Predictably enough, Aviva ruined Panda purchase day for me. Never mind that it’s their fault I’m having to buy a car the size of a Tonka toy with a hairdryer for an engine.
I can’t afford the Volvo any more, of course, because I’ve got the outstanding ‘injury’ claim by the Slobs against me.
That looks set to drag on for months, possibly years, dragging with it my Volvo insurance premium to £1,136 and rising. So I’ve bought myself a Fiat with just enough room for me and an embarrassed-looking spaniel in the back seat. Although Cydney is sceptical, I rather like it. It doesn’t matter what gear you’re in, they’re all the same. And if you can’t park, you just grab it by the roof rack and lift it into a space.
I rang up to switch the policy from the house of the man I’d bought the car from, a terribly nice City worker from New Zealand. Very calm. Well, he was until he had me sitting in his living room trying to arrange insurance cover. After 20 minutes listening to me begging Aviva to give me the quote they offered me the day before I bought the car — and not one for £60 more — he looked like he was going to cry.
‘But you said £490 for a Panda Eleganza 1.2 yesterday.’
‘Yes, but that was before we had the registration of the car.’
‘Can we just start again? This is worse than the Volvo.’
‘Do you have another car with us then?’
‘Yes, that’s the whole point.’
‘Oh, well. We can just switch the insurance.’
‘I thought that’s what we were doing.’
‘No, we just generated a new quote. If we switch it, it will be much lower…’ And she tapped away at her computer keys.
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