Well the week has just flown by, team meetings and One to Ones have been done and today I have the fun job of doing the action points and we can then see organise ourselves for the month.

I hope everyone enjoyed the second “video blog”, it’s quite good fun after the initial bout of nerves (I am not the most photogenic person in the world!) and it’s nice to be able to explain behind the scenes of an insurance broker. Our New Business Team will be attending the ExCel Caravan show in London which has excited them, they will be taking lots of photos and they have a BIG project to do when they return.

As mentioned we have been testing our new product and all is looking good, we are very excited by this development as it opens up new doors for the Company.

On a personal note my son has a bit of a cold this week which may see him miss nursery tomorrow, I need to call them to check what the procedure is as it’s his first proper day.

Tonight sees a visit to the Nations favourite curry house, that being Wetherspoons, the menu has expanded since I last remember it and as sad as it is I am looking forward to it!

Have a great weekend all

Mike

Can I save money by purchasing cheap caravan insurance cover?

There may be a significant difference between something being cheap and it being cost-effective.

If you purchase a cheap caravan policy simply because of its low cost then you may have an immediate theoretical cost saving over another policy of higher cost.

However, it may also be necessary to take into account the costs you may incur in future if the policy does not cover you for a claim you lodge against it.  In such circumstances, the caravan cover may suddenly seem not to have been particularly cheap after all.

It is therefore advisable to look closely at the cover the policy is providing rather than simply its price and to keep in mind that what may prove cheap for one person may not prove to be so for another.

Is cheap caravan insurance cover available for all types of caravan?

There are a number of different forms of caravan insurance and significant numbers of insurance for caravans providers.

Inevitably, you will encounter price differences between them.

So, if you are looking for (e.g.) insurance for touring caravans then you may find that some policies may be more cost-attractive than others.  This may typically apply for any form of caravan insurance you are looking for and therefore suggests that comparing several options for cover may be sensible.

Can I influence the cost of my caravan insurance?

Typically yes, although the extent may vary depending on the individual policy you are looking at.

For example, some policies may offer significant discounts if you accept higher voluntary excesses.  Others may do so in situations where you have fitted additional security devices and you may also be able to reduce your annual insurance costs if you take steps to ensure that your caravan is securely stored away over the winter season.

Is insurance cheaper at certain times of the year?

Policy prices typically relate to a 12-month period.  The overall annual cost may be influenced by some of the factors as outlined above so, as we are currently in the winter season and some caravans may be securely stored, their owners may be obtaining discount relating to that factor rather than the month when they took out their insurance policy.

Having said that, the insurance marketplace changes constantly and it may be sensible to periodically take a status check on what options are available versus your existing cover.

Whether you are looking for cheap caravan insurance cover or not and irrespective of the time of year, getting the occasional caravan insurance quotation might be a good way of reassuring yourself that your existing caravan cover remains suitable.

If you needed any reminder as to just how vulnerable your caravan may be, news from the BBC* of widespread destruction on a caravan site in Wales back in November last year, may be a wake-up call.

Some caravan insurance policies may offer incentives for storing your caravan safely and securely in special sites over the winter season and some of the photos contained in the above-mentioned article may just cause you to think again about whether or not you may wish to think on this further.

Of course, from a practical point of view, it may be impossible to absolutely guarantee the safety of your caravan even if it is securely stored in a special facility.  That is why it may be advisable to periodically sit down and consider your overall position with regard to insurance.

If you have a static caravan which is left on a site during the winter months, your static home policy may oblige you to take certain commonsense steps to reduce the risk of disaster.  These may include things such as draining down all water systems, including heating systems where appropriate and using additional battening and anchoring to try and ensure that your caravan remains were you left it.

This is not just an issue for static caravans, as touring caravans and motorhomes parked up for the winter in the open, may be at a similar degree of risk.

An equally unpleasant reality of life is that some caravan sites may be largely unoccupied during the winter months and this may increase your exposure to the possibilities of theft and vandalism.  Once again, your insurance cover may require you to take certain steps in order to try and reduce such risks.

All this may seem a far cry from those carefree days of spring, summer and autumn when you were in and around (and enjoying) using your caravan but a responsible attitude to security and caravan insurance may be essential if your caravan is still to be there for seasons to come.

*Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-15958292

“We would recommend you to other people as we had a bad accident on the way home form scotland the caravan wheel came off as we were travelling home when we got in touch with the insurance they couldnt do enough for us.Everything went really smoothly and everybody who dealt with  us was very good we have now bought another caravan and you have dealt with the new insurance again the insurance agent dealt with us very well.We wrote a letter to AMTRUST to thank everybody for all the help and also   we would like to say a big thank you to Mr Daniel Watson for all his help the other day to renew a new policy for us may you all go onwell for a good future as we all know at the moment things are a bit gloomy kind reagrds”

Well I am back in the office today following a fruitful trip to London to visit one of our Insurers, we made excellent progress and also discussed claims, which is a very important area and one that we take very seriously.

On the way home I saw an advert for a budget travel policy and, being an insurance broker, my first thought was “what cover are they offering?” Cheap policies may be attractive but it is important to look at what is behind the price. If you invest your hard earned money in a caravan, surely you want the best protection available? I have seen far too many of these cheap offerings and it still frustrates me to think that people do not totally understand the cover thet are being offered.

Well that’s a rant over! Tomorrow sees the staff party, we have this in the New Year which is a good thing as January is quite a depressing month financially and a free night out is always welcome!

Have a great day all

Mike

In the car this morning I was listening to Avril Lavigne’s new album, Goodbye Lullaby. It is a really good album and as I listen to it more I seem to understand the songs in new ways. Todays two favourite tracks are “Darlin” and “Remember when” – both have great words. The first has a great little line which says something like “Start smiling and I know your trying not to turn your head away…..” it reminds me of many things. Cool song. Remember when is a simple song but starts with “Remember when I cried to you a 1,000 times I told you everything and shared all my feelings and I never knew there would be a time we would say goodbye…” very good. Stupid me maybe!

I followed someone on Twitter recently called sophilcollins in the hope that this maybe someone who has a similar passion to me about Phil. How wrong was I. The articles are pretty pointless and there are some references to Phil but not what I expected at all. It just annoyed me as I was hopiung to be able to perhaps share some knowledge with somone as passionate as me about this artist, lessons learnt.

I am hoping you watched our video blog last week – we focussed on the disadvantages of the cover provided by economy type Caravan Insurance Products. We have stopped offering ours as it was clear that the small saving in premium was not worth it as many times the customer did not realise all the levels of cover that were missing until they wanted to make a claim. Taking into consideration that over 65% off all our claims are for accidental damage do you really want to save yourself £5.00 to not have this cover?

I believe in treating customers fairly and offering the best cover we can at the most competitive price, we will not and do not offer cheap cover which will only cause you problems in the event of a claim.

I hope this is to our advantage.

Have a great day.

Richard

Here are a few samples together with appropriate answers.

How would you define the best caravan insurance cover?

Arguably, you can’t.

Too much depends upon the combination of your individual circumstances and your own views as to what is important in caravan insurance, as opposed to merely nice to have.

For example, if you have tourer insurance and enjoy taking your holidays in places such as France or Spain, then the best caravan insurance cover for you may prove to be that which provides a healthy degree of continental cover.

By contrast, if you never leave the UK with your tourer, then you may be far happier with a policy that is perhaps a little lower in price even if it does not offer continental driving cover.

Perhaps the only thing that can be said with certainty is that what may be best for one person may or may not prove to be best for another.

Which provider offers the best cover?

Once again, this may be difficult if not impossible to answer.

Some providers may, for example, offer particularly attractive policies for owners of park homes while others may offer policies that are appealing to the owners of touring caravans.

What is important is that you take time to look at several options, comparing one against another, before you make a final decision.

Is there significant price variation from one provider to another?

Yes, there may be.

Caravan insurance providers tend to have very complicated models that they use to decide the price of a policy and no two providers are likely to use identical approaches.

This may lead to situations where some providers are particularly cost-effective when it comes to static caravan insurance, whereas others may be rather more so on touring caravan insurance.

That is why knowing the marketplace may be very useful when trying to find cost-attractive cover for a given caravan situation.

Do I have any control over the cost of my insurance?

Typically yes, although the extent may vary from one provider to another.

