UK Insurance.

[Upt' North]

Ay up me o'd motorcycling buddies, it's approaching that time of year when I need to take out cover.
I've been perusing the interweb thingymabob and am thinking of jumping to MackenzieHodgson. They seem to offer decent products at the right price. But just wondering if you have any experience with them at all.
My bikes have been with CN since the mid eighties and my last policy finished with the Pan last year. When i tried to cover the STrom with them as well and then instead of their prices were nuts. As a result the STrom was covered by Motorcycle Direct Gold.
For what it's worth there is a lot of talk out there that CN have lost their way. I wouldn't argue.
For this year I'm looking for a more comprehensive cover including EU breakdown etc.
MH seem to offer the right products but before I jump ship, again, I thought why not see what you all think of them.
Ta me ducks.
Upt.

 

[Obo]

I think you're spot on.

 

[Mr.E]

Not heard of MH before, I have no loyalty with Insurers as it's a one-way waste of good money with me.
I shop around every year without fail and did a deal last month for all 3 bikes with Bikesure, full comp etc. etc.
Happy with £406. ~ Boss Hoss: £336 / ST: £34 / E. Scoot: £36
What sort of premiums are the asking Ray?

 

[Upt' North]

Not heard of MH before, I have no loyalty with Insurers as it's a one-way waste of good money with me.
I shop around every year without fail and did a deal last month for all 3 bikes with Bikesure, full comp etc. etc.
Happy with £406. ~ Boss Hoss: £340 / ST: £36 / E. Scoot: £30
What sort of premiums are the asking Ray?

I think from a quick check I found MH at around 150 squid, fully comp with EU B/D cover. The price is excellent, I think, but I'd like feedback about them before I jump. Like you my loyalty is no more. Strangely, whilst typing this post a letter from CN dropped through the box, "they would love me to come back". Pffffffftttttt.

 

[Roger]

No help about MH either. I had a crazy quote from CN a couple of years back, so they were struck off my list. Had a reasonable quote from Swinton, so picked them from a bundle of similar quotes as the only name I recognised!

 

[Mr.E]

Might be worth keeping the MH quote to one side for now and continue the quest.
I too have not used CN for many decades as they've never really been realistic with quotes.

 

[Cogmeister]

Not heard of MacKenzie Hodgson

 

[Upt' North]

Just read on the MH website interweb thingymabob that they are actually in some sort of partnership with CN.
Strange world innit.....

 

[Upt' North]

Just so you know.....after a weekend of and and just a little my head hurt, like .
So this morning I tried another route....sod the comparison sites..............OK.
First rang Suzuki insurance, who were nothing of the sort, useless and expensive .
Then thought who are the biggest brokers I can think of...........Bennetts..........let's give it a whirl online .
Got the lowest proper quote, including EU B/D, Legal, Personal Accident and Helmet and Leather cover. With protected no claims it came in at 180.
Happy days.
Thanks for your input.
Upt.
.

 

[SMSW]

Isn't there an independent organization like our Consumer Reports Magazine that rates customer satisfaction with insurance companies over there? CR is not great, but they are a guide, and a good place to start if you are seeking auto insurance in the US.

 

[kerbside]

Certainly beats our basic insurance in BC, Canada at close to 600 quid with a full no claims discount per annum, plus collision & fire theft if wanted - per each machine that is less than 25 year old !

 

[jfheath]

CN - I dispensed with a few years back. They suddenly went downhill, new owners perhaps. Keen to take money, not so keen in doing much else in my experience. I'd hate to have to make a claim. The desk service was poor - I tried to get them to record the things that they insist we inform them about, otherwise insurance is invalid, and they failed repeatedly. Bargepole.

I went back to Bennetts - they went from limiting common add ons - eg top box, heated grips etc - to a maximum of 3 items, to now including most such things without having to declare.

Regarding EU cover - we always took out separate insurance mainly because no one at the time would bring the bike home if I had an accident or became unfit to drive. Only if the bike was in an accident. Its been a while since we went to Spain though.

 

[Upt' North]

CN - I dispensed with a few years back. They suddenly went downhill, new owners perhaps. Keen to take money, not so keen in doing much else in my experience. I'd hate to have to make a claim. The desk service was poor - I tried to get them to record the things that they insist we inform them about, otherwise insurance is invalid, and they failed repeatedly. Bargepole.

I went back to Bennetts - they went from limiting common add ons - eg top box, heated grips etc - to a maximum of 3 items, to now including most such things without having to declare.

Regarding EU cover - we always took out separate insurance mainly because no one at the time would bring the bike home if I had an accident or became unfit to drive. Only if the bike was in an accident. Its been a while since we went to Spain though.

Bennetts add on John was.....I think.
59.99 for RAC full cover including EU, personal accident, helmet and leathers, and legal. It worked out less to take the package than just BD and Legal.
First time I've been with Bennetts but the online application was the best experience by far.
Ray.

