View Full Version : Bennets insurance and mods-Please read
There has been an article in MCN in regards to Bennets insurance. It relates to modification to bikes and the validity of insurance. As most people are aware, if you don't declare mods then your insurance may be invalid in the event of an accident. When I took my policy out in March, their attitude was if it doesn't increase power then there is no need to declare it. I added a rad shield and phoned to check. I was told as it was cosmetic it didn't matter. Since then I have added a new screen, mirror extenders, a tank pad, a fenda extanda as well as having a scotoiler fitted by the previous owner. On reading the article I phoned Bennets and was told I can only have three "mods" on the bike. As none were listed I would need to declare them and pay a £25 fee. Too remain vaild I need to remove the fenda extenda and mirror extensions. It seems Bennets now view accessories that are non-oe to be mods. If I leave the two accessories on they won't insure me. I questioned this and they said that most insurance companies operate like this. When speaking to Carole Nash they say only mods that increase power by more than 5% need to be declared. As I am within 4 months of renewal I have no choice but to stay and avoid losing a years no claims and getting a £35 cancelation fee. I'm so annoyed as they didn't write to say their T&C had changed. When renewal comes around they won't be getting my business.
Basicaly for all those who don't want to read the above, more than 3 mods and they won't cover you.
Epic Monkey
16-11-11, 05:59 PM
I hate insurance companies! They always seem to have some ridiculous clause somewhere to prevent them actually paying out in the event of an accident all the while quite happily taking your money off you every month. Thanks for reminding me to phone up mine and tell them about my mods.
MisterTommyH
16-11-11, 06:30 PM
Funny, When I asked about my screen (because I already have 3 mods) they said if you wouldn't be bothered by getting a OE replacement in the case of a crash then it's not a problem.
So Do I have to declare my 12V charger? and my luggage? Screen, satnav? as well as my exhaust and fork upgrades? It's balls. You wouldn't declare that on a car.
Ranges from a simple sticker to satnav to NOS. Simple things like I have listed, it covers huggers, lights, fork springs and anything Suzuki didn't fit at the factory. Even a tank pad FFS!
Been on the phone again to Bennetts, they are having a meeting tomorrow about this issue, loads of people are annoyed. Hopefuly the mod limit will be review. Will let you know.
Epic Monkey
16-11-11, 07:23 PM
Stickers!?!?! WTF? That's ridiculous.
Yep, even stickers. Anything that was fitted at the factory as part of a new bike order is fine. Anything else is a mod.
Stickers!?!?! WTF? That's ridiculous.
yep, when I listed the mods done to mine at insurance time they have a drop down list on the web form and included was tank pad, decals etc, yeah like Id mention them!
Oh dear, best I remove the small black vinyl flag squares on the fairings if I bin the bike :roll::roll:
Epic Monkey
16-11-11, 07:56 PM
So if I were to have an accident and there was a sticker on the bike which I hadn't told them about. Would that void my policy?
they would have reason to wriggle out of it yeah, according to the drop down list I had to go through, includes grips, screen, pretty much anything you can think of that is usually fitted to a bike.
victor_meldrew
16-11-11, 09:11 PM
Insurance covers you not only in event of a crash, but also if your bike is nicked - I would imagine that their stance will be that modifications and sticker s (which can cover anything from a small tyre brand sticker on the forks to a full RedBull GP race rep wrap, dont forget) make it more attractive to potential tea leaves, and therefore at a greater risk of being nicked...
So yeah, stickers could affect your policy if they arre not declared : I would say tell them about everything, and let them decide what is relevant or not --- coz if you dont tell them, they will have a get out clause to avoid paying out in event of a claim .......
So if I were to have an accident and there was a sticker on the bike which I hadn't told them about. Would that void my policy?
Basically, the woman said anything that is not a factory option and has been added after is a mod. At the moment they won't cover more than three mods. Will let you know when I call back tomorrow if they have a change of heart.
