Asta la vista Endsleigh!

After reading Olivia Buck’s blog entry about Endsleigh mis-selling her Payment Protection Insurance, and hearing that Churchill Insurance have had their knuckles rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misleading claims, I wonder how many other insurance companies are out to trick us into paying for services we don’t need, tempt us with enticing offers that don’t exist, or plain and simply, how many just don’t do what it says on their tins?

Churchill Insurance is the latest culprit to join a long list, with one of their ads actually being banned by the ASA after a customer complained that it was misleading.

The ad, which stars the infamous talking dog, asks game show contestants to challenge Churchill on his insurance claims, with one man asking “is it possible to make a claim without filling in any forms?”

“Ooooohhhhh yesssss,” came Churchill’s response. That notoriously annoying catchphrase mimicked by many a middle-aged man thinking he’s even slightly funny…

However, one viewer really did challenge Churchill, pointing out that the ad was misleading because a form was sent out after he’d made an insurance claim.

Defending itself, Churchill Insurance said it does try to sort claims over the telephone “wherever possible,” but added that a fifth of cases required a declaration form or statement to be completed by the claimant.

So, is it possible to make a claim without filling in any forms? “Ooooohhhhh nnoooooo” doesn’t quite have the same ring.

The company apologised and said the claim was used “in error” and that it wouldn’t be repeated in future TV ads.

This isn’t the first time Churchill’s dog has made headlines though. Earlier in the summer the company were criticised, when it was reported that their canine front-dog said a rather offensive swear word immediately after his catchphrase. Of course, a Churchill spokesman denied the swearing.

Churchill isn’t the only bad egg in a battery farm of insurance companies though. Staff at Carphone Warehouse were caught by undercover researchers from BBC One’s Watchdog last autumn, after misleading customers about insurance for the Apple iPhone. The BBC researchers found Carphone staff made false claims about what would happen if a phone was stolen and hadn’t been insured.  According to the BBC, these false claims were made in the hope that “customers would take out the store’s own insurance”.

And back in January last year, a number of firms were slammed by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for misleading customers, and told that they must stop using savings claims in their advertising that could be deemed misleading.

So are any other insurance companies misleading us? Is anyone safe? Have you fallen foul to a deceptive advertising claim or discovered that your insurance policy wasn’t all you thought it was? Have your say in our forum.

And the moral of the story: Don’t believe everything your told. Especially if it comes from the mouth of a talking dog…

Birthday driving safety?!

Today I discovered a piece of research that actually claims that your date of birth could determine your competence behind the wheel. No joke. Tell me, is this the most outrageously wasted time of a research team ever?

Just to clarify, this is not about which decade you were born in (which perhaps would be slightly more credible), but the actual date you were born - the month and day of your birthday.

Yes, those clever people at elephant.co.uk have managed to produce a list of the “safest” and “worst” drivers, according to their birthdays. I bring you the top five:

Safest drivers

1. 31 May
2. 1 February
3. 1 June
4. 1 September
5. 1 March

Worst drivers

1. 16 September
2. 29 February
3. 24 December
4. 9 December
5. 9 March

But what do these lists mean? If our friend falls in the second list should we politely decline any lifts they offer? Should we inquire of our driver’s DOB every time we hail a taxi? How can you possibly judge someone’s motoring skills based solely on the day they were born?

Clearly I think these lists are a load of rubbish, but then again, maybe I’m just bitter - you see, I appear rather high on one of these lists (and not the good one!).

But seriously, if you crunch enough data you will always find that some form of pattern emerges (just like if you give enough monkeys typewriters you will get the entire works of William Shakespeare). This is all well and good – I have a soft spot for Shakespeare and monkeys - but it means nothing.

You can’t get a cheaper insurance policy based on your birthday, and I can’t see them introducing them any time soon. However, there are other factors which can affect your policy premium…

From older drivers to younger drivers and from those with driving convictions to those who are lucky enough to own a high performance car, there are specific insurance policies which do depend on certain criteria.

When choosing your insurance policy, make sure you shop around and remember that you can sometimes get cheaper deals from certain companies, just for fitting into certain categories.

