They hook you with a cheap premium then sneak in a big increase in year two hoping you’re too lazy or disorganised to contest it. We’ve just had a 26% increase on our boiler cover, OK only a few quid a year but it’s the sneaky way they hide it in the text of a letter hoping you won’t notice. Swinton are about to get a ‘phone call from Mrs Gti telling them to do one; inflation is at its lowest ever, household premiums are supposed to be coming down and we’ve never claimed. The funny thing is that when you do protest and threaten to cancel they usually cave in, I’ve done it several times with household insurance.

Annoyed of Lancashire.

I almost halved my building and contents insurance this year.I’m not sure there’s a single insurance biker that doesn’t do this unfortunately. I was offered a discount with the existing insurer on the first call to query the increase but its so easy to change these days there’s really no reason to stay.

No.

direct line. been with them a few years for my van and they’ve fluctuated a bit, bit when i queried it last year i got the lady on the phone to read off my premiums over the few years i’ve been with them, and it was just that – fluctuation, not rising trend. max ncd.

Swinton are a broker not an insurance company. If their price varies then it might be because they’re not doing their job well. Or making lots more commission…

Direct Line were always one of the worst when it came to intro discounts removed in the 2nd year (30%).

I’d expect household insurance rates to be climbing now given the recent weather. More importantly personal injury claim inflation is around 10% pa and property claim inflation around 6-7% so premiums should be climbing.

Oh, and Mr Osbourne plonked IPT up to 9.5% so that’s another 3.5% to worry about.

There is at least one company I know of that doesn’t do discount stuff, but they have other reasons for apparently random rate changes…

No. Their profit model is based upon you not being arsed to swap every year. You have to swap every year to get the best deals.

Car,van and house insurance have all been pretty stable for me. In fact, the van insurance was cheaper again this year.