So, Watford FC have won ourselves into a place in the 4th round of the FA Cup and we face a home tie against the inform Spurs. I have been surprised how many of my Spurs supporting friends have simply dismissed thet possibility that just maybe the Golden Boys could turn them over. Ignoring the more simple fact that the FA Cup is a one off match and that dear old Harry is likely to rest a few players we are a half decent Championship side who have not lost in about 8 games and who have a pretty decent pedigree in the cup. It seems like only 5 minutes ago I was at old Villa Park watching us play Man U in the semi finals. We are at home and we will give you a good run for your money. Don;t count your chickens Spurs – if you walk out assuming you will win then history suggests you may be shocked at the end result.

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

The subject of the best caravan insurance cover may prove to be an emotive one and likely to generate a number of questions.

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.

If you currently have caravan insurance that you are content with, you may ask yourself why you would wish to take the trouble of getting another caravan insurance quote?

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.

Comparatively few people may enjoy paying out each year for their caravan insurance (or any other form of insurance for that matter) and with December being such an expensive month in terms presents and parties, every penny really counts.

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!

Dear All

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