Topsail Insurance... oh so you want us back? Take a hike.

[Mark Payne]

I just don't get the boat/yacht insurance game. I know the same thing is happening with cars.... So having been with Y-Yacht for 7 years and after the Topsail buy out of Y, I just got fed up with price increase year on year at a rate which just made no sense. So I moved to GJW. It was a way lower premium and have just renewed the second year with only peppercorn increase.

So Topsail just emailed me on a cold reach-out wanting to be all competitive with "we will match your price" BS. I invited the quote on two conditions:
1. I would not be sharing my current price... way to lazy. Do your own work.
2. I want a £ number fixed for 3 years.

Of course none of that is going to happen. Topsail are clearly bottom feeding their old customer contact database trying to claw back lost market share.
Not going to happen.

They had their chance of retention. Ask stupid questions. Win stupid prizes.

 

[Sandy]

Topsail advertise in the Ocean Cruising Club house journal. When approached for a quotation they were less that happy to provide me with one given my requirements and are on my 'don't bother with' list.

 

[Kelpie]

They told my vessel and sailing area were unsuitable for a quotation. Wouldn't say exactly why.

 

[[3889]]

Catalysed by this thread let me add my own whinge.
I kept my boat in Brittany for three years, insured for UK & Ireland to La Rochelle. When I headed south I extended my cruising range to the Adriatic mid policy and had a 40% premium hike, fair enough. This year, needing only UK & Ireland, I'm quoted the same premium as cover to the Adriatic, being explicitly told the cruising range makes no difference. Do they think we're stupid?

 

[dslittle]

I was with Y Yacht and moved to Topsail when they bought them out. The next year, the premium jump caused me to move to GJW for the same cover at a better price.
This year, I moved back to Topsail after GJW put my premium up for the same cover.
I do not mind staying with the same provider as long as they don’t take the proverbial (I had stayed with Y Yacht for years) but I do have the time and inclination to check the competition - I believe that they all offered good cover suitable for me.
That being said, it is galling that my premiums have increased as they have despite my (lucky!!!) lack of claiming…

 

[lustyd]

Topsail are clearly bottom feeding their old customer contact database

Use GDPR and ask them to permanently remove all of your details. That database is worth money and it’s worth less the fewer people are in it. Responding to them confirms your details and means they are up to date, a legal requirement to retain your details.

 

[fisherman]

Bit like the apocryphal rates office story. "How much extra rates will I pay for a lean to extension, X sq m?" "£X." "Ah , great, I just knocked it down"

 

[Daedelus]

I insured with Haven-Knox and was then approached by a broker who offered me the same cover for less cost, which I accepted. Turned out I was still insured with Haven-Knox, never could understand how that worked.

 

[Sandy]

I insured with Haven-Knox and was then approached by a broker who offered me the same cover for less cost, which I accepted. Turned out I was still insured with Haven-Knox, never could understand how that worked.

Bulk discount.

 

[rotrax]

I insured with Haven-Knox and was then approached by a broker who offered me the same cover for less cost, which I accepted. Turned out I was still insured with Haven-Knox, never could understand how that worked

Commision-one split the HKJ commision with you.

In the bad old less regulated days I earned 15,000 quid commision from Motorcycle Finance.

Enough, in those days, to pay our mechanic for the year.

 

[westernman]

I insured with Haven-Knox and was then approached by a broker who offered me the same cover for less cost, which I accepted. Turned out I was still insured with Haven-Knox, never could understand how that worked.

I once stayed in a nice 4* hotel in Thailand for a couple of days and then wanted to extend our stay for another two days.
We asked the front desk and they quoted a price which was 3 x the rate we paid. We told them, and explained the rate we had paid (through an internet booking company) and they said that was the best rate they could do.

In the hallway was a small stand for a tourist company offering rides on elephants and various outings as their often are in large hotels. We asked if they could do hotel reservations. Yes, they could so we asked them to reserve the hotel we were staying in and actually standing in. It took a few calls to their office in Bangkok, but eventually it was reserved. We paid the tourist outfit with the credit card and got a slip of paper which we presented to the front desk of the hotel. All arranged, and we could stay in the same room.

The price we paid the tourist outfit, including their commission was 1/3 of the best price direct from the hotel.

The manager on the front desk did not understand either......

 

[Poignard]

I once stayed in a nice 4* hotel in Thailand for a couple of days and then wanted to extend our stay for another two days.
We asked the front desk and they quoted a price which was 3 x the rate we paid. We told them, and explained the rate we had paid (through an internet booking company) and they said that was the best rate they could do.

In the hallway was a small stand for a tourist company offering rides on elephants and various outings as their often are in large hotels. We asked if they could do hotel reservations. Yes, they could so we asked them to reserve the hotel we were staying in and actually standing in. It took a few calls to their office in Bangkok, but eventually it was reserved. We paid the tourist outfit with the credit card and got a slip of paper which we presented to the front desk of the hotel. All arranged, and we could stay in the same room.

The price we paid the tourist outfit, including their commission was 1/3 of the best price direct from the hotel.

The manager on the front desk did not understand either......

A similar thing happened to me in France last year. I stayed in a hotel I had booked through Hotels.com and when I asked at reception about staying an extra night I was told I would have to pay a higher price.

 

[Sailfree]

I once stayed in a nice 4* hotel in Thailand for a couple of days and then wanted to extend our stay for another two days.
We asked the front desk and they quoted a price which was 3 x the rate we paid. We told them, and explained the rate we had paid (through an internet booking company) and they said that was the best rate they could do.

In the hallway was a small stand for a tourist company offering rides on elephants and various outings as their often are in large hotels. We asked if they could do hotel reservations. Yes, they could so we asked them to reserve the hotel we were staying in and actually standing in. It took a few calls to their office in Bangkok, but eventually it was reserved. We paid the tourist outfit with the credit card and got a slip of paper which we presented to the front desk of the hotel. All arranged, and we could stay in the same room.

The price we paid the tourist outfit, including their commission was 1/3 of the best price direct from the hotel.

The manager on the front desk did not understand either......

We had the same experience int Thailand. Got caught with the Volcanic ash and had to extend our stay by many weeks. The tourist backpackers hut over the road got the hotel rates at a fraction of the cost than the hotel front desk!!

Had a similar experience with AA car insurance. AA rep apologised as he could not match the quote from another broker for AA car insurance - same terms!!

 

[doug748]

Same for me in London.

Also trying to get a single ticket to UK by Brittany Ferries. Promised one rate in UK, on the day in France, 3X the cost. In the end the girl on the desk helpfully booked it for me on the internet - no doubt risking her job.

.

 

[Misterbreeze]

Home insurance with NatWest was cheaper online than renewing our exising (20 years+) NatWest policy. Spoke to their rep who couldn't better the online quote so we blew out NatWest and renewed with NatWest instead. Simples.

 

[dunedin]

Home insurance with NatWest was cheaper online than renewing our exising (20 years+) NatWest policy. Spoke to their rep who couldn't better the online quote so we blew out NatWest and renewed with NatWest instead. Simples.

Depending on what year this was, the "NatWest" insurance was probably actually a policy from UK Insurance ...... who were just Direct Line / Churchill by yet another name!
Might have got a cheaper price by going direct.