Insurance company demand alarm (1 Viewer)

[Deleted member 29692]

We're covered by Comfort. They insist on a Category 1 alarm and tracker. We had to have both fitted immediately or we wouldn't have been covered.

The haven't insisted on it to me. They've given a discount for having both but would still have insured me without. They don't even want to see the installation certificates unless I make a claim.

The van is worth a fair bit more than the threshold that's been mentioned.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I do exactly the same with my home insurance. I always say no to the question of whether we have an alarm and also no to the question of whether we have all external locks and windows to whatever British Standard.

Insurers need only the smallest of gaps to wriggle out of a claim.

......we do exactly the same. We have an ADT monitored alarm system (it's rough out here in Suffolk) but the small print says it must also be set every night, so we do not declare the alarm system as it is well in excess of their requirements and we are acting "as if prudently uninsured". It works as well - the alarm went off a couple of months ago and police got there before we did and we were only a couple of miles away. The intruder was also apprehended after a short fight*


*it was one of the cats who decided that inside was better than outside and she had hidden herself. Still have a class 1 police response according to the service engineer who was here last week

 

[Howard H]

Hi judgemental,it's to late now I think marquis are on with it now I don't know the cost but if this van is a keeper and I hope it is and say the alarm is £500 over 10 years £50 a year is worth the peace of mind I guess he says trying to convince himself

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[mikebeaches]

I do exactly the same with my home insurance. I always say no to the question of whether we have an alarm and also no to the question of whether we have all external locks and windows to whatever British Standard.

Insurers need only the smallest of gaps to wriggle out of a claim.

Exactly!

 

[parigby]

Same here - told by insurance company to upgrade from Cat 2 to Cat 1, within twenty eight days. Specialised fitter undertook job - took most of the day.

Interestingly enough, insurance company did not want proof of upgrade, which is maybe why the previous owner of the MoHome had told porky pies to his insurers by telling them it had a Cat 1 ( he'd left insurance certificate in van showing Cat 1 fitted )

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Same here - told by insurance company to upgrade from Cat 2 to Cat 1, within twenty eight days. Specialised fitter undertook job - took most of the day.

Interestingly enough, insurance company did not want proof of upgrade, which is maybe why the previous owner of the MoHome had told porky pies to his insurers by telling them it had a Cat 1 ( he'd left insurance certificate in van showing Cat 1 fitted )

They will want to see the certificate if you make a claim. That was made clear to me when I insured our van

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[parigby]

They will want to see the certificate if you make a claim. That was made clear to me when I insured our van

Certainly didn't want to see the certificate five years ago, when MoHome was stripped, whilst in secure storage, causing £34,000.00 worth of damage. Not that the Cat 1 made any difference - it looked like they had accessed the site about three weeks previous, and disconnected the MoHome from the EHU - consequently all batteries flat as pancakes, and therefore no alarm !

I now visit my (new) secure storage site, every two weeks just to check the EHU.

 

[eddie]

Certainly didn't want to see the certificate five years ago, when MoHome was stripped, whilst in secure storage, causing £34,000.00 worth of damage. Not that the Cat 1 made any difference - it looked like they had accessed the site about three weeks previous, and disconnected the MoHome from the EHU - consequently all batteries flat as pancakes, and therefore no alarm !

I now visit my (new) secure storage site, every two weeks just to check the EHU.

We can supply you a stand alone device that will notify you if the motorhome is disconnected from the mains, and our alarm systems have the option to notify you via SMS when the power is tampered with to avoid this.

 

[gus-lopez]

I don't see how that can be the case?

Put simply, we choose to have home insurance that doesn't require an alarm to be used.

We are completely open and honest in disclosing the facts.

We prefer to forgo a couple of percent discount on the premium for the privilege of keeping the property fully covered.

I do exactly the same with my home insurance. I always say no to the question of whether we have an alarm and also no to the question of whether we have all external locks and windows to whatever British Standard.

Insurers need only the smallest of gaps to wriggle out of a claim.

Exactly!

& here is how they will wriggle out of it as told to me.

