….For answers click on the questions
Why are you offering this membership to me?
You joined as a valued customer of another organization which recognised the benefits of our service and arranged for you to join. We will renew your membership and legal cover each year.
How long does membership last and must I renew?
The membership and insurance are renewed annually without any paperwork or formality. Just keep our telephone number and your cards and we will be ready to help. It does not matter if you change vehicles or insurance company, as our legal cover is quite separate, and covers you for any accident without link to one vehicle or insurance company.
Many of our members join through our business partners, but you are very welcome to join without charge. Just go to the Join Now page, complete a few details, and you will receive an email to confirm your membership. You are very welcome, there is no charge, and it will only take a minute or two.
I already have legal expenses insurance, why use Your Key?
We believe we provide exactly what you need within a policy with a generous indemnity level of £100,000. When you next arrange or renew an insurance policy there is no need to buy accident legal expenses insurance as it is available through Your Key at no cost.
Should I have a membership card?
Not all members received cards. With or without a card your membership, including legal expenses insurance cover, started as soon as you were introduced to us. In the meantime keep our number by saving it on your mobile under “accident” and call if you need us-08000 114 114 or 0330 0225210.
Why do I need legal expenses insurance?
If you want to recover all losses and expenses after an accident, you have to seek compensation. You need an experienced solicitor and no fear of fees. The insurance together with a good solicitor is the combination you need.
Yes, the family members included are your spouse or partner, and children living with you up to the age of 21 years.
Yes, the legal expenses insurance includes vehicle passengers and pillion riders too.
Why are there two numbers to call after an accident - 08000 114114 and 0330 0225210?
Our 0800 number was intended to allow you to call free. Trouble is with different call packages we cannot be sure what you are being charged. An 0330 number costs the same to call as an 01 and 02 landline, and is included in most packages. The 0330 is much cheaper from mobile phones.
Just let us know your membership number and new contact details. Please visit the details page, or follow this link and enter your email address to access the details form.
Don’t worry - we have your name and address, so do not hesitate to call 08000 114 114 or 0330 0225210 if you need us. Another good reason to save our number on your mobile phone.
Hire and credit hire, what is the difference?
Hire is a transaction where you pay for a vehicle at a daily or weekly rate. Following an accident credit hire may be available if the hiring company think you will successfully recover compensation. You then hire the vehicle under a credit agreement making no payment at that stage, and the hirer will usually be paid direct by the third party’s insurance company. For hire you pay up front, and for credit hire someone else usually pays.
It works very much like credit hire. The repairer will assess the accident circumstances, take on the work under a credit agreement with you, and then seek payment direct from the third party insurer.
I already have breakdown cover or roadside repair, is this the same as Your Key?
No. Breakdown cover is for mechanical problems with your vehicle. Your Key is here to help after an accident. They are quite different services. If you need to arrange breakdown cover try this new outfit:
After an accident your vehicle may be too badly damaged to be moved, or you may be unable to ride or drive it. A recovery service will collect the vehicle and take it to the nearest storage facility, or to a repairer of your choice. Sometimes the police will arrange recovery. You may have the service included in your insurance policy. We will check what is the best option for you. This is a Your Key service you will have to pay for, but you can recover this cost if a third party is to blame for your accident. You or your insurer will have to bear the cost if the accident was your fault.
You can call 0845 6809834 or use the contact us facility by clicking here.
Alternatively please comment below. We will anonymise any exchange of general interest, and make it available to all members.
Comments
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July 4th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
It is becoming clear to us at Your Key that insuring vehicles is very confusing. Loads of information and advice, but too much. You must understand that insuring a vehicle is designed to cover your liability to others, and not protect you. If you want to insure your vehicle, your kit, or to have a courtesy vehicle, you have to buy extra cover, just like you buy breakdown cover.
Your Key is designed to support you through advice and the services it makes available. That is why Your Key is important to you.
Take your time when insuring, do not just buy the cheapest cover, and remember we provide legal cover free to our members, so don’t go buying it again on any of your vehicles.
Mark for Your Key
July 5th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Hi I would just like to make 100% sure that by having your legal cover I am covered just the same as if I purchased a policy from my insurer this may be a daft question to ask you may have asked this many times but I would just like to satisfy my self
Thank you for a great service Neil o
July 5th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Thanks for the question Neil.
