Author: News Desk

Save £300 on Van Insurance (Or Pizza)

Posted on by News Desk

I arrived at CVI HQ in the morning to find everywhere locked up. “That’s strange,” I said. “Our CNR should be back from Dundee by now.”

I opened everywhere up and turned on the lights, and then noticed the hotline answerphone was flashing with a message.

“Hi It’s the CNR here. We are in the Scottish Highlands and…”

There was a long pause.

“…Meerkats,” he went on to say and then hung up.

What did our Chief News Reporter mean by this message? What was he trying to tell me?

Perhaps he was suggesting that CVI should go down the “meerkat route” and start offering movie tickets to our customers.

I really don’t think our budget would stretch to the latest Hollywood Blockbusters…but maybe…just maybe we could offer other kind of movies?

Something like classic TV movies from the 1970’s…available in VHS or Betamax format for every CVI customer. Just pay shipping and handling.

It could work. But our customers should be satisfied enough with the cheapest van insurance prices in the UK. Shouldn’t they? Maybe that extra cherry on top would really sweeten the deal.

Well, because our CNR was MIA I didn’t have any news stories to run, so I did what any van insurance comparison website owner would do in this type of situation…

I made a cup of tea and sat down to read the newspaper.

As I was flicking through different stories hot off the press there was one word which suddenly caught my attention.

“MEERKATS.”

It seems the meerkat company had paid for a bit of advertising space in this particular tabloid and were shouting about their so called “deal of the week.”

What they are offering is the ability to save £300 a year when you buy van insurance on their website.

However, this isn’t £300 a year savings on the actual van insurance. Oh no. It’s actually saving £300 on pizza.

“Meerkat Meals,” is what they have called this new venture, and apparently you can save money on meals at restaurants such as Pizza Hut, La Tasca, Zizzi and Strada.

Do you know what though? I reckon the smart van owners out there would prefer to just save money directly on their van insurance. No fancy meal tickets and no-nonsense. Just plain and simple Cheap Van Insurance. The way it should be.

Maybe I’m wrong and maybe our loyal and faithful van insurance customers would like to make some savings on their lunches when buying through our 3 minute form.

If so then…perhaps we could incorporate some kind of “ham sandwiches for a month” promotion, or, “your flask refilled, for free.”

“I could even give pot noodle a call,” I said.

Just then our CNR entered my office.

“Have you got £700 to pay for the taxi outside?” he asked.

“What? Where is the CVI limo and the limo driver? I demanded to know.

“It’s a long story…” he replied.

“We Need More Van Couriers!”

Posted on by News Desk

From Dundee to Ipswich, and from The Scottish Highlands to Cardiff…there is one job which is in demand…Van Couriers!

Thanks to internet sites such as Amazon, the demand for delivery drivers is stronger than ever before.

Unfortunately, the amount of skilled van couriers are in short supply, which means customers are having to wait longer for their deliveries

A recent report by the Department for Transport showed us that 76% of goods were transported by road in 2017. Planes and trains are out…Automobiles are IN.

Not just any old automobiles though. It is vans which are the fashionable vehicle of today, with many van couriers deciding to drive around in LCV’s (Light Commercial Vehicles).

The report went on to find how delivery drivers are competing against the clock more than ever before, because customers expect their parcels today, not tomorrow.

However, this has led to many drivers cutting corners and speeding like they are doing a lap around Silverstone.

“What’s your name,” the police officer will say when they pull over the courier driver.

“Nigel Mansell,” would come the reply.

These type of van couriers might be fast, but they quickly rack up the points on their licence, and then…

…It is game over. Their van courier career is over.

In the future it is the self driving vans and robots who are expected to fill the demand for skilled courier drivers, but right now in 2018 there are companies who are crying out for reliable and trustworthy van couriers.

“We need more van couriers!” they are shouting from the rooftops

The kind of van courier who can get that LCD TV to Mr Smith on time and in one piece.

The kind of van courier who will give a smile to Mrs Jones as they hand over a brand new laptop.

Unfortunately, many would be van courier drivers are not getting their stripes because of how expensive insurance is right now.

Remember, plain old van insurance is not enough…you need special van courier insurance to get on the roads legally and delivering packages.

