Quote Professor Blog

Imagine your frustration when your vehicle breaks down on the roadside to an important meeting; all you require then is breakdown cover to keep you going.

Breakdown cover, as it is commonly referred to in the UK, is essentially a service designed to help motorists, to quickly resume their stalled journey due to a mechanical failure of their vehicle.

In Europe, the National Automobile Association usually provides breakdown cover for its members. The major players in this industry not only provide services in the UK but also in Europe. Sometimes, the breakdown cover is sold as an add-on to motor insurance.

If you surf around, you can find some special discounts and offers, which the companies are offering.

Breakdown cover consists of roadside assistance, home assistance, onward travel, and vehicle recovery. It may not include problems due to empty fuel tanks or wrong fuelling (filling petrol into diesel tank or vice versa).

Roadside assistance may include jumpstarting a vehicle due to battery discharge, minor mechanical repairs, vehicle towing, opening vehicle doors after being accidentally locked out, changing flat tyres, or moving vehicles out of the snow.

Statistics show that the older your vehicle, the more chances of it having a break down. Therefore, it would make good common sense as well as economic sense to get vehicle breakdown cover.

Touring caravans are an excellent way to take a holiday whenever you want. Caravans are like a home away from home with all the amenities you would expect at home. With this in mind just as you take out home insurance to protect the contents of your home and the structure, the same applies to your caravan. In the case of insuring your pride and joy, you need to apply for touring caravan insurance.

Touring caravan insurance covers many aspects of your caravan. When looking for insurance and wanting to keep down the cost of your insurance you may wish to consider how you use your caravan. If you only use your caravan for a couple of months during the year and you do not travel very far you may want to consider a policy with limited mileage. This means you state how many miles you will travel with your caravan and typically you get cheaper premiums. Of course you cannot go over the set amount of mileage. You may also be able to keep down your premiums by paying a little more for the excess than what the insurance provider asks for. However do bear in mind that this amount of money is paid out of your pocket if a claim has to be made.

The price range of mobile phones available in the market is huge, as the various models have different features and use different technologies. High-end phones usually have a music player, satellite navigation, video recorder, camera, storage media and a host of other features and of course, these mobile phones are frightfully expensive. Mobile insurance for such phones is necessary, for the simple reason that the likelihood of such a mobile being stolen is very high. These are sophisticated, high-tech gadgets and they deserve the protection which mobile insurance can provide.

Many users store important personal details and contact information on their mobiles, since it is ever so convenient to have whatever information one needs at the fingertips. Nonetheless, with the tiny gadget being used so often through the day, chances of damage or theft is quite high and the cost of replacement prohibitive. Mobile phones are sensitive gadgets and water damage during wet weather conditions or accidentally dropping your phone in the water can ruin it totally.

Mobile insurance offers protection against theft, loss (some companies do not provide protection for high-end phones against loss), water damage, accidental damage, contact backup, and replacement within a 48 hour period. Most companies offer international cover too. Being on your guard constantly with regard to your mobile phone may not be feasible at all times and mobile insurance gives you the much-needed assurance that they will help you out in the event a problem happens. A small monthly premium payable will help you save on huge sums of money if misfortune strikes and you never know when that will happen. Therefore, better safe than sorry.

Your new best friend is likely to be by your side for many numbers of years and during this time there is the possibility of your pet falling ill or having an accident. If you have dog insurance to fall back on at least you don’t have to worry about the costs of treatment. This leaves you to concentrate on looking after your pet.

You may wish to consider taking out lifetime cover dog insurance which lasts for the lifetime of your pet. Typically insurance providers offer various plans based on what you are able to afford each month. Usually the more you pay for insurance the more money you are able to claim back in the event of having to make a claim.

The typical dog insurance policy will cover your pet’s medical bills and this may even include alternative therapies such as acupuncture. If your dog is stolen or lost the policy may pay towards advertising for your pet’s return. It may also cover your pet’s life in the event of death from injury or illness. When comparing insurance bear in mind that you are asked to pay an excess towards a claim and this could be a great deal more with some providers than others.

When we read about a `Home Emergency`, we immediately conjure up images of catastrophic damage and roofs blown off, and whilst these things can happen, they are the exception rather than the rule. No, it is the mundane things; the ones we take for granted; the ones we need every day without realising it, which can be our nemesis.

Our house is one of a row of four semi-detached that were built in the 1930s. They are typical of their time. Unfortunately they also had typical faults that were prevalent at that time also. Of course, you only find out about these things when a problem arises.

I will be honest and admit that I took out home emergency insurance at the time I took out the house contents and buildings cover, as a complementary policy to the main ones only as an afterthought because my father had been a plumber and I remember vividly how often he was called out to emergencies, rubbing his hands at the prospect of inflated callout charges!

We first noticed a problem when the toilet flushed and took a while to settle down to its normal level in the pan. It got worse. Finally, it would not flush away at all! Now what? Then I remembered the home emergency insurance. Did it cover toilets? Yes, it did!

I called the emergency number and an engineer came out almost immediately. He discovered that the sewage pipe was shared by the four houses in our block and that the pipe had been blocked by the end house. Evidently, the young mum there had flushed disposable nappies and the bore of the old pipe was not wide enough to cater for them. He used a long flexible rod and just pushed it along the pipe from our end until there was a great roar and the backed up waste rushed down the pipe!

How would we ever have realised that was the problem?

When you take out static caravan insurance a policy typically covers a wide range of events and circumstances that could otherwise leave you devastated financially.

