Insurance Policies- regarding In Commission and Ashore dates

[mickywillis]

Generally I have been happy with my Insurance Co, a well known, 3 letter Ltd company.
My In Commission dates are from the 31/3 until 1/11 each year, the remainder of the time is laid up ashore. Sailing club decides on the launch and recovery dates, which are determined on the tides, potential weather, member availability, etc. So in theory, the launch and recovery dates will never always fall on the 31/3 or the 1/11, the dates vary up to a week or so either side.
Boat was launched last weekend onto its mooring, so I thought I'd inform the Ins. Co. on Monday to advise them.
Whilst I appreciate that the boat is more at risk when on the mooring, I was fully expecting the Excess to double. What I didn't expect was a charge of £17.60 to "amend" the policy to reflect this? I didn't ask for a new policy and was only told about the charge at the end of the call after I asked them to change the afloat date. As my annual policy charge is only £142 PA, this "amendment" charge amounts to more than 10% of the yearly premium!
So if my boat isn't recovered EXACTLY on/before the 1/11 this year, I can expect another £17.60 charge I guess?? This in theory adds another £35 PA to the policy, I may well have decided not to insure with them if I'd known this.

I am a bit dissapointed in the Ins Co. in question and have emailed them to complain, but they aren't very forthcoming with their customer service. I've insured with them for the last 4 years and have made no claims and have no previous claims or convictions. I will look around come renewal date for an alternative, but the Co. in question seem to be happy about insuring a 43 year old boat without survey and just an owners condition report. Are there any other Co's out there that do that?

What do your Insurance Co's do? Do they charge you for advising them of a variation on Afloat/Ashore dates or vary your policy to accomadate such variations without fees? Do they accept that such dates cannot be fixed in stone (especially mid policy) and just change your Excess to compensate?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I am marina based (regarded as a secure marina) so obviously not the same as a mooring. I am not charged when I inform them that I'll keep the yacht in commission all year. The original policy was for laid up ashore in winter but I only do this every second year.

 

[Stork_III]

I was insured with GJW for 8 years, never had to pay for a policy variation or extension. Speak to Joanne Griffiths, to get some resolution.

 

[ffiill]

My boats insured in the water all year although its out at the minute-costs about £350 pa with nominal excess

 

[Bav34]

I was insured with GJW for 8 years, never had to pay for a policy variation or extension. Speak to Joanne Griffiths, to get some resolution.

Me too. When I changed from 9 months afloat 3 ashore to 12 afloat they just asked me to pay about £15 but this wasn't a policy amendment fee, it was for extra risk.

Hmmm. Three-letter company. Who could that be?

 

[Javelin]

I have just insured my boat with Craftinsure, online.
So easy and pretty competitive.
MGRS34 £268 for the year with club racing cover and as yet no "No Claims".

If not in a marina they specify a list of harbours which I guess have an additional charge, such as Abersoch, Cowes, Southend etc
Happily Southwold is not on there so it makes no difference whether I. afloat or ashore.
If I was in a marina I think the policy would save me £40 and another £40 if I had my yachtmaster.

 

[[3889]]

I have the same "In commission" dates with the same Co. and it has never occurred to me to launch outside the specified times. That is the risk the policy covers - if you increase the risk then expect the premium to increase. You do not have to launch / recover exactly on those dates, just not before / after them. If you don't think there is any significant risk increase then carry it yourself and go without cover for a few days. What really riles me is the tractor driver thinks he's entitled to the Bank Holiday off on Monday so I have to wait an extra 24 hours to launch

 

[apogee]

Maybe accept that you will not be insured for a few days some years and learn to live with it? It may be worth contacting your insurers to confirm no problems with this approach.

 

[SeaStu1]

My own policy covers me for being in the water all year, although l do come ashore for 5 months over winter.

Its disappointing although not surprising that your insurance company should act in such a way. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The risk of not being covered is too high for my liking, the moment you don't have cover she will break free from her mooring!

