INSURANCE IS A CON. (1 Viewer)

[gus-lopez]

It's that word again. I have to take exception again unless you can explain to me exactly why not offering the cheapest price you possibly can for your product straight away is a con?

Businesses exist to make money, not perform a public charitable service. Profit is not a dirty word.

Excessive profit is.
No but if they then lower the original quote & are still making money , they were obviously TTp*** before ?

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I pay £220 for a chausson on a Transit,worth £20000, but am looking at buying something with a price tag three times that , will it grow at the same rate and will they demand expensive trackers and alarms as well?

They all have different criteria. Some will want both, some one or the other, some won't care. The prices will vary accordingly.

For ours they specified a tracker only but also gave a discount for a Cat 1 alarm.

You need to shop around for quotes and make a note of the varying requirement so you know how much difference it's going to make.

My thinking was that after spending that sort of money on the van another few hundred quid on a tracker was neither here nor there.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Excessive profit is.

And who should decide what level of profit is excessive and what criteria should they use when arriving at their decision?

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[9526]

I pay £220 for a chausson on a Transit,worth £20000, but am looking at buying something with a price tag three times that , will it grow at the same rate and will they demand expensive trackers and alarms as well?

Our van is a similar price to your proposed purchase.

Our insurance is about £400 (Comfort) we were previously with Safeguard who quoted about £450.

Both similar products, which include European breakdown.

Both insurers insisted on a cat 1 alarm, neither asked for a tracker.

 

[laird of Dunstan]

So it's not gold plated but platinum then! Serves you right for spending all that dosh on a big 'bread van' with a bit of bling thrown in ...

I only wanted a new caravan honest,it was the missus

 

[teddybard]

No the CEO's job is to run a profitable company. Of course its not a con, you have the option not to go with that particular company if you cannot reach agreement on price, its not compulsory. They have to make a profit to pay wages, you have to make a few phone calls to get best deal. If you saw a tin of dog food at one price in Tesco then saw it cheaper in another shop, does that mean Tesco are conning you, no it doesn't, it just means their price if different. You can shop where you like.

And you therefore regard the practice of let the buyer beware on
pricing in the same light, tin a costs 75p
tin b special offer 2 for 1.60 but in a different part of the store.
Then of course the practice of putting sweets next to the checkout
as every little helps the marketing effort disreguarding how mum feels.
Of course the Major chains are conning us, just look at the practices they allow, anything from fake offers to Horsemeat in Burgers, worthless warrantees you name it. All this crap in the name of the shareholder is approved of by said CEO.

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[Jaws]

I would not say they are conning any one..
I would say that many firms conduct some pretty sharp practices and often rely on the naivety of some people
Dealing with insurance brokers one must always remember 'caveat emptor'

 

[teddybard]

Caveat Emptor

Young man, if perforce you purchase a horse,
then of dealers like Paddy beware,
buy with eyes open, look carefully of course,
or you may inherit more than your share.

We went to market at Appleby fair,
ignored advice saying, ‘it might not be wise,’
bought a stallion for breeding while there,
seventeen hands high and excessively wide.

With cash to hand we did not need a loan,
the ‘deal of the day,’ how we would pay
in hind-sight I wish we'd stayed home,
buying from the market; why did we stay?

This horse I thought was not bad tempered,
I entered, he laid back his ears, “good,” they said,
he's not spoiled or barn sour, sort of well rounded,
I approached, a shod hoof shot past my head.

"High Spirits," said Paddy, “It's near perfect,
nothing to fear, should have backed to the rear,
not a trace of a problem, not the least defect,
looks like a beauty that's perfectly clear.”

At this terrible time you can clearly see,
the whole concept was driving me crackers,
something must go, either horse, or me.
Dobbin's horsebox went to t'knackers!

Here ends the sad tale of Dobbin the horse,
I'm hundreds of pounds out
he's cat’s meat; that's fair.
If perforce you purchase a horse
of dealers like Paddy beware.

 

[iandsm]

And you therefore regard the practice of let the buyer beware on
pricing in the same light, tin a costs 75p
tin b special offer 2 for 1.60 but in a different part of the store.
Then of course the practice of putting sweets next to the checkout
as every little helps the marketing effort disreguarding how mum feels.
Of course the Major chains are conning us, just look at the practices they allow, anything from fake offers to Horsemeat in Burgers, worthless warrantees you name it. All this crap in the name of the shareholder is approved of by said CEO.

Jaws is exactly right. Your special offer example is not what I was talking about, it is sharp practice . Sweets next to checkouts is not a con but is it sharp practice or merely a presentation which you either accept or not.

For something to be a "con" there has to be an element of dishonesty and intentional lying or untruth intended to induce someone to do something, or make a purchase, which is to their disadvantage and that they would not do otherwise. Something is not a con if it simply gives the punter a choice.

People can take or leave these offer of insurance, prices on goods in shops or for other services. Thats why we get quotes from builders etc, because we know their prices for the same job will vary.

Many people will say they have been conned when in fact they haven't. They just didn't make the right choice or do some research on prices and suppliers and later regretted it.

People are often stupid when it comes to these matters, there have been many "conned" by an email from someone like Dr Oolombigleogog who's brother is the head of an oil company in an African country and needs you help to move three billion pounds out of the country via your bank account because of political unrest. Just send him your account number, sort code, date of birth and UK home address and phone number. Now that's really a con.