 

[jfheath]

Yes, you are right Ray. We do take that with our cover with Bennetts. Well worth it, but we haven't had call to use the EU part of the insurance since well before covid. I like Bennetts - we only stopped insuring with them because I was going through a list of things that they would call modifications (reflective stips, top box, different screen, heated seat etc etc.), and one year they said I could only name 3 mods. At the time there were a lot of examples of insurance companies refusing to pay up becasue the van had some vinly logo on the side that hadn't been declared. So after that we went to CN - who were brialliant, but suddenly changed. I was declaring everything. Now, back with Bennetts, they have changed their policy (sic) I only have a couple of things to declare - everything else is just taken as an acceptable modification.

 

[ad.hom]

I went back to Bennetts - they went from limiting common add ons - eg top box, heated grips etc - to a maximum of 3 items, to now including most such things without having to declare.

I'm with Bennetts this year, they didn't ask about extras, but I went with their "premium" or whatever they call it - legal, personal injury, full EU wide breakdown. All the bells and whistles to be a bone fide one man band.

I called the RAC Saturday before last, on the approved Bennetts contact number, and was told by the RAC "sorry, sir, I can't find a policy for you." So I replied "I am 99.9% sure that I have a policy for EU wide cover via Bennetts, but I can't put my hands on proving that right now... what's it going to cost me to get you to come to me now, and we can debate it later?"

RAC chap replied "We're not supposed to admit this, but because you said that you're sure you have a policy, we HAVE to send someone to you and we'll sort it out afterwards."

After I hung up the phone, I called Bennetts customer services with a "here's my numberplate, RAC couldn't find breakdown, can you confirm I'm covered?" - they replied "Yep, I can see you have cover, don't worry about anything. I can see why RAC couldn't locate the records... someone mistakenly put on your breakdown policy that you live in Surrey and your name is Andrew... let me change that for you now."

All of that, for £186/year, is not shabby at all.

Though since I'm looking at bimmers... group 17 bikes are... interesting quotes. No-one other than BMW (via Devit) are south of £1000/year.

 

[Williamson]

G'day Ray, 'ow ya goin' mate?

.... approaching that time of year when I need to take out cover.

I take that to mean that you don't insure for a full 12 months.

Any advice from Australia won't be much, too many differences (between UK and AUS) and variables for any worthwhile like for like comparisons.

But for what it's worth, I've given up on shopping around for the best price because it is often not the best. I'm currently going through some protracted, amicable (NOT!) discussions regarding an insurance claim here in AUS (some details will be provided later). Even though the price of the policy was the best, the company is certainly not providing the best service when it really counts.

I've been talking with a friend of a friend who happens to be an accredited motorcycle repairer (mechanical and fairings) and insurance repairer. He advised my insurer is the absolute worst company to deal with here in AUS, and best is Youi (South African company, I think). Guess what, I switched from Youi to my current insurer 5 years back.

My simple view is save $$ up front, but pay at the end.

The current policy is $252.24 per year.

 

[Upt' North]

G'day Ray, 'ow ya goin' mate?



I take that to mean that you don't insure for a full 12 months.

Any advice from Australia won't be much, too many differences (between UK and AUS) and variables for any worthwhile like for like comparisons.

But for what it's worth, I've given up on shopping around for the best price because it is often not the best. I'm currently going through some protracted, amicable (NOT!) discussions regarding an insurance claim here in AUS (some details will be provided later). Even though the price of the policy was the best, the company is certainly not providing the best service when it really counts.

I've been talking with a friend of a friend who happens to be an accredited motorcycle repairer (mechanical and fairings) and insurance repairer. He advised my insurer is the absolute worst company to deal with here in AUS, and best is Youi (South African company, I think). Guess what, I switched from Youi to my current insurer 5 years back.

My simple view is save $$ up front, but pay at the end.

The current policy is $252.24 per year.

Michael, ay up me duck.
Funny you should chirp in, I was chatting to an Aussie this morning, interesting fella, speedway rider, motor home builder and all round crocodile wrestler. You know the type. I've called him Bruce, why wouldn't I. He was very helpful and will be helpful some more hopefully. It may cost me a Fosters or twenty.
The policy is for twelve months fella, it just happens to be up for renewal now. The company I've gone with are just the broker, that's Bennetts, I won't know who the actual insurer is until the docs fall through the letterbox.
I'm sorry to hear you're having to make a claim and are having a bit of strife with em. The last big theft claim I had to make was a nightmare, you just never know who you are dealing with until it gets shitty.
Good luck Michael, sounds like you'll need it.
Ray.

 

[V4 Rider]

MH are a virtual insurance provider serviced by CN.
Used a MH quote to get CN to significantly reduce their renewal quote.
Stayed low since.

 

[Henry567]

I chose Bennetts this time. Well, I'll see whether it is good.
Thanks for sharing this info, I'll keep it in mind for the future.

 

[williscreg]

This time around, I'm on the hunt for a beefier package, including EU breakdown coverage. MH seems to check the right boxes, but before I switch lanes, I wanted to hear your thoughts. So, if you've got any insights or stories to share, spill the beans. And by the way, speaking of insurance experiences, you might want to check out trustage insurance customer service https://www.pissedconsumer.com/company/trustage-insurance/customer-service.html for some background info. Thanks, and ride on, mates