Some specialists in providing cover for caravans may, for example, offer you the opportunity to significantly reduce your premium by taking a higher voluntary excess on your policy.  Others may offer discounts if you fit additional security devices or garage your caravan over the winter season, when it may be particularly vulnerable to things such as storms etc.

Interestingly, the utilisation of such cost-reduction opportunities may significantly change your perception as to the true cost of the policy.

You may find the best caravan insurance cover for you to be that which allows you the greatest degree of control over these elements of your insurance cost.

Here are a few reasons as to why you may wish to do so:

• if you have been renewing your existing caravan insurance for some time but without comparing it to other options in the marketplace, you may find it difficult to describe it as being the best caravan cover for you;

• what may have been suitable caravan cover for you some years ago, when you first took out the policy, may no longer be so;

• even if the policy remains suitable, you may find that there are other caravan insurance policies that are perhaps more cost-effective in terms of the cover they provide for the amount you are paying;

• a significant factor in helping you to decide whether or not to seek a comparison with another caravan insurance quote, may be the realisation that the insurance industry evolves and changes rapidly – it may well be the case that there are now policies available on the marketplace offering facilities and options that were simply unavailable when you first took out your existing cover;

• it is a fact of life that looking for individual caravan insurance quotations and then trying to compare one against another, may be rather time-consuming – we may be able to help you with that though by offering access to several insurers and quotations at one go;

• of course, what may prove to be the best caravan insurance for someone else may prove not to be so for you, so when you are looking at quotations, it is important that they are read in some detail and assessed as being suitable for your needs;

• in today’s harsh economic climate, being confident that we are getting value for money at the same time as securing excellent insurance protection for our caravans, may be important to many of us – one way of providing yourself with some reassurance on that subject is to seek a caravan insurance quote or two.

Yet such cover may be essential in terms of protecting a major financial asset and in some cases, actually a legal requirement.

So, if your caravan cover is coming up for renewal this month, why not give yourself the Christmas present of getting the most suitable cover at a cost-effective price?

The following pointers should help you when thinking about your existing insurance or renewing your caravan cover:

• it hopefully goes without saying that if you are driving a motorhome (broadly speaking, defined as being a vehicle with integral accommodation) then by law you typically must have, as a minimum cover, third party liability protection;

• even if your motorhome is notionally off-road and not in use, insurance is typically still required, unless you have made a SORN (Statutory Off-Road Notification) declaration to the DVLA and received their confirmation that it has been processed;

• for other types of caravan, caravan insurance may not be a legal requirement even if it remains typically highly advisable and policy types exist to cover things such as static caravans, park homes, trailer tents, collapsible caravans and touring caravans – we can now even help you with insurance for German Hobby caravans, something, which historically, owners of these models may have found to be a challenge;

• policies are typically not transferable and if, for example, you dispose of a touring caravan and replace it with a trailer tent, you cannot assume that your existing insurance for touring caravans will cover your new camping configuration;

• in these days of increased uncertainty regarding global weather patterns, it may be more common to find clauses and conditions in policies relating to where you park or site your caravan when it is in use – it is typically important to comply with any such conditions if you are to avoid putting your cover at risk;

• theft is, unfortunately, an ever-present risk for both caravan owners and caravan insurance providers but the good news is that some policies may offer incentives in the form of discounts if you follow sensible theft-reduction measures (some of these, such as the use of hitchlocks and wheel clamps may be obligatory in some tourer insurance policies);

• if you own a static caravan, you may occasionally encounter pressures from site owners to purchase their own insurance policy, however, this may not typically be obligatory and you may find that more cost-effective cover might be available from direct insurance sources;

• even if you have a caravan insurance policy that you have held for a number of years, it may be advisable to try and find the time to periodically review it against other options available in the insurance market – you may be surprised at how things have moved on and the newer options available to you.

Hopefully these considerations will help you save some money on your caravan insurance cover – Happy Christmas!

Well today is the last full working day before Christmas and it is all about getting things done and out of the way. My food shopping is going well, I only have a few more items to get and that will be that.

We have family visiting on Boxing Day which will be nice and the actual day will just be us. I will be in the kitchen for most of the day so the pressure is on to prepare a gastronomic feast!

Starting today with a brief new business metting to get prepared for 2012 and then on with the tidying!

Have a fantastic Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Cover4 Team!

Mike