Seven reasons why we’ve declined claims, so it doesn’t happen to you

We’re right here to assist

Insurance coverage firms often get accused of making an attempt “wriggle out” of paying claims typically primarily based on “the small print”, however that is typically unfair. The reality is that we now have a obligation to implement the phrases of your coverage. If a buyer’s bike will get stolen as a result of they haven’t locked it correctly, our palms are tied. These aren’t simply “small print” particulars; they’re the precise situations of your cowl, which we make as clear as potential.

Have little question although; in case your bike is stolen, we completely need to pay out in your declare. From a enterprise perspective, we wish you to inform your entire pals how great we’re in order that they purchase our insurance coverage. From a human perspective, we’re folks too and have real sympathy for our prospects. If we get a name from an upset buyer as a result of they’ve had their bike stolen and declare declined, it may have an actual, unfavorable impact on the entire workplace.

Fortunately the overwhelming majority of our claims get permitted with none points. If each buyer learn and prevented these seven frequent points nevertheless, we’d most likely have the ability to approve practically all of them.

1. Your bike lock wasn’t ok

Bike locks are available in all sizes and styles, however that is an event the place alternative isn’t essentially a superb factor. That £5 lock from Poundstretcher? Throw it within the bin. It’s so simple to interrupt that you just may as properly not hassle.

We can’t probably check each lock ourselves, so we depend on a 3rd occasion referred to as Offered Safe to fee bicycle locks on our behalf. The overwhelming majority of bicycle locks can have been rated by them, and given a rating of Bronze, Silver, Gold or Diamond

In case your bike is value £1500 or extra and you might be leaving it unattended, you need to use a Offered Safe Gold or Diamond rated bicycle lock. In case your bike is value lower than £1500, you need to use a Offered Safe Silver rated bicycle lock. You possibly can learn extra on find out how to lock your bicycle accurately in our safety information

Along with ensuring you have got the proper lock, it’s additionally actually necessary that you just retain your lock receipt. Should you not have your receipt, please e-mail our buyer assist group who will provide help to out

2. Your D-lock got here with a cable, and also you used this to safe your bike

Loads of good high quality D-locks include an extra versatile cable. In each instance we now have seen the D-lock shall be rated Gold or Silver, however the cable won’t have a ranking. It isn’t meant to safe your bike and solely provides very fundamental safety. Frustratingly, the lock producers don’t all the time make this clear sufficient on their packaging. I’ll say it again-Accent cables aren’t Offered Safe rated!!!

Fortuitously we solely see this about as soon as per yr, however for those who wrap the cable round your bike then use the d-lock to shackle the cable to the wall, your bike isn’t coated for theft. You haven’t secured the bike by the body to an immovable object with a Offered Safe rated lock.

3. You couldn’t present proof of your buy receipts

Yellow Jersey insures bikes on a zero depreciation foundation, which we expect is superior. It signifies that for those who purchased the bike 3 years in the past for, let’s say, £3000, we might proceed to insure it for that worth, indefinitely, no matter its age and situation. Fairly cool. Nevertheless, to ensure that us to function like this, it’s completely crucial that you’ll be able to show how a lot you paid to your bicycle (plus its upgrades) by offering us along with your receipts. So as to take out a coverage, you don’t must ship us your entire receipts as that’d be tremendous annoying, however we do clearly ask that within the occasion of a declare you’re capable of present us along with your receipts. This additionally goes to your lock receipts.

4. Your bike was “deserted”

“Abandonment” is a clause in most residence and bicycle insurance coverage coverage wordings, and defines how lengthy you might be allowed to depart your bike locked up someplace. Our underwriter is frightened {that a} bike locked up on the road for a number of days at a time will change into a goal for thieves, and they also restrict how lengthy you are able to do this.

Your bike is roofed away out of your insured location (your private home, resort room, or personal workplace) whereas correctly locked to an immovable object or on a car for as much as 12 hours at a time. After 12 hours, the bike has been deserted and isn’t coated anymore.

Should you want greater than 12 hours of protection, why not go for Final Insurance coverage, which provides you as much as 18 hours away from an insured location.

5. You under-insured your bike

Though this received’t result in your declare being declined, it’s a tough one, and might result in actual complications for our claims group as your declare cost might be decreased. The overall rule is your bike needs to be insured for the worth you paid, together with any upgraded parts and wheel-sets. Should you’ve under-insured your bike, it’s simple to pop onto our web site, log-in, and make a change to your bike worth. Bear in mind, all the time insure your bicycle for the worth paid plus its upgrades.

An instance could be a buyer who has insured their bike for £1500, and is claiming £1200 for some broken wheels. They haven’t put a pair of £1200 wheels on a £300 bike, however under-insured the bike. On this occasion we must take a look at whether or not the wheels have been insured in any respect, or if simply a part of their worth was insured. In both case, the client isn’t going to get all their a refund, and they’ll be sad.

6. You didn’t select the proper degree of canopy

We perceive that everybody’s wants are completely different, and a one-size-fits-all coverage doesn’t actually work that properly with regards to insurance coverage. That’s why we provide three distinct tiers of insurance coverage: Necessities, Efficiency and Final. It signifies that you solely pay for the quilt you want however it’s necessary that the coverage you select is satisfactory for the kind of biking you’re collaborating in.

Solely want cowl throughout the UK for commutting backwards and forwards to work? Necessities will do the trick. Acquired a sportive in Europe arising? Efficiency is what you want. Participating in bike race or going additional afield than Europe, you’ll be needing Final cowl… You get the thought!

7. we don’t cowl put on and tear or non-incident-related harm

Bicycle harm on account of a crash is sort of inevitable and we’re right here to get your bike mounted up and again to the way it was earlier than your accident.

However with the price of bicycle parts solely ever getting costlier, we’re discovering an growing variety of claims being submitted for non-accident associated harm for components that are both clearly worn out, don’t have anything to do with the incident itself, or mostly, bicycles which have simply failed with none incident.

Very like automotive insurance coverage, our insurance policies aren’t designed to cowl body or part failure which has arisen from regular use. If a part has merely simply failed, please seek the advice of the producer first.