One way to avoid these ridiculous costs is to visit Cheap Van Insurance and get quotes from around 40 insurers and brokers.

“The Van Couriers Favourite,” is what many of our nations delivery drivers are saying.

Fortunately you can join them right now by filling in the 3 minute form which you can find at the top of the page.

Just scroll up and then start your van courier journey. A few simple details and then, and only then…can you call yourself a real van courier professional driver.

Duel in Dundee, and Beyond…

Posted on by News Desk

We arrived in Dundee and the Limo driver dropped me off at The Hilton. “I will pick you up at 8am tomorrow,” he said.

The next morning and the limo was waiting for me at 8am, and we headed to a bookies in the centre of town. It was a fairly routine story, and my mind wasn’t really on it, but I had a job to do as CNR of CVI…so I got out my notebook.

“White van crashed into the front of bookies. There was a bang when it happened. White van man? Fled! Coke? Puff the magic dragon? High on own supply? Perhaps.”

I had all the information I needed. “That’s a wrap,” I announced to the limo driver. “Let’s get going back to HQ.”

The CVI limo got going on the road and headed towards the outskirts of Dundee. The buildings disappeared and we found ourselves on a deserted road. And then…

…Out of nowhere a tanker truck roared past the limo and nearly took us off the road.

“What the heck,” I shouted.

Then the tanker truck slowed right down and stopped us from getting past.

Eventually the skills of the limo driver won the day and he found a gap past the truck.

We had overtook the truck, but it started blasting its horn and coming at us full speed yet again. I sensed danger.

“Speed up,” I told the limo driver.

Just as the tanker truck was about to crash into the limo…the limo driver put his foot on the accelerator and sped away.

We were driving at top speed out of Dundee…and into the Scottish Highlands.

Then the limo driver started to slow down.

“Don’t stop now, we must keep going,” I demanded.

“We have to stop at a service station…the last one before we enter the wilderness of the Highlands, and get a couple of pot noodles,” the driver replied.

“Ok be quick, that tanker truck is going to be in our rear view mirror again if we don’t hurry,” I said.

The driver went to get some pot noodles and I decided to phone HQ to let them know what was happening.

“No signal!” My Motorola was out of range.

I ran into a restaurant to use the pay phone and then phoned HQ. It was the answerphone.

“Hi It’s the CNR here. We are in the Scottish Highlands and…”

It was then that I noticed the tanker truck parked outside next to the CVI limo.

I looked around the restaurant and noticed everybody was staring at me. Which one was the driver? I thought to myself.

Then I recognised something familiar…a red baseball cap. It was the guy from the service station near Ipswich the previous day…the driver who had used his 2 For 1 vouchers at Pizza Hut.

“Meerkats,” I said, and then I put the phone down.

I acted calmly as I walked out of the restaurant and began walking towards the CVI limo.

I looked for the limo driver but all I found was 2 pot noodles, the kettle and the keys to the limo on the floor.

He had fled. Knowing what was in store.

I had no choice. I had to get in the limo and start driving. It was for CVI. Someone had to step forward.

Within minutes of being on the road I saw the tanker truck appear in my rear view mirror.

“This is it,” I said to myself. “A duel between The Meerkats and CVI. Winner takes all. There is no turning back now.”

The truck followed me through the Scottish highlands, and then I turned the limo round to face the truck in front of a canyon.

I took the pot noodles and locked them on the accelerator with the kettle. Now we were on a collision course. It was the only way.

I jumped free at the last moment and the limo collided with the tanker truck, destroying the limo and sending the truck into the canyon.

I watched as the truck fell to the bottom of the canyon.

“The summer is over, CVI has won this battle and the war. If anyone should be promoting 2 for 1 movie and restaurant tickets it should be us,” I said.

I sat at the Canyons edge and threw stones for the rest of the evening, Watching the sun set.

Motorway Mayhem and Meerkat Madness

Posted on by News Desk

We were somewhere around Ipswich, when the mayhem started to unfold…

A white van seemed to be heading directly at the CVI limo…sideways!

We were driving down the motorway, safely in the left hand lane, when out of the right window it looked as if a white van was about to crash into us.

Then…nothing…

Instead of the expected collision, the van continued past us.

I was baffled.

Once the van was ahead of the limo I could see the problem…it was “Bent.”

