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Are you insured for alien abduction? What about if an asteroid hits destroying all life as we know it?
Sounds crazy, doesn’t it, but you are definitely paying for insurance that is just as ridiculous and useless to you – and leaving yourself massively exposed to where you should be seeking out financial protection.
This week on the It’s Your Money podcast, Laura and Sam go behind the scenes of the 300 year old insurer Lloyds of London to find out how companies decide the cost of a risky gamble, and why only half the chairs in the building have backs.
They also speak to Martyn James, a lifelong insurance geek who fights to get consumers a fair deal on everything from car cover premiums to mobile phone add-ons, about the sales practices to avoid and why you should always complain if your insurer refuses to payout.
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Can I claim on my insurance if I get jilted at the altar?
Resolver, a free service, can help people sort out problems with an insurance claim. Martyn James from the company has seen it all, from insuring bits of your body to what happens when your employees win the lottery. Are any of these wacky policies actually worth it?
Weddings
Be aware you can’t insure the most important thing of all – that the love of your life will say yes. Some policies do have advance cancelation cover but it won’t help you if you’re left alone at the altar.
Body parts
You can insure your legs like Beckham (£100m) if you can explain what level of cover you’re looking for, why the part is important and maintain the item appropriately.
Alien abduction
As many as 30,000 policies are protecting people against unauthorised space kidnap and probing. You’ll be covered for kidnapping, organ removal/mutilation, pregnancy.
Gazumping
Those who swoop in get your dream property despite the deal being agreed are not as common as you may think but for a flat fee of under £100, most policies offer cover up to £1,500 for many of the costs you might incur as a result of unscrupulous sellers, capped and with a time limit of around 6 months.
Identity theft
Many people have been misled into taking out policies for this like replacing stolen cards done anyway by your bank or card provider.
Finally….
For any insurance, make sure you’ve followed the terms in your policy, report the problem promptly, and if you are told to go away by your insurer, always take your complaint further to a consumer rights group like Resolver or the Financial Ombudsman Service.
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