[Foxy]

I am not wishing to Hijack Felix's fantastic work on the subject of insurance grouping at all, nor steal the limelight - the credit is all Chris's.

I would, however ask ALL PD130 owners to join forces and write to the two following bodies:

The ABI and Insurance Ombudsman (Now the Financial Ombudsman Bureau).

This is my email to them - feel fee to use this and add your own name and address:

quote:

To: The Association of British Insurers

I wish to have my case heard regarding my complaint re: the insurance grouping for my vehicle.

The car is a VW Golf GT TDi PD130, which has just had it's recommended grouping adjusted by the ABI to the identical group of the more powerful, more expensive, faster, and higher specification Golf GT TDi PD150.

My case is contained withing the following document, the author of which has given me permission to use within my case:

http://www.chesterfield.plus.com/Report.htm

My details:

Name

Address 1

Address 2

Address 3

Address 4

I will also be communicting this request for a hearing of my case, to the Insurance Ombudsman Bureau (Handled by the financial Ombudsman Service), for them to also consider my complaint and arbitrate the point.

Name

Here are the relevant email addresses:

[email protected]budsman.org.uk

[email protected]

Since sending this, i have had this reply back from the ABI:

"Dear Mr Foxy

Thank you for your email message.

I have passed your enquiry on to my colleagues here at the Association, they

have asked that I let you know that they are in touch wiith Volkswagen to

clarify this issue and that my colleagues will respond to you as soon as

possible.

Yours sincerely

Kim Selwyn

Information Services"

WE MUST ALL PULL TOGETHER AS A SIGN OF DISSATISFACTION - THEY WILL JUST IGNORE THE PROBLEM AND IT WILL COST US OUR HARD EARNED CASH.

 

[Felix]

oooo - i forgot to send the report to watchdog and the ombudsman - I think Ill do that when I get home!

Must check my mail now and see if they have replied yet...

 

[DBGTTDI]

I got this this morning.......

"Your email has been forwarded to me for attention.

We are meeting representatives of Volkswagen this week with a view to resolving

this issue. I shall respond in detail as soon as possible thereafter.

[name removed]

Association of British Insurers"

 

[Nick TDI130]

Just Emailed my two emails off come on guys lets get some weight behind this and make use of all the fantastic work Felix has put into this issue

Cheers Nick

 

[Felix]

Thanks for the praise Nick.

Ive just sent a mail to VW informing them that they can use my report in this "meeting" if they so wish, and also informing them that they would probably in my opinion be within their rights to claim for potential lost sales due to the ABI decision.

The more people that mail the ABI the better.

 

[Ricardo]

Once more I have to thank everyone here on the forum, as I was not aware of this until raised here.

I have sent my mails tonight.

Thank you to one and all []

 

[Tdi130PD]

My mail has just gone off too. Will post the response as soon as I get one.

 

[Felix]

Ive just got a response - see FINISHED!!! in the Lounge, - not happy with it and Ive replied already!

 

[Tdi130PD]

Has anyone had further feedback on this topic. Last I read was Felix's note that ABI were to report back on the 15th??

 

[Caeclyd]

E-mails just gone and I'm going to phone my insurers.

A Big thank you to Foxy.

 

[Foxy]

Thanks for the namecheck but the credit is all Felixes - he has put the hard work in - i am merely echoing it.

Cheers anyhow

 

[Foxy]

After re-sending my initial email to the ABI, i have received the following response today:

"

Derek [email protected]

03/05/2003 03:30 PM

This email is addressed to individuals who have questioned the advisory group

rating of the VW Golf GT TDI 130 model.

First an apology for the delay in resolving this issue. I can assure you that I

have been endeavouring to conclude this matter as quickly as possible. Once

this matter is finally settled, I shall aim to provide a full explanation.

I say "finally resolved", because it has been necessary to refer the matter to a

senior committee. All being well, there will be a final decison after its next

meeting, on 19 March.

In the meantime, I must emphasise that all group ratings issued by ABI are

purely advisory. It is open to any individual who is concerned about how the

advisory rating affects their premium to take the matter up with their insurer.

Derek Fawell

Association of British Insurers"

Did anyone else get a response yet??

 

[Martyn]

I have just sent one too. Come on folks, the hard work has been done for you. Get e-mailing!!!!

 

[sputnik]

I have sent my emails too. Well done to all involved, may our united force prevail.

 

[Felix]

Thats an utter fob off. If they are "advisory" groups, then they are advising insurance companies to place cars into these brackets.

They either have it one way or the other. To say that they are purely advisory groups and reading between the lines:

(its not our fault if the insurance companies choose to take that advice)

If the insurance companies didn't take their advice - what exactly would the point be of the ABI's existance???

That Derek Fawell is starting to get right on my nipples now.

This issue has been going on for absolutely bloody ages now, and even after numerous mails, and a god damn report showing the exact differences and detailing the performance differences - they still feel the need to "reffer the matter to a senior committee".

Just exactly how many people does it take to sit round a table and read the report I wrote, the mails sent by everyone here and then admit they have made a balls up.

A bloody five year old could understand the argument here. The TDI 130 is in the same "advisory" insurance group as a more powerfull and more expensive version of the SAME car!

Its not like we are trying to explain the full workings behind Einstiens theory of relativity!

 

[Otto]

Ok I have been stung by this too now. I will send my email off, but if they re group the car, will the insurance co adjust the premium mid policy or will we have to wait unitl renewal?

Our insurance went from 432 to a whopping 730 nearly a 50% increase!

 

[Felix]

I would send al the details regarding price increase due to the "advice" being given by the ABI being followed by your Insurance company, to the ABI.

Stating that you percieve this to be their fault and that you will be making a full recovery of these extra costs from the individuals responsible for making this decision.

 

[Reflex TDI]

As an insurance broker (for my sins) I can tell you one thing for nothing. No insurance company will be at all interested in deviating from the ABI's advised grouping. If you think they are, you are mistaking them for someone who gives a s[:O][:O][:O].

Sorry to have a downer on it - I have this all day long.

This won't stop me sending the mail tho'[][][]

 

[Gaffer]

Cut and pasted Foxy's mail above and sent it today. What group are the other diesel engines in the Golf range? Just thinking that there's no way they'll drop it if the less powerful engines have been moved to higher groups as well. The b*****ds will probably just move the 150 up a couple of groups.

 

[DBGTTDI]

at the moment it's a small (relative) number of 130 owners being hit by this, if the ABI increase the group for the 150 Tdi rather than lower the 130's then they will have to also raise the raise the 180 petrol and possibly the 150. If this happens then VW will be hit where it counts - sales. There's no way VW will be putting up with that bullRemoved.

Also, the initial reason fostered was that the two cars looked the same. So is the 1.6 Match also going upto group 14, afterall it has the same alloys as a 130 so looks just like one ?

So far i'm down app £120, i'll be taking this as far as possible until I get this wrong righted.....