MCE Don't pay out for stolen bike

14-06-2014, 09:00 PM

A friend of mine had his bike stolen on Tuesday.

He was paying for petrol at a service station in Welling when two guys pulled up on a scooter next to his bike at the petrol pump. One of them jumped off the scooter and onto his bike, the guy on the scooter then put his foot on the bikes footpegs and pushed the bike whilst the other guy steered it.

They almost knocked over a woman as they sped out of the garage forecourt and off down the road. This happened in broad daylight with witnesses at 9.30 in the morning.

The whole thing was captured on CCTV and took less than 30 seconds, the scooter plates were registered to another motorbike so obviously so no luck there.

MCE insurance are refusing to pay out for the theft because the bike was left unattended at the petrol pump (for less than a minute). They claim that because the bikes owner didn't secure the bike whilst it was left unattended at the petrol pump it makes his insurance null and void.

So two important things to learn from this:

1. Remember to engage your steering lock whilst leaving your bike to pay for petrol.
2. Don't use MCE insurance, as they are clearly not biker friendly.

Thieves are getting so brazen recently, bikes thieves are too!

15-06-2014, 08:00 AM

Ok here is my story! http://ducatiforum.co.uk/forum/threa...t.22484/page-4

He needs to fight this! Do not take such bollocks as gospel! These bastards are trying it on! Complain....to the insurance company not MCE which is a broker! Once he's complained then ,if there is no joy he can go to the ombudsman! Pls send him my condolences as I know exactly how he feels! He's a victim twice over....once due to the theft (May all bike thieves die slowly of the most horrific and painful cancer) and the second time by the crooked insurance system!
Ps I did get me money in the end! :-)

Saint aka ML · 15-06-2014, 10:20 AM

Do what Multi said. Insurance companies are taking a ****. They leave sentences in insurance documents that can be open to interpretation so they can later on interpret them to match what they want.

Well it can work the other way around as well.

Mr Gazza · 15-06-2014, 11:33 AM

All this is making me think that the extra premium for legal expenses might be a good investment after all.

I would also contibute to a scheme for painlessly removing the eyelids of bike theives.

slob · 15-06-2014, 12:00 PM

Sue the bastards, the bike was attended, he was less than 15m away. If the two guys had threatened him with a firearm and taken it by force MCE would try to claim he'd given it away...

15-06-2014, 12:15 PM

I am with MCE and they really push to make you think they are the bikers insurance company but I guess once you get past the ads and the pictures they are JUST another insurance company. Gutted to hear about this. I always put my steering lock on when at a petrol stations or just getting off my bike but the thieving little tw*ts are going to get it if they want it.

There seems to be an a awful lot of this going on around London at the mo. I live in Manchester so am certainly not a stranger to bike robbery but it does seem London is a Mecca for bike theives at the moment.

The problem is the kind of scum that do this do not cherish anything even life. The country is on it's arse.

15-06-2014, 12:24 PM

He's a clever guy, I'm sure he'll get his insurance company to pay up.

Insurance companies will always try to get out of paying first, and most people just blindly accept it. Once you then engage with a dialogue with them, things usually turn around and they pay up.

It's part of insurance customer services training:

Step 1 = Say no
Step 2 = Wait for at least 5 letters from claimant, hoping they will go away
Step 3 = Pay up, and try damage control to keep the customers business

More importantly, use your steering lock at the petrol pump!!

Dirty · 15-06-2014, 02:05 PM

Yep, what everyone said.

Though it's terrible that we need to fight to get a company to do what we pay them to do.

Paying extra for legal cover would not help in this instance. That only covers you for claiming from a 3rd party. In fact if you are fully comp it only slightly helps as your company will recover from the 3rd party anyway. It could save you claiming so keeping any NCB but you still need to declare any incident so they get you anyway.

What I don't get in this story is what happened next. 2 sheet bags wheel a bike off a forecourt, then what? How far did they get before the owner noticed and gave chase?

15-06-2014, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirty

What I don't get in this story is what happened next. 2 sheet bags wheel a bike off a forecourt, then what? How far did they get before the owner noticed and gave chase?

They didn't wheel it off the forecourt...the the scooter guy pushed the guy on the stolen bike with his foot! He just rode by the side with his foot pushing on the rear foot peg.

They were jumping red lights 300 yards down the road when the owner last saw them.

Saint aka ML · 15-06-2014, 02:45 PM

This is where idea I had would work. When engine is off ABS pump locks the front brake (pump up the pressure and leave it there). Instant electronic disc lock.

15-06-2014, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saint aka ML

This is where idea I had would work. When engine is off ABS pump locks the front brake (pump up the pressure and leave it there). Instant electronic disc lock.

Except if engine cuts out whilst moving.....I suppose link it to 0mph

Dirty · 15-06-2014, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StuartJames

They didn't wheel it off the forecourt...the the scooter guy pushed the guy on the stolen bike with his foot! He just rode by the side with his foot pushing on the rear foot peg.

They were jumping red lights 300 yards down the road when the owner last saw them.

I gotcha. They made their getaway like that, with the scooter providing power for both bikes! Mental! I suppose they can get up to a half decent lick like that, certainly faster than running pace!

Saint aka ML · 15-06-2014, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrD

Except if engine cuts out whilst moving.....I suppose link it to 0mph

Well yes but that is easy to overcome. Apply it only 15s after stop and only if key is not in ignition.