DJFridge
16-11-11, 09:51 PM
Almost my first post on this site was about Bennetts - nothing surprises me about them really. And here's an interesting thought; Wifey's Monster has got heated grips (mod one) and a Scotoiler (mod two), power lead (mod three) oh and, discovered literally this afternoon, replacement bars. She had no way of knowing this, she just got on the bike in the dealers and liked it and bought it. It's only because we were in there today and one of the mechanics recognised the bike and happened to mention that the previous owner had had the bars replaced. Do you suddenly declare to Bennetts that you have a modification you weren't even aware of? Her only mod was the grips, all the other stuff was already there when she bought the bike. So ooops, she's added a fourth without even knowing.
Something tells me I should ring my insurance company in the morning....
MisterTommyH
16-11-11, 11:46 PM
Something tell's me you shouldn't be bothered. When I had tyres changed I rang up to see if there were any types that would affect the policy.
I was told that anything other than the original ones would be counted as a mod. I queries this and reminded them that tyres wear out - they stuttered and said yes, but it must be the same make model etc as originally fitted.
At this point I got fed up knowing that they obviously didn't know what they were talking about - asked a few question on here then went back to query it with another phone rep. They advised that the first rep had indeed been talking b0llocks, and that provided that it wasn't a size change (wheel or tyre), or a slick, then it would be ok.
This 'anything except fitted at the factory' line seems to be something that they tell new people who may not be au fait with bikes just to get them working quickly until they get the hang of it.
By all means ring up and check, but don't accept the first crap answer you get.
I had phoned up during work so couldn't talk long. I rang them back last night and had another chat with them. I asked if they were willing to lose customers over this over some accessories and she replied it was being looked at today. Hopefuly they will see sense and remove the stupid policy.
they would have reason to wriggle out of it yeah, according to the drop down list I had to go through, includes grips, screen, pretty much anything you can think of that is usually fitted to a bike.
No they wouldn't. In reality, they can't "wriggle out" of a claim for any reason that does not materially impact their liability. Having stickers on your bike could not reasonably be said to have caused a crash, or to have increased the risk of theft, so if they declined the claim (which they shouldn't), you WOULD have it overturned either on appeal with them or if you complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
I had a similar experience with them and their idiotic staff. I'm pretty sure is a glitch in their internal policy than anything else. The sales reps are just too stupid to understand what they are selling and to cover their butts, they would rather take the "if it's not factory fitted then it must be a mod" stance while stating that "every insurer out there does the same".
Epic Monkey
17-11-11, 09:19 AM
Hey guys,
Well I just got off the phone with my insurance company (MCE) and my first question was "Are stickers a modification?" he then put me on hold while he checked. After asking how big they were & what they said it was decided that it was not a problem but he would make a note on my policy anyway. While I had him on the phone, I also mentioned that I have a rear hugger, micro LED indi's and an after market exhaust and none of these were a problem. They just wanted to know how much they were to replace. Much better response than what I was expecting. Oddly enough, he had more questions regarding the stickers than the exhaust and indi's :S
I hope your bennetts nonsense gets sorted out for you.
Biker Biggles
17-11-11, 09:22 AM
No they wouldn't. In reality, they can't "wriggle out" of a claim for any reason that does not materially impact their liability. Having stickers on your bike could not reasonably be said to have caused a crash, or to have increased the risk of theft, so if they declined the claim (which they shouldn't), you WOULD have it overturned either on appeal with them or if you complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
I think this is right.
amnesia
17-11-11, 12:59 PM
I asked some extra questions at my last renewal with Express Insurance in July.
I have already got my GSXR front end (backed up by an engineers report they requested), fairings, can, alarm, crash bungs, datatag, hugger, rear shock, screen, single seat and pazzo's declared.
I asked about part time changes such as luggage and they said I had to declare it aswell.
Wow, quite a lot of ****e coming from Bennetts on this one. This has got everything to do with their quote system and nothing to do with insurance (bear in mind Bennetts are a broker, what they are saying is not necessarily the insurers point of view).
