Brexit & Green Cards

Winglider

Ex-Wiinglider
IBA Member
#1
I have just phoned up my Insurance company and asked about issuing me with a green card, as we are meant to be leaving the EU at sometime this year ! ! !o_Oo_O

As I am planning to do several of the EURO RTE's. I thought it was a good Idea to get something sorted out,
Now this is where it gets very interesting. I was informed that my insurers, that shall remain nameless at the moment. That they only issue green cards for individual trips with specific dates and are charging £15.00 per card per trip. I asked if I could have a card for the year? Computer say's NO :mad::mad::mad:
I pointed out that I had read on the internet that, there were several insurance companies issuing green cards free of charge. I informed that I thought they were taking advantage of the current situation. :confused::confused:The young lady explained that due to the increase in paperwork, at the moment due to requests for green cards that they had to make a charge.
I told her I felt that they were ripping me off. (I already pay a lot for comprehensive insurance).I asked her to register an official complaint as a customer which she agreed to do. (I wonder what my insurance will cost me next year).

She then asked if she could call me back as she wanted to speak to their underwriters directly on this matter.

While I was waiting for her to call me back, I went on line and found that one of the major UK underwriters issue Green cards FOC. Unfortunately not mine who shall also remain nameless at the moment (but power to my argument).;);)
A short while later I got the phone call back from Devitts (bugger now I’ve given the insurers name away). I was informed that the underwriters Aviva, (bugger done it again) had agreed to issue me with a green card for the remainder of the year and it would be issued free of charge.:D:D:D
I hate complaining but sometimes it works.
PS
When are we leaving the EU?
 

Jonnyp

IBA Member
#3
The buggers... I phoned BMW Motorrad Insurance last Thursday, which is run by Devitt and got exactly the same story... one green card per trip and £12.50 each time...”bugger that” I said, “I’ve got six trips planned this year”... after a short “are you taking the piss” conversation I was put on hold as the chap I was talking to said, he was going to talk to....the Green Card Team... (yea...right).. when he came back I got the... as you’re a long standing customer routine, we are prepared to give you a full green card for the rest of your insurance year...it was only renewed on the 16th of March so that’s pretty close to a full year (although as I said I was going away on the 26th of April that’s when it starts...). He said there was an admin fee of £12.50 which I paid (and didn’t mind ‘till now). When I got home on Sunday after the weekend’s DB ride, there it was...

The odd thing is... my underwriter is AXA.....could Devitt possibly be pulling a fast one........:rolleyes:

PS...
Not soon enough Steve....
 
#4
i think wait and see what happens next with regards to eu travel so not booking anything in either way. in fact not sure anybody is leaving anything yet Mark Twain quote " if voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it"

so come April the situation could be clearer or maybe not
 

Winglider

Ex-Wiinglider
IBA Member
#5
Whilst we are on the subject of Brexit.
Do I need to have any vacinations becuase we are or maybe not leaving the EU ???
And still on a biking matter this is a complaint I sent to WH Smith today,

I visited your store in Burgess Hill store in Sussex today (Wednesday) with the intention of ordering a book that I required.

A Hynes workshop manual for BMW R1200 Dohc Liquid-cooled twins by Matthew Coombs and I wanted to use a national book token that I had been gifted.

ISBN13: 9781785212819

On my first visit

I was told by the very helpful assistant that she could not order the book as she was unfamiliar with the new ordering system that W H Smiths had just been installed on their computer system the previous week. And asked if I could wait for the other assistant who may now more about it. This I agreed to do but I could not wait long as I was looking after an elderly gentleman who was in a coffee shop opposite.

After waiting approximately 5 minutes with no indication when the other assistant was going to return. I agreed that I would return in 10 minutes to try again. Which I did and with both the first and the second assistant, tried to order the book to no avail.

They appeared to be having trouble using the system due to not knowing what they were doing, which I felt was due to inadequate training and possibly an incorrect pass word. I could not wait any longer so gave up.

I will try again next Wednesday to order the book. In fact it would be nice if you could possibly order the book in for me and have it ready to pick up, to save me from any further inconvenience. Or at least have your staff fully trained in how to use your book ordering system, as this is what you are suppose to do sell Books ! !

Many Thanks

MR S A Westall

(for someone that hates complaining, I'am doing OK today). :p:p:p

You never know they may give me a free book :cool::cool:
 

Kim Leeson

IBAUK Shopkeeper
Premier Member
IBA Member
#6
Well, Bennetts just issued a free GC but only for 15 days, for my other trips they said it could be done over the Bennetts Webchat in seconds...
hmmm. Off to Post Office this weekend for a 1968 IDP...bloody Brexit!
 
