BigDog
11-05-07, 11:00 PM
This is an email sent to me from a guy who has just been ripped off by bennetts, so if you are about to renew I just thought you might like to have a read.
Adam
Hi guys, this post is aimed at the UK contingent on here so if you're
not British there's no need for you trawl through it. For the rest of
you read and take note, especially if your bike insurance is due
As someone who is fed up being ripped off by companies in the UK this
post is going on every bike related forum I can find. This one is
just the last straw and the law in our country does nothing to
protect us from these weasels. This is the post I've composed, and
I'm in the process of making sure as many bikers as possible see
it.......... read on, sorry it's a long 'un.
After reading through various reviews and posts on other biker forums
I was aware of the amount of bad feeling there is aimed at Bennett's
Insurance Brokers, who I'm sure you all know deal almost specifically
with bike insurance. The more I read about riders being ripped off
and unfairly treated by these people, the more I wondered if I'd done
the right thing by insuring with them. It turned out that I hadn't
made the wisest decision of my life in becoming a Bennett's customer.
Almost everyone I've come across who's had dealings with them have a
story to tell – and never a good one. Here's my particular story……….
........I rang Bennett's Insurance Brokers after making a few
modifications to my bike, to inform them of the changes I'd made,
which were nothing to enhance power, just handling, brakes and
suspension mods.
The girl I spoke to told me that the company I was insured with,
Equity Red Star didn't cover modified bikes, which at the time I
thought was a bit odd. She went on to tell me that I'd have to cancel
the existing policy and take out a new one, which I wasn't keen to
do, but if it was the only way to get my bike insured then I had no
choice. The problem arose when she quoted me for the insurance and
then continued to tell me that there would also be a charge of £30 to
cancel the existing policy.
I told her that I could maybe understand having to pay a penalty fee
if I was just cancelling the policy, but I thought it was an unfair
charge to make owing to the fact I was having to change it merely
because I needed to make a few alterations. After all it wasn't my
fault the company they'd put me with wouldn't accept a few simple
changes to my bike…… She said I'd still have to pay £30 to cancel it!
I then asked how much I'd get back on my old policy (paid in full at
the time I took it out) which still had over 4 months left to
run. "Nothing" was the reply, " We don't refund on cancelled
policies!"
After all this I was justifiably miffed, and getting nowhere fast, so
decided to go to another insurance broker, if I had to renew the
policy then it wouldn't be with Bennett's.
I told the girl to cancel the policy because I didn't like the way
they were attempting to flog me a new one under duress so I'd go
elsewhere. I was reminded again that I'd have to pay £30 to cancel,
so I told them bill me for it.
Now get this….Within the hour I'd taken out a new policy with a
different Broker - with all the mods to my bike logged and accepted -
and whilst they were reading out the details of it they mentioned my
new insurance company would be…........Equity Red Star. The very same
company that Bennett's had told me didn't cover modified bikes!
The very next day I had a letter from them demanding the £30, but as
yet I haven't paid it. I'm now trying to fight this unjust charge but
not because of the 30 quid, that doesn't matter. It's the principle
of them giving misleading and false information to extort money from
their customers.
I've been in touch with the FOS but they can't do anything 'til I've
written to Bennett's, which I have now done. But they don't seem to
think there's a lot I can do about it anyway (they were pretty
useless really) This morning (11th May) I received another letter
from Bennett's telling me that if the £30 isn't paid by the 15th then
they'll put the "debt" into the hands of a debt collection company –
they don't mess about eh? It's less than a week since this all
started and already they're threatening me with a debt company….Well
done Bennett's, nice marketing strategy to win new customers !
………Anyway, that's my little story and I'm more than likely going to
end up having to pay this, just to keep the bailiffs of my back,
another case of the big fish swallowing the little `un because the
law allows it?
I'd urge anyone wanting insurance of any type, not to use Bennett's.
If anyone here has had bad service from them or any grievance for
being unfairly treated by them, then please pass it on to other
forums and make as many people as you know aware of the way they
treat their customers. They could end up losing a lot more than the
lousy £30 they seem to like ripping us all off for!