When I took my policy out in March, their attitude was if it doesn't increase power then there is no need to declare it. I added a rad shield and phoned to check. I was told as it was cosmetic it didn't matter. Since then I have added a new screen, mirror extenders, a tank pad, a fenda extanda as well as having a scotoiler fitted by the previous owner. On reading the article I phoned Bennets and was told I can only have three "mods" on the bike. As none were listed I would need to declare them and pay a £25 fee. Too remain vaild I need to remove the fenda extenda and mirror extensions.
Utter pish. If they told you in March you didn't need to disclose anything then you still don't. They can't change the terms of your contract mid-term without telling you. The entire £25 is being kept by the broker as an admin fee - I'll bet your actual insurers couldn't give a monkey's about those mods.
So if I were to have an accident and there was a sticker on the bike which I hadn't told them about. Would that void my policy?
No. They might not replace your sticker if it got damaged though.
Basically, the woman said anything that is not a factory option and has been added after is a mod. At the moment they won't cover more than three mods. Will let you know when I call back tomorrow if they have a change of heart.
Utter tosh, but often repeated. I don't have factory tyres, brake pads or oil filter on any of my vehicles. I've used a different brand of oil, coolant and brake fluid. Take your car to Kwik Fit for a new exhaust and they won't be fitting one from the manufacturer.
I don't disclose braided brake lines either - brake lines are a service item that are supposed to be replaced. Only a fool would replace them with OEM.
None of these are modifications. Really. They're not.
No they wouldn't. In reality, they can't "wriggle out" of a claim for any reason that does not materially impact their liability. Having stickers on your bike could not reasonably be said to have caused a crash, or to have increased the risk of theft, so if they declined the claim (which they shouldn't), you WOULD have it overturned either on appeal with them or if you complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Quite correct. The FOS position on this is already known. An insurer has actually already tried to decline a claim based on non-disclosed stickers (they strongly suspected the policyholder of fraud but couldn't prove it so were looking for a way to avoid the policy). The ombudsman found in favour of the policyholder.
There's a lot of people working in motor insurance that don't seem to know very much about motor insurance.
DJFridge
17-11-11, 05:30 PM
No they wouldn't. In reality, they can't "wriggle out" of a claim for any reason that does not materially impact their liability. Having stickers on your bike could not reasonably be said to have caused a crash, or to have increased the risk of theft, so if they declined the claim (which they shouldn't), you WOULD have it overturned either on appeal with them or if you complained to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
No, I think victor_meldrew might be right (#11) - a race-rep sticker kit could make it more attractive to thieves. So they couldn't wriggle if you crashed it. Unless of course they can claim that, if you're the sort of person to sticker up your bike, you are more likely to be riding in a racing-like manner and therefore the crash was your fault.
It's all b0llocks of the highest order of course and Bennetts need to reconsider before they lose what customers they still have. They quote 600,000 people a year. They only sell insurance to a third of them.
Bit of an update. The parts fitted to my bike have been classed as accessories and do not count as mods. I have asked for a refund of the £25 charge for declaring the extras and I will be sent a cheque. It seems it's best to ask before adding or changing anything. Also, the planned Fuel exhaust and gear indicator would need to be declared as mods. They are going through a transition at the moment and reviewing what is classed as a mod or an accessory. All good again.
Quite correct. The FOS position on this is already known. An insurer has actually already tried to decline a claim based on non-disclosed stickers (they strongly suspected the policyholder of fraud but couldn't prove it so were looking for a way to avoid the policy). The ombudsman found in favour of the policyholder.
Was this in any of the FOS magazines at all? I want to read it, purely to find out what insurance company it was so I can avoid it. Rule #1 of Fraud when I'm training/being trained about it is "If you suspect fraud, allege fraud. If you can't, assess the claim as if it's not fraudulent".
No, I think victor_meldrew might be right (#11) - a race-rep sticker kit could make it more attractive to thieves. So they couldn't wriggle if you crashed it. Unless of course they can claim that, if you're the sort of person to sticker up your bike, you are more likely to be riding in a racing-like manner and therefore the crash was your fault.
