It's that time of year again - Car Insurance Renewal

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › It's that time of year again - Car Insurance Renewal

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Basil12

124 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 74

#3266681 31-Jul-2024 19:04

For those with their motor insurance with Tower, either direct or via Trade Me Insurance (and perhaps through KiwiBank too), be aware that Tower will not insure you if driving off road. The exclusion from the current Tower wording is below, and I know the same is in my cover via Trade Me Insurance (underwritten by Tower). This is not a common exclusion in the insurance world.

Just something to be aware of (as well as their poor spelling).

"Your policy does not cover any loss, damage or liability arising from:

13. Using the car off-road using the car off-road, such as driving over open land, on beaches, riverbeds and sand dunes. This exclusion does not apply while you are launching or retrieving your boat from it’s own boat trailer."

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Eva888

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#3267041 1-Aug-2024 13:12

Just spoke with the Toyota insurance person when I dropped the car off and apparently they insure any cars not just Toyotas.

Included are roadside service, no excess windscreens and a loan car for up to a month. Excess options are laid out clearly so it’s easy to make a choice. Underwritten in Japan.

I am definitely going for it now my immobiliser is getting fitted and with a 1k excess, premium is down to $680 with the value set at 11k, (their valuation 11-12k) the premium is half as much State who dropped the value to $8k

rscole86

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#3267214 1-Aug-2024 15:52

Basil12:
For those with their motor insurance with Tower, either direct or via Trade Me Insurance (and perhaps through KiwiBank too), be aware that Tower will not insure you if driving off road. The exclusion from the current Tower wording is below, and I know the same is in my cover via Trade Me Insurance (underwritten by Tower). This is not a common exclusion in the insurance world.

Just something to be aware of (as well as their poor spelling).

"Your policy does not cover any loss, damage or liability arising from:

13. Using the car off-road using the car off-road, such as driving over open land, on beaches, riverbeds and sand dunes. This exclusion does not apply while you are launching or retrieving your boat from it’s own boat trailer."

I'm sure those more qualified will chime in, but I thought a road was anywhere the public have access? Eg a private car park, such as a supermarkets, or a beach.
Legally a beach is a road.

Obviously they can have their own exclusions, just not sure about them calling beaches off-road.

JStew

58 posts

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#3267384 2-Aug-2024 07:59

I had a terrible experience with TradeMe / Tower. We had two policies with them for two cars and had just purchased a house so needed home and contents. Long story short, they completely mucked us around to the point where they had said there was no issue with insuring before we went unconditional, to saying they wouldn't insure just before settlement (there was a 1 in 100 year flood risk). Despite multiple requests for escalation, saying we would hear back and never did, a team leader called me 5 weeks later to say they got it wrong and they would insure. Well too late guys, settlement was 4 weeks ago and that's how long to take to follow up on an urgent escalation?!?

Shopped around after that experience and found AA to be the best in the market. Now I do jack up the excess to reduce the premium - I don't expect to be claiming every 6 or 12 months, so may as well have that money in my pocket. But found the would pretty much match the market value of the cars (Tower wanted to reduce the value by 15%) for the same premium (whereas Tower were going to charge 30% more on renewal as well). All and all, very happy with AA and will never ever go back to Tower or any of their white-label brands.

cddt

1970 posts

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#3267500 2-Aug-2024 12:00

JStew:

I had a terrible experience with TradeMe / Tower. We had two policies with them for two cars and had just purchased a house so needed home and contents. Long story short, they completely mucked us around to the point where they had said there was no issue with insuring before we went unconditional, to saying they wouldn't insure just before settlement (there was a 1 in 100 year flood risk). Despite multiple requests for escalation, saying we would hear back and never did, a team leader called me 5 weeks later to say they got it wrong and they would insure. Well too late guys, settlement was 4 weeks ago and that's how long to take to follow up on an urgent escalation?!?

Shopped around after that experience and found AA to be the best in the market. Now I do jack up the excess to reduce the premium - I don't expect to be claiming every 6 or 12 months, so may as well have that money in my pocket. But found the would pretty much match the market value of the cars (Tower wanted to reduce the value by 15%) for the same premium (whereas Tower were going to charge 30% more on renewal as well). All and all, very happy with AA and will never ever go back to Tower or any of their white-label brands.

I had the same experience with AMI when trying to get insurance 6 weeks before settlement. Mucked me around, needed to "check with the actuarial team", said they would call me back (never did), then asked for a building report (which was provided under urgency at great expense), promised to call me back within 48 hours (never did), then sent me more questions (which had already specifically been addressed in the building report).

Got to one week before settlement and the deadline for the promised call back had been and gone (multiple times) and AMI's call centre would do nothing except promise another call back, so I called AA and they gave me insurance then and there during the initial phone call. I offered to send them the building report but they didn't even want to see it.

Then when my car insurance was up for renewal I switched that to AA too. When I cancelled with AMI a very nice gentlemen called and asked why I was leaving. I told him why and he was very apologetic, I said that's nice of you but it's too late now...

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

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