Car insurance

[markm7843]

Good morning all, I was wondering if anyone has ever dealt with Budget Direct Car Insurance? It's time to re-insurance my partners Lancer and we are just looking aorund at different companies/poilicies.

Looking for full comprehensive on a 2007 lancer VR sedan, driven mostly by my partner (28yr old female) in NSW with perfect driving history and no claims made.

Budget seem to be WAY cheaper than NRMA and other big name mobs, but are they ok?
If anyone can offer any feedback, I would appreciate it.

Have a great day
Mark

[RASER]

Originally Posted by markm7843

Good morning all, I was wondering if anyone has ever dealt with Budget Direct Car Insurance? It's time to re-insurance my partners Lancer and we are just looking aorund at different companies/poilicies.

Looking for full comprehensive on a 2007 lancer VR sedan, driven mostly by my partner (28yr old female) in NSW with perfect driving history and no claims made.

Budget seem to be WAY cheaper than NRMA and other big name mobs, but are they ok?
If anyone can offer any feedback, I would appreciate it.

Have a great day
Mark

Hi Mark,

We have our vehicles insured with them

If you make a claim they will dump and burn you

Having said that wifey got bumped in a supermarket carpark by a *blonde* milf, zero fault by wifey, the claim process was painless and done of the phone, no paperwork, they followed up all along the chain, and we chose our own repairer not use theres [like AAMI for you]

Not sure what they are like if you cause the accident, other than they will not reinsure you again

ALL insurance companies are shysters, but u need them, think about the $$$$$$$$ if you run into a RR Phantom

Hope that helps, i recommend them and they are vastly cheaper

[xisled]

You get what you pay for with insruance, you go cheap you pay at claims time.

Insurance company will make the money one way or another from you.

Read the PDS and compare it to NRMA, AAMI etc.

I used to work in the insurance industry in claims.

This woman had a claim with budget and because her tinted windows were not listed on her policy they were not fixed in a not at fault accident.
Her back window was just replaced with no tint.

[irdonn]

Originally Posted by xisled

You get what you pay for with insruance, you go cheap you pay at claims time.

Insurance company will make the money one way or another from you.

Read the PDS and compare it to NRMA, AAMI etc.

I used to work in the insurance industry in claims.

This woman had a claim with budget and because her tinted windows were not listed on her policy they were not fixed in a not at fault accident.
Her back window was just replaced with no tint.

xisled, with your experience in the industry, who do you recommend?

Ian

[Miss_XR6]

My sister was with them and had a car acco a few years back after some hit into the back of her didnt see the red light (idiot lol)

She claimed and every week they requested driving history or proof of purchase and were running her around the mill
Finally paid out but gave her less after there was a slight mark on one of the doors not from the accident

She wasnt at fault and they still wouldnt insure her again
Took over 12 weeks for her pay out too

[Yellow_Festiva]

I used them, made a claim and had no worries.

They also replaced a radiator 18 months after a repair at a cost of around $500 (but free for me) undeer their 'lifetime warranty on repairs' clause, even though I had moved on to another company.

Would use them again no worries.

[Shonky.]

For me, I need the following from an insurer:

1.
If the car is new, maximum number of years/kms for new for old replacement. Minimum is 12 months, max I think is 36. For my first year of insurance I needed 24 months for my brand new car as I didn't want to have to change after 12 unless I need to. Once my car is over 24 months old I will be choosing and insurer that offers 36 month new for old replacement

2.
Choice of repairer. I want to get my car repaired at whichever shop I want, not one that keeps prices down to satisfy the insurer.

Maybe you want hire cars and other ****, I don't.

All I want to know is that if my car is damaged or stolen it will be replaced or repaired as well as possible.

Once the above 2 are satisfied it comes down to price for me. I just treat it like a commodity. I don't think you can always go on peoples experience (good or bad) as its often the result of individuals at the insurance company, how they interpret your circumstance and the company policy and just their general competence.

A bit like you can't reliably say Dominos is better or worse than Pizza hut. It depends if the guy on the phone listened properly, if the guy making it gives a ****, if the delivery driver knows where to go and doesn't drop the thing when he gets into the car. Brand is less relevant than the individuals along the way

[makattkd]

I prefer to use a broker, let them handle everything. You pay a bit more, but don't have to worry about a thing at time of claim they always ensure you are on a good policy (IE new car replacement period as mentioned above and no excess windscreen etc).

I am currently insured through Lumley (Wesfarmers) and previously with Allianz. All done by the broker.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by irdonn

xisled, with your experience in the industry, who do you recommend?

