My experience with motorcycle insurance
When my bikes was stolen and the case quickly closed by the police I moved on to the obvious next step which was to claim on my insurance policy.
I spoke to a number of bikers who I know who have been in the same position, either claiming after a theft or accident of some kind. Without exception the tails I heard were of difficulties, endless paperwork, poor contact, poor customer service all resulting in a lengthy wait for payment. I was now very nervous. I've never made a claim of any kind before and it was all unexplored territory for me. At least my paperwork was all in order.
I can't comment on the experience of others but I can say that my experience has been very different from those that I spoke to. So much so that I went from discovering that my bike had been stolen to receiving a cheque from the insurance company in only 16 days. :-)
My experience:
My broker and first point of contact MCE, was very helpful in guiding me through the process, what needed to be done, and in what order.
Next in line were the valuers ETWB who called me. They were very responsive on the phone and took the time to answer all my questions. They also valued the bike very quickly and fairly, (I've looked carefully at current prices in dealerships).
Next was Close Motor Finance...no surprise that they were happy to deal with me rather than the insurance agency, to take my money and settle the credit agreement. More importantly they were happy to talk directly to ETWB to confirm that there was no longer finance outstanding.
That leaves my insurance company as surprisingly the last point of contact. Royal Sun Alliance sent me one letter with forms to fill in...