"Loyal stuffees" continue to be ripped off by insurers & utility companies Sadly loyalty counts for very little these days or worse - some insurers and utility providers regard loyal customers as fodder ripe for a rip off. The excess "loyal stuffees" pay up on renewals goes to subsidise the competitive quotes the providers offer in the market to those shopping around. But haggling is not a natural activity for many but sadly one most will have to accept now if they do not simply roll over on renewal and pay up as a "loyal suffee". Be prepared to haggle over motor insurance renewals. 180427 NEWS Time to haggle on motor insurance renewals. 171219 NEWS Insurance renewals. Gateway Posted: 181208 Fortunately the UK Government introduced a requirement that insurers must disclose on their renewal notice the premium paid in the previous year making a premium comparison easier. Customers who stay loyal with the same insurer or utility provider are increasingly finding their renewal premium or charge has big increases. Why? - well customers who stay with the same provider and don’t haggle for a better deal are being hit with loyalty penalties. For broadband customers the Which? magazine (UK's leading consumer group) reports renewal "penalties" of up to £220 a year on average. In effect loyal customers are seen as less likely to shop around as they believe the provider will value loyalty and reward their loyal customers with good renewal charges. Sadly the providers simply regard them as "loyal stuffees" - yes customers on whom they can load their renewal charges and reap a bumper harvest from the inflated renewal charges. So sadly for many classic car enthusiasts who have grown up believing loyalty had a value that is no longer the case. So shop around and haggle! Fortunately one or two utilities providers, like Utility Warehouse, do have loyal customers' interests at heart. Shopping around for motor insurance is not easy as you have to compare the scope of the policy with your renewal cover, check policy excess amounts, check agreed values and limited mileages, check the agreed no claims discount, check overnight parking requirements (does the car have to be garaged when at the policyholder's address?), check key policy conditions (for example how scrappage is handled with a claim) and try and check the provider's claims handling performance. It can be a tedious exercise taking hours of your time to arrive at a point where you can compare quotes with your renewal and then decide what to do. Return to your current provider and haggle or dump them and head for a better offer.