I'm absolutely certain that post #11 was wrong. I work as a claims investigator (not motor, I'll point out so that nobody hates me - but the principles of insurance are the same), and can guarantee that if you'd applied stickers, and your bike was stolen, and you'd not declared the stickers, that the insurance company would still pay out. The absolute worst-case scenario for this (which would be ridiculous) is that they would work out how much additional premium you'd have paid for declaring the stickers and deduct that from the payout, but I can't see that ever realistically happening.
interesting to read that the insurer doesnt have a get out clause due to something not listed such as a sticker(s).
It would make it easier if you could opt out some or all fitted aftermarket items if theyre not performance increasing, heated grips, tail tidy etc, might help keep the cost down if you only insured a stock bike.
Id happily do it, but then a curvy isnt worth that much compared to a new bike with extra goodies.
Roberrrrt
17-11-11, 07:53 PM
Last time I renewed was with Bikesure, who I understand to be brokers, not insurers.
I have quite a few mods (beowulf can, gsxr calipers, braided lines, gsxr front indies, small rear indies, clear brake light cluster on rear, heated grips, tank pad etc etc) and the line I was given was that if I chose not to declare the mods then if crashed / stolen, the bike would simply be returned to standard, which I agreed to.
To be honest, this has always been my understanding. Seems daft to be any other way really?!
DJFridge
17-11-11, 10:05 PM
Was this in any of the FOS magazines at all? I want to read it, purely to find out what insurance company it was so I can avoid it. Rule #1 of Fraud when I'm training/being trained about it is "If you suspect fraud, allege fraud. If you can't, assess the claim as if it's not fraudulent".
I'm absolutely certain that post #11 was wrong. I work as a claims investigator (not motor, I'll point out so that nobody hates me - but the principles of insurance are the same), and can guarantee that if you'd applied stickers, and your bike was stolen, and you'd not declared the stickers, that the insurance company would still pay out. The absolute worst-case scenario for this (which would be ridiculous) is that they would work out how much additional premium you'd have paid for declaring the stickers and deduct that from the payout, but I can't see that ever realistically happening.
I'm perfectly happy to be wrong on that (it was a bit Devils Advocate even as I typed it).
And I think Kenzie's last update highlights the real issue - Bennetts seem to have temporarily lost sight of the difference between accessories and modifications.
Was this in any of the FOS magazines at all? I want to read it, purely to find out what insurance company it was so I can avoid it. Rule #1 of Fraud when I'm training/being trained about it is "If you suspect fraud, allege fraud. If you can't, assess the claim as if it's not fraudulent".
It was in Ombudsman News - I tracked it down for you here (http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/90/90-vehicle-related-complaints.htm). Complaint No. 90/06.
I was slightly wrong on the detail - it was painted emblems rather than stickers - but hey, it was a year ago and the principle is the same.
Don't know who the insurer was but that way of doing things used to be fairly commonplace in Lloyds/London Market claims.
-Ralph-
18-11-11, 09:59 AM
Ha, ha, ha! What a bunch of muppets. Thought they were supposed to know a thing or two about motorbikes. I won't be asking Bennetts for a quote at renewal time then.
As said, you entered into a contract with them when you took out the insurance. They can't change it and demand more money off you now.
I think the short answer to all of this is simple... Avoid Bennetts.
There are plenty of other insurance companies and brokers out there and the majority are cheaper anyway.
DJFridge
19-11-11, 10:03 PM
I think the short answer to all of this is simple... Avoid Bennetts.
There are plenty of other insurance companies and brokers out there and the majority are cheaper anyway.
:smt038
You say that though, Carole Nash and MCE came back with quotes over £300 for me. Bennets is £140 tpft.
Whyte25
19-11-11, 10:45 PM
You say that though, Carole Nash and MCE came back with quotes over £300 for me. Bennets is £140 tpft.
