Car Insurance - Trips to The Post Office Not Covered ?

..Just about to click on "BUY NOW" at gocompare.com the car insurance compare website but it failed so I had to call the insurance agent direct to arrange cover.

I was shocked to find out that I would not be covered by BELL Insurance if I drove to the Post Office to take some packages and letters related to by business.

This is despite taking out Insurance described as: "Business Use By Proposer and Spouse" !

Apparently I can make as many identical trips to the post office with letters and parcels for Aunt Sally, but if I also take a package that is related to my business, then I would be breaking the conditions. Of course no problems would have arisen unless I had a terrible accident in which case a representative for the insurance company would probably be attending any inquest.

The reason explained to me by the agent was that delivering commercial goods could not be covered by the insurance policy and taking the goods to the post office constituted the first leg of the delivery process.

That made me wonder how many other people are running this particular guantlet every day without even realising it....



My personal idea of Commercial Delivery as over and above normal business use would be a van travelling around with a large quantity of Packages delivering to customers in the region/country.

However, they clearly stated no cover for any business related post office trips and cited eBay as an example. I just struggle to identify any additional risk exposure to the insurance company for such a daily trip just down the road that would merit the wish to exclude. In fact the extra risk is almost zero as the same trip will be made to the same area at approximately the same time most days anyway to collect kids from school.

Also I honestly believe there must be many people out there in the same position that haven't given this a thought and could be driving uninsured with all the potential problems that involves in the event of an incident.

Also for the record I think it is simply ill-judged and should be changed by all insurance companies immediately to differentiate between a small business taking the post to the local post office (Should be Normal Business Use) and Commercial Deliveries most of which involve vans that end up scratched and dented due to trying to deliver 80 parcels a day to addresses they struggle to find down unknown narrow lanes.



Following another attempt to argue the case, I called BELL customer services again today to continue and was told it is a grey area that really had to be decided upon as this sort of insurance request is currently routinely declined.

He then discussed the matter with more senior colleagues and they decided to refer it to the underwriters for a policy decision.

I have just received notification from them that they are now changing the interpretation so that delivery of business goods to the Post Office now does not in fact come under commercial delivery, does not even come under business cover but is now included under Social Domestic and Pleasure, with any business goods onboard covered up to the value of £100.

On the wider issue though, I also spoke also to the insurance agent of my other vehicle and they have no answer for this problem also. They are now referring to their underwriters...

Now comes the Irony - My other car is insured by the Post Office Insurance Services! So I may become disqualified by the Post Office for taking Parcels to the Post Office…!

I would definitely recommend you check with your own insurance company if you are in doubt yourself and I will get back to watching my Worzel Gummidge dvd