Insurance agreed value increase

[RevNev]

I've always been with NRMA. Just got my new premium. It's up from $750 to $900!
I thought I'd take a look around.
For the same cover:-
Budget $850
Shannon's $1300
APIA won't do it at all.
AAMI $708

I went in to the NRMA office but they won't compete at all! "Take it or leave it" is their attitude! So much for loyalty . . . . . home, contents, CTP, road service! For years and years!

Looks like I'll be going with AAMI.

Going with the cheaper quote is ok if a good repair job isn't a priority. AAMI are one of the worst who don't allow choice of repairer and will send you to a crap panel shop for repairs. Insurance companies who don't allow choice of repairer, do so to save money on repairs in collusion with panel shops who'll do roughies for them.

A good AAMI roughie I discovered earlier this year instead of replacing an FGX Falcon rear bumper with broken clips, they pumped half a tube of Sikaflex behind the bumper and glued it to the body!

 

[figjam]

A mate dinged the door in his lux Jap car about 3 months ago. His fault, not looking close enough when driving out of a car park, but no other cars involved.
His experience with AAMI has been s-l-o-w, arranging quotes from repair shops that they 'recommended', then advising long delays in getting the required cosmetic bits, and generally just being not very interested. No problems with their cover or trying to avoid payment ........ just prolonged delays. Perhaps because his repair is not urgent, and he is not used to how car insurance works.
Latest news is that he has it booked in for late January.

 

[losh1971]

NRMA did a shoddy on an old car of mine. It needed a new indicator plug as it was smashed from hitting a roo. I had it apart because it stopped working. Turns out they had just wrapped it in electrical tape. I went back but by then I had already repaired it myself using my own spares.

 

[Forg]

NRMA did a shoddy on an old car of mine. It needed a new indicator plug as it was smashed from hitting a roo. I had it apart because it stopped working. Turns out they had just wrapped it in electrical tape. I went back but by then I had already repaired it myself using my own spares.

Does NRMA own panelbeaters now?
I've not insured with them for yonks, last time my mum had something repaired (few years now) she could go wherever she wanted, but she didn't have any preference so they just sent her up the local panel-beaters that've been there since forever (and if they were owned by NRMA there was no signage etc to indicate that).

@Geoff6666, RevNev's comment has much merit. AAMI, as far as I know, doesn't offer a choice of repairer. If I'm correct (and please check) - this means you will be sent to the Suncorp repairer, and they have the absolute worst reputation in existence - you have to not care about the car to accept that, for me it wouldn't be worth that coupla hundred buck saving.

Insurance companies who don't allow choice of repairer, do so to save money on repairs in collusion with panel shops who'll do roughies for them.

This doesn't HAVE to be true, as there is cost saving to be had in volume & in not needing the quoting process.
However, it does seem to be true in this country ... AAMI is owned by SunCorp, and their repairer is known to be awful.

 

[losh1971]

Does NRMA own panelbeaters now?
I've not insured with them for yonks, last time my mum had something repaired (few years now) she could go wherever she wanted, but she didn't have any preference so they just sent her up the local panel-beaters that've been there since forever (and if they were owned by NRMA there was no signage etc to indicate that).

When I used them I was told where I was getting my car repaired, I didn't get to choose.

 

[Forg]

When I used them I was told where I was getting my car repaired, I didn't get to choose.

Oh OK; that's not necessarily "NRMA doing a bad repair" then, that's "NRMA allowing a bad repair".
NRMA likely knows about it (just quietly and won't admit to anyone), but the reason it happened was likely the panel beater wanting to continue to be NRMA's choice by being the cheapest. This way NRMA has "plausible deniability" in terms of whose fault it is.
With SunCorp they actually own the bodgy panel-beater!

 

[losh1971]

Oh OK; that's not necessarily "NRMA doing a bad repair" then, that's "NRMA allowing a bad repair".
NRMA likely knows about it (just quietly and won't admit to anyone), but the reason it happened was likely the panel beater wanting to continue to be NRMA's choice by being the cheapest. This way NRMA has "plausible deniability" in terms of whose fault it is.

NRMA did push him to reduce the cost of repairs. It took extra time to get it approved as NRMA wanted the bloke to try interstate wreckers to find parts cheaper than the local bloke in SA was asking. No it wasn't a Holden so parts supplier was limited.

 

[losh1971]

Talking to PBs NRMA and some other nationwide insurance companies are hard on repairers as they push them to do the job cheaper thus corner cutting occurs.

 

[krusing]

Don't go Budget.

The worst insurance I have delt with !
Over a simple $1,400 repair, they made it bigger then Ben Hur !,
No other car involved,
Small ding in the back, my fault.
I got the car assessed, repair was $1,400
With their BS excuses, and pushing me back to rating 5,
Then with the EXTRA cost of the premium for next 5 years,
Guess what, it equated to $1,400.
I pulled the pin on them repairing it,
And paid for it myself.
Then went back to RACV.

There is a reason they choice the name "Budget" !

Not to mention their STUPID Adverts, and the 2 DA actors.

Budget on Service,
Budget on Repairs
Budget to rip you off.

 

[gmholdman]

insurance=necessary evil

I have 4 cars insured by S….ons and have been a customer for 30 yrs with no claims. Had first claim recently ( wife’s car, no other car involved ) and waited 3 months for an assessment. Now waiting for beater to repair, maybe after Xmas ???