The short answer is that our insurance cover is as good, and I would say better than the policies you are offered by insurers and brokers. They sell you one policy for each vehicle which I don’t think is fair. We have members with three bikes and two cars who were paying out more than £100 each year for this legal cover. Our policy is free this year, and every year after that.
Our policy has a generous limit of £100,000, and it covers any accident so it is the only policy you need. The policies you buy are usually limited to one vehicle, but it is you who needs legal cover, not your bike. Our policy covers pillions, passengers, and your family members, which means spouse/partner and children living at home up to the age of 21.
So you do not need to buy accident legal expenses insurance again, as we renew it each year without any admin or fuss.
You are right to check on the quality of something which is free. What we have done is bring together the services which might be needed after an accident, such as hire and repair, and if those services are used we earn commission. Who pays for those services depends on who is at fault, and you have our guidance and the legal cover to help answer that question.
Thanks again for the question.
Mark Thompson for Your Key
July 15th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I just wanted to check how long my membership and the insurance lasts.
Hi Darren.
Membership and the legal cover from Your Key are renewed each year without any formality or cost. Just keep our number on your phone under accident - 08000 114 114 - and remember there is no need to buy legal cover on any vehicle you insure in the future. We cover any accident, so cover is not limited to one vehicle.
Our cover includes your family so covers your spouse/partner, and children living at home up to the age of 21 years. They do not need to buy legal cover on their vehicles as Your Key covers them too.
Do remember we are accident support, and not breakdown, so use the saving to buy breakdown cover.
If your details change please make sure you keep us up to date by using the change details facility on this site.
Take care.
Mark for Your Key
July 17th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Query - Hello. I forgot I had this policy. Does this still exist or was it only valid for one year?
Also, my bike insurance is with ebikeinsureance but my car insurance is with HIC
(Herts insurance consultants) do you cover me for that (so I could cancel my legal
cover on that policy but still be covered by you?). I’m a bit baffled by it all, it seems to good to be true for a freebie! Thanks.
July 17th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Hi Graeme,
Thanks for your message.
You have hit the nail on the head, as the fact we make no charge means we are not always taken seriously.
You have a legal expenses insurance policy which covers any accident, so yes you have cover for whatever you are doing, so there is no need to buy this legal cover when insuring any vehicle.
We can do this by creating a comprehensive service, and not just selling a policy. Membership of Your Key and its insurance are free, and in the event of an accident we arrange the services you need. Who pays for those services depends on who is to blame for the accident, but you have us to guide you. We earn commission from those services, but we do not add to the expense.
Do remember the cover extends to spouse/partner and children living with you under 21 years of age.
And finally your pillions and passengers are included within the cover.
We renew it each year without cost, and no renewal formalities, so make sure we have your up to date details.
Good luck getting that refund.
Regards
Mark for Your Key
July 25th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Hi there
Sorry but I am also very confused. When you have Legal Cover, are you covered for both non-fault and fault accidents? Or is it only for non -fault and when a fault accident occurs, legal is there to guide you through only and you have to pay for vehicle hire/repairs and then recover the cost through your own insurer?
Sorry if it seems silly but can you also say if I can use this policy with my other vehicle being a car?
Thanks
Hi Alexandra,
No need to say sorry as insurance can be very confusing.
Legal cover is an insurance policy which allows you to seek compensation if an accident is the fault of someone else. It supports a legal case with a reasonable chance of success, and if that action fails the policy picks up the legal bill.
Legal cover cannot help you if the accident is your fault I am afraid.
Payment for services after an accident depends on fault. If you are at fault then you or your insurer pay, but if someone else is at fault we can arrange for hire and repair to be paid direct by that person’s insurers. You have to pay for hire, but can reclaim it where someone else is at fault. Sometimes deciding who is at fault is not clear so we use experienced partners who understand bikes, and this can make all the difference.
Our one policy covers all accidents, so it covers everything you do, and is not limited to a single vehicle. You are covered in your car, as you would be on your bike, and even a bicycle. Many Your Key members used to pay legal cover premiums on each of their vehicles. It is no longer necessary.
What Your Key does is give you a policy you usually pay for. By using the commissions available from arranging services we can cover the cost of the insurance premium. We do not increase the post accident cost in any way, we simply bring the services together. The policy is free to you, you get our independent advice, and we conveniently line up the services you need. Better than paying a legal cover premium on each vehicle and searching the phone book for help. The highest figure I have heard for legal cover on a bike is £40. That is just outrageous, and I would like to hear about premiums requested for legal cover.
