Zurich has separate claims dept. for foreigners (which is shared with Züritel). They don't speak English to provide better service to expats, but rather have less flexible procedures in place.

Now where is my tin foil hat?

Sorry, I know this is a little off-topic for this thread, but I am a little puzzled here. Are you saying that the Patrol driver made a calculated decision and deliberately crash into (or brushed past) your car, for no other purpose than trying to make money?

If that's the case, they must have been quite a good driver - to pull off a stunt like that and be sure in advance that the damage would be so minimal as not to really need repairing! After all, just a few more millimetres and the damage could have been quite different. I certainly wouldn't have the confidence for skill to pull something off like that, especially at the spur of the moment!

Frankly this is bollocks. I've had two claims through Zurich and they've been dealt with by Zurich claims departments.

But then again, I can communicate with them in a local language or two

Off top: What kind of car you guys are driving?

I was just told by Winterthur that I must take a 3-year contract. Is this true?
They added that due to a new law in favor of individuals, even with this 3-year contract, I can break it at any time if I sell the car.
And FYI, Winterthur is coming through much cheaper than Zurich Connect, oddly, despite matching same coverage levels. For those also looking for insurance now.

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Hi, washbrol
I just will answer the most important question. Yes. You will. You can break each contract of a car insurance in Switzerland of any insurance company in the case you will change or sell your car.

It is a new rule. That rule started with January of the firsth last year, 2007.
In a case of car changing you can quit any car insurance contract and you will get the sume of money back that was being paid for the insurance.

There are more items that allows you get rid off insurance company if want.
For example if company is about changing it wil make you known about change - so you can quit too.

The most important thing is to be in a good fellow relation to your advisor.
It will help mostly if you had some troubles.

Nowaday is very easy to quit a car insurance. It is no matter to do it. You can have in the morning hours one company and afternoon one another as your insurer. The rules of changing the company by changing the car can be misused each time you think about it and each time you wish. And there is since 01.01.2007 misused so many times that make very negative points to all of us and the costs of that in the end will pay the customer and he is paying,
unfortunately. I know that theme very well.

The best situation is to have good service and to find a fair advisor.
An insurance can costs 150 CHF more - the most important thing is that helps and pays if it should.

Have a great and nice weekend.

Arek Kasprowski
Zurich 05.01.2008

has anyone here got any stories to tell about car insurance from ALLIANZ? i've been with them since 1980(when they were ELVIA).

after just too much bull**** from them over the last few years ( more details on demand) and a bill for Fr.1013. for 3rd party only for 2008 i took my 2 cars off the road (end of contract) and put a different one on the road insured by MOBILIAR.
this was on the 27th feb. a month later i was still getting final demands from zürich head office for unpaid 2008 premium ( they owed me for 3 months in 2007) and on the 4th april they sent in the betriebungs man.

several telephone calls to zürich eventually got me an english speaking italian who didn't understand a word of german but told me quite categorically that since my agent in fribourg hadn't cancelled the contract i was liable to pay the entire 2008 premium. WTF?

my agent in fribourg told me i had to pay because they had no record of the 3 months when i'd deposited the numberplates with the STVA. i have a letter from them sent in november asking for a bank A/C where they can deposit the overpaid premium 2007.........

i have only just now (yesterday ) managed to get from them in writing that the contract was cancelled in feb and that i actually owe them nothing but that i have to pay the costs they incurred by sending in the baillif...........

enough is enough, i'll give them the Fr.124 since i don't really want to end up going to court with them in zürich even tho' i couldn't lose.


the moral of this story is that even when you know what you're doing and know you are in the right it's always a good idea to deal with things like this only in writing ( preferably registered) from the very beginning.

oh, and the MOBILIAR are insuring me on the same 2 vehicles for nearly Fr.500 less.

Hello

Just trying to get a ball park figure on insurance.

Does 1800 CHF full insurance for a BMW X1 sound reasonable?

Any assistance would be helpful, seems high than the uk but then so is everything!

Any guidance or advice of companies with contact details would be very helpful.

many thanks
nigel

I bought a car in November last year having just arrived in CH, I was put on to Zurich by the dealer and did not really have time to question the logic as I was picking up the strings in a new role, starting in a new company.

A few months later, one asked on of my swiss colleagues in the office about insurance in general and he mentioned that he had a client advisor at Zurich who handled all of his policies. He went on to add that of course the client advisor is just another name for a sales person, but he was open to discussion on the price of the insurance, when it could be proven that there were other similar insurances on the market for less.

I have now a couple of policies with Zurich, to cover the car, my motorbikes, the rental apppartment etc, but before I commit to a policy I spend an hour or two on Comparis, so I can have a good haggle with Zurich. I hope that is of help to you and have a good weekend.

www.comparis.ch

Usually these quotes include full cover all over Europe without any limitations about number of visits or length of visits - try to figure out what that would cost from the UK.

Zurich have always done a fine job by me. Always can find someone to speak in Engish and sorted my one claim out very quickly with minimal fuss.

Because of my nationality (India), I land up paying about 60% higher in premium, although I got my driving licence in Switzerland and have been driving car for last 10years.

Almost all the insurance companies that I contacted say, it is legal and they cannot do anything about it. They don't care where you made the driving test. It is really sad that even in 2012 decisions are based on nationality rather than where the driving test was done and track record of the driver.

Now, I am trying to get my insurance company changed and even after so many years, I see that certain foreign nationals have to still pay higher premiums ...

Assuming what you wrote his true, I cannot understand how this practise can still continue, when the highest court of this country as ruled this practise as unconstitutional.

Like it or not insurance is based on making a profit out of risk.

In the UK you will now pay round 30% more for car insurance if you are unemployed...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16664699

Hi,

Please also send me your Zurich guy' name. Am also on the
Lookout to change from AXA. Thanks.

Lorenzo 0792012131 or llwitherspoon@gmail.com

You might find you cannot change that easily unless you are coming to the end of your policy.

I will gladly get my team to look at it if you wish 'tho.

Best,
David

I'm Afraid this is still true, I unfortunately come across it every day in all areas of cover.

The fact is that the companies including the actuary department of ours are working off their gathered statistics and one category is always the demographic.

I agree that it does seem silly that if someone has lived in a place for many years and taken the "more comprehensive" and required test that they should be penalised on their nationality, however it is, I fear, the way they analyse the data and nothing that will change anytime soon. This is merely my opinion.

Let me reword my question … what I am interested is to take a look at this Supreme Court ruling (if it is true) and where can I find one? I am sure that honourable judges would have examined different views and arrived at a judgement that is fair and legally appropriate. It would be a surprise to me that if the court indeed made such a ruling and the insurance companies go flouting it …

Although, I come from a country where discrimination is rampant, the judicial system is democratic, independent and its fairness in judgement is very rarely questioned. If the judiciary has made a ruling that something is unconstitutional, there is no option left for any entity both government and private to disobey without appropriate consequences.