Ian

It comes down to what you need from your insurance. If you are happy with a cheap price and dont really care who repairs your car go with a cheaper insurance company, like budget.

If you have a performance car or it has been modded, you need somone like Just car.

The best thing to do, is have a list of questions ready and call the company. Ask them the questions and take down the answer. Get them to send the PDS to yourself. Read the PDS, see what they offer and choose a policy best suited to your self. Take the price out of it. You may pay more for the right premium but you will know exactly what you will get.

Things to ask.

Lifetime rating 1/ No claim bonus.
Do you get a hire car.
How many days is theft period.
etc.

All insurance companies offer different things. You need to make the right choice, and the cheapest is not always the best.

[turbodewd]

BUYER BEWARE

u get what you pay for!

[Alister]

Having known many people that used to work for Budget in their claims department, I wouldn't touch them.

Service is everything.

Some companies love to push the boundary about why they deny claims and see if they can get away with it. The Insurance Contracts Act is great because it favours the consumer. You can lie about pretty much everything on insurance policy and under the act, the insurer HAS to cover you. The only exception is that if you had told the truth and the insurer would have been unable to provide you with a quote/cover at the time, they don't have to pay. Insurers do get away with it though because the customer is too ignorant to take it to the Financial Ombudsman.

I believe it is Section 54 of the Insurance Contracts Act if anyone is interested to read about it further.

I'm not talking out my **** either, I do have a Tier 2 Qualification in General Insurance.

[xisled]

The smaller Insurance co do this as they do not have a big budget to fight disputes.

Try it on one of the bigger guys such as suncorp or NRMA, RACV, and they will have all the bases cover when going to teh Ombudsman.

[Alister]

The big guys are just lazy. Most of them don't even do an IRS check (for your claims history) if you make a claim with them.

You don't need a big budget to fight disputes (???)
Win or lose, the insurer HAS TO PAY if a dispute is lodged to the FOS. $3000 last time I checked.

All insurers will low ball if your car is written off on market value. Then if you complain and threaten to go to their IDRS and then FOS, they will increase their offer. Again, it's what they try to do to get away with it.

Regarding new for old replacement, QBE do 4 years but GIO (Platinum cover only) do LIFETIME new for old for all insured events. See if you can work out the catch (decent premium in the first year but it keeps escalating very steeply each year after that).

[baxrrr]

hey guys just wondering if anyone had advice on online insurers such as 'Buzz' ?

needing insurance on my BA xr6 as a P plater. they're incredibly cheaper then the others, obviously cutting costs on call centre staff, etc. but would that make them THAT much cheaper?

any advice would be appreciated!

Sam.

[hawke]

Just remember that some of the on line insurers, are just that. Only on line. Claims are lodged on line, communication is on line. There is no phone or office access.

Fine if you have to claim at 10am in Sydney, but not so if you are 100km out of Tearabaginhalf at 11 O'clock on a Sunday night with no internet coverage.

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by baxrrr

hey guys just wondering if anyone had advice on online insurers such as 'Buzz' ?

needing insurance on my BA xr6 as a P plater. they're incredibly cheaper then the others, obviously cutting costs on call centre staff, etc. but would that make them THAT much cheaper?

any advice would be appreciated!

Sam.

Not to sure with them, but mines not to bad through NRMA (I guess). Full comprehensive with 13k agreed cover for 1400$ per year. Cheapest I could find

Cheers

[baxrrr]

Originally Posted by XR6T0Y

Not to sure with them, but mines not to bad through NRMA (I guess). Full comprehensive with 13k agreed cover for 1400$ per year. Cheapest I could find

Cheers

are you a P plater mate? if so, thats pretty reasonable.
Through Buzz I paid $1300 full comp for my first year on my p's, but I donno how reliable they will be if/when it comes to claim time.

[XR6T0Y]

Originally Posted by baxrrr

are you a P plater mate? if so, thats pretty reasonable.
Through Buzz I paid $1300 full comp for my first year on my p's, but I donno how reliable they will be if/when it comes to claim time.

Yeah, on my greens. Went them because pretty much all the others wanted 2.5-3k. Same as yours though, BA XR6. The pricing is a joke though

[baxrrr]

yeah took me ages to find one below 2 grand!. Have they been alright? have you needed to make a claim?

[XR6T0Y]

Not on this car, but on old one. They did everything for me =)
Just hard to understand them >:(

But as said, always a possibility to be different to everyone else