Mark for Your Key
August 14th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Do you only cover the legal expenses associated with an accident such as hire or repair? Or do you also provide legal expenses cover (in an accident not my fault) for uninsured losses such as compensation for injury/death, compensation for damage to personal belongings, policy excess payments, etc.?
Thanks for your question Hilary.
Our free insurance will cover the legal cost of seeking compensation if an accident is the fault of someone else. It supports a compensation case judged to have a reasonable chance of success. You can be compensated for injury, earnings loss, vehicle repairs and hire, expenses, damaged articles, and yes policy excess. Any loss caused by the accident can be recovered.
We arrange the services necessary after an accident. Payment for these again depends on fault.
Your question raises an interesting point. Many people think that buying insurance gives them everything they need. The main purpose of insurance is to cover your liability to others, rather than help you. That is why accident support through Your Key is so necessary.
Thanks again.
Mark for Your Key
September 27th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Do you operate a similar scheme to cover cars?
David, the answer is that Your Key covers any accident, involving you or a family member, no matter what you are doing. So Your Key is not limited to your bike.
Yes, we can arrange recovery, hire and repair for cars, and just about any vehicle.
So when you insure any vehicle do not buy legal protection, as you already have it with us.
And we will renew it each year - again at no cost.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:59 am
Are there any limitations or restrictions regarding Eurpoean travel?
What about the complicated insurances when hiring abroad?
Thanks Peter. The legal expenses insurance and the Your Key service is designed for the United Kingdom. The insurance excludes the Isle of Man, but the after accident services are available there.
Offering a Europe wide assistance is part of our plans, but not yet I am afraid.
It is a good point to think about your own insurance when travelling abroad, and we would be interested in hearing members opinions and experieneces.
Thanks again.
Mark for Your Key
October 20th, 2008 at 6:53 am
What if two members involved in an accident how do you fight for both parties?
Thanks Eileen.
Lets say you and I have an accident on a narrow country road. We might both be at fault, and lets say the blame is 50:50. Your claim against me is handled by my insurance company, and my claim against you is dealt with by your insurer. Your Key have provided you with legal cover, which means that insurance will pick up the tab for your legal fees if your claim goes wrong. The insurer behind our policy will need to be satisfied your case has a reasonable prospect of success, so the insuramce could support both your case and mine, as each case has a reasonable prospect of success. We could ensure you each had different solicitors, and that would avoid any conflict of interest.
Thanks for your question.
Mark for the Your Key team.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Hi
If there is an accident and i am to blame, will i have to pay for the legal expenses or do you cover them?
thanks
mark
Thanks Mark.
If you are to blame for an accident and someone claims compensation then your own insurance company covers the cost. Insurance on your own vehicle is there to cover your liability to others.
Legal expenses insurance allows you to pursue a case for compensation for injury and loss if you have a case with a reasonable chance of success. There are risks of paying costs even if you win your case, as you may not win every aspect. If your case is succesful the legal costs are usually paid by the other side’s insurance company. If you lose then the policy picks up your costs plus those of the other side.
YourKey team.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
If I win my case and the legal fees are not paid by the other side are they paid by the policy or do they come out of the compensation.
Thanks Clive,
The compensation is yours, and your solicitor will separately recover fees from the other party. That is the right way to handle a case.
YourKey team
August 14th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Mark,
It all seems too good to be true! But why am I entitled to this full policy if I have never paid for it in the first place?
I really can’t see how the insurer would be happy to pay out expenses when I haven’t paid for anything.
Thanks for your question. We have turned the usual scheme for handling accidents on its head.
You buy insurance on a vehicle to cover your liability to others. You might increase your cover for the bike and possessions, but essentially your insurance is designed to cover your liability for the damage you do. Insurance companies and brokers sell you legal cover to allow you to pursue compensation if an accident is caused by someone else. The cost is creeping over £25 per vehicle, and we think that is too high. When you call your insurer and tell them of an accident, which is someone else’s fault, they will arrange the services you need, and receive commission for doing so. That is perfectly legitimate, but we thought it could be better.
We pay for the legal cover, and then rely on our members contacting us in the event of an accident. If we arrange those services we earn commission.
