An Insurance Saga

[Twister_Ken]

One of the benefits (?) of scoring a half century in the game of life is that you become a target consumer for Saga. It worked on the motorcar and house contents - saved a good few bob compared with previous insurers. So when Pantaenius asked for a considerably increased boat premuim, it was fortuitous that a Saga boat insurance mailer arrived at pretty much the same time.

All eager to cut the cost of boating I got on the phone, asked (after queuing) for a boatquoat and was told the boat department was busy, but if I'd like to give them my name and number a boatquoater would call me back. Tried this for three days running, and on day four made my call at 0900 hours and one seond. Got through to the marine department, waded through about a ten minute questionnaire covering all sorts of stuff (they didn't know what a DSC VHF was though) and just when I thought we were getting to the vinegar strokes* was told they'd need to see a full out-of-the-water survey less than two years old before they could quote me.

Somewhat surprised, I informed the nice lady that as a lift-out, survey and lift-in would cost me about double the current premium she should consider that Saga's marketing costs to me had been totally wasted. "You're not the first person to mention that" she said. Now there's a surprise!

*http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/v.htm

 

[Grehan]

Yes Ken.

I HATE HATE HATE the idea of being a Saga target, but I am so we thought we'd exploit my recently acquired venerable (=near-dotage) status by getting them to quote for my motor car insurance. (100% no claims bonus).

Not a penny cheaper.

Whaddya know . .

 

[ParaHandy]

Oh you will regret this..........as all the zimmer frame package holiday brochures come pouring through your letterbox!

 

[Rowana]

Pouring through the letterbox.

How much does it cost Saga and all the other junk mailers to send bumf to us ??
If it is from a company I have no dealings with, I feel the envelope for any free pen, then throw the whole thing in the bin un-opened.

I have a workmate who religiously opens the envelope, rempves the pre-paid reply envelope, and sends it back to the company concerned COMPLETELY EMPTY. His eplanation is that the company only pays the cost of postage when an envelope is returned, therefore not only are they paying for delivering bumf to his door, they're also paying for the delivery of an empty envelope back to themselves!

Perhaps we should ALL do this, then perhaps junk mailers will get the hint when their postage costs double, and they have a big pile of empty envelopes that they have paid someone to open just to discover it's empty

Poetic justice or what?

Please send your views to me, written on the back of a £10 note . . . . .
(I'm an Aberdonian, after all)

Jim

 

[Twister_Ken]

Junk mail revenge

Our junk mail comes in two distinct sorts - proper mail from national organisations and leaflet drops from local people like pizza parlours, tree surgeons, ladies what want to clean, mini-cabsters, etc.

Because I support local commerce, I always try to include local leaflets when returning otherwise empty pre-paid envelopes. You never now, someone at Saga might be hungry for a Chinese takeaway, or desparately in need of a yoga class.