Be sure to read the
small print...
 Richard
Sizeland is not a regular agility competitors these days, but he still owns dogs.
He recently experienced an issue which could be relevant to quite a few Agilitynet people
and dog owners and he wanted to share it via Agilitynet.
We currently own a VW
Transporter Shuttle, and prior to that, had a Vito. We have had both vehicles
fitted with custom made dog cages. On occasion we have left out some of
the rear seats out of both vehicles in order to improve access and storage.
The insurance for the VW
recently came in for renewal and we thought that we would get competitive quotes.
When talking to the usual
vehicle insurers, I alerted them to the fact that we had a tow-bar and had dog
cages fitted to the vehicle. In our Shuttle, the cage is removable and
secures onto the load anchor points. For this, the third row of seats has to be
folded forward to taken out.
One insurer after another came back with the same
comments. If we were removing seats, they would not be able to offer cover. It
certainly took me by surprise!
Upon further questioning
of major insurers, it would appear that because seating has been removed from
the manufacturer's specification - even though the handbook tells us how to do
this - the vehicle becomes a 'modified vehicle' and, therefore, is subject to customised
insurance terms. It didn't make any difference if the seat was only taken out
for a short time.
I mention this as I
suspect that many people in the dog world are unaware of this interpretation. If
you take out a seat from the rear of your van to give their dog
more room, or to get the extra cage - even if you put it back in later on
- you risk invalidating your vehicle insurance.
It was necessary to go
to a specialist broker to cover our needs.
Feedback
If you have ANY
alteration to the vehicle you have to notify your insurance company anything
that is screwed into the vehicle i.e. a tailgate guard has to be notified, even
sticking paw prints on. This is because if it's fixed to the vehicle, the
insurance company has to replace 'like for like' if damaged. If, however, the
tailgate or dog guard is clipped in, then you do not need to notify, but you can
not claim for it. Basically the insurance companies win, you lose. Stephen
Spencer (10 September 2015)
First published 2
September 2015
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