Edward William insurance anyone?

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richievtu

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morning
I had an online quote from Edward William insurance, an international co based in spain.
They havent requested a survey despite the boat being over 30 yrs old, or proof/photos of anything.
I wondered if anyone had used or is using them, especially if you have had to claim?
 
edward william marine

i am with them and have been for about 4 years i dont know how they would be if i had to claim but they seem ok to deal with
 
A couple of things I would want to know:-

You don't say where you live but how would you go on if you had to sue the firm and you were not resident in Spain?

Also, would the British Insurance Ombudsman have any influence with this company?
 
danielle said:
i am with them and have been for about 4 years i dont know how they would be if i had to claim but they seem ok to deal with
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I have also been with this company for about 4 years as they give comprehensive insurance on my 25 year old boat for much less than the price of a survey etc.
I have never had any problems but then I have yet to make a claim and have often wondered if they would be as quick to settle as they are to accept my annual renewal.

I too would be interested to hear of others experiences with this company
 
I think what is key to the whole matter is who is the insurer not the agent and where are they authorised to do business.Where is the contract concluded Spain? Far too many people are only aware of the broker/agent and not the underlying security
 
I was with them for a time, as my first insurance broker retired and passed all his business on to them. Then I found out that the policy was underwritten by Northern Reef - a bit of research came up with a few unhappy NR customers whose claims hadn't been paid (including someone from this forum), so I changed to Saga - much cheaper, based in the UK, established reputation, didn't need a survey on my Corribee etc etc.
I don't know if the non-payment stories were true or just malicious gossip from dissatisfied customers, but when you need insurance to work you really do need it to work.
That last paragraph of the proposal form says it all really.
 
Read the small print about losses caused as a result of mechanical failure, and then think carefully about how you might suffer losses (eg total loss of vessel) that were not a consequence, directly or indirectly, of mechanical failure of some kind.
 
Partnership Yacht Brokers (North Wales) Recommend Them

Hmmmm!

Partnership Yacht Brokers (North Wales) are recommending 'Edward William Insurance' to me ..... because he doesn't apparently require the rigging to be replaced at the usual time / service interval, a self draining / vented separate gas locker and possibly other (standard) safety / maintenance requirements. :eek:

I'm getting the impression that it's so I can't as easily negotiate on a price in relation to what I would consider safety requirements and reasonable maintenance.

I just hope the owner (who I am due to see with them next weekend) understands UK Marine Insurance .... & is a reasonable chap. :)

OGITD.
 
srp said:
I was with them for a time, as my first insurance broker retired and passed all his business on to them. Then I found out that the policy was underwritten by Northern Reef - a bit of research came up with a few unhappy NR customers whose claims hadn't been paid (including someone from this forum), so I changed to Saga - much cheaper, based in the UK, established reputation, didn't need a survey on my Corribee etc etc.
I don't know if the non-payment stories were true or just malicious gossip from dissatisfied customers, but when you need insurance to work you really do need it to work.
That last paragraph of the proposal form says it all really.
Click to expand...
Just looked up Saga and see that they only cover inland and coastal UK, so rules out sailing cross-channel...
 
richievtu said:
morning
I had an online quote from Edward William insurance, an international co based in spain.
They havent requested a survey despite the boat being over 30 yrs old, or proof/photos of anything.
I wondered if anyone had used or is using them, especially if you have had to claim?
Click to expand...
Read THE policy WORDING & fair winds :encouragement:
 
We opted to purchase Edward William Marine coverage several years ago, after reading a number of positive reviews. Unfortunately, our vessel was a complete loss during Hurricane Irma (Sept. 2017). We have been patiently working with Edward William representatives since that time, while providing all details requested by them. After over a year, we received a proposed settlement that appears to account for only a fraction of some coverage, and it also subtracted the same deductible/excess amount twice. We kindly asked for clarification on these two topics. Since that time, it appears that Edward William representatives may be ignoring our requests for an update, since they have not replied to any of them. We also learned that communicating with them via email is more productive than via telephone, as our telephone conversations didn't go well at all (they seemed more interested in arguing than answering questions).

It appears that our requests to implement the complaints procedure, as outlined in policy documents, may have been ignored as well.

Does anyone have advice on how to reach Edward William representatives during the claim and/or complaint process? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!
 
ec_guru said:
It appears that our requests to implement the complaints procedure, as outlined in policy documents, may have been ignored as well.

Does anyone have advice on how to reach Edward William representatives during the claim and/or complaint process? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!
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Read post#6 above. If your policy has this wording that explains all.

If your premium is lower than any quote from a UK insurer and the conditions less onerous (eg no survey) and not covered by UK law and insurance regulations it is not surprising that you have difficulties with your claim.
 
Re: edward william marine

john m said:
i am with them and have been for about 4 years i dont know how they would be if i had to claim but they seem ok to deal with
Click to expand...

As are most whet "taking " your €s
When asking for some €s back might be a different scenario

I insure with Y Ins, good to deal with, know their market & do pay out ( im told )
 
GJW are big , but reliable ?
Track down the article in this mag. about an incident on the Exe.
They refused to pay out, so big is not always good, nor small equals bad !
 
STATUE said:
GJW are big , but reliable ?
Track down the article in this mag. about an incident on the Exe.
They refused to pay out, so big is not always good, nor small equals bad !
Click to expand...

Suggest if you want to criticise an insurer for not paying out you provide all the information about the claim and reasons for not paying out.

if you are referring to the incident that involved a boat breaking its moorings and damaging another boat then the insurer was quite correct in not paying out as it was not liable. The owner of the boat was not negligent. All other insurers would do the same.

The person owning the boat that was damaged had not insured himself against such events with an "all risks" policy.

All insurance is underpinned by the law of contract and in this case the person with the damaged boat did not have a contract with GJW. His claim (if any) was against the owner of the boat that broke free and that claim would be under the law of tort - that is he would have to show that the damage was caused by the owner's actions. It does not seem in this case that the owner had been negligent.

Anyway, this is nothing to do with the subject of this thread which is about the problems of insuring with a company where the contract is not under UK law or covered by UK insurance regulations.
 
There have already been plenty of warnings about Edward William Insurance here. See for example http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?367620. Shame if people like Ec_guru are still being caught out.

Any company prepared to offer insurance without a survey must be suspect - they are creating a giant loophole to wriggle out. How otherwise can you prove that neglect or lack of maintenance was not a factor in almost any insurance claim?
 
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