Shannons is just a brand.

They are owned by Promina who also own AAMI, Just Car Insurance, Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency and RAC Insurance.

Insurance Australia Group owns NRMA Insurance, SGIC, SGIO, CGU, NZI, State and Swann Insurances.

Vigil is owned by OAMPS who do lots of different specialist industry insurances.

The discussion over which company is better is all a bit redundant because at the end of the day it is as relevant as the decision over which washing up liquid you buy - you are choosing to give your money to one of only a few competitors, not a heap of brands as they would like you to think.

There is no substitute for doing your own research and finding a policy that suits your own circumstances, not your brand awareness.

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I recently insuared my mini with Shannons got the 65%NCB. They insuared the mini for 20k without seeing it and it cost approx $430.

Minmad gave me a lead about Ryno and i gave them a try but they would not return any of my phone calls or give me a quote???? When i rang Shannons I got a bloke who knew all about minis and we had a chat and no dramas. I then rang back to give some extra details and again another bloke and no probs.

GO FIGURE. I suppose it is the luck of the draw.

Dan

Good point Poki - I can verify it's a good idea to shop around. Even inside the same company. I had car insurance with one member of the Swann group, then changed address and vehicle. I got quotes from two members of the Swann group, and the other one was over 30% cheaper! Why? Because each division has its own "risk profile" for every neighbourhood, which is determined on how many payouts they've made there in recent history. So it's worth shopping around, even inside the same company.
That said, it is a shame that the majority of insurers won't touch anything over 30 years old...
It's odd, trying to convince Shannons that you're an "enthoosiast" when you're not yet a member of a car club yet - the woman I had on the phone sounded sceptical about my "enthoosiasm". She took some convincing! Although she was nice to talk to.

i think people all just look at the insurance policy when they look for insurance companies and thier worth.,

I called Ryno up yesterday to see what they were like, they seemed to have tight underwriting guidelines, which was nice to see, BUT my only gripe is they have been operating for only 9months.....

what people FAIL to look at when they choose an insurance company, is how the claims process of the company will work, ask Emm how her insuracne went with shannons when she made a claim,

Did i get a cheaper quote through Ryno?? yes, much cheaper, but that was as much the fact that they NEED to repeat NEED to be cheaper than shannons in order to get a foot in the door.

Will they bump their premiums up every year to make up for the VERY low premiums they give out to get people on the books?? I would say most probably.

If my quote from them is so much cheaper, am i thinking of changing my loyalties? most definately..... am i considering staying with shannons still??? yes i am. fair enough this Ryno company is underwritten by a big european firm, but I WANT TO SEE WHAT THEIR CLAIMS PROCEESS IS LIKE whcih is what i will rign up about next week. if they outsourcfe their claims, then ur not going to get the enthusiast dealing with ur smashed car, just a generic chick geting 45k a year...

they do make a convincing case however, and yes i did call my old buddies from shannons, and nno they did not have the ability to get any cheaper, and yes they are aware that when i change insurance, then in my role as a comitee member of the club i will be telling people to go to ryno if i change.... the Ryno premiums are just too cheap. they are going to have to go up..

Josh ur premium through them is just obscene. great dont get me wrong, mine was similarly appealing,. but you have a highly modified car driven everyday and your only 22 and live in a high crime area... it just doesnt compute that it can stay that low for a long time, by all means go with Ryno, becaouse i thik i will... but the truth will be in three years to see if ur renewal then will be almost spot on with what shannons can offer you.

/ end rant

Dan, I spoke to Sean and he didn't remember speaking to you, he did say that thier voicemail system hasn't been working.

From what i saw they were underwritten by Calliden and Lloyds - 9months sure, but everyone needs to start somewhere, even shannons was 9months old at one time, from what i know ryno was started by a guy who used to work for shannons?

They may bump up their premiums, and if so will shop around each year to see what's what and if shannons decides to compete then i would obviously think about going back - it's all about what suits you and your needs at the time.

Ryno are new and they really wanted my business, i told them i was with shannons and the mini car club, thinking about coming over, they really wanted to get me over, they gave me automatic salvage rights (which shannons wont do for another year for free) and I sent photos of all our cars, the moke and everything and they offered a great combined policy which i believe is the best policy for me at this time.

I believe shannons has a lot of overheads right now, from all their advertising, their presence at shows, and sponsorship etc That money has to come from somewhere - the premiums we pay - Shannons premiums may even be offsetting some of the cost of Just Cars Insurance - who advertise alot as well and im sure that there are some crazy high risk profiles with Just Cars, they will insure anyone. Also moving to everyday cars and house and bike insurance has changed the company. They are not the hard focused classic insurers they used to be.

Shannons have been great to me, and up until my last quote i had no reason to change, shannons never really had a competitor and i think competition will do them good.

Chris i will be interested to see if you can find anything wrong with ryno, no one has used their claim process yet that we know, but time will tell. I can't fault Shannons claims process, it's one of the best in the business.

If you're with shannons and happy, i wouldn't move. It's just my personal experience and insurance premiums seem to be the luck of the draw with each company, there is no guarantee ryno will give everyone a great price either.

I also think that people like us would be a great loss to shannons, we are the people actively involved in the mini scene, with the club, it's activities and everything mini. They should realise this, we are supposed to be the target market.

