Had a stone (well, half a brick or suchlike) hit the screen a few days ago on the motorway, thanks to the A1 Leeming to Barton motorway upgrade team for not tidying up their **** and a passing wagon throwing it at me. Checked my insurance policy to find an excess of £125 for glass replacement. I was rather expecting a £75 excess but it appears as though that's on the Octavia which is insured with someone else.

So, with a bill for £125 coming my way I made a few calls and found a local windscreen replacement company who I've just been talking to about a replacement. He's happy to organise everything with my insurers, order the screen, come and fit it for me at my convenience, and wants £45.

That sounds more like it to me.

So someone is cutting their cost & Profits / hiking of charges, the Underwriter that wanted r=the £125 excess, or the Glass Supplier Fitter that gets the Underwriter doing the deal.

Time that Trading Standards or some Insurance overlord was sorting out the defrauding of the Insurance Customers in the UK.

I hate to think how much a a massive one for mine would cost.

Also why im glad ive always had 0 excess windscreen cover on my policies, limited to 2 per year, but that would just be really bad luck!

And ive always ended up using it at some point during my ownership period of a vehicle. Even the insignia has a dirty couple of chips, just havnt bothered claiming my free screen yet! Wait til the weather improves a bit again first

13 hours ago, mac11irl said:

but that would just be really bad luck!

 LOL.....I had 2 new screens in 3 months during the summer 

 

Pete

They've been bumping up windscreen excesses for a while now. Easy way to reduce costs.

On 23/12/2017 at 16:23, Rustynuts said:

Had a stone (well, half a brick or suchlike) hit the screen a few days ago on the motorway, thanks to the A1 Leeming to Barton motorway upgrade team for not tidying up their **** and a passing wagon throwing it at me. Checked my insurance policy to find an excess of £125 for glass replacement. I was rather expecting a £75 excess but it appears as though that's on the Octavia which is insured with someone else.

So, with a bill for £125 coming my way I made a few calls and found a local windscreen replacement company who I've just been talking to about a replacement. He's happy to organise everything with my insurers, order the screen, come and fit it for me at my convenience, and wants £45.

That sounds more like it to me.

 

It won't be a genuine Skoda branded glass.

 

On 23/12/2017 at 17:42, AwaoffSki said:

So someone is cutting their cost & Profits / hiking of charges, the Underwriter that wanted r=the £125 excess, or the Glass Supplier Fitter that gets the Underwriter doing the deal.

Time that Trading Standards or some Insurance overlord was sorting out the defrauding of the Insurance Customers in the UK.

 

The excess is a measure to help prevent fraud. Many companies who waive all or some of the excess will offset the reduction against something, somewhere.

1 minute ago, Glassy said:

 

 

 

 

The excess is a measure to help prevent fraud. Many companies who waive all or some of the excess will offset the reduction against something, somewhere.

Yep, no free lunch.

Just now, Ryeman said:

Yep, no free lunch.

 

Also, the replacement will still be recorded as an unclaimed loss.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Glassy said:

 

It won't be a genuine Skoda branded glass.

 

 

I'm not particularly concerned. The vehicle is my works car, it has 130k miles on it, and is being traded in January/February. If it were the Octavia then I'd be more careful and would insist on genuine.

 

To be honest, I was looking on here for someone who was posting about windscreen replacements, and couldn't remember who it was. You've just reminded me.

Glassy, £65, £75 or £125 excess us not doing much to offset fraud then if that is customer fraud and someone wants a screen replaced and 

is OK with paying the excess and hitting the screen with a ball peen hammer the reporting a stone hit.

 

Certainly not offsetting the Insurance Industry Fraud that is happening in the UK with even the biggest of Insurance Companies, 

the barstewards system is still having 'unsolicited' calls coming into customers as they sell the information, share it or are just careless with 

others details.  All allowed in the UK because 'All in this together' if an Investor, Director, NEO etc. Lloyds Names and other Elected Members & Peers of the Realm.

1 minute ago, AwaoffSki said:

Glassy, £65, £75 or £125 excess us not doing much to offset fraud then if that is customer fraud and someone wants a screen replaced and 

is OK with paying the excess and hitting the screen with a ball peen hammer the reporting a stone hit.

 

Certainly not offsetting the Insurance Industry Fraud that is happening in the UK with even the biggest of Insurance Companies, 

the barstewards system is still having 'unsolicited' calls coming into customers as they sell the information, share it or are just careless with 

others details.  All allowed in the UK because 'All in this together' if an Investor, Director, NEO etc. Lloyds Names and other Elected Members & Peers of the Realm.

 

I'd agree... if i understood it

I think you understand, 'taking the pith with customers', and getting away with what Insurers / Banks can get away with.

Reduce fraud, and charge those not defrauding for those that are, and just call it 'offsetting' rather than tackling fraud, including the Corporate Fraud.

It's not as lucrative as it may sound. Over the years average invoice values (certainly for the inscos with the singing and dancing adverts) have been whittled down so much that the policyholder pays more (by way of excess) towards the loss than the insco.

Perversely, there is fraud at the other end too. Policyholders banging in spurious claims is rife, and a (windscreen) replacement company - despite being contracted to make an assessment on behalf of the insurance company - will replace the glass without question.