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[mitzimad]

Jaws is exactly right. Your special offer example is not what I was talking about, it is sharp practice . Sweets next to checkouts is not a con but is it sharp practice or merely a presentation which you either accept or not.

For something to be a "con" there has to be an element of dishonesty and intentional lying or untruth intended to induce someone to do something, or make a purchase, which is to their disadvantage and that they would not do otherwise. Something is not a con if it simply gives the punter a choice.

People can take or leave these offer of insurance, prices on goods in shops or for other services. Thats why we get quotes from builders etc, because we know their prices for the same job will vary.

Many people will say they have been conned when in fact they haven't. They just didn't make the right choice or do some research on prices and suppliers and later regretted it.

People are often stupid when it comes to these matters, there have been many "conned" by an email from someone like Dr Oolombigleogog who's brother is the head of an oil company in an African country and needs you help to move three billion pounds out of the country via your bank account because of political unrest. Just send him your account number, sort code, date of birth and UK home address and phone number. Now that's really a con.

you cant con an honest man as all cons work on your greed

 

[iandsm]

you cant con an honest man as all cons work on your greed

You are right, but only up to a point. I can assure you honest people can be conned, I once dealt with a complaint from a man who had retired as a captain from the Army. He was a thoroughly decent individual who was conned into making an investment of the whole if his pension lump sum by three men who set up a bogus investment company. He lost the lot, as did other victims. He wasn't greedy, he was gullible.

 

[Reevsie]

I forgot I had my car on auto renewal. Went from £289 up to £544 but I did not find out for 6 months. The wife was ill and I never checked my mail like I should have. But I will now next year.

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[peterc10]

I agree with others that profit is not a dirty word. After all we all have had to make a "profit" in life in order to put aside enough money to buy our motorhome.

And we all do it. If your employer is paying you more than you need to live on, come wage review time do you (or your union) offer to work for him for a less??? No, you take some more and make even more profit.

The alternative is communism, and we have all seen how well that worked at improving the people's life . A 10 year wait for a Trabbant.

 

[Lenny HB]

Don't mind companies making a profit but some take the pi**. Daughter just phoned me to ask how much I thought her house insurance should be, she had just received a renewal, £870 last year it was £150!!!!

 

[peterc10]

Don't mind companies making a profit but some take the pi**. Daughter just phoned me to ask how much I thought her house insurance should be, she had just received a renewal, £870 last year it was £150!!!!

I can remember the first house we had the mortgage company (only one I could find) insisted that you could only use one insurance company to insure it. And if you wanted a gas stove you could only buy it from your local gas board. And you had to buy your gas and electricity from those boards to. All big cons to protect inefficient organisations and drive up prices.

But, fortunately, we live in a better free market economy now. The only thing that drives down prices is competition, and, for most commodities, we now have it.

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[gus-lopez]

And who should decide what level of profit is excessive and what criteria should they use when arriving at their decision?

I agree with others that profit is not a dirty word. After all we all have had to make a "profit" in life in order to put aside enough money to buy our motorhome.

And we all do it. If your employer is paying you more than you need to live on, come wage review time do you (or your union) offer to work for him for a less??? No, you take some more and make even more profit.

The alternative is communism, and we have all seen how well that worked at improving the people's life . A 10 year wait for a Trabbant.

I've never been able to understand why everyone wants a pay rise every year ? Same as why do prices go up when none of the costs have ?

 

[Robert Clark]

I've never been able to understand why everyone wants a pay rise every year ? Same as why do prices go up when none of the costs have ?

A financial expert was saying on TV that inflation is good for an economy. (In moderation)

 

[peterc10]

I've never been able to understand why everyone wants a pay rise every year ?

So you always refused all of yours?

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[Augusta08]

Its only a con if they don't provide the cover contracted for, you are a liberty to contract with whom one wants at any price agreed. But in the event of an honest loss or claim they attempt to wriggle out of their responsibilities...Its a con.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Most of the things like this that are termed as "cons" actually aren't. They only happen because people are too lazy to shop around and then want to blame someone else when they find out they could have found a cheaper price with minimal effort.

 

[Fletton]

Bought a brand new MH last April... 7m - 4250t.. Never driven one before... No no-claims etc... Value 66k+
Shopped around... And paid £350 with Comfort... (They were not the cheapest I found - but overall the better package)

Will be interesting to see what happens this coming April...

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[Lenny HB]

Bought a brand new MH last April... 7m - 4250t.. Never driven one before... No no-claims etc... Value 66k+
Shopped around... And paid £350 with Comfort... (They were not the cheapest I found - but overall the better package)

Will be interesting to see what happens this coming April...

Not much, Comfort are very good normally only apply inflationary increases, mine went down by 2 quid this year.

 

[sedge]

I dunno what anyone is moaning about really. The renewal quote silliness aside, no insurer actually quotes a lot more than they need to really.

We were in our first year of insuring a Moho, when some scrote decided to try and break into it. Unsuccessfully TG - but anyway apart from a cab door window - they'd damaged the hab door and its frame. It was still usable and it still appeared to lock, but we did wonder how safely really - but it looked absolutely awful - and you really don't want that on a less than one year old vehicle that's still under warranty otherwise, do you?

Here we are 6+ years later having changed the Moho and moved insurers at least once - and I bet we STILL haven't paid all those insurers altogether, the cost of that claim.

 

[Fletton]

Not much, Comfort are very good normally only apply inflationary increases, mine went down by 2 quid this year.

Oops.... Just realised I went with AIB (aviva policy).. :/

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