The wheels were travelling at a weird angle, although the van was still able to somehow avoid total mayhem despite the fact it kept wanting to shift to the side.

Then the white van disappeared into the distance.

“We need a break, do you want to get a pot noodle? Asked the limo driver.

I shuddered at the thought, remembering the Cardiff incident. Kind of like Pavlovs Dog.

“Er…no, let’s go to a service station and dine out in style…and then put in on the CVI tab, we deserve it,” I replied.

10 Minutes later we arrived at a service station and found a Pizza Hut that was open for business. It was full of commercial drivers, some of whom were no doubt driving lorries and tankers on long haul drives.

We sat down and as I was reading the Pizza Hut menu I overheard the table next to me…

“We’ve got a 2 for 1 voucher for our meal…we got it from buying lorry insurance from Compare The…”

“MEERKATS!” I shouted, unable to help myself.

I turned to the man on the table next to me and said – “Are you seriously telling me you bought lorry insurance from those pesky meerkats just so you could save a bit of money on a pizza?”

“It’s a good deal,” he replied, proudly.

“NO…It’s MADNESS…Meerkat MADNESS,” I shouted, unable to help myself once again.

“Do you not realise that you could go to Cheap Van Insurance and save yourself a packet? Then you could afford to buy yourself a hundred pizzas and still have change,” I lectured him, but I could see nothing was getting through.

At that moment another man in a red baseball cap entered the restaurant and started placing an order for takeaway.

“Oh, I’ve got a 2 for 1 voucher for that…all thanks to those meerkats,” he said with a smug arrogance that sent me over the edge.

“This is MADNESS,” I shouted. “You people are INSANE.”

The restaurant fell completely silent and everybody looked at me, stunned and with their mouths open.

“Go to the Nations favourite…3 minutes is all it takes.”

However, they just looked at me with blank faces.

“I will not stay in this Pizza Hut a minute longer. Driver…let’s go.”

10 minutes later and we were sat in the CVI limo eating a pot noodle.

“How long until those meerkats get a piece of the pot noodle pie,” I said to the limo driver.

“I dunno,” he replied.

I finished my Bombay BadBoy and then realised this Meerkat Madness was taking up too much of my time and energy. We had a mission to complete.

“Onwards to Dundee,” I announced to the driver.

We got back on the road and sailed along the motorway without any further madness.

Then we arrived at the Scottish border and the CVI limo passed through and into a new country.

“Not long until we arrive in Dundee,” the limo driver told me. It was the first words he had said since the service station.

I sensed that a duel was waiting for me in Dundee. Something which could finally bring this story to a satisfying conclusion.

I took this opportunity to send a text back to HQ. “Motorway Mayhem and Meerkat Madness…”

Aviva Attempt to Join Forces With Van Insurance Brokers

Posted on by News Desk

I could see our CNR was disturbed after the Cardiff incident. “Take an easy assignment…there is a story in Dundee,” I told him.

So he headed out of HQ and into the CVI limo. Now I turned my attention to headlines within the van insurance industry. Aviva to be exact, who have recently tried to join forces with van insurance brokers.

The insurance giant have recently launched something called “Fast Trade e-trading quote and buy” which is designed to help van insurance brokers get the best prices so they can compete in a very competitive marketplace.

Not all brokers are able to take advantage of this facility from Aviva though…only those brokers who have an Aviva agency.

This all comes at a time when van insurance brokers have been falling by the wayside, somewhat, in recent years.

Van insurance companies are turning up the heat with free gifts for consumers and hogging all of the advertising space…which means brokers are becoming more and more sidelined, to the point where many are going out of business.

Of course, those van brokers who partner with us here at Cheap Van Insurance are never left out in the cold. There is always a fresh catch of the day, every day. And as our fishing boat reaches the safety of land, we offer our bounty to both van insurance companies and brokers.

So how do you, the van owner, find your way into the net so you can put yourself in the fish market, so to speak? It’s easy…

…all you have to do is fill in the form which can be found at the top of the page you are reading right now. Then, spend around 3 minutes filling in the form and then, just press the “submit” button.

You instantly get around 40 quotes from both trusted van insurance companies and brokers, which puts YOU firmly in control.

This is the point where…the fish becomes a shark.

