Being refused motor insurance...

Budgie

..... due to my occupation being a fogweaver
Sorry, but we don't insure fogweavers

No interest in an unblemished driving history over 30 years, living in a low-crime area etc. just the fact that I make a living from obscuring vistas. How odd.

I did laugh out loud. Has anyone else been refused insurance due to their occupation?

EricTheWeary

I had to sort out a car insurance whilst I was unemployed and got refused on a quote on that ( apparently not uncommon).  I changed it to Home Maker and got accepted. Thank you Saga ( yes, I am old enough) although their quote was so eye wateringly high I passed anyway. 

ESBlonde

It's not uncommon. The words DJ or musician flag you as a late night driver where the proportion of accidents to road users goes up hugely.
Artist is different? Why not call yourself a painter (omitting the & decorator bit) and see if that flies. Unfortunately I suspect that insurance companies share data on us and your name now has this 'mark' attached when you go elsewhere for cover. One of the questions on new business proposals is 'Have you ever been refused insurance or had cover cancelled'? This is to catch you out.

fretmeister

Before law I worked for an insurance broker.

Some customers just didn't fit the profile for some insurers.

There was a company called St Katherines who would insure 18 year olds on a Diablo for a £30,000 premium, but wouldn't insure a 35 year old office worker in a VW Polo. They just didn't want that market.

That being said - anything to do with the arts is expensive. Musicians / artists / tv & radio journalist (as opposed to print) had higher premiums on the assumption that the hours would be longer, driving at traditionally more risky times.


Effectively the insurers use their under-writers and actuaries to work out the book spread, then work out the profit they need and then add a shit load of extra made up bollocks on top to keep the share holders happy.

Legionreturns

Outdoor instructor... They immediately assume you take massive risks like driving your car along zip lines and have a car full of kids with bright, lucrative futures ahead of them. Teacher on the other hand  

Budgie

Well, I went for  4 quotes, with three of the companies, all of whom asked my occupation, giving prices with no problems at all.  (I'm in the process of replacing current knitting device with a pressure cooker with quite a few modifications, which is obviously less straightforward than a small kettle). I just thought it was odd and quite amusing that they took a whole occupation and deemed it too high a cloud to insure. I've never come across it before.

freakboy1610

Ex insurance clerk. Never had any trouble getting car insurance! As fretmeister says, insurers used to try to target certain types of driver that they thought presented a better risk. The company I worked for had an exclusive ladies only policy which I'm sure wouldn't be allowed these days. Needless to say they went out of business about 15 years ago! Next time try Piss Artist and see how that goes down.

Fretwired

I once sat talking to a lady at Direct Line for what seemed like an eternity as she typed my details into her computer - name, age, address, garage (Y/N), off street parking, convictions etc etc ... her final question. And what make and model of car. I answered BMW M3 ... oh we don't insure those, she said. Why that wasn't the first question .. I don't know .. in fact I do as it means that 15 years later they still send me shit through the post.

I hate car insurance companies with a passion.

kaypeejay

Perhaps they thought you meant piss-artist

lasermonkey

When i was going through the details when applying for my last mortgage, they insisted on doing a quote for payment protection insurance, despite me telling them I had no intention of taking them up on it.
They wouldn't have insured me anyway, as apparently my job (laser engineer) was too risky!

mike_l

I got insurance cheaper by changing occupation from "Motor trade parts" to "office worker" not untrue, I worked in an office at the time.

Budgie

Pissed fogweaver... I did wonder if they'd heard me right  

As I say, I haven't had a problem getting insurance, it is just the policy of one particular broker, in fact one of the quotes from elsewhere was surprisingly low. It was just the classification of risk towards a particular occupation and the refusal based on a complete lack of knowledge about meteorological wispiness really.

Reverend

lasermonkey said:

When i was going through the details when applying for my last mortgage, they insisted on doing a quote for payment protection insurance, despite me telling them I had no intention of taking them up on it.
They wouldn't have insured me anyway, as apparently my job (laser engineer) was too risky!

Well obviously it is. 
It's only a matter of time before a blast of gamma radiation changes your cells and blood and then you have  travel America searching for a cure and fighting whilst pursued by the military. That's clearly a high risk.

axisus

Wow! You make a living as an artist??? Awesome! Tell us more!

Budgie

axisus said:

Wow! You make a living as an artist??? Awesome! Tell us more!

Artist???.... Weaving fog is tricky but it's no art man.

Danny1969

Actually getting properly insured for gigs is expensive ... most of us are insured social and domestic and not technically covered to be carrying loads of equipment in the car to and fro pubs at late hours. Insuring yourself properly to do so is around £1450 for a transit van but that doesn't cover any contents 

crunchman

Danny1969 said:

Actually getting properly insured for gigs is expensive ... most of us are insured social and domestic and not technically covered to be carrying loads of equipment in the car to and fro pubs at late hours. Insuring yourself properly to do so is around £1450 for a transit van but that doesn't cover any contents 

If you are doing it for fun, you could legitimately argue that it's social.  If you are getting any money at all though, that would go out of the window.

Budgie

I very rarely transport fog anywhere as I use the breeze for deliveries as it works out much cheaper. So no valuable loads. Also I mostly work from the fog workshop and I tend to cycle there anyway. Not that I was asked about any of that as I was asked straight away what my occupation is, so just a blanket ban on fogweavers as an occupation. Anyway, it's all sorted and only costing £390 including 1000 litres of vapour use. I could get 100% cloud cover for £440. Not decided yet as I don't pick the breeze up until next weekend

ESBlonde

Reverend said:

lasermonkey said:

When i was going through the details when applying for my last mortgage, they insisted on doing a quote for payment protection insurance, despite me telling them I had no intention of taking them up on it.
They wouldn't have insured me anyway, as apparently my job (laser engineer) was too risky!

Well obviously it is. 
It's only a matter of time before a blast of gamma radiation changes your cells and blood and then you have  travel America searching for a cure and fighting whilst pursued by the military. That's clearly a high risk.

Don't make him angry, you wouldn't like him when he's angry.

;-)

axisus

Budgie said:

axisus said:

Wow! You make a living as an artist??? Awesome! Tell us more!

It's not self-explanatory? I could draw you a diagram and flow chart but you'd probably be better suited to such a task?

Fine. I withdraw my interest. Boy what an asshole ....

Budgie

axisus said:

Budgie said:

axisus said:

Wow! You make a living as an artist??? Awesome! Tell us more!

It's not self-explanatory? I could draw you a diagram and flow chart but you'd probably be better suited to such a task?

Fine. I withdraw my interest. Boy what an asshole ....

I assumed you were being sarcastic @axisus ;;;.... were you? If not, apologies. I can appreciate the misgivings and the mistrust of those who plait the wispy grey stuff, it's a tough gig but in my defence, a civil servant I was never to be, regardless of a fat pension and a promise of bungalows to come  some you win and some you couldn't give a shit about