Have you tried wicked quotes? They did me on a Gixxer 750 K8 with 2 yrs NCB for about £250 tpft - was most surprised.. :)
So if I were to have an accident and there was a sticker on the bike which I hadn't told them about. Would that void my policy?
I believe this stemmed way back in the day when quite a few people used to enter their bog standard road bike in racing competitions of different varieties and types, sometimes crash, and then claim of respective insurance companies.
The bikes used to carry number stickers on. In a vein attempt to close this avenue, the insurance companies then said that having a number on the bike meant you had intended (or indeed actually had done) used your bike for competition races and as such invalidated your insurance. If your bike were to have been found with a 'race' sticker on it after a claim, then you'd get two fingers from the insurance company.
Obviously a complete load of bull and those that decided to simply have a race number for cosmetic reasons soon put the insurance companies right.
If memory serves me correctly this was happening more for the off-road type bikes than normal road bikes but that doesn't really matter overall.
Have you tried wicked quotes? They did me on a Gixxer 750 K8 with 2 yrs NCB for about £250 tpft - was most surprised.. :)
May do in March when the policy runs out.
You say that though, Carole Nash and MCE came back with quotes over £300 for me. Bennets is £140 tpft.
But look at what you get for your money with Bennetts... nothing but grief and restrictions from clueless staff who don't give a damn about you, your bike or your circumstances. I always look on it this way - if they are that much trouble and bother when I'm simply getting a quote, what hoops will I have to jump through if I ever need to make a claim.
Carole Nash may appear pricier but they usually offer lower excesses, breakdown and accident recovery and legal cover, plus they don't muck you about if you need to make a claim. It's also cheaper if you do an online quote and then call up and haggle with them. I saved a bundle by doing this with them last time around.
All insurance companies will take the mick to an extent, but Bennetts seem to be experts at it. I used them once and vowed never to even bother asking for a quote from them again.
It's not all about the cost, sometimes you need to factor in the benefits of using a reputable company too. I've heard enough bad stories about Bennetts and MCE to put me off both of them for life.
MCE paid out a friend of mine £3500 for a 2009 ZX6R when we had given a signed statement saying his bike was valued at £5500 prior to his crash. His Norwegian insurance company who were brokered by MCE refused to pay any more citing a clause in the schedule that limits claims for bikes of this type to £3500 maximum. MCE didn't tell him that when they asked the value of his bike when he was getting the quote.
yorkie_chris
20-11-11, 09:08 PM
I wouldn't p*ss down MCE's leg if their feet were on fire. The pus of a poxy fox in their whiskey!
This was posted on a bike Page of Facebook today.
Not sure what I think.
A list of what Bennets are classing as mods -
Air filter changes
Bar ends
Badge changes
Belly pans
De restricted
Blueprint
Braided hoses
Brake system modified
Carbon fibre parts
Carb change
Different screen
Chrome accessory
Crash bars
Chromed engine
Crash bobbins
Decals or stickers
Dyno jet kit
End cans
Engine crash casings or engine casings
Engine tuning
Brake enhancement
Exhaust
Exhaust ( road legal upto £300)
4 into 1 exhausts
Fairing removal
Extended forks
Bags/ panniers/ luggage
Fairing removal
Fork braces
Fork springs
Filter changes
Specially built frame
Grips
Grippers
Heated grips
Handlebars
Headlights/bulbs
Indicators
Induction kit
Huggers
Mirrors
Special paintwork and murals
Nitrous
R&g protection
Non standard seat
Racing colours/ paintwork
Power commander
Radiator bars/ protection
Power commander
Sat Nav
Reborn
Scot oilers
Seat cowl
Seat replacement
Wheels
Single seat
Sissy bars
Steering changes e.g steering dampers
Street fighters
Tank pads
Suspension changes
Sissy bars
Shock absorbers
Tyres changed
AndyBrad
21-11-11, 11:24 AM
mates just called bennets and been told his insurance is not valid because he has non oe tyres and a scottoiler! hes awaiting a call back!