We think our arrangement is much fairer, and there is no cost to you. Our one policy covers you for any accident, which means all your vehicles and activities. It also includes family members, pillions and passengers. We also renew annually.
If you have more than one vehicle in the family group you can save enough money to pay for your breakdown cover.
Mark
March 18th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
My bike was damaged and the garage where i bought the bike recoverd it after the accident. This is where i would have liked my bike to have been fixed, but the chap on the phone made it clear that I only had damaged little finger, and a solicitor would not be interested, becouse it is only a little finger, and the claim would not be big enough to use a solicitor. The garage had already done an estemate,so I realy cant see the point in BLD picking my bike up from my garage of choice.
March 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Thanks Noel,
We will try to explain.
Your Key put you in touch with BLD who handle hire and repair for us. The important thing is to make sure the cost of repairs is covered by the insurance company of the driver who is to blame. BLD will deal with the repairs and will be paid by the other drivers insurance company. BLD have relationships with all major insurers, so the process is in place to agree estimates and receive payment. Your own dealer will not have that ability, so you will have to chase payment for the insurance company, and without BLD’s relationship and process that is not easy.
On the injury, for a case to be pursued by a solicitor the injury must have a compensation value over £1,000, otherwise the solicitors fees cannot be recovered. If there is no injury the amount to be recoverd has to exceed £5,000 before legal costs can be recovered. You can see an explanation of what is called the “small claims” process by clicking here.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:18 am
Hi
I have just signed up but my wife has a separate policy for her car (also my son). Does my policy with you cover them when driving their own cars with their own motoring insurance policies, or should they apply to you separately ?
Regards
Graeme
April 1st, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Thanks Graeme,
Our policy covers any accident, so that means any vehicle, and any activity. Our policy is not limited to vehicles.
Your son is only covered if he lives with you, and is under 21 years of age. If he is outside thes categories, or will do so soon, he should sign up in his own name.
Let us know if you need more help.
Best wishes from the Your Key team
June 21st, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Is there any paperwork which comes with the Your Key policy?
June 21st, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Dear John,
Thank you for contacting us.
We do not provide paperwork to confirm your policy with us. The emails we
send, and the policy number we provide are all the confirmation you
require.
Your membership dates back to a quote you took online at
http://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk. There was an offer running on the site a while ago which
said if you take a quote you will receive free legal cover, and Your Key
delivered that cover.
You can download the policy at http://www.yourkey.info/welcome
We will send you a card for your key ring so our number is close to hand
should you need us.
best wishes from Your Key team
June 21st, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Many thanks,
So that means I don’t have to take any legal cover for my scooter this year as well. i.e My insurance is due for renewal on 7th of july. If you people are covering the legal I will stick with you.
June 21st, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Dear John,
You understand correctly.
It is you who needs legal cover, not the vehicle. Our policy covers any
accident, so any vehicle and any activity. It also covers family members
too, and we renew automatically.
Let us know how much you save.
June 30th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Hi there. I understand that you cover all vehicles in addition to bikes, but can I become a member even if I don’t ride/own a bike, and also would I be covered if I was driving someone else’s vehicle with third party insurance only?
Regards,
Chantal.
July 1st, 2010 at 10:06 am
Thanks Chantal,
The quick answer is that you can become a member of Your Key and it does not matter what you ride or drive.
The free legal cover with Your Key is not linked to a particular vehicle. The insurance companies and brokers sell legal cover per vehicle, and this is because they want to sell a legal cover policy with every vehicle they insure.
Lets look at what you are insuring and why. You must have at least third party insurance on each vehicle you use. Third party cover will pay out for the damage you do through your own fault. Third party insurance on a vehicle covers your liability to others, others being the third party. Legal cover is a different type of insurance. If you are involved in an accident and want to claim compensation because the other person is to blame, you will need to instruct a solicitor. If your action for compensation goes wrong and you face paying legal costs the legal cover policy picks up that bill for you.
You will see it is you who needs legal cover, and not your vehicle. as it is your liability to pay legal costs which is insured.
We make our policy as broad as possible by covering any accident. So we are not limited to road accidents.
For added convenience we renew the free legal cover each year without administration or fuss.
You are very welcometo join up without cost at http://www.yourkey.info/frontend/wordpress/become-a-member.
Best wishes
Your Key team
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