Being charged for change of address - what a liberty

davey001

lisyloo wrote: »

Come off it.
Not a comaprison with queueing for basic food stuffs.

I recall it too.
I recall the hilarity when a staff member came out and said
"Does any one want to make a deposit?" :rotfl:

I don't have a private helipcopter although I did have a hot air balloon once, does that count :-))

No, hot air balloons don't count (unless it was chauffeur 'driven' by someone in an expensive suit)

Just occurred to me: If £30 is fair then when should people start complaining about the admin charge for change of address? When it's £75?....£120?.....£195 to send a new Certificate?!

I noticed on the forums from a couple of years ago some saying they had been charged £12. Now it can be as high as £50. An increase of 316%.

It that continues then in 2 years time that 316% increase on £50 will be £208?! yiks!

Anyway.. off topic a bit now. I think i will stick with Budget for the moment and wait until i move. Then write a polite letter asking for a breakdown of how they arrived at a figure of £30. Just on the off chance.. you never know!

vikingaero

Too many people buy policies on the basis of price without giving a second thought to other considerations such as changing vehicles or needing cover for travelling abroad. We've had a fleet policy through a broker for years and have never had to pay admin fees for change of vehicles, addresses or travelling abroad.

davey001

BUDGET is a trading name of BISL Limited, part of the BGL Group:

http://www.bglgroup.co.uk/about/history.php

"2009: BGL Group reports a strong performance in a challenging market with a £54 million profit."

dunstonh

I like lisyloo's comparison with Ryanair. That is a good example of how its heading.

You also have to remember that the FSA do not like cross subsidising either. They are in the process of killing that off on the higher regulated side of things (investment class business). They prefer explicit charging as and when you use a service. Although one does suspect that there is a little bit of reverse cross subsidising (allowing them to reduce the main premium) from admin fees at £50 compared to say £25.

The other thing to remember is that the UK is one of the lowest profit countries for insurance companies. Many car insurance providers run at a loss on the premium and aim to make it up elsewhere.

lisyloo

Just occurred to me: If £30 is fair then when should people start complaining about the admin charge for change of address? When it's £75?....£120?.....£195 to send a new Certificate?!

No there are guidelines.
No one is saying that extortionate fees outside of the guidelines are fair.

Admin fees are published up front, so if you read your contract up front you shouldnt' have an issue.
The only people that have an issue are those who haven't read their contract.

pborojon

davey001 wrote: »

No, hot air balloons don't count (unless it was chauffeur 'driven' by someone in an expensive suit)

Just occurred to me: If £30 is fair then when should people start complaining about the admin charge for change of address? When it's £75?....£120?.....£195 to send a new Certificate?!

I noticed on the forums from a couple of years ago some saying they had been charged £12. Now it can be as high as £50. An increase of 316%.

It that continues then in 2 years time that 316% increase on £50 will be £208?! yiks!

Anyway.. off topic a bit now. I think i will stick with Budget for the moment and wait until i move. Then write a polite letter asking for a breakdown of how they arrived at a figure of £30. Just on the off chance.. you never know!

What was the compulsory excess 10 years ago? broadly £100? What is it now? still broadly £100. People were being charged £50 2 years ago as well as £12 so it's a slightly loaded comment!

Dangermac

stator wrote: »

Well you would say that, wouldn't you.

In my experience direct insurers are a lot better than brokers and provide a better customer experience. Brokers are always trying to upsell on you, trying to get you to take policies you have never expressed an interest in. Trying to force you to take their rip off legal protection or an extra policy to cover your gadgets. When I take out direct insurance policy I don't get the same nonsense. If I de-select legal protection I don't get phone calls trying to make me feel like an idiot for not taking it out.
I consider brokers to be like agents. They don't add any value, they just insert themselves between two people and charge a fee for letting them do business with each other.

I'll try and keep my words simple for the hard of learning.

Not all brokers try and crow-bar you into taking policies that you dont need - in fact - from experience, I actually think that brokers dont cross-sell enough (nothing wrong with cross-selling as long as it is transparent and clear).

Many of my clients are much better protected now because they now have an insurance portfolio that reflects their Demands and Needs.

You opinion that broker's dont add value is a personal opinion only. Many brokers do add value. Just wait until you have a claim.

Regards your last comment that brokers simply 'insert themselves' between two parties and add an additional cost to the equation, I suggest that you spend a little time researching what brokers actually do.

Until then, best you stick to crayons.

samhuzz

Sorry OP, but your post made me laugh cos it reminded me of Nan off the Catherine Tate show - "Change of address charge? What a !!!!in liberty!"

Seriously though this has happened to me a few times (moved a lot) and it is very annoying!

funkymonkey849

I was charged £25 to change my car insurance address. I asked if the policy had changed price and they said it had gone down by £34.50. To add insult to injury they told me that I wouldn't be reimbursed the remaining £9.50 because they don't give money back under a tenner.

I'm sure if I owed them £9.50 they'd be asking for it back! It's not a lot but it's the cheek of it!

£25 for 3 minutes work is a total joke

dunstonh

£25 for 3 minutes work is a total joke

Ok, next time you go for a policy where there are no admin charges and see how much higher the annual premium is.

You have consumer choice here. Higher premium but no admin charges or lower premium and admin charges.

Regards your last comment that brokers simply 'insert themselves' between two parties and add an additional cost to the equation, I suggest that you spend a little time researching what brokers actually do.

Its also worth noting that a price comparison site on online quote portal is just inserting itself in the middle with a lot less consumer protection in place and a lot of people buying inadequate or low quality products because they focus on price before quality/options.

God knows how many times I have come across people who say they have saved £x by changing only to find the reason they saved money is that they reduced their cover and left off options without realising it. For home insurance, that typically means accidental damage and/or personal possessions. For life assurance it can mean leaving off critical illness cover when they think terminal illness cover is the same thing.