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

Typically the respective viewpoints may be seen as:

• cost is king – there may be those who understandably follow the viewpoint that the best touring caravan insurance is that which has the least impact on your pocket and  some caravan owners will spend significant amounts of their time searching for policies that enable them to shave relatively small amounts of money off the cost of their insurance, so that they can proudly proclaim that they have the best insurance around;

• although people in this camp have an understandable inclination to reduce their costs, there is a potential problem in that there may be the danger of assuming that the only impact of your insurance on your pocket is what you are paying out in premiums;

• in fact, of course, your tourer insurance may have a much more painful impact on your finances in the event that it fails to cover you for a problem that has arisen with your caravan;

• whether you have touring caravan, park home or static home insurance, finding out in the event of a disaster that your insurance does not cover you is likely to put the costs of your premium to date into the shade or arguably make them totally irrelevant in your eyes;

• cover is what counts – the other school of thought is prepared to relegate price to a secondary level, concentrating instead on the breadth of cover offered by an individual caravan insurance policy;

• in their method of assessment, if you are the owner of a touring caravan who enjoys regular trips over to the continent, then seeking a policy that offers a wide variety of continental cover, makes much more sense than concentrating exclusively on trying to find the cheapest policy;

• the middle path – in this great and timeless debate, perhaps all that can be safely said is that what is best for one person may not be best for another;

• possibly the healthiest approach to the search for the best touring caravan insurance is a mixture of checking out in detail the cover available and then just how much you will be paying for it.

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

There are a few points that occasionally catch out caravanners in the area of cheap touring caravan insurance (although in fairness, these may apply to any form of touring caravan cover):

• keep a close eye on the permitted territories that are included as part of the standard cover – some policies may restrict this to the UK, the mainland UK or the UK and Ireland which is fine, unless your target destinations are across the English Channel;

• think about your awning – if you have one, you may wish to ensure that it is covered under your insurance policy but not all will necessarily provide such protection;

• mileages – it may not be unusual to find that cheap touring caravan insurance, as with any form of mobile caravan cover, will specify maximum permissible mileages per annum but if these are set below your requirements, it may cost you additional money to increase cover to the level you require;

• parking restrictions – the insurance providers may have very firm views as to where you may or may not park your touring caravan if cover is to be maintained, for example, some may require that you only park overnight on sites which are formally licensed, have full services connected and which have a degree of permanent supervision;

• security precautions – it may be relatively commonplace to find policies that require the use of wheel clamps and hitchlocks in certain circumstances, however, some may go further and require the use of tracking devices and alarms etc;

• towing driver requirements – once again, it may not be unusual to find that policies specify minimum ages and driving experience of those that will be driving the caravan but some may be stricter and more demanding in this than others;

• discounts – in today’s cost-conscious world you may be interested to know that some insurance for caravans online may offer discount opportunities for certain behaviours (e.g. taking a higher excess) or for being a member of a recognised club (often known as caravan club insurance discounts) than others;

• cheap touring caravan insurance may prove to be both available and perfectly adequate for your needs but remember that it may take more than an inspection of the price to tell you that!

It may be important though to compare both these aspects of caravan insurance cover.

In tight economic times it is perfectly understandable that you do not want to spend more on caravan insurance than you absolutely have to, however, putting economy before cover may end up with you incurring costs later if you have to make a claim and find that the policy you have just doesn’t cover what you need it to.

Using an internet site like ours may help you to compare touring caravan insurance policies which may match your requirements, giving you the opportunity to buy a policy which provides you with a level of cover that you are happy with and at a price you can afford.

You may find that one simple way of helping to make the cost of your touring caravan insurance premium more attractive may be to look out for policies that may offer discounts for which you may qualify.  For example:

• any caravan club insurance discounts offered to members may be linked to the belief that clubs may be an ideal forum for the sharing of tips and knowledge and may also be a sign of a mature and responsible caravanner;
• fitting an approved tracking device to your caravan may help greatly in keeping if safer and may therefore attract a premium discount – as may the use of approved locks and alarm systems;
• you may wish to remember, when you compare touring caravan insurance, that premium prices may be linked to your estimated mileage for the year ahead (based on the theory that the more miles you cover, the more your tourer may be at risk) so keeping this as accurate as possible may help you to avoid paying for cover that you don’t actually need.

