Tag: van insurance

New Study – Best Places to Appeal Van Parking Tickets

Posted on by News Desk

Ever wondered why you always seem to get a parking ticket? It’s because you are a van driver…that’s why.

I’ve reported before about how van drivers are being singled out by over eager traffic wardens, with some owners getting a ticket when their van is parked on the drive at the front of the house. You couldn’t make these kind of stories up.

While there isn’t much you can do about finding a ticket slapped onto your front windscreen, you might be pleased to hear that you can fight back. Even better, according to a new study, there are some places in the UK where you are more likely to be successful in your appeal.

This has led pundits to refer to it as a “ parking ticket postcode lottery,” where some van drivers are going to be successful in their appeals, while others are left wondering just what is going on.

I suppose it is a bit like van insurance really. Some van drivers live in the right postcode and get rewarded with cheap quotes, while others, especially those in East London, get the highest van insurance quotes ever seen.

If you have just been quoted an expensive price for your van insurance, then my advice is to shop around on a website like this one. It only takes a few minutes, and you should start to see cheaper quotes almost instantly.

Back to the parking tickets for van drivers and you are no doubt wondering just what are the best places to appeal? The study mentions that some councils approve almost every appeal while others the ratio is just 1 in 10, so it’s definitely worth knowing which places are the most van driver friendly.

To give you an example of how bizarre this can be…last year a place called Runnymede in Surrey only approved 9% of appeals by van drivers, while just 30 miles away in Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire 95% of the appeals sent in got a stamp of approval.

Other places where you are more likely to find success are Waveney in Suffolk, Swale in Kent, and South Tyneside in Kent.

Should you always appeal a parking ticket though, or are there times when you might be better off just accepting your punishment? In my opinion, if you genuinely are in the wrong then maybe it’s a good idea to simply pay up and move on with your life. However, if you think the parking ticket has been issued unfairly, then fighting back is a good option.

For example, if the signs were wrong, the traffic warden got it wrong, there was an error on the ticket, a thief stole your van and parked illegally, or if you just think you have been singled out because you are a van driver…then do everything in your power to appeal.

You Could be Wasting £350 a Year on Van Insurance

Posted on by News Desk

Research by a well known insurance comparison website has just gave us some interesting facts, but it doesn’t make good reading for van drivers.

What they have found, is that on average, van drivers who do not switch van insurance companies at renewal time are losing out, at about £350 a year.

Not only that, but even smart van drivers who do shop around…even they usually end up losing money. Do you know why? Because they don’t do it at the optimal time.

During their research, this insurance comparison website found that van drivers who make it their goal to switch insurance companies 4 weeks before their renewal date saved the most money, while those who waited right until the last minute typically paid more on average.

The good news is that the law is on your side, as your van insurance company now has to tell you what your insurance cost was last year when it comes time to renew. They also have to announce that comparing van insurance is a great way to save money.

I’ve been saying this for years of course. It appears that everyone in the government agrees with me and all of those van insurance companies do as well.

Sure, they might not enjoy having to tell van drivers to visit a comparison website like the one you are on right now, but at least they are doing the right thing.

Now that van drivers understand they are wasting £350 a year on insurance, will they actually do anything about it? Unfortunately not it seems, because in the last part of the research it clearly says that despite consumers being more educated about the benefits of comparing insurance and switching companies, most people simply put it off, or forget about it, or leave everything to the last minute.

Hopefully, you are not one of these people, and you are on this van insurance comparison website right now because you want to get the best deal.

That is our number 1 goal, and if you take a few minutes of your time to fill in the simple form, then you will instantly start getting quotes from many different companies.

You can then choose the best deal and switch companies if you need to, and although we can’t guarantee you will save £350, you don’t know exactly how much you could save until you give it a try.

Remember, don’t wait right until your renewal time to start comparing van insurance quotes. The optimal time is 4 weeks before.

Van Drivers Warned About Travelling to France

Posted on by News Desk

If you drive a van and are planning a trip to France over the coming weeks, then make sure you don’t get a £117 fine for driving on their roads.

