Motor Insurance Ombudsman

jimbo6977

scrappy_returns said:

They also don't cover you if your vehicle is taken from you via deception, sounds like theft to me. Or on MOD property as this is deemed high risk. That's annoying and I bet there's a load of squaddies that don't realise that.

MoD property and airfield exclusions are not unique to Admiral.

By "deception" they are mainly referring to fake buyers who use forged notes/bankers drafts/things of a like kind to acquire second hand cars. 

ontheroad1970

Car_54 said:

Sandtree said:

ColzD said:

These "extras" were optional extras from new, not modifications - if you look up the VIN it explains the extras on that model. At the end of the day it goes for £8k to £10k for the equivalent car but they offered £6.5k. I'm getting it repaired and will just have to take the hit on the fact it'll be massively devalued as a Cat N but would rather that than lose my car.

Yes, which Admiral define as modifications as per the policy wording:

Modifications Any changes to your vehicle’s standard specification, including accessories and additional parts, optional extras and aftermarket alterations, trade related changes and parts.

Admiral are almost unique in this but it states it in their quote system and again in the policybook.

So you buy a Mercedes SL500 Black Edition you dont need to declare any of the "black edition" variations from the base model as its part of the variant standard specification. You buy a Mercedes SL500 AMG and choose to add the "Black Edition Alloys" for an extra £3,000 then they have to be declared as a modification and wont be covered by the Admiral policy.

True, but if I could afford £3,000 for fancy wheels (let alone the S class Merc) I probably wouldn’t be shopping at the bottom end of the insurance market!

You might or might not be surprised how many people would...

Sandtree

Car_54 said:

Sandtree said:

ColzD said:

These "extras" were optional extras from new, not modifications - if you look up the VIN it explains the extras on that model. At the end of the day it goes for £8k to £10k for the equivalent car but they offered £6.5k. I'm getting it repaired and will just have to take the hit on the fact it'll be massively devalued as a Cat N but would rather that than lose my car.

Yes, which Admiral define as modifications as per the policy wording:

Modifications Any changes to your vehicle’s standard specification, including accessories and additional parts, optional extras and aftermarket alterations, trade related changes and parts.

Admiral are almost unique in this but it states it in their quote system and again in the policybook.

So you buy a Mercedes SL500 Black Edition you dont need to declare any of the "black edition" variations from the base model as its part of the variant standard specification. You buy a Mercedes SL500 AMG and choose to add the "Black Edition Alloys" for an extra £3,000 then they have to be declared as a modification and wont be covered by the Admiral policy.

True, but if I could afford £3,000 for fancy wheels (let alone the S class Merc) I probably wouldn’t be shopping at the bottom end of the insurance market!

Insurance, and particularly car insurance, is a commoditised distress purchase... no one buys it because they want to nor brags to their friends about the amazing quality of insurance they can now afford given their latest promotion.

In car insurance in particular there is no "mid net worth" offerings out there and most the "high net worth" policies are only sold to people who also hold Home insurance with the same insurer... so its a cross sell only product not one you can just go and buy. There are people who own £100,000 cars but don't own the £5,000,000 home to warrant HNW home insurance

As such people with brand new £100,000 cars tend to do exactly the same as someone with a £500 banger and go onto confused.com and buy the cheapest option that comes up. A few may scroll down until they hit the first name they know and Admiral is a household name.

jimbo6977 said:
By "deception" they are mainly referring to fake buyers who use forged notes/bankers drafts/things of a like kind to acquire second hand cars. 

No, they also tend to decline the cases where after you take them out for a drive they ask to look under the hood with the engine running... as you walk around the front to lift the bonnet they jump into the drivers seat and drive off. 

scrappy_returns

That still sounds alot like theft

Sandtree

scrappy_returns said:

That still sounds alot like theft

It is theft but car insurance typically have clauses like:

We won’t cover loss or damage to your car if someone takes it by fraud or deception while pretending to be a buyer.
car-insurance-policy-document.pdf (directline.com)

The ombudsman has been a bit 50/50 on such clauses... supporting them where the policyholder has been possibly careless (eg the example I gave) but not where violence or means other than the car keys were used.

Decision Reference DRN-2243563 (financial-ombudsman.org.uk) is a fairly good example of an RSA complaint where their clause is broader and doesnt just cover buyers. In this case the Policyholder found a random repairer online who was much cheaper and handed their car over to the recovery truck driver never to see it again. The ombudsman did not uphold the complaint and said it was fair for the insurer to decline the claim.