Back to Aviva and a spokesperson for their company had this to say – “Brokers still get the normal commissions, but we take out the costs and pass on those cost benefits to those who use it. We don’t have any transaction fees from software houses so the prices should be cheaper than the average that they would normally access. It’s a good deal.”

My opinion? Aviva might be on to something here, who knows for sure? What I do know is that both van insurance brokers and van owners should start right here, at The Nations Favourite.

If you are a van insurance broker who wants to get in on the action then give us a ring. We might be able to include you in our comparison service…although places are strictly limited and the application process is tough. We only take the best.

If you are a van owner then all you have to do is fill in the 3 minute form. You only get quotes from the best of the best.

Speaking of the best…I’ve just received a text from our CNR who is on route to Dundee.

“Motorway Mayhem and Meerkat Madness…” was the only words he wrote.

Something tells me we are in for another wild ride. Stay tuned.

The Cardiff Incident – RE: White Van Man

Posted on by News Desk

As I walked back towards the CVI limo I noticed the windows were steamed up. “What are you doing?” I demanded to know…

Hi, It’s the CNR from CVI here and I am probably getting ahead of myself a bit. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Ok, here is the bizarre story, involving a…yep you got it, a white van man.

As CVI enthusiasts will know I’ve been in Cardiff on tour, seeking out stories about white van men becoming “unhinged” in this “summer of scam” that is going on right now, as we speak.

I wasn’t disappointed .As soon as I took to the streets of Cardiff I found plenty of stories about white van drivers being unleashed and unchained.

At the end of a long day filling up my notebook with stories I decided it was time to take a break and get some food before heading back to the hotel for the night.

“Take me to Tesco,” I said to the Limo driver, and with those words he drove me through the quiet Cardiff streets to the supermarket car park.

“I’m going to get a pot noodle, do you want anything?” I asked the limo driver.

“yes get me a beef and tomato flavour,” he replied.

“Ok…oh and put the kettle on while I’m gone…we need it for our pot noodles,” I said.

Tesco was empty which meant I quickly located the pot noodle aisle and found a chicken and mushroom flavour for me and beef and tomato for the driver, then I headed for the checkout.

With two pot noodles firmly in hand I walked back out into the quiet car park and what I saw next I couldn’t believe. The end of the day suddenly became the headline of the day.

My first reaction was to drop the pot noodles and reach for my Motorola, but then I remembered it didn’t have a camera. So I did what any Chief News Reporter would do in this situation…I got out my notebook.

I simply wrote what I saw…

“White Volkswagen van driving around Tesco car park, with a man clinging to the top and doing press ups. Another man in the van driving. Man on top still doing press ups. Coked up? Puff the magic dragon? Has the white van man finally become totally unhinged? Still driving around the car park…still doing press ups..it has now driven off into the night.”

What more could I do? I headed towards the limo still in a daze.

As I walked back towards the CVI limo I noticed the windows were steamed up. “What are you doing?” I demanded to know…

The window of the limo opened up slightly and some steam flew out.

“I’m boiling the kettle…for the pot noodles,” the limo driver said.

“Oh” I replied, “of course,” realising I had forgot all about the pot noodles.

I went back and picked them up off the ground and then got in the limo.

We sat there in silence eating our pot noodles. I wasn’t even sure if the limo driver had seen the white van incident because the windows had been steamed up. I wasn’t even sure if this was reality anymore.

Rather than say anything about the incident I decided to finish my pot noodle and then say to the limo driver…

“Take me back to CVI HQ…we must drive through the night.”

I didn’t want to hang around in Cardiff any longer I thought to myself. This summer was getting way too strange.

The Summer of…White Van Women

Posted on by News Desk

Last week our chief news reporter told the truth about white van men. “The summer of scam,” he reported while on the road.

This week a new report landed on our desk here at CVI headquarters, and while our CNR continued to tour the country in the CVI limo and find out the latest news regarding white van men…we decided to push this news story regarding white van women forward.

The report started off with the quote – “Everyone has heard of the white van man, but now it’s the ladies turn.”

What are they basing this on? Well, according to official statistics there was 26,166 women who filled in a van insurance application form last year…compared to 17,198 in 2016.

Right now in 2018 we can only imagine how many women have already got their van insurance online.