#7
Could you not get the manual as a download, i find this much better as it stops a mountain of manuals building up and you can take it with you on your electronic device (laptop tablet) i have mine on a usb stick just for convenience
 

Winglider

Ex-Wiinglider
IBA Member
#8
Could you not get the manual as a download, i find this much better as it stops a mountain of manuals building up and you can take it with you on your electronic device (laptop tablet) i have mine on a usb stick just for convenience
Got the manual on a disc but don't like the way it shows how to do things, maybe because it's all a bit new to me.:eek::eek:

But I do have fond memories of rebuilding a Vauxhall Viva engine 40 years ago, using just a Haynes manual.
I am hoping they haven’t changed the format to much. :):)
 

Jonnyp

IBA Member
#9
1968 IDP procured today....last one at my local post office. Apparently they’ve had a run on them. :rolleyes:

£5.50.....plus the cost of the mug shots...

This Brexit lark is just a money spinner...I’m going back next week for the 1949 and the 1926 IDP’s....;)
 

John ZRX

Active Member
#10
Got the manual on a disc but don't like the way it shows how to do things, maybe because it's all a bit new to me.:eek::eek:

But I do have fond memories of rebuilding a Vauxhall Viva engine 40 years ago, using just a Haynes manual.
I am hoping they haven’t changed the format to much. :):)
Wow. Just had a misty eyed flahback moment, there. I did exactly the same on my Vauxhall Viva (vinyl roof and all that) around 1980, alone in my garage, top end and bottom end just using Haynes, a pretty basic tool kit and a cheap cord pully strung from a roof beam. Great step by step system worked for me. Ran fine til I sold it on. Wouldn't dare touch a modern engine but still get the manuals for other bits. I prefer the books too as I am constanlty flipping pages back and forth to recheck stuff.
 

Winglider

Ex-Wiinglider
IBA Member
#11
Wow. Just had a misty eyed flahback moment, there. I did exactly the same on my Vauxhall Viva (vinyl roof and all that) around 1980, alone in my garage, top end and bottom end just using Haynes, a pretty basic tool kit and a cheap cord pully strung from a roof beam. Great step by step system worked for me. Ran fine til I sold it on. Wouldn't dare touch a modern engine but still get the manuals for other bits. I prefer the books too as I am constanlty flipping pages back and forth to recheck stuff.
I didn't have an engine lift at the time, just grabbed the engine and hoofed it out. Without a doubt young and bullet proof. (I wonder now why I have got a bad back now)?:D:D

I can remember that I took a few weeks to repair the engine with a rebore new rings and pistons and rebuild the engine. And fit it all back into the car. Just working on it for a couple of hours a night, in a freezing cold garage, with a 60 watt light bulb, at the bottom of the garden after a day’s work.

It ran fine for about two weeks, and then developed a miss fire.:mad: I found it was the drive shaft that ran through the distributer, the bottom end of the shaft had been machined as standard to leave an offset tongue that located in the offset slot at the top end of the shaft coming out of the oil pump. And on one side of the slot on that shaft had broken away. Allowing the drive to be sloppy and cause the miss fire.:(:(

Oh joy of joy, the oil pump was mounted in the bottom of the sumpo_Oo_O

So out came the engine again by hand, all stripped down. A new oil pump fitted. Rebuild the engine, and fit it back into the car. Just working on it for a couple of hours a night, in a freezing cold garage, with a 60 watt light bulb, at the bottom of the garden after a day’s work. Sound familiar.

It ran fine after that, but I vowed I would never never rebuild an engine or carry out any serious work on a car again. And I haven’t.
Isn’t strange that I have vivid memories of this from 40+ years ago. But cannot remember what I just got up to the kitchen for. :D:D:D
 
#16
Yea....it was on the back of a scrap wagon, on to the way to the German Museum of Comedy for an exhibition of What The British F@“ked Up after 1945.....i.e our automotive industry....

It’s one of many such exhibitions...along with our road network entitled “How Many Fu&@*ng Pot Holes” another is the series of seminars on “How to De-Nationalise All Your Vital Utilities” and then sell them to the French....

I also think I saw a life size model of Theresa May going to Brussels.... no doubt it will have more success than the real one.....

I’ll get my coat.......
 

GSears

Dambuster... Bouncing panniers...
Premier Member
IBA Member
#17
I remember a Stipendiary Magistrate (District Judge now) asking a traffic officer "PC Webb could you tell me what an Austin All-agro is, please?"
 
#19
vauxhall viva engines are as about as simple as they get. Just had the conversation regarding a V 8 JAG engine thats gone wrong and cant find a local garage that will touch it even the specialist is shying away from the job. haven't looked at it myself but apparently there are a lot of specialist tools.
Gone are the good old days when anyone could strip and build vehicles with a basic kit of tools. Myself i believe it all to be part of a great plan to force you back to the main dealers whereby its to expensive to fix due to their labour costs so you buy a new one. rather makes recycling a plastic bottle a bit of a joke.
in reality a piston engine is still the same just the design that has changed to prevent or make more difficult home or independent repairs.