Bike stolen - I am not happy

Strider590

Ilona wrote: »

I hope my cunning trick works.
Ilona

Surely you'd be better off making it look bland and inexpensive?

rev_henry

Thank you for all the suggestions. I used to have an alarm like strider's which was excellent but it stopped working properly when I left it too long without batteries for some reason. I'll get a new one for my new bike though.

Now, this new for old replacement via supplier thing, what about the excess? As a rather strange coincidence I had my eye on a rather nice Claude Butler hybrid on ebay which is ending tonight and going very cheap. If I buy this, will the insurance still want to give me a bike from Halfords, which will no doubt be way more expensive and not as good as this one on ebay? Thus leaving me with two bikes. Hopefully they'll be open to negotiation about it...

Ilona - I was reading something yesterday about covering the frame with bits of masking tape which apparently goes a horrible grey colour in the sun and makes the bike look tatty.

Kilty_2

rev_henry wrote: »

Thank you for all the suggestions. I used to have an alarm like strider's which was excellent but it stopped working properly when I left it too long without batteries for some reason. I'll get a new one for my new bike though.

.

Don't still have it lying around do you? I want to dissect one to investigate Strider's claims of foolproofness

rev_henry

Kilty wrote: »

Don't still have it lying around do you? I want to dissect one to investigate Strider's claims of foolproofness

Haha, yes I think I do, but I do have to agree with him on this occasion. The thing is designed such that to change the batteries you have to unscrew it from the bike, so of course the alarm will go off in this process unless its deactivated.

And another thing, I have no proof of purchase or anything like that. as we've had it in the family for about 10 years. Incidentally we got it secondhand with insurance money when its predecessor was stolen. What I should be able to get hold of, once the relevant Neighbourhood Policing team and Uni Security get their act together, is the registration details of the selectamark tagging scheme or whatever its called. Fortunately I do have receipts for most if not all the gadgets I've put on the bike recently.

ailuro2

Is it worth claiming on your insurance and wrecking any no claims bonus entitlement for an old bike that wasn't worth much that you should have locked up in the first place??

Try freecycle for a "new" one and remember to lock it up!;)

rev_henry

ailuro2 wrote: »

Is it worth claiming on your insurance and wrecking any no claims bonus entitlement for an old bike that wasn't worth much that you should have locked up in the first place??

Try freecycle for a "new" one and remember to lock it up!;)

I've checked all that out yes. Its a new for old policy so it should pay out much more than the bike's value, and this was my first home insurance policy so I have no NCB. I even put quotes through with and without a claim, and the difference wasn't much.

Meanwhile in other news I've just won the aforementioned Claude Butler hybrid on ebay.

dacouch

Rev which Insurer are you insured with

rev_henry

dacouch wrote: »

Rev which Insurer are you insured with

Aviva home plus broker policy. I could do with your pearls of wisdom...

dacouch

You will probably be ok with them, a lot of policies would insist the bike is locked in the circumstances you describe. Their's does say it should be locked when not at the home, they might (Probably Rightly) try and say that the bike was not within your home so should have been locked up.

The homeplus is often used for unusual risks, do you have multiple policyholders on it, if so does it have a endoresement / clause added to say that theft is only covered if entry / exit is by violent or forcible entry

rev_henry

dacouch wrote: »

You will probably be ok with them, a lot of policies would insist the bike is locked in the circumstances you describe. Their's does say it should be locked when not at the home, they might (Probably Rightly) try and say that the bike was not within your home so should have been locked up.

The homeplus is often used for unusual risks, do you have multiple policyholders on it, if so does it have a endoresement / clause added to say that theft is only covered if entry / exit is by violent or forcible entry

I don't have personal possessions cover outside the home, just basic contents cover, so initially didn't think I was covered. I looked out for a clause like that but could find nothing. I've just got myself and the OH on the policy - it came out cheapest on the comparison sites. Went ahead and called them, and was perfectly honest, said it was left in a communal hallway etc. She went away to see and came back saying 'yes you're covered'. I've had a text this morning from iVal, who I gather are the company that sort out such claims for aviva saying they will contact me soon. I presumed this means they have definitely accepted the claim and iVal just sort out a new bike for me, but if you know any different...?