 

[Tranona]

Charges for amendments are becoming more common, particularly in motor insurance where there is pressure to keep premiums down and this is a way of clawing back some extra income. Yacht insurance is "cheap" and very competitive where people switch regularly so not surprising they try and take advantage of captive customers who are getting a good basic deal.

 

[alahol2]

My policy has the endorsement 'Warranted vessel is ashore between 1/12 and 28/2' or words to that effect. As long as it is ashore between those dates, it doesn't matter whether it is ashore or afloat outside that period. So I don't need to inform them when it is lifted/launched. Are you sure your wording is not of a similar nature?

 

[PlankWalker]

I don't come out every year, probably every 2, but my 3 letter insurance company's rates don't seem to change whether I'm laid up ashore , or laid up afloat on a swinger.
My documents therefore state laid up afloat out of commission 1st November to 31st March, and I merely inform them if I'm laid up ashore. Never had any problem or extra charges.

Plank

 

[macd]

This is nit-picking on the part of the insurer. My own insurance company (Bishop Skinner, but I'm sure many others act in the same way) routinely makes such amendments at no cost with a simple exchange of e-mails. Most recently this allowed for sea-trials of a boat I have for sale and insured only for the hard, at no extra cost and on any dates which suited me.

Presumably over a period of years the risk the OP's insurers carry does not vary significantly: sometimes the OP will lift in a little early, sometimes late, and the same at the other end of the season. I'd be worried that if they can be so pedantic and parsimonious about this, they might be the same over claims.

 

[Bobc]

Insurance companies are getting squeezed on prices, so are making it up where they can.

In fact it's not just insurers that are doing this, it's most types of business.

Good examples are Premier now charging berth holders for electric (where it used to be included), mobile phone companies and banks charging for posing paper statements and invoices, etc.

It's a fact of life, learn to live with it.

 

[macd]

It's a fact of life, learn to live with it.

As a general trend, of course you're right. But as my recent experience clearly shows, it is most definitely not universal across the industry. So a more appropriate aphorism might be to shop around. In fact I'd go further than that: the more stretched any seller becomes, the higher the value of each potential customer. Arguably as consumers we have more power, not less.

 

[Tranona]

As a general trend, of course you're right. But as my recent experience clearly shows, it is most definitely not universal across the industry. So a more appropriate aphorism might be to shop around. In fact I'd go further than that: the more stretched any seller becomes, the higher the value of each potential customer. Arguably as consumers we have more power, not less.

The problem with that is the cost of switching could exceed the penalty with the existing policy. The OP says his insurer does not require a survey on an old boat - a new one might for example. You have to look at the overall deal. Charges for minor amendments are not universal so one approach would be to try and persuade the current company to remove the charge under a threat of moving insurers. The high level of competition for insurance has led to all sorts of games being played to attract and keep business. So regrettably customers have to play the same games.

 

[tidclacy]

Boat insurance is surely quite cheap compared with cars etc. I know some are boating on a shoestring but £17 does not sound too expensive compared with the bother of having to change insurance companies. Factor in the time it would take and the risk involved of a survey etc.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

OK its all very paper pushing and bureaucratic but you are expecting them to do some admin work and there is a cost involved. You can reckon it costs £40 per hour minimum to run a clerk. Might be that the charge is excessive in your case but I have no doubt that its calculated as an average including far more significant amendments.

But why have it in commission / ashore? Mine is in commission 365 days ever though some years its ashore. There is no extra charge for that service if you negotiate it when you take out insurance. I do it that way because I have the same issue as you - club launch dates.

 

[Bav34]

OK its all very paper pushing and bureaucratic but you are expecting them to do some admin work and there is a cost .

Of course I know what you're saying but that's what they're there for.

Your policy doesn't say '£100 plus £5 for Mandy's new chair' ... labour costs/ overheads are inclusive and we all share them.

Taken to extreme someone buying one item at Tesco's should pay less overall than a two-trolley family shop because they're using up less of the cashiers time.

 

[Daydream believer]

My gjw policy says laid up 3 months bit does not give dates
Or is ot in the small print somewhere ?