If terms of the actual cover provided by a touring caravan insurance policy, you may find that there may be differences in the cover provided for:

• awnings – not all tourer insurance policies may provide cover for these useful spaces and those that do may only cover damage caused while you were away from the caravan, if you had fully stowed it before leaving;
• new for old replacement criteria – some policies may only offer this if your caravan is up to three years old and you have been the sole owner – others though may offer a new replacement for caravans up to five years old.

One thing that you may notice when you compare touring caravan insurance is that the terms and conditions of policies may vary quite considerably. You may benefit from a careful read of these to ensure that you fully understand them.

Alternatively, if you would prefer us to compare caravan policies on your behalf, then please do get in touch – one of our friendly team will be more than pleased to assist.

Southend is now snowing for the first time this winter, and the chances of a white Christmas increase. Personally I hope it doesn’t as I am meant to be taking my partner out tonight for a meal but there you go. She is still recovering from a cold as is my son, I have so far avoided the dreaded bug and am trying to keep my distance!

The Caravan season is well and truly dormant at the moment, only to be expected but things should pick up in January and February ahead of the full season.

The other problem with winter is football cancellations, especially in the lower leagues where a it means loss of revenue and a fixture pile up later in the season.

Oh well on with the day

Have a great weekend

Mike

Defining the problem

The trouble is that it may be difficult for two touring caravan owners to agree what they actually mean when they use the word best.

One, who perhaps never takes their caravan abroad, may think their policy is the best because it happens to be relatively low-cost.  A higher cost policy that provides enhanced continental cover might be, for them, of little interest.

By contrast, a caravanner who enjoys the open continental roads may require a policy that provides far more extensive overseas driving protection, even if it means paying a little extra for it.  To them, the first policy’s price would be irrelevant and they would define the second policy as being the best for them.

It is difficult to reach any conclusion other than the best touring caravan insurance will be a very personal matter for each and every owner and that what is best for one may not be best for you.

Touring caravan insurance and variations

There may be a number of ways in which touring caravan cover may vary between policies.

Examples of this might include:

• the maximum mileage permitted each year under the standard policy;

• as mentioned above, continental cover – both in terms of the number of days and the maximum mileage allowed;

• the permitted ages (and possibly experience levels) of towing drivers;

• where the caravan may be parked overnight when in use;

• where it may be parked overnight, when not in use during the closed season (some policies may not allow it to be parked on the public highway for extended periods);

• whether or not you will receive new-for-old replacement in the event your caravan was damaged beyond sensible economic repair;

• the extent to which things such as awnings are covered (as well as the conditions governing claims for such items).

All of these things and several others, may need to be thought about before you will be able to consider what is the best touring caravan insurance for you.

Well the Christmas shopping is all done bar the food thanks to my very efficient partner, she has organised everything to a military precision and this is because she is better than me at these things!

Whilst the Caravan season is over for the moment and our Renewals Team are working very hard at maintaining this area of the business. If you do have any queries our Team are available on freephone 0800 9707172.

I will be attending Dagenham’s game against Port Vale on Saturday for my Mum’s birthday, she recently went to see Paul McCartney at the O2 as another treat. She has been a fan of his for many years and I gather she really enjoyed herself.

It is also my father in laws birthday on Saturday and I hope he has a great day.

Well back to the grindstone

Mike

Many of you may remember that we were taking a very keen interest in the story of the Atlas Caravan workers who were made redundant three years ago, and I was suprised that the issue is still ongoing all these years later.

This is from the BBC Website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-16040733

Shocking that they have not had their pay yet.

Mike

“There was a man

Who bought a caravan

He insured it through Cover4

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He Insured it through Cover4

The price was great

The Service too

He insured it through Cover4

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He insured it through Cover4

The policy included

All that he needed

He insured it through Cover4

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He insured it through Cover4

He recommended to his friends

To insure their caravans with them

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He insured it through Cover4″