-Ralph-
21-11-11, 12:02 PM
mates just called bennets and been told his insurance is not valid because he has non oe tyres and a scottoiler! hes awaiting a call back!
What a load of bollox this is. If his tyres are the right size and speed rating, and they told him the scottoiler didn't count when he took the policy, then his insurance is valid today, just as it was valid yesterday.
All these people who are getting fed this bullsh!t by Bennetts, and being told they are not covered, and hence being prevented from riding their bikes under an insurance policy that they have paid for, get complaining to the ombudsman now.
They are illegally denying you something you have paid for and they are contracted to provide.
How are people supposed to ride to work?
FFS. *load, aim at foot, fire!*
yorkie_chris
21-11-11, 05:26 PM
This was posted on a bike Page of Facebook today.
Not sure what I think.
...
Reborn
...
That's a new one!
DJFridge
21-11-11, 05:30 PM
This was posted on a bike Page of Facebook today.
Not sure what I think.
A list of what Bennets are classing as mods -
Air filter changes
Bar ends
Badge changes
Belly pans
De restricted
Blueprint
Braided hoses
Brake system modified
Carbon fibre parts
Carb change
Different screen
Chrome accessory
Crash bars
Chromed engine
Crash bobbins
Decals or stickers
Dyno jet kit
End cans
Engine crash casings or engine casings
Engine tuning
Brake enhancement
Exhaust
Exhaust ( road legal upto £300)
4 into 1 exhausts
Fairing removal
Extended forks
Bags/ panniers/ luggage
Fairing removal
Fork braces
Fork springs
Filter changes
Specially built frame
Grips
Grippers
Heated grips
Handlebars
Headlights/bulbs
Indicators
Induction kit
Huggers
Mirrors
Special paintwork and murals
Nitrous
R&g protection
Non standard seat
Racing colours/ paintwork
Power commander
Radiator bars/ protection
Power commander
Sat Nav
Reborn
Scot oilers
Seat cowl
Seat replacement
Wheels
Single seat
Sissy bars
Steering changes e.g steering dampers
Street fighters
Tank pads
Suspension changes
Sissy bars
Shock absorbers
Tyres changed
Well there you go - half of those are mods and half of them are ACCESSORIES! If Bennetts can no longer tell the difference, go somewhere else. #-o
And I'm sure -Ralph- is right, they can't change the T&Cs of a policy that is already in force, only new policies.
hardhat_harry
21-11-11, 05:39 PM
Once u have a couple of years No Claims its pointless to go to Bennetts anyway as they seem to deal with new and young riders, too expensive for us old fogeys with loads of NCD.
I will be leaving in March when the policy runs out. Spoken to Bennets, tyres don't matter so you can change to whatever, and a scottoiler is an accessory.
DJFridge
21-11-11, 07:08 PM
Excuse me, a Scottoiler is an "accessory" but a Sat Nav is a "mod"?! They're nuttier than squirrel ****
MisterTommyH
21-11-11, 07:16 PM
So if I have my Sat nav bracket attached, but not actually the device.... what does that count as?
What a crock of sh1te. Like I said earlier though.... you get different answers from different staff.
Tyres a mod....my ****!
Like I said earlier... avoid Bennetts
The problem with the FOS is - what happens if you're prosecuted for riding without insurance. I doubt the mags would be interested in a FOS complaint.
This really is shocking.
-Ralph-
23-11-11, 12:12 AM
The problem with the FOS is - what happens if you're prosecuted for riding without insurance. I doubt the mags would be interested in a FOS complaint.
This really is shocking.
Ed, don't scare people unnecessarily, all you are doing by introducing something else to be uncertain or worry about, is helping Bennetts stop people riding their bikes.
Forgetting the Bennetts issue, if there was a FOS dispute over whether the rider was covered, I suspect the defence would apply for an adjournment based upon evidence for the defence still being pending. The magistrates cannot just decide whether you have insurance, and they don't just take an insurance companies word for it. They can only prosecute you if the evidence presented to them by the CPS proves that you are guilty beyond reasonable doubt, and the defence evidence is not sufficient to cast reasonable doubt.