Many people who drive commercial vehicles have to cross the English Channel into France and then make deliveries or collect important stock…but not many drivers are aware of the new law that has just been passed by the French government.

Basically, what this is all about is a new “vehicle emissions sticker” that every vehicle must display on their windscreen. Right now the sticker only costs £3.60, but if caught by French Police without it, then expect to get fined £117 immediately.

You won’t even get a chance to appeal, and you won’t be able to say “do you take a cheque?” From what I’ve been hearing the French Police are taking a zero tolerance stance on this new law, and if you don’t have a sticker then they will immediately whip out their credit card machine and demand instant payment for the fine.

Something tells me they are going to be watching the roads closely for vehicles from abroad driving on their roads, where people behind the wheel are not aware of the new French laws.

This includes van drivers of course, who in my opinion are always easy targets because they are more likely to have money on them. I would expect French Police to prefer cash over credit cards, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they have change on them.

What happens if you can’t pay…will they take your van away? They might just do that, and then you will have to pay even more cash to get it back.

Not only that, but in some circumstances you might even find yourself spending the night in a French jail. It certainly is a bit extreme to think that you are going to get nicked for not having a sticker, but when you are dealing with Police in another country who knows what will happen.

Hopefully, most UK van drivers are aware of this new French law, but if you have a mate or work colleague that is travelling to France soon, you might just want to let them know.

Any driver planning on visiting France in the near future should visit the Crit’Air official website and then order a sticker for £3.60.

Also, make sure you have the correct van insurance for travelling abroad, because the last thing you want is to be pulled over by French Police for no sticker and no insurance.

Prison Van Gets Parking Ticket…Outside a Court

Posted on by News Desk

In news that proves traffic wardens have lost the plot, it was revealed that a prison van got a ticket while parked outside a court in Sussex.

The whole incident was caught on video camera, where the warden can be clearly seen walking directly up to the prison van and then slapping a ticket right on the windscreen…before calmly walking away.

Did he not even notice this was a prison van…outside of a court? If the van wants to park on double yellow lines then it can, because it’s probably there to pick up criminals and take them to prison.

Much better if the driver does that rather than parking half way across town, where a dangerous criminal then has many potential options to escape on the walk from court.

In my opinion, this is just another example of these power hungry traffic wardens and the companies they work for, who seem to think they rule the cities and towns of our country. Well, they don’t, and something needs to be done about it.

Many of you agree with me as well, because every day I am getting emails from van drivers around the country who are fed up of being targeted by these traffic wardens.

A lot of hard working van owners are simply trying to get a job done or make a delivery, only to find a parking ticket on the windscreen as soon as they go to get a cup of tea. It just isn’t on.

As if you all don’t have enough expenses to be contending with right now, such as van insurance and tax…do you really need these parking firms adding more expense to your accounts? I don’t think so.

Unfortunately, fighting back against parking tickets is usually a waste of time, even when you drive a prison van it seems.

Instead, the best way to fight back against expensive motoring is to always compare van insurance when you have to renew.

Never let your policy auto renew, because I can tell you now that you won’t be getting the best deal if you do that, because your current insurer wants to get as much money out of you as they can.

You have to be smarter about van insurance in order to win, and it starts by using a comparison website.

This puts you back in control, and gives you some bargaining power if you want to confront your current insurer about their expensive prices. They are more willing to listen if you have other offers on the table.

Floyd Mayweather has UK Van Insurance

Posted on by News Desk

The boxer Floyd Mayweather is currently on a tour of the UK, but he didn’t expect to get his van firebombed by thugs in Birmingham.

Well, that is exactly what happened, where outside of a nightclub one of his TMT branded vans was firebombed which then led to a blaze where firefighters had to be called to the scene.

TMT stands for “The Money Team” if you didn’t know, and is typically a group of people that follow Floyd around.

