I've had an accident

[Silk]

...It's fine and dandy organisations such as IAM mentioning cheaper insurance but then you have to ask cheaper than what and which?

I've got my ST insured via the IAM broker and it's the cheapest I can find...I 'compare' every year and if they are high they always beat my best comparable quote - currently paying £180 for a group 34 car which I think is very reasonable.

I'm no longer with Surety. They quoted me £300 for my A3, including Class 1 business use and 50,000 miles a year. The Meerkats quoted me £230 for exactly the same cover through Autonet (I also got a free meerkat toy).

I went back to Surety and they told me they couldn't match the quote because of the mileage I do, even though that's never been a problem in the past. The interesting thing is, my previous insurer through Surety is exactly the same company as my current one through Autonet - in this case RSA. Apart from the missing IAM logo on the new one, they look pretty much identical. It's also no longer a requirement that I remain a member of the IAM - I'm not even sure passing an IAM test makes any difference, although you're asked on the form - It could even make it more expensive, for all I know.

When it's up for renewal again, I'll probably give Surety a call to see what they can do, but I doubt I'll be going back to them.

[sussex2]

There was no mention of any driving qualifications with my present insurers and the prices are reasonable. There'd be little room for manoeuvre in the way of profit if they started knocking 10's of percent off.

[TR4ffic]

I have recieved this email from Adrian Flux today.

We have received notification from your insurance company advising that this claim has been settled on the following basis:
Accidental Damage Payments:
None
Third Party Payments:
None
No Claims Bonus:
Not Prejudiced
Your No Claims Bonus may not be affected if you have bonus protection, subject to policy terms and conditions.
We would like to advise that just because your insurance company have closed their file, it does not mean that other companies who have been instructed to assist you have done the same. We also need to point out that if there are any developments in the future then your insurance company reserve the right to amend these settlement details.

What are your thoughts on this?

Well, I don't think you can ask for or expect any more than that... If you want to go for 'belt and braces' you could try to get similar statements from the other companies involved if you know who they are but I would imagine they'd come with similar caveats...