Static caravans do not come cheap. Some are like home away from home and as such cost many thousands of pounds. Then of course there are all the furnishings and belongings in the caravan. If the caravan should be destroyed totally say due to a fire or storm, without cover you would lose a substantial sum of money. With fully comprehensive static caravan insurance you can claim on the policy and at least replace your loss.

The typical static caravan insurance policy covers your caravan and belongings against fire, theft, and damage due to vandalism or storm, along with other things. Your aerial and satellite dish may be protected against damage, along with your steps and awning. If you have decking and fencing around the caravan these may be covered in the policy too, however not all providers extend your policy to these. As with any insurance policy always check the small print so that you know what you can and cannot claim for. Reading the boring small print can save financial distress if your claim is turned down due to not being included in your cover.

If you have modified your car, in the UK you can purchase performance car insurance, which includes breakdown cover.

For starters, there is a lot of difference between a sports car, which is a high performance vehicle, and a modified one. The sports car could be a big-ticket item like a Merc or a Porsche, while a modified car is one which you have customised to your fancy. The latter is likely to be more expensive to insure or get breakdown cover.

The breakdown cover on your modified vehicle could depend on the insurance policy you have; which could be third party only coverage, third party coverage, fire and theft coverage, or full coverage.

The cost of insurance cover will depend on how old the car is, the type of car and how much it has been modified. Some modifications will weigh in on the policy so before your add the modification please discuss with the insurer.

The cost of insuring performance cars is higher, mainly because statistics show that they are more prone to accidents. Many insurance companies are of the opinion that these modifications will not be good for the car. The cost of the insurance will also depend on the kit and the engine power.

The breakdown cover is an option on the regular insurance cover for your performance vehicle. The level of service you opt for would depend on your personal requirements.

Whatever age you are, we all enjoy a glimpse of childhood fun. We all pine after those days of total abandonment where we went forward without a care in the world. Unfortunately, all too soon, the reality and responsibility of being an adult catch up with us and we have to start taking more care of ourselves and our belongings. We have an array of Hi-Tech gadgets at our disposal these days whether you are young or old. They are usually expensive, easily damaged and in some cases a `must-have` accessory. Possibly the number one accessory at the moment is a mobile phone. However, it is amazing that despite this necessity only 30% of people have mobile phone insurance cover, of this only 20% is actual phone insurance, the rest is household insurance!

The vast majority of people accept the necessity for car insurance and that is why it is compulsory, and yet we lay Russian roulette with our mobile phones.

I had a painful lesson in this regard. I had my first mobile phone, if you can remember; they were a bit bigger than today’s minute handsets. I had it in one of those ridiculous holsters that all the posers had! My circle of friends and I were all approaching early middle age. Someone had suggested we go to the local fair for a laugh, just like old times. We all agreed and organized the trip.

Nothing had changed. The smells, the noise and the general excitement crackled around us. I had the good sense to avoid the `Waltzer` but I did get talked into going on the big wheel! It took ages to load everybody, but eventually the machine creaked into action.

Up we went and down went my phone! I had forgotten that it was in my coat pocket. Bearing in mind I was about a hundred feet above ground, I lost it as it plummeted towards a crowd of people. I was helpless. I had to wait until the ride stopped which was about 10 minutes and then I had to wait a further 10 minutes to be unloaded.

Needless to say, nobody saw my phone nor did they know where it was. I had lost it. Just to compound my misery, I had not bothered to take out mobile phone insurance cover and had to pay for a new handset. Rest assured that this time I made sure that I had adequate mobile phone insurance cover. No more messing about with valuable items which are easily lost or damaged!

Cat insurance provides a great deal of financial protection for you and your cat (well you really, as your cat will not be paying costs). You could stand to lose a great deal of money if your cat becomes ill or is involved in an accident, in fact thousands of pounds might have to be found to pay vets bills.

If your cat is in an accident and has to have tests such as x-rays and scans then already your bill starts mounting up very fast. Then you have to add on the treatment your pet receives, the stay at the vets, medication and follow up treatment if needed. By this time your bill could be astronomical. Pet insurance would provide you with financial help up to a set limit, which means you do not have to struggle to find the whole amount. Depending on the level of cover you choose to take, the policy could even cover the whole cost.

Cat insurance typically also provides financial help for the death of your cat due to illness or an injury. It could help with quarantine expenses and any loss of documentation. Some of the top end policies provide you with money towards boarding fees, the theft of your cat and advertising for its return.

The importance of mobile insurance is gaining momentum. Today most people step outdoors, with expensive electronic gadgets whether they are headed for office or just for a brisk walk. One gadget that is a constant companion is the mobile phone. The dependence on mobile phones has been increasing steadily and it is a multifunctional gadget and hence quite expensive too.

Therefore, there is an increasing need to protect the mobile and mobile insurance is of tremendous help in such a situation. With mobile insurance, you are covered if your mobile phone is stolen, damaged, or used fraudulently.

With the hectic lifestyle that people lead, it is quite easy to misplace or drop your tiny gadget. That happens to many people, especially teenagers. During wet weather conditions, damage to your mobile phone is a reality and water can kill the mobile phone. When such a situation arises, you will have no worries if you have a mobile insurance. Because you know for sure that you will receive a replacement. Similarly, if someone steals your mobile, they are most certainly going to put it to maximum use and if you are covered, you need not worry about the inflated bills that the thief might have run up on your behalf.

Mobile insurance offers protection even while you travel abroad. With so many benefits, a tiny monthly premium will hardly make a dent in your wallet. So go for it, you buy peace of mind, as you never know when you might damage your phone or someone will steal it.