Of course, many of them decided to compare van insurance for their white vans right here, at The Nations Favourite.

3 minutes is all any white van woman needs to get around 40 quotes from well known van insurance companies and brokers.

“There is no denying owning a van has many benefits, and it seems female drivers are starting to jump on the bandwagon,” was another quote we found in the report.

Reading on…we discovered that white women van drivers actually pay less than their white van men husbands and brothers…£181 less in fact, with an average quote of £1025 per year for coverage.

Perhaps more women are visiting CVI than men, and that is the main reason why they get cheaper van insurance? It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

As regular readers are well aware, the white van men are too busy causing mayhem on our nations roads and appearing in court – “white van men unhinged,” it was called.

Meanwhile the white van women were accessing CVI on their computers, laptops, tablets and mobile phones, and then getting cheaper quotes in only 3 minutes.

One of the boom professions right now that requires a white van is dog walking, and statistics show that females are embracing this profession more than males.

Light commercial vans are typically the main weapon of choice for professional female dog walkers, with white being their preferred colour and CVI being their favourite website.

Self employed female cleaners also enjoyed getting cheap van insurance on their white vans…while female care assistants also got great prices.

Let’s just hope these white van women don’t go the way of the white van man, although if there is any unleashings, unchainings or if any white van woman becomes unhinged, then you will be the first to hear about here at The Nations Favourite.

Speaking of which…we have just received a text from our CNR out who is touring the country in the CVI limo.

“You are not going to believe what just happened in Cardiff…” he wrote.

Stay tuned for the full story.

Summer of Scam – White Van Men Unhinged

Posted on by News Desk

Unchained, unleashed and….unhinged? That is the word on the street of where white van drivers are right now.

We wanted it to be different. Only a few weeks ago everyone here at CVI HQ, well, we all joined hands and sang Mariah Carey songs in honour of White van men.

Our reporter was given a stern telling off with strict orders to stop the outrageous headlines when it came to our nations white van owners.

However…reports of white van mayhem kept on piling up on the desk. The phone rang around the clock and every way we turned there seemed to be more stories about the white van man becoming unhinged…yet again.

“We can’t hide the truth forever,” we said. So the only option was to give the truth torch back to our chief news reporter who was in Somerset covering a story about lampposts.

Over to the reporter…

Hi, It’s the chief news reporter from CVI.

After the humiliation of being made to sing Mariah Carey songs I had been relegated to reporting on vanilla stories in the van world – I was on my way back to HQ after a visit to Somerset when a text came through to my Motorola from HQ.

”White van drivers unhinged…tell the truth…” said the text.

Those are the only words I needed to hear.

“Turn the CVI limo around,” I said to the driver, “and head towards the action…”

The first stop on our tour was to the city of Edinburgh, North of the Border. It was there I came across a story of how a white van man had been caught speeding twice, but then, doctored photos of his van and sent hoax images to Edinburgh police.

“The summer of scam,” was the first words I wrote in my notepad.

This particular white van owner eventually got caught, and is now serving 6 months behind bars for his trouble.

“Next stop…Sunderland,” I said to the CVI limo driver, and in a few hours we arrived South of the Border to the North East English city.

It was there I learned of an incident that happened recently, involving a…yes, you guessed it…white van man!

This guy from Sunderland “borrowed” his mates white Ford transit van while high on Puff, the magic dragon, and then played “hogs of the road” for 60 miles, leaving behind him a trail of destruction.

Police eventually caught up with him, and he was recently sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work, 15 rehabilitation days and £85 quid in court costs.

I was going to interview some witnesses in Sunderland that witnessed the rampage but then I got another text from HQ…”go to Bedfordshire,” were the words on my Motorola.

So the CVI limo was back on the road yet again and once in Bedfordshire we learned of yet more white van mayhem.

This time a white van ploughed in the wall of cottage in a quiet village, although the white van man himself was far from innocent.

“Coked up!” is the words I wrote in my notepad after interviewing witnesses to the event.

The driver was high on on his own supply as he drove the Citroen Berlingo directly through a hedge and into the wall of a cottage.

Police caught the driver, and he has since been sentenced to 14 months in the slammer.

I’ve just got another text through from HQ. It looks as though this is going to be a busy summer.

“Drive me to Cardiff,” I’ve just said to the CVI limo driver.

