Hibernian as they were cheapest last year, €620fully comp; this year that jumped to €820 :eek:
Rang 'em of course to complain; all I got was some Indian sounding woman giving me a sob story in broken English about how claims had risen and premiums had to rise as a result.
So I just said fcuk them and I got several quotes around as you would. Axa in the end did it in the end, Comp. €520. So I saved about €300 by my shopping around. And hibernian have lost yet another good customer by the looks of what others on this thread have said also.