Adam
Hi guys, this post is aimed at the UK contingent on here so if you're
not British there's no need for you trawl through it. For the rest of
you read and take note, especially if your bike insurance is due
As someone who is fed up being ripped off by companies in the UK this
post is going on every bike related forum I can find. This one is
just the last straw and the law in our country does nothing to
protect us from these weasels. This is the post I've composed, and
I'm in the process of making sure as many bikers as possible see
it.......... read on, sorry it's a long 'un.
After reading through various reviews and posts on other biker forums
I was aware of the amount of bad feeling there is aimed at Bennett's
Insurance Brokers, who I'm sure you all know deal almost specifically
with bike insurance. The more I read about riders being ripped off
and unfairly treated by these people, the more I wondered if I'd done
the right thing by insuring with them. It turned out that I hadn't
made the wisest decision of my life in becoming a Bennett's customer.
Almost everyone I've come across who's had dealings with them have a
story to tell – and never a good one. Here's my particular story……….
........I rang Bennett's Insurance Brokers after making a few
modifications to my bike, to inform them of the changes I'd made,
which were nothing to enhance power, just handling, brakes and
suspension mods.
The girl I spoke to told me that the company I was insured with,
Equity Red Star didn't cover modified bikes, which at the time I
thought was a bit odd. She went on to tell me that I'd have to cancel
the existing policy and take out a new one, which I wasn't keen to
do, but if it was the only way to get my bike insured then I had no
choice. The problem arose when she quoted me for the insurance and
then continued to tell me that there would also be a charge of £30 to
cancel the existing policy.
I told her that I could maybe understand having to pay a penalty fee
if I was just cancelling the policy, but I thought it was an unfair
charge to make owing to the fact I was having to change it merely
because I needed to make a few alterations. After all it wasn't my
fault the company they'd put me with wouldn't accept a few simple
changes to my bike…… She said I'd still have to pay £30 to cancel it!
I then asked how much I'd get back on my old policy (paid in full at
the time I took it out) which still had over 4 months left to
run. "Nothing" was the reply, " We don't refund on cancelled
policies!"
After all this I was justifiably miffed, and getting nowhere fast, so
decided to go to another insurance broker, if I had to renew the
policy then it wouldn't be with Bennett's.
I told the girl to cancel the policy because I didn't like the way
they were attempting to flog me a new one under duress so I'd go
elsewhere. I was reminded again that I'd have to pay £30 to cancel,
so I told them bill me for it.
Now get this….Within the hour I'd taken out a new policy with a
different Broker - with all the mods to my bike logged and accepted -
and whilst they were reading out the details of it they mentioned my
new insurance company would be…........Equity Red Star. The very same
company that Bennett's had told me didn't cover modified bikes!
The very next day I had a letter from them demanding the £30, but as
yet I haven't paid it. I'm now trying to fight this unjust charge but
not because of the 30 quid, that doesn't matter. It's the principle
of them giving misleading and false information to extort money from
their customers.
I've been in touch with the FOS but they can't do anything 'til I've
written to Bennett's, which I have now done. But they don't seem to
think there's a lot I can do about it anyway (they were pretty
useless really) This morning (11th May) I received another letter
from Bennett's telling me that if the £30 isn't paid by the 15th then
they'll put the "debt" into the hands of a debt collection company –
they don't mess about eh? It's less than a week since this all
started and already they're threatening me with a debt company….Well
done Bennett's, nice marketing strategy to win new customers !
………Anyway, that's my little story and I'm more than likely going to
end up having to pay this, just to keep the bailiffs of my back,
another case of the big fish swallowing the little `un because the
law allows it?
I'd urge anyone wanting insurance of any type, not to use Bennett's.
If anyone here has had bad service from them or any grievance for
being unfairly treated by them, then please pass it on to other
forums and make as many people as you know aware of the way they
treat their customers. They could end up losing a lot more than the
lousy £30 they seem to like ripping us all off for!