left high and dry by Principal Insurance

hondacbf

So I took a motorcycle trip to Switzerland through France 6 weeks ago. They gave 45 days EU insurance cover abroad. I asked on the phone if I stayed longer what was the procedure? They told me just to notify and all will be ok.
40 days later I was still here and needed more time, I emailed and they said they would review the situation with the underwriters.. What they hell.. 4 days pass no reply. So I call and they said they would sort it. Just needed details of my departure from here etc, which I sent. Still no reply. The Thursday before Easter Friday I am in Basel Switzerland and cant ride the bike.  I emailed and they said they would sort it by the end of the working day. No reply. Now its Easter Friday and Im stuck here. Bike is parked up and Im not sure if I should drive it or not.
Any ideas?
Thanks

hondacbf

hondacbf wrote: »

So I took a motorcycle trip to Switzerland through France 6 weeks ago. They gave 45 days EU insurance cover abroad. I asked on the phone if I stayed longer what was the procedure? They told me just to notify and all will be ok.
40 days later I was still here and needed more time, I emailed and they said they would review the situation with the underwriters.. What they hell.. 4 days pass no reply. So I call and they said they would sort it. Just needed details of my departure from here etc, which I sent. Still no reply. The Thursday before Easter Friday I am in Basel Switzerland and cant ride the bike.  I emailed and they said they would sort it by the end of the working day. No reply. Now its Easter Friday and Im stuck here. Bike is parked up and Im not sure if I should drive it or not.
Any ideas?
Thanks

If you have communication with them via email then drive it, that's proof enough. I'd drive it regardless tbh

Wonda-Boy

This is tricky, in an ideal world of course ride it. But we all know that insurance companies will use every dirty trick in the book to get out of a claim should one arise.....if you need to leave then I would email them and put it in writing leaving a paper trail and all calls are recorded so the time you rang them will be noted also.

Best of luck, but I would give them hell upon return. I am with principle also and I have to say I would be livid if it happened to me.

If you ride it and God forbid you needed to claim and they refused to pay you would take them to court. They wouldn't​ go because legally they have to record every phone call and keep a record of every communication with you.

No judge in the world would award in their favour of what you say is true, i wouldn't worry about it tbh. Send them an email saying their lack of communication is a joke and that you are riding the bike and could they confirm coverage by mail asap

Del2005

By EU law we have minimum coverage required in any EU country for as long as the policy is valid, you won't have fully comp or fire/theft cover.

http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/vehicles/insurance/validity/index_en.htm

According to Principle it's also valid in Switzerland

SECTION 4 FOREIGN USE
WHAT IS COVERED
In addition to the minimum level of insurance required to allow you to use your motorcycle in:
■ Any member country of the European Union
■ Croatia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland

galwaytt

Ride the bike imho.

frozenfrozen

they said they needed to check, inferring they'd let you know if it wasn't ok

they haven't let you know either way, last you heard you were covered.

drive it on

carsQhere

To be fair, 45 days is plenty than enough to cover holiday use for most people and your policy documents state that you're covered in Switzerland anyway (as pointed out by Del2005 above) and which you'd know if you'd bothered to read them. On top of that you've advised them via e-mail you're extending your absence so you've hardly been left high and dry.

frozenfrozen

I would feel bad if principal turned out to not be any good. They sponsor road races, give good quotes, are all grand to talk to on the phone, no nonsense about bike modifications, etc etc. and i've told a lot of people to go to them for a quote so would feel bad if I steered anyone wrong

Del2005

carsQhere wrote: »

To be fair, 45 days is plenty than enough to cover holiday use for most people and your policy documents state that you're covered in Switzerland anyway (as pointed out by Del2005 above) and which you'd know if you'd bothered to read them. On top of that you've advised them via e-mail you're extending your absence so you've hardly been left high and dry.

Who remembers, if they've even read them, what's written in their policy documents after a few days never mind months.

While I quoted the relevant bit of the policy document it's not clear unless you already know that insurance is valid throughout the whole EU for the time of the policy

SECTION 4 FOREIGN USE
WHAT IS COVERED
In addition to the minimum level of insurance required to allow you to use your motorcycle in:
■ Any member country of the European Union
■ Croatia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland
The policy extends all sections shown as applying in the schedule, for a maximum period of 45 days
in any one period of insurance.
Upon request before you go abroad, and on payment of an additional premium we will extend cover:
■ Up to 90 days duration in countries shown above
■ To be operative in other countries covered by the International Green Card system

Robbie. dub

Seems to me that you are already covered, third party anyway, enough to continue riding. I think the 45 day thing only applies to adtional cover, like fully comp etc
Thanks for the heads up though. I'm up for renews next month. They were the best quote but having second thoughts now.
Enjoy the rest of the trip!!