anyone got 1st central car insurance?

Wumpus_2

worsdale wrote: »

ok, so this isnt a great company i get that lol. BUT

im about to get my first car, im only getting 3rd Party fire/theft cover anyway, will not be driving another car so dont need cover and the car im buying is worth about 1.5k so any damage i probably wouldnt put a claim in anyway

SO> the price difference between this company and their closest compete tor is around 250quid

its very tempting

Think what might happen if you have a bump and somebody else sues you.

Would you want a company like 1st Central to be your only defence against being sued by the other party?

worsdale

I know, every sensible bone in my body is telling not to be stupid, but money talks, they are offering me around £650 a year for 3rd parts F&T and LV their closest competitor is around the 900quid mark and this is on a car thats going to cost me 1.5k! but ill wait and see, i have my driving test in 2 weeks, if i pass ill make the decision then!

if they are such a bad company how do the FSA allow them to still be in business?

Quentin

If you go with them after reading this thread and you hit problems you at least won't waste too much time wondering who to blame!

dacouch

The FSA have not done anything about them as they are regulated by the GIBRALTAR version of the FSA. This gives them a "passport" into the UK market but they are regulated in Gibraltar.

Insurers generally register in Gibraltar as the regulation is less strict, the solvency requirements are lower and it's quicker to be granted a licence to be an Insurer.

worsdale

cheers

right, anyone fancy pointing me in the right direction for decent reasonable car insurance?

Quentin

For advice you should click on "car insurance" in the resource bar at the top of the page.

dacouch

Worsdale as Quentin mentioned there is good advice on ways of reducing your premium.

We can probably give you some pointers as well.

Have you tried getting a quote for Comprehensive Cover ? if not try it as you may be surprised. You can increase your excess which depending on the Insurer means you only have an increased excess for accidental damage claims where you want your car repaired. This in effect gives you TPF&T cover but with windscreen cover.

Try getting some quotes for comprehensive and let us now which companies come up best.

Also try adding a family member or even better a partner onto the policy as a named driver as this often reduces the premium.

1st Central are a really poor example of an Insurer and a re best avoided, bear in mind they have only been trading for around a year, you would expect a new company to try and establish a good reputation when they start rather than one of the worst in the industry. This gives you a good indication of the mind set of the management of the company

worsdale

1st central - FPFT 685 COMP 996 (with 500 excess)
ecar - FPFT £996 COMP 1345 (with 500 excess)
LV - FPFT 986 COMP 1455 (with 500 excess)
all others are FPFT 1k+ COMP 1.7+

comprehensive doesnt seem to be an option unfortunately,

i need to try some other cars i guess, im currently just searching on Ford Focus' 1.4L>1.6L 'Y' > 52 plate. maybe a focus is an expensive car to insure! who knows

thanks for the help, im not going to go with 1st Central i guess... even though £25 a month is a nice saving lol

chillyvix

Hi All,
Boy do I wish I looked into this forum before taking out insurance with this company!!!
I only had my car for 7 days!!!....I took my kids for an Easter Egg hunt with their cousins (about 40 miles away from where we live)...My car was parked legally on side of the road...(30mph restricted road) A lady was pulling out of a junction to turn right....some berk came hammering down the road at at least 50mph....smashed into her,...bounced off her car then hit my car up the backside knocking it diagonally and approx 5 foot away from where it was originally parked!!!....Incidentally,my car was an Isuzu Trooper and they weigh approx 1 1/2 tonnes!!!...which shows that he must have been going some!!!....All 3 cars were deemed beyond repair!!! I have had nothing but trouble contacting 1st central, my phone bill is gonna be huge,...but having said that,they haven't been too bad at emailing!!!....On the other hand,I have never made an insurance claim & each one of the reps I spoke with told me to do something different.One told me to go through 3rd partys insurance & even gave me the number for the company,then another told me I would have to pay my excess + whats left of my premium + STORAGE COSTS for the time my poor car has been in the garage!!!(Approx £1200)....I wasn't even in my car and I was at no fault whatsoever!!!...I feel like I'm just going round in circles & feel that I'm being hammered....The market value for my car is just over £3k....and I have a feeling they are going to deduct loads more...Why should I have to be doing all the donkey work & pay for the storage of my car,when I did not put it there in the first place!!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Quentin

You do need to claim your uninsured losses (such as your excess and apparently storage charges) from the third party yourself.

So you could do as suggested by 1st central and claim everything off the third party insurer - that will leave your NCD intact too.