In any case i can't dismiss a $1500 discount, it's alot in anyones language and adds up each year when i can save that.

I am concerned in the back of my mind how a claim would go with ryno, but i'm willing to give them a go and take that risk. Em has her cars with them and with the saving from the policies of Jac, Spiro and PJ combined we could have bought another mini.

If by 3 years the premium has gone up substantially, which it wont cause i will be 25 by then so it should at least be close if not cheaper - then i will have saved $4500 from PJ alone.

ryno are also a broker i think?

I have not called the call centre either.

Chris who did you speak to? I've been dealing with Sean Madgwick and he's be really good. Might even be worth looking into something for club members? With a company so small, i think it would be good start a relationship so that we get looked after for years to come.
[email protected]

I havn't made my decision on how good they are yet, but i am very happy so far, and i would like to give them a chance cause they have done everything right for now.

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

I agree^^.

I called and left messages at least 5 times and emailed too which i know he got because of the receipt, anyway there must be a reason for it.

I am in favour of giving new kids on the block a go if the price is right. I agree with your reasoning Josh about the savings you will make over the next three years because i think a $2,000 insurance bill is way to steep.

Dan

josh i agree with everything you are saying mate. I spoke with Sean and I could not fault him at all. His boss that he was reffering everything used to work at shannons as a BDM and he is a good bloke also. The guy heading it never used to work for shannons as far as i am aware, but was very high up in Royal Sun who used to own shannons, but from all accounts he was very good.... this is why i think i will come across, everything seems to be a good thing.

as u say josh, the price difference is just to great to ignore and stay with shannons, the customer service was great, they have perople from shannons working there, and if they are backed by lloyds (I was not told that I was just told Calliden) then that is even more appealing.)

My premium was almost 50% cheaper through Ryno. when im at uni and have 4 cars insured that is a big chunk... for me to go to ryno is a very big thing i have a staunch loyalty to shannons... or should i say DID.

This sums it up for me. When you take out an insurance policy, what you are looking for is an insurer that will actually pay up, cause if they don't then that "cheap" insurance policy you got ain't going to be so cheap anymore. That said, I am disappointed to hear about Shannon's and their treatment of Josh.

Somebody mentioned Swan insurance (who like to let people know that they are part of NRMA, like it's a good thing ), I've had two different friends have their cars stolen and written off, and in both instances they have been put through the ringer trying to make the claim. Stuff like them and anybody else who last saw the car interviewed multiple times by private detectives and having the conversations recorded to try to see if there ANY discrepancies (e.g. your friend said you were wearing a blue shirt that night, and you said it was a white shirt..). They both finally got their payouts after months of battles, but both went through hell trying to get their money.

With regards to these companies being just "brands", I can tell you with some authority that for Suncorp / Promina that it is far more complicated than that. Whilst management at the board level is indeed the same, the companies underwritten by Promina all operate independently (AAMI process the claims for APIA and Just Cars, but that's about it), with different processes, management, and employees. Of all of the companies, Shannons is probably the most independent of all of the "Promina" group.

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One should never skimp on the zip ties.

to further differentiate from the whole 'they are just a brand under a big owner' attitude that was expressed, Shannons is actually under AAI (Australian Alliance Insurance), which is then owned by Promina.

Just because AAI is owned by Promina and so is AAMI i cant see where the argument comes that all of the classic car insurers are the same. Those comments reflect someone that has not really worked in the industry. AAMI is YEARS apart from shannons, in terms of their claims handlling and the way the company works.

Yes Shannons has to answer to a bigger company, but so does everyone these days. Im glad they do as it means that they are a very stable company.

Shannons Claims processs is great, and without this coming out the wrong way, i dont think that Josh has been treated in an unfair manner. His car was going to be insured for 20k withoug seeing it in the flesh, for a premium of 2000, he drives it everyday and lives in Macquarie fields and its highly modified. That is the premium I would of given Josh if i was still working at shannons (and didnt know him). To compare prices to Ryno as to which company is better is some what elementary as Ryno are deliberately using low prices to get people on board.

but this is ofcourse what drive customers of insurance companies,,,, the premium value, and as i said i am almost at Rynos door. BUT you just HAVE to find out more about the claims process before you can move over, because that is the product you are buying.

doesn't Suncorp now own Shannons

Whats this salvage business because I know NRMA do it, plus I don't pay extra for the privilege either. It'll take some convincing to goto anyone else as I know how and how long claims work with them and they've never let me down or my Mini. I always hear Shannons this and that but other then being enthusiast insurance whats better about them?

They pay up, pronto.
A friend at work wrote his XR6 BF off, hit a pole. was insured with ***A. Car was 18 months old. They pissed him around for 7 weeks before he saw any $$,$$$.
Why? One reason I reckon was he had the market value option. The longer they took to settle, the less it was worth.
Market value sux, IMO. Go the agreed value.....

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Yes it really settles any argument's a modified car should only be done on agreed value. I had a bad experience with ***A and wouldn't IMO waste my time with them again.

FINE PRINT: read it if you want to get the one best for you. a policy isn't a policy, they vary greatly

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-doing a Degree in Mechanical Engineering,
and a few conversions:
13B Extend in a 1600
4EFTE in a mini ute (all slowly)

yeah i know promina was bought out recentlt, i think it was suncorp

thanks for clearing that up