Dirty · 15-06-2014, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saint aka ML

Well yes but that is easy to overcome. Apply it only 15s after stop and only if key is not in ignition.

A hand grenade with a proximity fuse would work too. If it strays over 100 metres away from me kaboooom. A bit like 'wedlock'

maxxjod · 15-06-2014, 05:27 PM

Only one word is needed for this - ombudsman.
I had an insurance issue at work and after the insurance company were contacted by the ombudsman they did a complete u turn and paid out which in turn left them open to being sued for their illegal practices!

14-06-2014, 09:00 PM	#1
StuartJames Guest Posts: n/a	MCE Don't pay out for stolen bike A friend of mine had his bike stolen on Tuesday. He was paying for petrol at a service station in Welling when two guys pulled up on a scooter next to his bike at the petrol pump. One of them jumped off the scooter and onto his bike, the guy on the scooter then put his foot on the bikes footpegs and pushed the bike whilst the other guy steered it. They almost knocked over a woman as they sped out of the garage forecourt and off down the road. This happened in broad daylight with witnesses at 9.30 in the morning. The whole thing was captured on CCTV and took less than 30 seconds, the scooter plates were registered to another motorbike so obviously so no luck there. MCE insurance are refusing to pay out for the theft because the bike was left unattended at the petrol pump (for less than a minute). They claim that because the bikes owner didn't secure the bike whilst it was left unattended at the petrol pump it makes his insurance null and void. So two important things to learn from this: 1. Remember to engage your steering lock whilst leaving your bike to pay for petrol. 2. Don't use MCE insurance, as they are clearly not biker friendly. Thieves are getting so brazen recently, bikes thieves are too!

15-06-2014, 10:20 AM	#3
Saint aka ML Junior ah to be young Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 2,058	Do what Multi said. Insurance companies are taking a ****. They leave sentences in insurance documents that can be open to interpretation so they can later on interpret them to match what they want. Well it can work the other way around as well. __________________ "I am Lucazade"

15-06-2014, 02:05 PM	#8
Dirty Bockloks Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: London Bike: No Bike Yet! Posts: 4,601	Yep, what everyone said. Though it's terrible that we need to fight to get a company to do what we pay them to do. Paying extra for legal cover would not help in this instance. That only covers you for claiming from a 3rd party. In fact if you are fully comp it only slightly helps as your company will recover from the 3rd party anyway. It could save you claiming so keeping any NCB but you still need to declare any incident so they get you anyway. What I don't get in this story is what happened next. 2 sheet bags wheel a bike off a forecourt, then what? How far did they get before the owner noticed and gave chase? __________________ Wounds heal, chicks dig scars, glory lasts forever Beware of eBay

15-06-2014, 02:45 PM	#10
Saint aka ML Junior ah to be young Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: London Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 2,058	This is where idea I had would work. When engine is off ABS pump locks the front brake (pump up the pressure and leave it there). Instant electronic disc lock. __________________ "I am Lucazade"

15-06-2014, 08:00 AM	#2
Multi rider Guest Posts: n/a	Ok here is my story! http://ducatiforum.co.uk/forum/threa...t.22484/page-4 He needs to fight this! Do not take such bollocks as gospel! These bastards are trying it on! Complain....to the insurance company not MCE which is a broker! Once he's complained then ,if there is no joy he can go to the ombudsman! Pls send him my condolences as I know exactly how he feels! He's a victim twice over....once due to the theft (May all bike thieves die slowly of the most horrific and painful cancer) and the second time by the crooked insurance system! Ps I did get me money in the end! :-)

15-06-2014, 11:33 AM	#4
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,986	All this is making me think that the extra premium for legal expenses might be a good investment after all. I would also contibute to a scheme for painlessly removing the eyelids of bike theives.

15-06-2014, 12:00 PM	#5
slob . Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: East London Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 9,738	Sue the bastards, the bike was attended, he was less than 15m away. If the two guys had threatened him with a firearm and taken it by force MCE would try to claim he'd given it away...

15-06-2014, 12:15 PM	#6
wezrvf Guest Posts: n/a	I am with MCE and they really push to make you think they are the bikers insurance company but I guess once you get past the ads and the pictures they are JUST another insurance company. Gutted to hear about this. I always put my steering lock on when at a petrol stations or just getting off my bike but the thieving little tw*ts are going to get it if they want it. There seems to be an a awful lot of this going on around London at the mo. I live in Manchester so am certainly not a stranger to bike robbery but it does seem London is a Mecca for bike theives at the moment. The problem is the kind of scum that do this do not cherish anything even life. The country is on it's arse.

15-06-2014, 12:24 PM	#7
StuartJames Guest Posts: n/a	He's a clever guy, I'm sure he'll get his insurance company to pay up. Insurance companies will always try to get out of paying first, and most people just blindly accept it. Once you then engage with a dialogue with them, things usually turn around and they pay up. It's part of insurance customer services training: Step 1 = Say no Step 2 = Wait for at least 5 letters from claimant, hoping they will go away Step 3 = Pay up, and try damage control to keep the customers business More importantly, use your steering lock at the petrol pump!!

15-06-2014, 05:27 PM	#15
maxxjod Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brighton Bike: M750 Posts: 146	Only one word is needed for this - ombudsman. I had an insurance issue at work and after the insurance company were contacted by the ombudsman they did a complete u turn and paid out which in turn left them open to being sued for their illegal practices!