Insurance almost a gotcha with AMI but always check

[F5 Dave]

Only takes an entry error but could potentially invalidate your cover.

My motorbikes are garaged. Was never a consideration of parking a car in there. Any spare room for car is space for probably 4 bikes.

So car lives on drive.

AMI are revising all their policies in plain writing, so they say.

The upshot is my new policy for my car came through today. I bothered to read it a bit more carefully than usual.
Location: Garaged. Eh?
Ring ring.

So after a lot of messing around, my Current policy says it is parked in the driveway. But the new on says Garaged.
Some entry clerk, or more likely, disinterested sw coder transferring policies, has set a new field as default Garaged.

Two years on if my car gets stolen from home and the police report doesn't say anything about garage then I'm arguing about this. Well you should have checked your policy. . .
The old forms you got sent. . .don't show whether it is Garaged. So your word against theirs.

Of course i couldn't get it change as it wasn't in the payment cycle yet(?!!) So I have to ring them back at the end of the month. Grrr. And I'll be checking wife's car and the van. And the bike policies for changes.

Moral: check policy for any changes. Could be something about modification or rider/driver age if you loan it to junior for example.

[neels]

I've had similar situations, where the description or details such as garage/driveway aren't correct when the policy comes through or gets renewed, although fortunately I've found AA to be quite sensible to deal with to sort it out.

I did contact them once about a vehicle model not being correct on a policy, the answer on the phone was that it didn't really matter, I'm sure it doesn't until you try and make a claim. Kept at that one until it got corrected eventually, after they had figured out how to add the vehicle to their system.

But yes, if they send you anything about your policy, read all of it to make sure there isn't something that's changed without you noticing.

The first renewal arrived recently for one of mine, the value had been halved from when I insured it when purchased a year ago. They were quite happy to change it and the difference in premium was insignificant, but if I hadn't bothered to look and it was rear ended and written off like it's predecessor, I'd be out of pocket for the difference or engaging in protracted arguments probably delaying settlement and therefore purchase of a replacement.

[jim.cox]

AMI used to be good
But it has been downhill ever since they got taken by IAG
I wont bore all and sundry here with my litany of complaints, but I am no longer a happy customer and would not recommend
Shop around, there are better deals out there (but you do have to avoid all the various IAG shopfront companies)

[Gremlin]

Yeah, had similar with the bikes when they weren't garaged. Words to the effect that if not garaged, they had to be chained up at primary location, otherwise, no coverage.

Phoned them up for a please explain...
Ins: oh, those terms have been in there a while
Me: How long?
Ins: Several months, maybe a year?
Me: My policy goes back circa a decade, you didn't think it might be a good idea to give people a heads up?
Ins: Well you can't expect us to call every one up?
Me: You have email, why wouldn't you just send something out??

so... yeah...

[johcar]

Surprises me that people are using mainstream insurers for their bikes rather than specialist companies... What are the premiums like with AMI or AA, compared with Star or Kiwibike? Do you have all your insurance with the mainstream insure?

Sent from my CPH2449 using Tapatalk

[R650R]

Must be an old policy if garaging mattered for a car as ages ago when I had to buy another cage AA/AMI weren’t interested in offering any discount for it being garaged.
They said theft risk was purely calculated on post code so even living in a nice street in bad part of town doesn’t matter.
Also they aren’t bothered about it being parked in an industrial yard half week while away in truck it was all about your main address.

Bikes do have higher excess if stolen from home while not in locked garage, kinda sucky, kinda understandable prob stops lot of fraudulent claims. Recently bought a new big chain before policy renewal and not even slightest discount entertained at all.

Getting so expensive soon might not even afford it or third party only.

What you can do in Dave’s scenario is just ring them
Up and advise garage space no longer available for what’s change in personal circumstances and as long as you’ve informed them your original contract still covers you.
This is same concept as day adding a race exhaust (modification) after policy starts as long as you’ve honestly informed of changes your original contract stands til renewal time.