THEY TRIED TO HIKE MY INSURANCE BY £1,100
08:00 - 18 September 2007
A Homeowner was left shocked after being told her annual home
insurance premium would rise by £1,100.
The news comes as a Mail survey of East Yorkshire residents revealed almost half
of people trying to renew policies are being quoted higher premiums after the
recent floods.
It has prompted the Mail to step up our commitment to ensuring a fair deal on
insurance for people across the region by launching an online petition as part
of our Play Fair campaign.
We are
encouraging all our readers to sign the petition, whether they were affected by
the floods or not.
We will then pass it on to the British Association of British Insurers and call
on the organisation to make sure its members are aware of the anger felt by
people in this region.
Emma Parker, 27, of Hemble Way, Kingswood, was not flooded during the June
downpour, although other homes in her street were.
But when she called her insurers, Liverpool Victoria, she was amazed to find her
premium was to rise from just over £300 a year to a staggering £1,400.
Housewife Miss Parker said she was disgusted by the response she got from the
company.
The mother-of-three, who moved into the three-bedroom property with her partner
two years ago, said: "I was shocked when they said how much it was going to be.
"The floods didn't even affect us.
"I asked them why it had gone up so much when we'd never made a claim but I got
no response.
"I said 'I'll be looking somewhere else then'. I don't see how they can put it
up so much when I've never claimed."
She is now in the process of calling other insurers in the hope of securing a
better deal.
However, she may have difficulty, as seven per cent of people who took part in
our survey were refused cover altogether.
A spokeswoman for Liverpool Victoria said the quote Miss Parker received had
been a genuine quote, based on personal information provided to the company and
under its latest insurance packages being offered.
She said she could not give an exact figure for Miss Parker's current policy
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renewal until it was due next March.
Miss Parker was one of 45 people who called their insurers for renewal quotes as
part of a Mail survey to see what the true insurance picture on home insurance
in East Yorkshire was.
A recent investigation by our reporters revealed many major insurers were
blacklisting homes in flood-hit areas by refusing to take on new customers.
And despite an insurance industry code of practice demanding insurers continue
to provide cover to existing customers, they were hiking premiums.
The Mail launched the Play Fair campaign as a result, calling on the insurance
industry to offering competitive and reasonable premiums to people across East
Yorkshire.
We believe it is unfair for the industry to turn its back on the region, which
has paid millions in insurance premiums in recent years.
We are calling on readers to back the Play Fair campaign by signing the online
petition at the website below.
n.glaves@mailnewsmedia.co.uk