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It's been a bit frustrating for us on this trip having where we can/can't go dictated to by the lack of options in the UK insurance market.
We have met countless French/German/Dutch people who all have all of The Balkans (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macadonia even Kosovo) as standard, plus options for Ukraine even Russia. We met a couple today who were going to Iran, Syria, Tunisia and some of their friends had just driven through Jordan to Egypt (mad!) in their Roller Team with 3 kids.
We only want to do The Balkans at this stage but full cover is impossible. For us to 'wing it' on a questionable border green card for our van which represents a good chunk of our assets is just not going to happen. I wonder what happens when Serbia joins the EU in 2014?
These companies are such as Alliance who underwrite UK MH insurers but do not give the British residents the same level of cover or opportunities to travel. Why is this? Lack of demand? Too expensive? These people were all paying sub €800 for the above.
The only option for us seems to 'wing it' on border insurance in a much cheaper van or attempt to buy and register/insure a vehicle in Germany/France with friends etc.
We have found a Dutch insurance company to cover our vehicle but we'd still need to buy our own border insurance. Not having heard anyone having done similar its hard to determin if its worth the paper its printed on.
However when people are telling you they are insured for this/that country, is that for the minimum legal requirement for 'Third Party' cover, which for some countries can be a very low level, or is it for 'Fully Comprehensive'?
Any policy issued be a EU -authorised company has to be for the minimal legal requirement for all EU countries.
After that anyone is on their own for getting cover from the insurance market.
The EU does not seem to provide even the basic competitive EEC market it was set up for.
I asked the same of a Lloyd's Underwriter some years ago when he would not provide cover in a country that a commercial client wished to travel to.
The answer was that if he provided cover in that country he would have to subscribe to the equivalent of the Motor Insurers Bureau. This would mean him having to contribute to their fund which meets claims from people injured by uninsured motorists.
As he would not be writing a lot of business in that particular country it would be uneconomic for him to provide the cover.
As he would not be writing a lot of business in that particular country it would be uneconomic for him to provide the cover.
This seems plausible, although I wonder how so given that the insurers in question do cover these countries for their foreign markets - perhaps its an inter-market thing.
As far as cover goes, Geoff, it was all fully comprehensive. If the cover was third party, as is the case with a border 'green card' I would be inclined to purchase that since any claim would be unlikely to find itself back to the UK and the accumulative cost would most likely be less then the equivalent UK policy.
I can't see this being an issue for many, I don't think the product exist because of lack of demand.
We appoint a sub-committe of MHF Members, authorising them to act as follows:-
1 To apply to the EU for a grant as a special interest group.
2 On receipt of the funding, to convene a meeting in Brussels - all diesel, road tolls from wherever committee Members travel to be paid (in duplicate), plus the wives, girlfriends can fly First Class (because they get car-sick)
3 Re-convene the meeting to Davos, preferably when the snow is good and there are not too many taxpayers around to see how the money is being spent.
4 Re-apply for further funding to cover the consultants fee ( My Brother-in-law and your accountant, who lends you his villa in S of France). The Consultants will advise on the best location for the next committee meeting and supply a list of restaurants and their menus (without prices)
5 Re-convene at the consultants' recommended venue.
6 Decide venue is not suitable for security reasons.
7 Apply for more funding to appoint Security consultants ( your Brother-in law and my accountant, who has a yacht in the BWI) to advise on a better venue ( with better restaurants)
8 Cobble together some sort of report, with recommendations that the subject should be looked into further and thanking the committee for their hard work.
HAVING GOT AWAY WITH IT ONCE -
Form a consultancy ( our 2 Brothers-in-law, accountants etc.) and apply for the contract to review the work of the committee.
AD INFINITUM
Simples
Now what was the subject?
Oh yes, I remember, insuring against the possibility that the EU have forgotten what it was started for, and who pays them.
Have I morphed into 'DTP Chemicals'? - apologies to Dave!
[If you thought I was going to sign this - forget it!]
We appoint a sub-committe of MHF Members, authorising them to act as follows:-
1 To apply to the EU for a grant as a special interest group.
2 On receipt of the funding, to convene a meeting in Brussels - all diesel, road tolls from wherever committee Members travel to be paid (in duplicate), plus the wives, girlfriends can fly First Class (because they get car-sick)
3 Re-convene the meeting to Davos, preferably when the snow is good and there are not too many taxpayers around to see how the money is being spent.
4 Re-apply for further funding to cover the consultants fee ( My Brother-in-law and your accountant, who lends you his villa in S of France). The Consultants will advise on the best location for the next committee meeting and supply a list of restaurants and their menus (without prices)
5 Re-convene at the consultants' recommended venue.
6 Decide venue is not suitable for security reasons.
7 Apply for more funding to appoint Security consultants ( your Brother-in law and my accountant, who has a yacht in the BWI) to advise on a better venue ( with better restaurants)
8 Cobble together some sort of report, with recommendations that the subject should be looked into further and thanking the committee for their hard work.
HAVING GOT AWAY WITH IT ONCE -
Form a consultancy ( our 2 Brothers-in-law, accountants etc.) and apply for the contract to review the work of the committee.
AD INFINITUM
Simples
Now what was the subject?
Oh yes, I remember, insuring against the possibility that the EU have forgotten what it was started for, and who pays them.
Have I morphed into 'DTP Chemicals'? - apologies to Dave!
[If you thought I was going to sign this - forget it!]
I've read some cr*p on this forum, but that takes the biscuit! Was hoping for some sensible discussion on UK for foreign insurers who might provide cover for these countries
Of course it sounds like cr*p - it was written in brubble-speak!
And only because we all have the same sort of problem with the Insurance Market.
When the EU wrote the Directive requiring insurers to provide EU-wide cover they could have made it comprehensive, but why when it gives them an opportunity to come back to the issue a year or two later and add an extra two years to their pension?
When the EU wrote the Directive requiring insurers to provide EU-wide cover they could have made it comprehensive, but why when it gives them an opportunity to come back to the issue a year or two later and add an extra two years to their pension.
Geoff
Many years ago, during the reign of Margaret Thatcher, a very substantial client of mine in the haulage industry asked me if I could arrange cover on the trucks operated by his French subsidiary company.
Did it without any problem saving them thousands of pounds in the process.
When the French company tried to pay me the premium the French exchange control people refused to allow the payment. They told the company that they should insure in France, not with the UK.
Typical French attitude, but sometimes I wish we in the UK could be a bit more self interested, trains that could have been built in Derby comes to mind.
In Spain I was insured with Linea Direct (Direct Line ) we automatically got a green card that covered all of the EU and it also included breakdown cover. We had the same with Zurich.
Just to clarify I meant Zurich Insurance gave the same cover.
Waz
edit for clarification.
Last edited by waz on Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
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