Whether or not you are insured is as simple as whether you've met the terms and conditions of the policy and whether you've paid for it. The defence can call an independent expert witness to testify on that, in the crown court if necessary because an amateur mag has already found against you.
I don't think a good insurance lawyer would have any problem in defending in this Bennetts case, as the underwriters T&C's don't have any mention of the three mods rule. You are insured in black and white. It's a cut and dried case as far as the courts are concerned.
A three mods rule I might add that Bennetts the broker seem to have invented! The underwriters such as Equity Red Star have no problems with policies they have sold through other brokers. I am with Equity Red Star too and nobody at my broker is saying I'm suddenly not insured. This issue is unique to Bennetts, and they can't even decide whether you are insured or not, you are insured by the underwriter.
CPS probably wouldn't touch it with a bargepole either as they are expected to believe there is at least a 50% chance of winning any case they put before the magistrates.
Specialone
23-11-11, 12:26 AM
Although non bike related, i spoke to my best mate today properly for first time in a couple of weeks , he smashed his van up when an asian driver decided to stop on a clear roundabout because he was unsure where he was going, my mate hit him up the rear.
Asian guy admitted liability at the time but my mates still at fault.
My mates insurance company claim he didnt tell them about his 6 points on his license, he claims he did, they wouldnt pay out anyway.
He got a solicitor and asked them would they have insured him with 6 points, they said yes, so solicitor said they must insure him.
Anyway after a while they backed down and are sorting his claim out, the only thing he's had to do is pay the difference on the policy that 6 points would've been.
lots of good stuff
All this is true, but the important bit is this:
Whether or not you are insured is as simple as whether you've met the terms and conditions of the policy...
You are insured in black and white. It's a cut and dried case as far as the courts are concerned.
It would realistically never get to the courts. Your insurance documents would have very, very few causes that would actually void your insurance, and it's unlikely that you'd ever trigger them. Go read your policy documents and you'll see what I mean. Having mods to your bike would not invalidate the insurance, but it would give a possible reason to decline a claim.
To give a different view of this, your home insurance will not cover if you leave the house unattended while all the doors are unlocked. Is your policy still valid if this is the case? Yes. Will your claim be accepted? No.
Edit:
He got a solicitor and asked them would they have insured him with 6 points, they said yes, so solicitor said they must insure him.
Anyway after a while they backed down and are sorting his claim out, the only thing he's had to do is pay the difference on the policy that 6 points would've been.
...if you'd applied stickers, and your bike was stolen, and you'd not declared the stickers, that the insurance company would still pay out. The absolute worst-case scenario for this (which would be ridiculous) is that they would work out how much additional premium you'd have paid for declaring the stickers and deduct that from the payout, but I can't see that ever realistically happening.
Example in action (though slightly different circumstances, same principle applies)
-Ralph-
23-11-11, 12:44 AM
Insurance rule posted on one of the forums in the past few days (might have been Neeja): If you suspect fraud, allege fraud. If you can't allege fraud, treat the claim as non-fraudulent.
Insurance companies really need to be in a position to prove stuff before they say they won't cover you.
I had exactly the same as your mates case Phil, but it wasn't a claim, it was when I didn't renew my policy they tried to charge me retrospectively for points I found that they didn't have recorded, when is was checking my renewal quote. I had definitely told them the year previous, but the call centre agent obviously didn't record it on the computer properly. As I have experience of the call centre they use from having provided IT consultancy there, I knew how their call recording system worked and that every call for 7 years was catalogued and archived to backup tape. After months of them sending me demands to pay and court threats, and months of me sending them letters saying I would be happy to pay if they produced the call recording from when the policy was set up, they gave in and sent me an apology. They either couldn't find the recording and so couldn't prove I hadn't told them, or they found it and realised I was telling the truth.
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