Ageism. What price loyalty?

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trophy
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Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by trophy »

My insurance for my 10 year old car and 2 bikes was due for renewal last August. Most surprised and shocked to see the premium had increased by more than £120 from last years figure of £560. I had been with them for about 15 years and have 14 years no claim bonus. My friend who lives 4 miles away (as the crow flies) has his 4 year old car, his 8 magnificent classics and 1 modern bike insured with the same company, under the same type of policy. May '17 his premium was more than £200 less than what I was quoted :? So I shopped around several well respected insurance companies and guess what; nothing much changed. I still paid more than £100 than my friend paid in May.
The only thing I can come up with is that it is age related, me being 6 years older (at 82) than my friend. One other disappointment being that the insurance company considered my 29 year old bike must be classed as "modern", despite it being eligible for VMCC events. They say a bike has to be 30 years old to be considered for classic insurance.
Any one else had a similar insurance v age problem? Or am I being paranoid-or just old?
Ride safe all.
MikeM.
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by MikeM. »

I have had the same problem Lol after turning 80, the first renewal for my car went up up by £100 then this year another hundred plus.
I went on line and got a quote for half the renewal price plus getting a quote of £100 less for my other half. Of course it will be interesting to see what next year's renewals will be.
SPRIDDLER
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by SPRIDDLER »

I think it's probably an age thing.
I use Peter James Insurance for my bikes (£92 for the two - agreed value, foreign and breakdown/recovery) and my 10 months old car. His deadline for 'Classic' bikes is 20 yrs old but the 'Quick Quote' facility on his website stipulates riders between 25 and 75 yrs old.
I'm 72 so o.k. for 3 more years, however it might be worth phoning them for a personal quote as they are very helpful; you get a 'real' person and no strings of buttons to press.
Details here:

http://quotes.peterjamesinsurance.co.uk ... Intro.aspx

BTW - I ride adapted bikes and car and motorhome as I only have one useable arm but due to the Disability Discrimination Act insurers are not allowed to load the premium above their 'normal' rates. Maybe it should apply to age as well?
'There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood............'
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Merlin
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by Merlin »

All this talk of age makes me wonder if I should sell my classic bikes while my prospective customer base is still alive. :rofl: :beer:
Chemists do it with test tubes
MikeM.
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by MikeM. »

So far my FJ bike insurance is not too bad.
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Rob Harknett
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by Rob Harknett »

Thinking about starting up a Buggie club. Have a little run round the village, then stop at a pub if some one remembers where it is. Use the doctors surgery as a meeting place.
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GOLDSTAR
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by GOLDSTAR »

ageism is alive and kicking and supported by government dictate, I have had to renew my domestic licence as I approach 70yrs, I lose the right to drive a vehicle up to 7.5 ton,
up until 1 second before midnight preceeding my 70 birthday I am able to quite safely [?] drive a 7.5 ton and a passenger vehicle carrying more than 12 passengers but at the stoke of midnight I am deemed incapable of doing so, yes I can get a doctors exam to state I am a fit and proper person to drive these vehicles in addition to my now restricted domestic licence but there is no medical exam other than for a H.G.V category which costs £150! I probably won't wish to ever drive a vehicle of the now excluded categories but it's the flexibility I ask for, had the medical examination been a reasonable sum I probably would have paid for it, retirement ages keep advancing but other facets of government fail to acknowledge this, some one once said that surely it's just common sense, but I am given to understand common sense is just not that common. :headbang: kind regards

as an aside most insurance certificates state the following, 'holds or has held and is not disqualified from holding a licence to drive this type of vehicle' so there is an interesting legal argument here, would one be disqualified by virtue of being to old even though one can keep the entitlement with a medical certificate, wonder who thought this up ever thought of this argument?
Flash
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by Flash »

Dickie, This is no different than when the government decreed in late sixties early seventies that I could not drive a HGV, thier reasoning being that I had not driven one for the past six months, I had been driving Heavy transport in the army for nine years tank transporters, 10 ton trucks and the last four years driving DUKWs and specialised vehicles, it's a wonder I did not have to take my test again and like you, I can now no longer drive a 7.5 ton or mini bus and although it doesn't bother me all that much I believe it's a bit of a liberty, stealing my right, to drive what I want to.
Anyway, I thought you was older than me :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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Stuoyb
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by Stuoyb »

My late father was an army driving instructor for over 15 years in an armoured unit where he trained tank drivers (and associated transporter drivers). They also trained civilian drivers on "track laying" vehicles under contract to the Dept. of Transport.
When he retired from the army he submitted his military licence to get his civilian licence updated to heavy goods vehicles and track laying vehicles and received the reply "you must take a separate test for these vehicles as you have no previous employment experience that gives you entitlement" :roll:
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Rob Harknett
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Re: Ageism. What price loyalty?

Post by Rob Harknett »

https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/ ... ination#h2
The make laws against age discrimination. They also allow loop holes that allow age discrimination. So you cannot win.
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