Pay extra to offset CO2 emissions? They really are taking the wee wee.

I happened to watch Rip Off Britain one day this week and one of the subjects was how come car insurance costs have gone up so much. A fella from the Insurance association blah blah didn't half come out with some pooh.

One 'explanation ' he gave was maintainance.  Maintainance. What the hell did he mean by that? Now after thinking about it, and I very rarely do think about something, I came to a conclusion. By maintainance what he was saying was lining the pockets off the actual insuring companies share holders.

He also came out with twaddle about repair costs and the cost of electricity. 

£150 is good enough? 

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

I never like shopping round for car insurance but I'm just doing the exercise for the Mrs's SEAT Mii...

I am going through the same thing was my Focus, it's soul destroying! Phoned up my current guys as it's due in 3 weeks and haven't heard anything. They just told me they can't quote yet as I'm too soon, and to call back in a weeks time.

Just another ploy so that it's left so late you panic and just renew - which of course I won't be...

5 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

They just told me they can't quote yet as I'm too soon

Time to get the magic lamp out and say "Dan, Dan, the insurance man, where are you man?" and the insurance genie will pop up 🤣

Allegedly its industry practice to only quote with 14 days to go been so for years. I generally start shopping around with 7 days to go as prices can fluctuate depending on the day and what offers are available. Why are prices rising when 99% of offices are closed and your point of contact is some numpty sat in his underwear at home on a computer. If you read the small print on many policies their held offshore. Mines not due till 22/2/2024 so we'll see, ive bookmarked this thread hahahahahaha

43 minutes ago, unofix said:

Time to get the magic lamp out and say "Dan, Dan, the insurance man, where are you man?" and the insurance genie will pop up 🤣

Sadly, I've done with Dan after the awful experience in getting a home insurance quote for my mum...

20 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

Allegedly its industry practice to only quote with 14 days to go been so for years. 

On most of the comparison sites I've been looking at (including the one with the opera singer and the one with the meerkat) it now seems to be up to 30 days before renewal, one was 90 days. 

3 hours ago, iantt said:

£150 is good enough? 

Dunno without further investigation. Despite putting in all the details of what you want - level of cover, NCD protection, level of excess,  etc - I invariably find they're not always included in the results when you look carefully so you add them back in and £150 becomes a lot more.

 

 

Dan Dan the insurance man. That company I've found over a few Decades are an effing rip off.

I've stated above reasons why insurance costs have risen and they're Fact.

Martin Lewis has stated numerous times that 2 weeks before your insurance is due is the best time to shop around. 

Back on topic, been a good boy lately and fancied a kebab on the way home for tea. For some reason they've all gone cash only.Their loss i'll go without.

32 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

Their loss i'll go without

That's what the Tax Man said 🤣

11 hours ago, Jimpster said:

Back on topic, been a good boy lately and fancied a kebab on the way home for tea. For some reason they've all gone cash only.Their loss i'll go without.

It may be annoying, but margins are tight enough right now and the 'commission' that cards charge for using them can diminish profits even further. Besides, who likes giving the government money, they only squander it. Go on, if it's decent food, give them another chance...

28 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

It may be annoying, but margins are tight enough right now and the 'commission' that cards charge for using them can diminish profits even further. Besides, who likes giving the government money, they only squander it. Go on, if it's decent food, give them another chance...

We found more and more bars etc recently in Spain are going 'Cash only' for that very reason. 

One place we were at charged 50cents for any transaction under €10.

If you're lucky you might even get some of the new coins in your change!

5 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

some of the new coins in your change!

Who's that on the coins ?

The Queen had a crown on, so that guy mustn't be the King since he's not got a crown 🤔

36 minutes ago, unofix said:

Who's that on the coins ?

The Queen had a crown on, so that guy mustn't be the King since he's not got a crown 🤔

Only female monarchs are crowned on British coins.

There was a crowned portrait of Charles III just for the Coronation year on a few bullion and uncirculated coins.

(People think cars are boring...I've ended up finding an interest in coins!  )

 

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Only female monarchs are crowned on British coins.

Thank you for that bit of info.

I realised that looking back at old coins that it seemed none of the Kings had a crown, but had never given it a thought until now.

17 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Only female monarchs are crowned on British coins.

There was a crowned portrait of Charles III just for the Coronation year on a few bullion and uncirculated coins.

(People think cars are boring...I've ended up finding an interest in coins!  )

 

Another boring fact regarding coins and the monarch, each 'picture ' of the monarch faces the opposite direction to the previous one 😉

3 minutes ago, Turvey said:

Another boring fact regarding coins and the monarch, each 'picture ' of the monarch faces the opposite direction to the previous one 😉

This 'coin' conversation is strangely intriguing!

5 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

This 'coin' conversation is strangely intriguing!

We need to 'stamp' it out immediately 🤣

It seems that things are not always as we are lead to believe when it comes to British convention of the monarchs head on coins and stamps. Left & Right, Crown or no Crown there seems times when the rules are somewhat ignored.

 

7 minutes ago, unofix said:

It seems that things are not always as we are lead to believe when it comes to British convention of the monarchs head on coins and stamps. Left & Right, Crown or no Crown there seems times when the rules are somewhat ignored.

 

That's not a circulating coin.  It's a coronation medal. 

As mentioned above, Charles also had a crowned portrait for that type of thing this year.  

 

2 hours ago, unofix said:

We need to 'stamp' it out immediately 🤣

Stamps don't change the direction that the monarch faces! I'll get my anorak now! 😀

6 hours ago, Turvey said:

Stamps don't change the direction that the monarch faces! I'll get my anorak now! 😀

What's a stamp?? 😂

Been a while on here. 

Thought I'd post on this rental van who's driver decided to park in front of my grandparents house and driveway. It's a wide pavement on their road but come on my grandad would struggle to reverse his valve out there. Just managed to park my up in there next to his car.

Reported it to the police online submission so see what happens plus put a kind post up on the windscreen to kindly not block my grandparents driveway so the driver knows its not them who's put it up. 

There's some work being done on the Greggs opposite their house and my grandad has complained when we seen him that there's been a vehicle blocking him in a few times now which I suspect might be a worker refurbishing the store.

 

 

4 minutes ago, zain611 said:

Thought I'd post on this rental van who's driver decided to park in front of my grandparents house and driveway.

What kind of selfish eejit parks, blocking someone in on their driveway! The guy got off lightly just having a note left on his windscreen...