If we don't require you to have an alarm you will be covered for theft /break ins.
If you have an alarm, even if we don't require one, we will require you to ensure that it is set every time to be covered for theft/break ins .

If you do have an alarm & we don't require you to have one, but you don't tell us on the grounds that you may /may not decide to use it, then you will not be covered for theft/break ins as we would consider a house that we do not require to have an alarm , that actually has one, would indicate to criminals that there are items of value in the property ( as opposed to neighbouring properties without alarms ) that necessitate an alarm & in so doing would leave us as a company open to claims for theft damage that we might otherwise not incur.

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[mikebeaches]

& here is how they will wriggle out of it as told to me.

If we don't require you to have an alarm you will be covered for theft /break ins.
If you have an alarm, even if we don't require one, we will require you to ensure that it is set every time to be covered for theft/break ins .

If you do have an alarm & we don't require you to have one, but you don't tell us on the grounds that you may /may not decide to use it, then you will not be covered for theft/break ins as we would consider a house that we do not require to have an alarm , that actually has one, would indicate to criminals that there are items of value in the property ( as opposed to neighbouring properties without alarms ) that necessitate an alarm & in so doing would leave us as a company open to claims for theft damage that we might otherwise not incur.

An interesting explanation, but I struggle to entirely follow the logic.

I would be seeking an alternative insurer if I came across such a scenario.

I'm not sure it would stand up to scrutiny by the insurance ombudsman in the UK?

 

[Judge Mental]

Hi judgemental,it's to late now I think marquis are on with it now I don't know the cost but if this van is a keeper and I hope it is and say the alarm is £500 over 10 years £50 a year is worth the peace of mind I guess he says trying to convince himself

fairy snuff H Do you know what unit they are fitting..probably using a 3rd party and adding a lump of money on.

 

[Judge Mental]

An interesting explanation, but I struggle to entirely follow the logic.

I would be seeking an alternative insurer if I came across such a scenario.

I'm not sure it would stand up to scrutiny by the insurance ombudsman in the UK?

I have had this before with safeguard as they have bits of kids on the front desk who are clueless. its the British disease..lack of training! You have to ring back and ask to speak to someone further up the food chain

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[Howard H]

Don't what make they have fitted but they have just this minute relieved me of £1100 but that is fitting a TVs a bike rack and the alarm and removing a TVs from my old van then refitting in the new van so I think my estimation of £500 for the alarm was about right ,not to worry it's only money

 

[Zigisla]

not to worry it's only money

That would have been better in your pocket!!

 

[gus-lopez]

An interesting explanation, but I struggle to entirely follow the logic.

I would be seeking an alternative insurer if I came across such a scenario.

I'm not sure it would stand up to scrutiny by the insurance ombudsman in the UK?

I did .
Of 3 companies that I approached one actually had it in the terms& conditions & the other 2 both stated that they wouldn't be happy/ I wouldn't be covered if there was an alarm fitted & I stated that there wasn't. Basically I was told that I would be ( which you are ) lying if you stated that there wasn't one fitted.
I always answered that " yes there was one fitted but it was to be taken as no there wasn't because there was no guarantee that I would set it "
The answer was always the same. " If one is fitted ,whether we know or not, then it must always be used "
Yes this was in the UK ,once in 1998 when the house we bought I had an alarm fitted & then 2 years later when we bought off plan & it came with an alarm system.

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[Zigisla]

My neighbour had a similar conversation, but the alarm on the house was well past its useful date and didn’t work. He was told remove it or it would be deemed to have not set it if robbed - Barking

 

[mikebeaches]

You may find in the small print that any alarm needs to meet a minimum standard specification. And further, that it must be serviced and tested annually by a suitably qualified engineer.

And what if the alarm becomes inoperative for any reason - does the insurer require it to be uninstalled and removed from the property?

 

[eddie]

You may find in the small print that any alarm needs to meet a minimum standard specification. And further, that it must be serviced and tested annually by a suitably qualified engineer.

And what if the alarm becomes inoperative for any reason - does the insurer require it to be uninstalled and removed from the property?

Any decent motorhome alarm installation Company will offer an annual inspection / service or a maintenance contract or a lifetime warranty.

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