Removal costs - insurance

skibabe_sal

I have just received quotes from several removal companies...some include insurance, others don't. My contents insurance provider has told me that my contents are covered by them whilst in transit as long as I am using a professional removal company. However, when I rang one of the removal companies to ask if the insurance they had included was optional, they said no, I had to take it. This does not sound right, yet I am struggling to find an answer anywhere on the web. If it is optional then surely the companies that have quoted me including insurance and not told me that it is optional are mis-selling?? Any advice would be welcome.

davidmcn

Sounds like it isn't optional if you want to use that company, so wouldn't be mis-selling.

skibabe_sal

I agree that if it's not optional then it's not. But in my limited experience of doing anything that offers insurance (hiring cars, booking travel etc) then there is always the option to opt out of buying into the insurance offered by the company as long as you sign a waiver to say you have your own cover. I am just trying to understand why I would need to buy insurance from the removal company if I already have insurance that covers all of my belongings....and if they are telling me that I must buy it, I wonder why?

davidmcn

skibabe_sal wrote: »

if they are telling me that I must buy it, I wonder why?

Because it makes them money. No doubt they have a cosy relationship with whoever is providing the overpriced insurance. But nothing unlawful about it. Just a compulsory extra item on their quote. If it puts you off them, go with one of their competitors who isn't using similar practices.

And in my experience, hire cars always include insurance - they might try to sell you extra cover, but the basic stuff is included in the price.

Trentenders

It is very (very) likely that they are not providing you with insurance as standard. Their insurance will be against liability towards you for any loss/damage (and not for the goods, via a policy in your own name) - but don't expect them to know the difference.

The key think to look at are the conditions of carriage, which sets out what they are and are not liable for (e.g. whether they are liable for loss/damage regardless of negligence on their part).