Archive for the Current News Category

Why one customer left the ‘comparing’ up to us!

On May 24, 2012 / Current News, What our customers have to say

I normally dread my car insurance renewal coming round so when I was referred to A1 Insurance I was delighted to be offered someone who could take the hassle off my hands. I don’t have time to trawl through Comparison Websites or go looking for those companies that don’t use them, I’m a busy mum.

A1 Insurance found me the best possible price, making me a great saving on last years’ prices. They did all the searching for me, all I needed to do was provide my car details and then my bank details to set up the Direct Debit.

Perhaps if I’d searched long and hard enough I may have been able to find as good a deal as A1 found for me, but by that time I’d have lost the will to live. Without a doubt I will be using A1 Insurance next year when my (no longer dreaded) renewal comes around.

Many thanks for your assistance.

Fiona Bishop

If you would like us to do all the comparing for you then either call a member of the team or email us.

WARNING: ARE YOUR KIDS INSURED TO DRIVE CORRECTLY?

On April 25, 2012 / Current News, Products

Make sure that your young drivers are insured correctly as the consequences can be disastrous, as the following tale will prove…..

For anonymity purposes lets call our family the Smith’s.

Mr and Mrs Smith were very pleased when their son passed his driving test, after all, it is a big achievement. They decided to buy him a small car to start off with and purchased the car insurance over the internet, mum being the main driver and son being the named driver.

Sound familiar yet?

Now, as sometimes happens, young Mr Smith had quite a serious accident and the car was a total write off. Fortunately there was nobody else involved and there were no personal injuries.

The insurers, as standard practice, sent a Loss Adjuster to assess the extent of the damage and to investigate the claim. After the Loss Adjuster had interviewed Mrs Smith and her son, he then went and knocked on several of the neighbour’s doors and asked if they had ever seen mum driving the car.

The insurers turned down the claim because it was found that the son was the main driver of the car and not mum. Luckily for the Smith’s it was an old car and worth very little, however if a third party had been involved the costs could have been massive.

The question is: if it happens to you, can you afford to pay for repairs or ongoing costs for injuries?

Don’t leave it to chance, ask A1 Insurance, the insurance professionals.

Thinking of buying a Motorhome?

On April 18, 2012 / Current News

Many people still hold a very old fashioned view of holidaying in a motorhome. Of course the old VW type of campervan brings to mind bygone days and nostalgic memories, but in truth things have changed dramatically. Campervans were often used to travel to music festivals and of course were lived in while parked in the middle of a muddy field with primitive conditions. Today, campervans and music festivals are still very popular but both offer much more comfort. In the case of campervans there are now many more models to choose from, going from basic to out and out luxury.

Whichever model of campervan is chosen the owner will need to look for insurance. Research taken during a recent motorhome caravan and camping show revealed that while 93% will spend a huge amount of time looking at all aspects of a motorhome, only 40% will do the same with the insurance. This is because they wrongly believe that one insurance policy will be just like another. An insurance broker may not be the best person to give advice on buying a motorhome, but there is no-one better at finding the best, cheapest and most competitive insurance policy to protect it.

Facing the challenge of finding the best motorhome and the best motorhome insurance can be quite daunting. To start with it is best to identify what the motorhome will be used for.

Will it be used to tour for months on end or just for a couple of weeks twice a year?
Will it just be used at weekends or for all trips to festivals and sporting events throughout the year?
How many people will be travelling and sleeping in the mobile home?

These are all questions that need answering before the best motorhome and the best motorhome insurance can be found.

One factor to bear in mind is the overhang of the motorhome. The legally permissible overhang in the UK is 60%. However, 55% is deemed more desirable to allow for tow-bars and bike racks. Besides being swayed by the aesthetics of a motorhome, its practical and technical attributes should also be considered. The largest legally allowed motorhome permissible in the UK is 12m long by 2.55m wide. However, most campsite, ferries, road tolls, insurance and recovery packages are based on motorhomes of 6m in length, which is the benchmark between medium and large.

Its running costs, the choice of fuel and availability of parts, ought to be considered along with its manoeuvrability. A very important factor that should never be overlooked when finding the best motorhome for your needs is the payload capacity. This is the difference between the MIRO (Mass in Running Order), the entire manufactured weight, including all the essential equipment for operating and making the motorhome habitable, less the MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass) its legal maximum weight that includes all the occupants. Choosing the motorhome is the difficult part, a good insurance broker can ensure that choosing the insurance is altogether easier.

If you would like help with your Motorhome Insurance (not buying your motorhome) then give us a ring on 01377 318255 or click here and we will ensure we find the best policy to meet your needs.

Do you have the right property insurance?

On March 7, 2012 / Current News

When you buy a property that you intend to let or become responsible for a property that an elderly parent no longer lives in, a standard home insurance product is no longer suitable.

Landlords or ‘Buy to Let’ insurance is very easy for us to set up. All you have to do is inform us of your circumstances and details of the property and we source the best deal at the most competitive price.

We deal with all types of property, flats, management companies, ‘high risk tenants’ and unoccupied properties to name but a few. We can also advise you of home emergency options which provide cover for a tradesman to call at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

So don’t leave your insurance to chance, insure your property correctly and avoid those large compensation claims for trips over a loose carpet, faulty light fittings or defective cookers.

Call A1 Insurance today for guaranteed peace of mind.

The Perils of Comparison Websites

On March 1, 2012 / Current News

So your insurance is due for renewal, sometime soon.