No doubt they were all enjoying their trip to the UK, and if reports are to be trusted then some of TMT invited a few women from the nightclub back to their van outside and insisted that no boyfriends were allowed.

It appears that some of the boyfriends didn’t like the idea of their women entering the TMT van, and this is when the firebombing took place. Who knows exactly who did this…maybe jealous boyfriends had nothing to do with it? Fortunately, no-one was hurt.

The whole incident got the attention of Floyd Mayweather though, and the next day after moving from Birmingham to Newcastle, the Police decided to give him and the whole of TMT some extra protection.

This leads us to the question…did Floyd Mayweather have UK van insurance? Obviously the guy has made millions from his boxing career, so could easily pay for a new vehicle with the cash in his pocket no doubt, but, it doesn’t matter how rich or famous you are…getting insured is a legal requirement.

Our understanding here at Cheap Van Insurance is that Floyd Mayweather did have the correct insurance for all vehicles that were being used by himself and TMT…they may have even used a comparison website to get the cheapest deal, although those reports are yet to be confirmed.

Many people have probably heard of Floyd Mayweather being mentioned recently in connection with UFC star Conor Mcgregor, with a potential superfight on the table.

If they fight in a boxing ring then Floyd should win quite easily, but it would probably be the biggest PPV of all time, meaning that both guys would make a lot of money.

There are no reports about whether or not Floyd will be meeting with Conor during his tour of the UK, although if he travels to Ireland where Conor lives, then he should be aware he will need to get Irish van insurance to lawfully drive on the roads over there.

Let’s just hope Floyd and TMT get all of their van insurance sorted out, and there are no more incidents while he is here.

Van Driver Takes on Crash for Cash Gang

Posted on by News Desk

It is typically cars that are associated with the crash for cash scam, usually these gangs leave van drivers well alone…until now that is.

Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary for the van driver who was no doubt on his way somewhere important, when suddenly and without warning, the car in front slammed on its brakes and caused the van to crash into the back.

There appears to have been another car in front of the one that braked, although that quickly sped off after the incident.

The collision was only at 5mph, but enough to cause a bit of damage. However, the van driver immediately became suspicious about what had just happened.

No doubt the van driver had read about these crash for cash scams before, and how criminal gangs are roaming the country looking for innocent victims.

Well, he wasn’t going to accept the blame here, and instead, decided to confront them about the fact they were trying to pull a fast one. It seems they were in no mood for a showdown, and decided to make a quick exit away from the scene.

Fortunately, he was quick thinking, and got out his phone to take pictures of the men and their car before they got away. Not only that, but he also put in a call to his van insurance company to let them know what just happened.

Long story short…and the 3 guys did try to make a claim against this innocent guys van insurance…but he didn’t just take it and decided to get the Police involved. It quickly became apparent that not all was legit here, and in no time at all the 3 guys were arrested.

It turned out they were part of a criminal gang who had been doing the crash for cash scam all over England, and they might have continued to get away with it if they had just stayed away from van drivers.

Moral of the story…don’t try and scam van drivers. You won’t win, and will probably end up in prison just like these 3 guys have.

That’s right. The 3 people in the car have just been sentenced to 17 months, 15 months and 14 months respectively, which means they will have a bit of time to think about a career change maybe? I doubt it. They will be out and about on the roads again in a few months time.

Anyway, it’s good to see people are beginning to get wise about these crash for cash scams, and if drivers, insurance companies and the Police are willing to work together, I don’t think there is any reason why there can’t be more success stories like this.

Thieves use “Magic Keys” to Unlock Vans

Posted on by News Desk

Just when you thought van crime couldn’t get anymore unusual, well it did…this time in a place called Stapleford, a town in Nottingham.

So what exactly happened here? It appears that criminals have been purchasing “magic keys” on the internet, which basically are able to unlock certain types of vans, mainly Ford vans I’ve been hearing.

One of the recent victims to these thieves is a Stapleford Roofer, after his van was broken into and tools stolen while parked overnight on New Eatons Road. Drills, impact drivers and saws were taken, with an estimated value of around £1500.