Ten top tips for cheaper car insurance>>>

Compare car insurance >>>

Great footballers, awful chefs

Spain: Olive groves, Toreros, Gazpacho, modern architecture, sandy beaches, misty mountain tops, involuntary bowel movements, nausea…

Say what? Nausea?

Yes it’s true. Spain has been named the ‘Delhi Belly’ capital of the world, ranking higher than India itself.

According to new research from our old friends at Halifax, Spain is the country where most British tourists are likely to fall ill with a nasty case of the green apple splatters.

In a nationwide survey of over 2000 British holidaymakers, nearly a quarter (23%) conceded a trip to Spain had left them with the trots. Greece trailed behind in second place with 13% of the vote, while Turkey and Egypt shared a dubious bronze medal (11% each).

Losing a day of your holiday to food poisoning costs £43 on average. Of the unfortunate holidaymakers affected by food poisoning, almost two out of five (38%) were sick for two or more days, losing the best part of £90 in the process. Alarmingly, only one in five UK tourists take out any form of travel insurance which could cover them for loss of holiday due to illness, so that £90 really is irretrievable.

To avoid spending the majority of your holiday looking down the wrong end of a toilet pan, try following these tips:

• Drink bottled water. If you prefer not to spend on bottled water, make sure you boil water thoroughly before you drink it.

• Avoid drinks with ice.  It may be tempting to have ice in your beverage, especially if you are enjoying your holiday in a hot climate; but ordering ice in your drink increases your chances of getting sick because it often comes from unsafe tap water.

• Avoid eating raw vegetables and fruits. Raw vegetables and fruits may have been ‘cleaned’ with unsafe tap water. Also, eat fruits that you have peeled yourself. The advantages of this are that you will be able to tell more easily if the fruit has gone off and this also reduces the risk of consuming any traces of harmful pesticides on the skin of the fruit.

• Go to clean, popular, tourist-friendly restaurants. Ask staff at your hotel or some affable locals where you can go for a meal. Even better, choose a restaurant where you can see your food being cooked.

• It may sound surprising, but shower with your mouth closed and ensure you do not swallow tap water when you brush your teeth. Even a small amount of water can lead to a serious case of Delhi Belly in some countries.

 Think cake, think insurance….

Now, I love my food. I’m creative with my recipes and while most of my concoctions taste just as good with own-brand ingredients, I do guiltily splash out on the occasional treat.

Every now and then a girl just needs her “Finest” Parma ham and “Extra Special” goat’s cheese - I swear you really can “Taste the Difference” in those vine ripened tomatoes. However, I should add that I’m also addicted to “Value” chocolate mousse.

“But what’s this got to do with insurance?” I hear you ask.

On June 22 Tesco is launching three new home insurance offers, which are being presented in the style of its food ranges – Value, Standard and Finest.

Jim Bruce, head of Tesco Home Insurance explains the move:

“Customers have told us they understand Value, Standard and Finest, and in the current economic climate, we want to do everything we can to help them get exactly what they want to pay for. We’ve brought this range to the home insurance market to offer even greater choice, clarity and value”

Well, that makes things nice and simple doesn’t it? Those who pride themselves on shopping only from the Finest range will now be able to boast of their Finest policy whilst those who enjoy munching on Value custard creams will be able to save themselves some pennies with the Value insurance. Genius! No?

Well, no. The thing is… insurance isn’t that simple. The best insurance policy for you depends very much on your individual circumstances and the actual “value for money” you get depends on exactly what your policy offers that will benefit you.

While I can live on 19p noodles, this does not mean I can do without potentially vital cover, but similarly, just because I enjoy the occasional glass of Finest orange juice does not mean I want to pay a ridiculously high premium for services I will probably never use!

While the re-branding of their insurance policies is a great marketing ploy, it does not provide immediate “clarity and value”, rather it oversimplifies a choice which really should take more thought.

It really is essential when looking for an insurance policy that you focus on how it suits your individual needs. Otherwise, you could end up with a policy which is about as much use as a Value cheesecake.

Mmm… cheesecake.

What would you rebrand, if you had the chance?