This year you were going to research the market, make informed decisions which were cost effective and time efficient….but then everything else happened. Sound familiar? Before you log on to a price comparison website, just stop for a moment and consider the facts:

Comparison Websites make assumptions about your circumstances which you are obliged to correct, if you do not do this, in the event of a claim your policy may be invalidated. Your time, money and effort have been wasted and you are now in the position of dealing with a difficult situation on your own.

So lets reconsider….your insurance is due for renewal, you are running out of time, you decide to give the friendly staff at A1 Insurance a ring to tell them of your woes. We take all your details and we use our panel of insurers to source the best cover at the best price for you. Any tricky bits, well that’s our job! And the exciting part – we do this for you year after year, sourcing the best deals at competitive prices.

A1 Insurance – The insurance professionals who deal with your insurance needs.

Preventing the theft of Heating Oil

On February 8, 2012 / Current News

This week Jacqui discusses the increase in Heating Oil thefts and how you can help prevent it happening to you.

Running parallel with rising oil prices has been a significant increase in the incidence of theft of heating oil from fixed surface tanks.

The amount of fuel stolen and the methods employed vary ranging from decanting or siphoning into cans or drums, to pumping into bulk tanks mounted in or on criminals’ vehicles.

In addition to the monetary loss of fuel, such attacks can also result in serious ground or water course pollution in circumstances where sight tube gauges or supply pipes are smashed or cut and the oil allowed to run free, often long after the thieves have left the premises. In these situations, clean up costs and possible action by the regulatory authorities can far exceed the value of the fuel stolen.

These thefts are not only committed in areas of high crime, but are also commonly perpetrated in less populated rural areas and on farms. Typically there is no single solution to the problem.

Insurers therefore advise an assessment of the security be undertaken based on features including the value and quantity of the oil in store, the location of the tank and the presence, if any, of external perimeter security, general security protections for the premises as a whole, known loss experience for the area and the proximity of any nearby rivers or other water courses.

Security protections/measures to be considered may be one or more of the following:

Physical perimeter protection of the tank or the area in general

Security lighting and/or CCTV
Physical security of vent caps, inspection apertures, filling points, dispensing nozzles etc. A range of products are available from specialist oil tank supply service companies.
Physical security of oil supply pipework
Isolation of electric pump controls out of working hours (commercial customers)
Removal of empty containers or drums from the area around th tank which could be used by opportunist thieves
Specialist tank alarm systems to detect lifting of the inspection cap or falling oil levels

Fore more information or to discuss your insurance requirements please contact us on 01377 318255 or click here.

GAP Insurance – why it’s worth considering

On January 25, 2012 / Current News

So you’ve just had a spin in your potential new car, infact you look so good in it you know with certainty that you are going to buy it, all that’s left to do is deal with the paperwork, sign up to the GAP insurance and arrange a collection date.

But lets just rewind a moment and consider the GAP insurance. The first question is, what does GAP insurance actually mean? The answer, Guaranteed Asset Protection.

Image: cjansuebsri / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In a nutshell, whether you purchase your vehicle by cash, finance or lease hire, GAP insurance covers you for the short fall between the insurance payout and either the invoice price or finance agreement (depending on how you made the purchase) if the vehicle is written off.

Lets also consider this fact; the moment that you drive off the garage forecourt in your lovely new vehicle it starts to depreciate at an alarming rate, in fact after 3 years the vehicle is likely to be worth only around 40% of its original list price. Horrendous when you consider the original price of the vehicle and the fact that you will only be recompensed the market price of the vehicle by your insurer. To add further insult to injury, you will still be financially liable for the shortfall.

GAP insurance is an invaluable product that provides you with peace of mind should you ever find yourself in this unpleasant situation. Here at A1 Insurance we are exceptional pleased with our choice of GAP provider due to the exceptional quality of the product coupled with, what we believe, is the best price on the market.

Let the car sales man finish his spiel, ask him for a few extras and a couple of air fresheners, but ask us for a GAP insurance quote, after all nobody wants to pay more than they have to.

For more information and advice on GAP Insurance give our team a call on 01377 318255.

Winter Emergency Kit – have you got yours?

On December 7, 2011 / Current News

Winter is well and truly here with many of us in the North having experienced our first flurries of snow! We all think we will never get caught out if it snows but is it really worth taking that risk? Why not consider putting together the following items into an Emergency Kit* to keep in your vehicle while your out and about.

Ice Scraper and De-Icer
Torch and spare batteries – or a wind up torch
Warm clothes and blankets – for you and all passengers
Boots
First aid kit
Jump leads
A shovel
Road atlas
Sunglasses (the glare off snow can be dazzling)

*Recommended by the Highways Agency

Drive safely this Winter

On November 30, 2011 / Current News

1.3 million people are killed in public road accidents every year.

Don’t become a statistic.

Unless immediate and effective action is taken, road traffic injuries are predicted to become the 5th leading cause of death worldwide.
Take control, and don’t let yourself become part of that statistic. The most simple safety precautions, such as those detailed on the link below, are often those that will save your life.

Safe Driving Tips

Why insure your vehicles on a motor fleet policy?

On November 23, 2011 / Current News

The answer is simple! A motor fleet policy is a way of arranging your vehicles in to one single policy which not only offers ease of administration but can also work out cheaper than insuring all your vehicles individually.

A motor fleet policy can start at as few as 3 vehicles and can include any combination, cars, vans, trucks and plant equipment. We can include drivers of any age, enhance cover and reduce cover on individual vehicles; in fact we can tailor any policy to suit your needs.

If you’ve not considered a motor fleet policy before then why not give our dedicated team of specialist a call today for a cost effective, no fuss solution to your motoring needs. If you have an existing policy, why not let us give you a review as we’re experts at strategic marketing.

A1 Insurance – happy to go that extra mile!