Norwich Union Direct

In the old days the old creaking giant Norwich Union had a bit of poor reputation with a lot of bikers, mainly due to their rather high premiums and hassles trying to get any money out of them when your bike goes walkies.

These days, now that bikes are fashionable again and selling in relatively large numbers, NU have cottoned on to the fact that they have to be a little more personable to encourage more custom with so much competition flying around.

I joined NU back in 87 at the tender age of 25 tootling along on a 125. Fortunately comprehensive insurance wasn't too bad then because they reckon that when you reach a certain age (25 plus usually) they keep the premiums relatively low.

Its only when I wanted to make a claim did they make it awkward - delaying tactics, low compensation offers, double checking testimonies etc. And then of course they go a bump up your next premium even though it wasn't your fault in the first place.

So I took my business elsewhere for about 13 years until returning to the fold somewhat tentatively last year.

Their on-line website is a good place to get a quote. And they do offer some very good deals for bikers, especially for the over 30s. The only sticking point is the almost mandatory request to have some kind of recognised alarm fitted otherwise it all goes pear shaped.

They are very friendly over the phone, especially if you mention your age, that you've got a garage and an alarm fitted.

At present Ive had two good years with them and very reasonable premiums. I hope they've learnt from their past mistakes, by putting the interests of the customer first.

If you're a born again biker, or an experienced rider with plenty of years behind you, give NU Direct another go.

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