Of course, there was no sign of a break in when he went to his van in the morning, and it was only once he checked in the back did he realise what had gone on. The thieves had simply unlocked the van with the magic keys, and then proceeded to grab as much as they could before disappearing into the night.

Anyone that lives in Stapleford will know this is a common occurrence, but it makes it even more frustrating that van thieves are now able to do it so easily. With most break ins they can be done in seconds, and then off with thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

In situations like this many van owners decide against claiming on their insurance though. Why? Because they lose valuable no claims bonuses, which only serves to make their van insurance more expensive the following year.

For most people, they decide to simply buy some more tools out of their own pocket, sometimes on the second hand market to keep costs low.

If you ask me there needs to be something done about these so called “magic keys” that are being sold on the internet. Very often criminals can get them for under £20.

I’m really not sure what is going on here but it has to stop…the Police and van manufacturers should work together to put an end to this problem once and for all.

Sure, you are never going to stop van break ins completely, but when you make it this easy for a thief to break in to vans then it’s laughable really.

People are having their businesses almost destroyed just because people in authority won’t do anything about these keys being sold on the internet…hopefully that is about to change.

Towns close to Stapleford have also been experiencing a wave of van break ins, with Eastwood being one of the main areas after 10 thefts were reported within 5 days. All of these vans were Ford Transit brands, which means it looks like the internet keys worked their magic for the criminals once again.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police recently said, “we would like to remind all van owners to remove their tools from their vehicle when it is left unattended overnight.”

I agree. Yes it is a hassle, especially after a long day at work, but when you have criminals going around who can break in to vans within seconds, the only way to stop them is by having nothing in the van to steal. It really is the only way.

Also I would just like to remind everybody to always compare van insurance when it comes time to renew. This can easily save you a few hundred quid, so definitely worth it.

Van Driver Fined £5000 for Parking in his Own Driveway

Posted on by News Desk

There are many places that van drivers can get fined for parking, but in your own driveway is not somewhere you would expect to get a ticket.

Unfortunately though, this is exactly what has happened to van driver Dave Tooke, who over the last two years received 53 parking tickets that total £5000 in fines, despite being parked in his own driveway.

Just what is going on here? It was only a few weeks ago I reported on how van drivers were being stopped from buying new houses because the building companies don’t want them parking their vehicle in the neighbourhoods..well, it now seems that van drivers can’t park anywhere.

Thousands of ordinary van drivers are being stopped from parking their vehicles, and if you ask me it just isn’t on. Something needs to be done, even if it means getting a petition started so that politicians and local councils will stand up and take notice. I for one, would sign it.

This all comes at a time of course that van insurance is also becoming more expensive. There isn’t a day that goes by without people contacting me complaining about how their premiums are £200, £400, and even £500 more expensive than last year, and to those people I say…always compare van insurance, and don’t be loyal to any insurance company because they don’t deserve your loyalty.

Fortunately, it only takes about 3 minutes to fill in the form on this very site, and then once you click send your details are sent off to hundreds of the van insurance companies. This is what I suggest every van driver in the UK does if they want to save money.

Back to the parking situation and it appears that Dave Tooke has been living in his £400,000 3 bed house for 4 years now, and for the first 2 years he didn’t have any problems at all, parking his van on the driveway in front of his house.

The last 2 years has been a different story though, and its been problem after problem according to Dave with fines coming left, right and centre from people in authority that just don’t want him to park his van on the estate.

It really does seem that van drivers are being singled out here. Who knows why exactly, but there are many people out there who don’t want tradesmen living in their area.

At the end of the day, Dave can afford the £400,000 house, so he really should not have to deal with this. If the real estate company didn’t want van owners living on the estate then they should have communicated that when he bought the house…not 2 years later.

They were fine taking his £400,000 it would appear, but now they have forgotten all about that. I’ve said before that when things are going well these building and real estate companies get a bit too choosy.

Hopefully Dave can get this whole situation sorted out, and just be left alone to park his van on the property that he paid for.