Stay tuned for more updates…

Van Meets Lamppost in Somerset – “I Can’t Believe It”

Posted on by News Desk

Somerset…the land of rolling hills, endless farm land and apples, so sweet and tasty, you could eat them all day.

It is also the land of lampposts, according to one resident who wishes to remain nameless. Although many of these lampposts are positioned away from the road, in designated pedestrian areas that are safe for power walkers and joggers.

So you can imagine the confusion when residents of a sleepy Somerset village awoke one morning and they looked out of their windows and saw…a council van smashed into a lamppost

This wasn’t an ordinary crash either. This was a full on SMASH. The kind of collision which means the van was a total writeoff.

What makes this story even more bizarre is the fact that the lamppost was nowhere near a road. Farm land? Yes. Apple trees? Yes…but roads? No.

According to one eye witness the council van had the wing completely ripped off and was in a state of such destruction the only logical place to take it was the scrap yard.

It really does make you wonder just what happened here? What caused this van to take a detour away from the roads and then drive along a pedestrian zone with such speed and power…that the collision meant a total writeoff.

Obviously the residents of this Somerset wanted answers so they turned up outside the council offices (without pitchforks) and demanded a spokesperson for Somerset council address the crowd.

It seems the South Somerset District Council are still not entirely sure what exactly happened, which means the crowd didn’t get the answers they demanded.

An official statement has mentioned that an investigation has been launched into the matter and the driver of the council van is unhurt but embarrassed

Apparently, one resident did offer the van driver a cup of tea although any other information is still light on the ground.

One clue that may shed some light on the situation is a grainy photo taken on the morning when the carnage was discovered.

While it isn’t exactly clear what we are looking at, the picture does seem to suggest the lamppost was directly in the middle of the foot path.

Could the council van have been trying to pull off some kind of spectacular manoeuvrer to swerve around the lamppost..only to have lost control at the last second? We may never find out the exact answer.

It remains a mystery, but the one thing that doesn’t remain a mystery is how to get cheap van insurance.

Van owners in Somerset flock here to CVI every year, and every year they are rewarded with cheap van insurance.

Why Haven’t Van Owners Been Told About The “Peel and Steal”?

Posted on by News Desk

Van criminals are roaming the streets looking for YOUR parked van and they have one simple magic move that instantly works.

It’s called the “peel and steal,” which one expert described as like “peeling the top from a can of sardines.”

These van thieves are not smart and they don’t have expertise…but when breaking into a van is as simple as opening a tin of fish, then it’s no wonder we are right in the middle of…

The biggest van crime spree in the history of the world.

That’s right. At no other point in history has van crime been so easy for criminals. Even complete idiots with no previous criminal education or experience…even they are “peeling and stealing” their way to the top.

Thousands of pounds worth of tools are swiped in seconds, and then gone. Without warning and without any clue.

“I’m baffled,” Police officers are known for saying when they eventually turn up to the crime scene.

“What should I do now?” you ask.

“My only advice would be to visit Cheap Van Insurance,” the Police officer would offer, as a way to protect yourself in the future.

“Yes…I’m beginning to wish I had gone to Cheap Van Insurance before this whole mess occurred,” you might reply.

“Everybody says that…” the police officer says before beginning to walk away…

“Oh, and just one more thing…” he would say as leaving your house

“Where were you the night this happened…?”

I think we can all agree the only way for every single van owner in the UK to protect themselves against the “peel and steal” is to take 3 minutes of your time and fill in the form here at Cheap Van Insurance.

Even if it wasn’t recommended by the law and talked about by those in authority, it would still be the place to be.

Do you know why? Cheap van insurance quotes…that is why.

Protection against the peel and steal is important, but the cheapest van insurance quotes in the UK is even more enjoyable.

Why pay more, year after year, when you could be paying less. Stick your fingers up to your van insurance company and never look back.

“I’m going to CVI,” you say, and with those words you are on the road to saving a fortune.

So take action right now and join the thousands of van owners who insure their van and tools at prices many would not believe…if they didn’t see the quotes right there in front of them.

“It’s just like magic,” said one van owner.

Step 1

Complete your quick and easy quote

Step 2

Reveal your van insurance policies

Step 3

Pick your favourite and get instant cover