how do car insurance companies get away with it?

kelc_2

hi
I am a 24 year old woman with 6 years no claims bonus and no points or convictions . i live in what is considered a "nice" area and my car is kept on a locked driveway. I have searched all car insurance companies most of which will NOT insure me . this is because of my job. i am an actress and acording to car insurance companies i am a high risk. how can insurance companies get away with this .surley it is discrimination. why because of my job should i have to pay a stupid amount of money to be insured. my last car was group 12 insurance and with 6 years no claims and no convictions i was paying £1600 and that was the cheapest i could get and some companies refused to insure me . i was just wondering your view on this.

skintmummy

The reason behind this is the liability for personal injury to any passengers you may carry, due to your profession if you were to carry a passenger that was injuried or worst killed in an accident the amount the companies have to pay for loss of earnings etc is more than say on office worker.

Sorry to say i work in the industry and now it is not fair, you will probably pay the same price as someone very famous jsut because you are in the entertainment business.

Hope this helps.

Skintmummy. xx

kelc_2

yes but that is the insurance companies assuming that i have those types of people in my car. and whats to say that joe bloggs down the road isnt best friends with someone who is really famous like david beckham and they go out in joes car all the time. it is discrimination and i think martin lewis should investigate it not just for actors but everyone why should your job affect your insurance my husband works in catering and his insurance is high cos insurance companies think he is more likely to have a drink after work and drive home!

skintmummy

I completly understand what you are saying, but for years this is how they have based there premiums. Rightly or wrongly, everyone one in the entertainment industry are tarred with the same brush, but insurers need to draw a line somewhere, you could try a company called Allan Chapman & James as they deal a alot with the entertainment industry and have some deals with insurers.

However I certainly did not choose to work for an Insurance Company it just kind of happended and know I cant get out.:eek:

chuckles1066

kelc wrote:

hi
I am a 24 year old woman with 6 years no claims bonus and no points or convictions . i live in what is considered a "nice" area and my car is kept on a locked driveway. I have searched all car insurance companies most of which will NOT insure me . this is because of my job. i am an actress and acording to car insurance companies i am a high risk. how can insurance companies get away with this .surley it is discrimination. why because of my job should i have to pay a stupid amount of money to be insured. my last car was group 12 insurance and with 6 years no claims and no convictions i was paying £1600 and that was the cheapest i could get and some companies refused to insure me . i was just wondering your view on this.

I sympathise, I am employed in the national newspaper industry...........I cannot get a quote because of my occupation.

Consequently, my car is insured in my wife's name even though she doesn't ever drive it

gazza975526570

It is based on statistics. As everything to do with insurance is. It isnt sying that you personally are more likely to have a high value claim just that people with your occupation will, on average, have higher valued claims.

Its just the way it goes im afraid.

Phoenix79_2

kelc wrote:

i am an actress and acording to car insurance companies i am a high risk. how can insurance companies get away with this .surley it is discrimination. why because of my job should i have to pay a stupid amount of money to be insured.

kelc wrote:

it is discrimination and i think martin lewis should investigate it

Thank your lucky stars you're not a bloke. You'd pay even more then. Thats more discrimination!

mattymoo

gazza975526570 wrote:

It is based on statistics. As everything to do with insurance is. It isnt sying that you personally are more likely to have a high value claim just that people with your occupation will, on average, have higher valued claims.

Its just the way it goes im afraid.

If you are in a car crash that is your fault your passengers are entitled to claim damages for among other things, future loss of earnings. The acting profession is a difficult one to value. Whose to say the 18 yr old chorus line member you gave a lift to would not be the next Hugh Grant or Gwyneth Paltrow. Cosmetic injuries are also likely to affect their ability to work as well.

Insurers have also found out from experience that the hours you are likely to keep will affect the likelihood of a claim. Theatre productions finish around 11pm, meaning you are likely to be on the road still after midnight. Casino croupiers, club comediens and night club bar staff also have a similar loading on their premium.

Insurers have to base the premium on rating factors and occupation is one of the major ones - no getting away from it really.

maclean2

Assume you are member of Equity - do they have a discount insurance scheme?

impy78

kelc wrote:

hi
I am a 24 year old woman with 6 years no claims bonus and no points or convictions . i live in what is considered a "nice" area and my car is kept on a locked driveway. I have searched all car insurance companies most of which will NOT insure me . this is because of my job. i am an actress and acording to car insurance companies i am a high risk. how can insurance companies get away with this .surley it is discrimination. why because of my job should i have to pay a stupid amount of money to be insured. my last car was group 12 insurance and with 6 years no claims and no convictions i was paying £1600 and that was the cheapest i could get and some companies refused to insure me . i was just wondering your view on this.

I find this really annoying too.

I did work for an insurance company, and always brought this up as being very silly... but, have you tried first Act insurance... Equity recommended them to me for my house insurance, and I had no problems at all.

tom188

chuckles1066 wrote:

Consequently, my car is insured in my wife's name even though she doesn't ever drive it

This is insurance fraud or fronting. If you have to make a claim and the insurance company finds out about this then they could void your cover and not to pay out.