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Car Insurance - a recommendation

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 11:32
by Webdoc
Having just bought our first French car we needed to arrange insurance. Kate recommended trying Axa in Saint Genis des Fontaines as their advert in the latest edition of P-O Life said they are experienced in helping ex-pats like us.

What an excellent experience we had. We made an appointment by email with Christophe the broker and met at his office on the edge of the village. (He said he usually offers to visit clients at home but we went to him as time was short.) His English is perfect and he guided us through the various options available with French insurance, which is very different from the UK version. My proof of UK no-claims was accepted giving us the maximum 50% discount and the final quote (including roadside recovery and replacement car) was very acceptable. The policy also includes, as standard, cover for any driver with at least 3 years driving experience – perfect for visiting friends or family.

At the end of the meeting there was no hard sell. Christophe just printed off the final quote and invited us to consider it and get in touch if we wanted to proceed. He would accept our instruction by phone or email, issue the green card to the car dealer by fax, and we could pay afterwards. He could not have been more helpful.

On top of that Christophe explained that, in the event of any claim, everything would be dealt with by him and we wouldn't have to struggle in French with Axa direct. Most reassuring.

Agence des Albères
84 Avenue des Albères
66740 Saint Genis des Fontaines
Tél 04 68 89 72 75
Fax 04 68 89 80 33
Agence.co@axa.fr

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 14:24
by martyn94
I inherited AXA with my earlier house. My only problem with them was that they paid out a third, slowly, on the only claim I made (for theft) in twenty-odd years; their rates went up steadily by well above inflation; and were ultimately about three times what I got online from a well-regarded competitor when I eventually bothered to shop around. Your mileage may vary, as they say.

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 14:29
by martyn94
By way of afterthought, I wonder how much we pay, collectively, over the odds by favouring suppliers with fluent English. I say that without making the least claim to fluent French.

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 15:52
by Sue
One point you make is very interesting, more than the rest. It is that the insurance covers other drivers. I have always been told that french insurance covers any driver but that person must be a full time resident in France and not a visitor. I will have to check with the company I use.

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 17:46
by montgolfiere
I have 1 car with MAAF and 1 with MMA and the house is with AXA.. i just shop around....
probably having a 'change' every 2 years as the prices seem to 'creep up'!!!

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 18:51
by Kate
Interestingly, I have found that not only do different insurance companies differ enormously in prices, but there can also be large discrepancies between the same company from 'franchise' (is that the right word in English) to franchise. I think it depends how greedy the franchise holder is!

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 19:48
by SteveB
On the subject of insurance, I wonder if anyone has recommendations for house insurance. I gather it is compulsory on buying a house, which I am anticipating coming to a satisfactory conclusion in the next few weeks. The ones I am considering at present are Aviva and Credit Agricole, but purely on the basis that the former is the company the vendor is already using, and I am planning to open a bank account with the latter.

So I would be grateful to hear of any experiences people have had with these companies, or if you can recommend any others. Many thanks for any help.

Posted: Tue 02 Feb 2016 21:21
by malcolmcooper
My recent experience is with http://www.france-insurance.co.uk/ I took out my car insurance with them and later followed with health mutuelle. The service I've had has been impeccable and good value. I feel they have spotted a niche in the English speaking market whilst not milking it and remaining very French. I'm very happy but will not be complacent in future years of course.

Posted: Wed 03 Feb 2016 10:54
by martyn94
[quote="SteveB"]On the subject of insurance, I wonder if anyone has recommendations for house insurance. I gather it is compulsory on buying a house, which I am anticipating coming to a satisfactory conclusion in the next few weeks. The ones I am considering at present are Aviva and Credit Agricole, but purely on the basis that the former is the company the vendor is already using, and I am planning to open a bank account with the latter.

So I would be grateful to hear of any experiences people have had with these companies, or if you can recommend any others. Many thanks for any help.[/quote]

I think it must be worth looking at one of the online comparators like lelynx.fr or assurland.com, or else go directly to the websites of a few online providers. I use amaguiz (which is the online trading style of Groupama). They seem to come out among the cheapest quotes, and also seem to be well-regarded for claims handling and service. Signing up online was entirely straightforward.

Posted: Wed 03 Feb 2016 18:39
by martyn94
SteveB wrote:On the subject of insurance, I wonder if anyone has recommendations for house insurance. I gather it is compulsory on buying a house, which I am anticipating coming to a satisfactory conclusion in the next few weeks. The ones I am considering at present are Aviva and Credit Agricole, but purely on the basis that the former is the company the vendor is already using, and I am planning to open a bank account with the latter.

So I would be grateful to hear of any experiences people have had with these companies, or if you can recommend any others. Many thanks for any help.
Strictly speaking, I don't think an owner-occupier has to insure their own house, though if you have a loan your lender is going to insist on it. What you do have to cover is your "responsabilité civile", eg where you burn out not only your own home, but also your neighbours'. And in practice that means cover for "multi-risques habitations", which also (and primarily) covers your own gaff.