Vanarama Now Offer Van Insurance

Posted on by News Desk

You’ve no doubt heard that advert theme song on the TV, “Van-a-rama,” but did you know they now offer van insurance? Yes they do.

Vanarama Insurance Services is their name, and giving you multi-year policies is their game. Basically, what they are doing is allowing small business customers to combine lease and insurance costs.

Does this work out cheaper though if you are currently leasing a van or looking to lease a van? It all depends really, because at the end of the day if you only get one quote from Vanarama then you have nothing to compare it against.

The moral of the story here is to get a quote from Vanarama, but also, compare van insurance from as many companies as possible. You can do this right here by filling in a simple form that takes about 3 minutes.

Once you have as many quotes a s possible, then you will know for sure what the best option is. It might be Vanarama or it might be another company.

Something that did impress me when reading about this new van insurance service being offered by Vanarama is the fact they offer a guarantee on the cost of your policy, which means it won’t become more expensive.

I think a lot of other van insurance companies should take note of this…it’s called rewarding customers for their loyalty, something that we don’t hear much of these days.

However, this guarantee is only offered when you take out out a lease on a van for at least 3 years and then buy insurance at the same time. Make sure you read the small print and don’t sign anything until you are fully aware what you are agreeing to.

There are many people out there who are eager to start their own business and see leasing a van as a viable option. Sometimes it can be, but in a lot of situations it might be a better solution to wait until you have a bit of money saved up and then buy a second hand van.

The problem with leasing a van for people who are just starting out in business is that those monthly payments can be difficult to make when you are getting your first few customers.

Many people then take out loans to make these payments, but then find they can’t make the loan payments. In no time at all their business is no longer profitable and they go find a job instead.

I’m not trying to put anyone off starting a business or leasing a van here, all I am saying is that be realistic about your finances and don’t sign anything unless you can comfortably afford to make repayments.

Maybe Vanarama is the right choice for you, just make sure you compare van insurance first so you get as many quotes as possible.

Derbyshire Police to Focus on Van Break Ins

Posted on by News Desk

Police around the country do their best to stop van break ins, but in Derbyshire they are setting up a team to focus all their efforts on this problem.

This comes at a time when reports of criminal incidents involving vans has become a daily occurrence in Derbyshire, especially with trade vehicles that keep a lot of power tools in the vehicle overnight.

Specifically, the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales have become local areas where van break ins are happening just about every week, and this has led to the Police stepping in to take action.

“Despite our best efforts, theft from vans continues to be an issue in the High Peak and also Derbyshire Dales,” commented a spokesperson for the Police.

In my opinion this is definitely something the Police need to do something about, because if they don’t, then it is almost certain that many van drivers in Derbyshire will see their van insurance become more expensive.

We are already in a time where van insurance companies are finding any excuse to make it more expensive…why give them another one? Everybody wants to pay less, not more.

It’s not just the Police who need to take action though, the van owners should also be doing their bit. For example, if you own a van and leave tools stored in the back overnight, then criminals will notice. Don’t think you can get away with it or it won’t happen to you, the chances are it will.

This is why you should always take all tools out of the van at the end of a working day and store them somewhere safer…somewhere which is more difficult for thieves to get to.

The main reason why so many of these criminal gangs go after vans is because they are easy to break into. However, when you start storing tools in the garage or in your house then thieves will probably just move on.

Yes it does take a bit more time at the end of the day to take your tools out of the van, but it’s just one of those jobs that needs to be done.

Also, you might want to try making sure the van is always probably locked up before going into your house at night.

Many times, van owners simply forget to secure their doors. Not only that, but try and park your van off the street if possible, in a garage is ideal, but if it has to be on the street then park it in a well-lit area.

It won’t guarantee that your van is 100% safe from criminals, but it makes it a more challenging van to break in to and the chances are they will move onto another one.

If all van owners in the UK followed this simple advice then van break ins would become less of a problem, and more importantly, cheaper van insurance is something most people could find.

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