insurance in australia

[blackduck]

just wondering who the australian participants in this forum are insured with?? vp rsvmille, exdukenut any suggestions please...

[vp rsvmille]

Hey blackduck,

Welcome to the forum.

I'm insured with Swann because they had the better deal between all the ones I looked at (I wanted to pay monthly and they we're the best option at the time).

I have recently heard of another mob called Arista Underwriting who only cover riders aged 25-39 (First Choice) and 40+ (called 40 plus I think) so they offer better premiums (around $4-500 cheaper in my friends case).

I will try Arista out in Dec when my policy with Swann ends.

In the end, you always get ripped off, so try and get ripped off the least amount.

Cheers

[blackduck]

thanks for the reply.. ive already done a fair bit of the ringing around for qoutes, Arista being one of them. But depending on your circumstances, in my experience, From the dearest to cheapes (again depending on your details,ie age,claims,fines,garage etc) NRMA is the dearest,then Swan,QBE after them,then Arista,Suncorp if you live in QLD, New england if your over 40, then Shannons. Shannons qoute me $820 odd. my details age 29,riding for 7 years,unrestricted licence for 6, no fines in last 5 years,65% no claim,garaged, driving/riding courses,market value...

Yeah I know you get ripped but some of the quotes for what I consider as myself a low risk, are "kin unbelievable. I might just continue doing track days x 15 per year and the insurance companies can go and get.... works out the same price anyway after rego,ctp and insurance

[RSV4ME]

If you are having problems with getting rating 1, try Suncorp. Check this out, I was rating 5 with another insurance company, we (my girlfriend and I) insured the car with Suncorp, she was rating 1, so rating 1 was then transferred to me, because of this I was able to get rating 1 on the bike insurance too! Also Suncorp often have promotions to give you rating 1 (conditions apply) if you change over to them, worth a try. ;)

[oldbag]

If you want advice on insurance as far as price goes QBE seems the cheapest. If you want advice on insurance as far as claims and customer service go well....

- none of them cover your gear. RACV and AAMI allow about $300 claim towards a helmet; Swann will allow $500 if you pay extra

- none of them cover track days or school days (QBE policy says they will consider it but when I specifically asked they said no!)

- AAMI is the only one who allows you first option on salvage rights. RACV may be negotiable but Swann and QBE definitely not. (QBE wrote off my bike and took it away before even telling me! They will not even tell me if/when it is being auctioned)

- AAMI will not insure Aprilias (but they insure Ducatis!?!)

- RACV reluctantly insure Aprilias depending on your age and record

- RACV include 2 weeks hire car if your bike is stolen, and if you pay $60 ontop of the premium you can get this for an accident too

- Arista will not insure me (even though I am old) because I ride every day; and if you have more than 3 driving offences they require an official copy of your driving record

- QBE makes you pay all the excesses even if the accident is not your fault, they supposedly refund them when they retrieve payment but I am not sure how I will know that - I do not trust them to tell me!

-I originally signed up with Swann for a 12 month policy when I bought the bike, 6 months later I got another $1000 bill saying it was only a 6 month policy because I had not provided an insurance history (I had never been asked for this and the guy selling it signed me up for 12 months) Swann do not deal direct - only through agents- except when they want more money!! That is when I changed to QBE.

- interesting comparison: husband dropped brand bew tuono in gravel the day after he bought it; Swann assessed it and even though a brand new bike, would not replace scratched forks saying they were still structurally sound; 12 months later my falco and I headbutt a kamakaze U turner (only about 45km/h) QBE assessed it (but used exactly the same assessor who had done hubbys) and refused to negotiate on any repairs, insisting that everything scratched had to be replaced - hence writing it off!

This was my first experience with an insurance claim and I am now very wary. My options now seem to be: get a Honda and insure with AAMI (but I have actually put a deposit on a Mille - can't keep away from Aprilia!) so am considering going with RACV simply because the car insurers seem to have their act together. All the car owners I know who are insured with them and have had to claim have had no dramas. They know exactly where they stand all the time and dont feel ripped off.

Definitely go for agreed value policy though, if you have a nice bike. Market value can be very hit and miss. The market value on my Falco was based on 2 ads that appeared on bikepoint that week - one for $12500 and one for $15000 so I got $13000 (minus the $1000 excess = $12000)

And that is another thing - there is no negotiation on market value (with QBE anyway).

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[blackduck]

yes as I thought this thread would end up with this result. no insurance companies like bike owners, we must be considered some sort of high risk, scum bag type hooligan who is going to eventually make a claim and cost the said company money. Its interesting to read when you consider that over half the bike/car accidents in Oz are not the riders fault. the typical excuse from the driver is "I didnt see him/her" . bullshit you just didnt look. if you did look you would have seen the bike unless you are actually blind, and when you come to think of it some drivers are probably blind in one way or another..

[Scot p]

Arista...seem to be ok so far, but no calims, but my dad had no hassels with a blade they wrote off for him, was also able to get them to chase costs of new helmet and gear off the driver of the 4*4 that was adevnturing on the wrong side of the road..

cya
Scot.