My life is a Mastercard advert

>>> Blue Slip (roadworthy test) – $150

>>> CTP Green Slip – $500

>>> Panelbeating repair quote for my car – $2000

>>> The heart attack I got when I found I’ve been driving around uninsured for 12 months … PRICELESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yessirree, today has so NOT been the best day of my life!!!   As I mentioned in a previous post my car registration is due for renewal in 2 whole days time.  This week I’ve had my car booked in for a Blue Slip check – which it passed, thankfully – the blue slip itself is apparently approx $53 … the mechanic just had to replace one headlight globe and sand back the engine number so it is “highlighted clearly” … and my bill came to $153, which he kindly (choke) knocked back to $150.  Seriously, $100 to change a bloody lightbulb and some some light sanding I could’ve done myself.  But hey, at least I don’t have tyres etc that need to be replaced, so I guess it could have been worse!!

Anyway, I had a small mishap in our staff car park last year, and just kept forgetting to arrange to get the panelbeating done … just putting off doing anything to that stupid car, because I’d only recently spent a thousand dollars getting tyres etc at my last service, and quite frankly I just couldn’t be bothered dealing with it … well, it serves me right, really …  I figured this morning I’m going to all the trouble getting all this car stuff sorted out with swapping over interstate licence plates etc, I really should get the car body sorted out, so I called up my insurance company, and that’s when the entire day went pear-shaped …

It turns out not only had the stupid company not updated my address details with my Sydney information that I requested 2 1/2 years ago (!!), but they’d also not even got my previous street address correct in Melbourne either!  The company I was with was bought out by Allianz and a letter was sent out to policy holders last September that they had by “x” date to let them know they wanted to continue with their policies.  Of course I never received anything, so I wasn’t aware, and my policy has always been on an automatic renewal and direct-debited from my bank monthly, and I hadn’t noticed that the payments were no longer coming out of the account …  Apparently they were sitting waiting for me to contact them when they got a “return to sender” advice … they couldn’t actually get on the phone and call my mobile number … oh no … not the mobile number that hasn’t changed for 7 whole years!!!!  Oh no, they couldn’t do that (and I soooo wish I had thought about that when I was talking to the patronising sod on the phone this morning, when she kept demanding to know who I spoke to, and at what time/date did I call 2 1/2 years ago … seriously!!!!).  If I ever EVER need an insurance policy ever again, C…G…U… will NOT be getting a red cent of mine ever again, that’s for sure!!

So, not only do I all of a sudden find out that I am driving an uninsured vehicle, Allianz can’t start up a new policy for me because I have now been uninsured for 12 months and they can’t touch me with a bargepole.  I then called yet another insurance company who told me the same thing, and especially because I have some body damage they wouldn’t insure me either.  Let’s just say it’s been a tad stressful … especially after getting a panelbeating quote of $2000 to fix up the side of my car – but hey, if I pay him $2000 CASH he’ll actually spruce up the roof paint job as well (which is dreadful) … and I was told by the Financial Ombudsman that I was referred to for advice, that I would have to pay for this before I can get insured.

One suggestion the panelbeaters gave me was to check out third party insurance to see if I could at least get that for the timebeing until I got my repairs done … so just before I left the office for the night I jumped online and I tried a different insurance provider, and the workflow actually let me continue through to issuing a policy – it’s $950 for the year, but at least I can pay monthly instalments and I know I’m insured with a full comprehensive insurance which is great for my peace of mind, ‘cos I was freaking out about having to drive home uninsured (even though I’ve been doing it unawares for 12 months now anyway!).

I actually changed my mind about how to pay for it during the workflow, and the online system didn’t let me go back to change it, so I gave them a quick phone call.  The lady on the phone was really helpful, and I ended up paying for my CTP Green Slip (mandatory in NSW for car registrations) at the same time, so there went another $500 – at least it saved me doing it online when I got home tonight.  I just have to make a trip out to Eastgardens shopping centre tomorrow to pick up a hard copy of the CTP Green Slip, then on Saturday morning I have to take all my various bits of paperwork to the RTA, along with my VIC licence plates, and my wallet for the next round of bills (actual car registration costs plus licence plates) … 

Thank goodness I don’t have to go through all this again for another 12 months … and all that cost and grief for a car that now has a market value of $3100-$3500 {{{sigh}}}.  In some ways it’s almost not worth paying the $2000 repair costs, and just buying a new smaller cheap car! 😦

And on that note I think I’m going to head off and make a stiff drink ‘cos my brain now hurts!!!