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Car insurance chief hints at higher premiums in 2008

The importance of shopping around for the best car insurance deal looks set to increase as British motorists face the prospect of higher premiums in 2008.

New figures released by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the UK’s largest motor insurer, suggest that insurers will be tightening their belts over the coming months as the cost of paying out on claims continues, due a combination of higher legal, car repair and medical costs.

Significantly, the insurer cited increased competition from online firms as a factor behind the cost of premiums staying low over the past few years.

Commenting on the situation in 2007, Chris Sullivan, head of RBS insurance, stated: “We saw motor rates rise at the same rate as claims inflation for the first time in five years,” indicating that this had become unsustainable.

However, other industry reports have predicted that the car insurance market will remain just as competitive in 2008 as it has been in the past few years, with those drivers who shop around for the best offers set to save significant sums of money.

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New Islamic-friendly car insurance policy set to be launched

Capita has announced that it is to launch a new car insurance business aimed specifically at Muslim drivers in the UK.

The company, which until now has only been a outsourcing firm , collecting the BBC licence fee and London’s congestion zone charges, will ensure that the new insurance products will be compliant with Islamic beliefs.

Most car insurance policies currently on the market are in conflict with such beliefs as they contain elements of uncertainty and gambling as well as run contrary to the Koran’s prohibition of “riba” or interest.

It is also expected that the company will roll out life insurance, investments and other financial products which are all in compliance of Islamic beliefs over the coming months.

“The Muslim faith states that, because of various product features, conventional UK insurance options are in conflict with Islam and this creates a dilemma for British Muslims,” explained Bradley Brandon-Cross, chief executive of British Islamic Insurance Holdings

“We are planning to create a British insurer that operates in a way that removes this dilemma and creates an exciting new sector in the British insurance market.”

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Drivers wasting £1.9bn by failing to compare car insurance policies

British motorists are spending a combined £1.9 billion over-the-odds for their car insurance premiums by failing to shop around for the best offers, new figures show.

Coming ahead of the launch of the new 08 number plates, research carried out by the insurance firm swiftcover.com has revealed that a significant number of drivers are paying for policy features they do not use, such as being covered for driving overseas, or are failing to get a joint policy with their spouse.

In addition, many drivers are simply renewing their old policies rather than shopping around online and comparing the hundreds of different products on offer.

Tina Shortle, Marketing Director of swiftcover.com, stated. “With household bills rising ever higher, it seems crazy that UK consumers should willingly waste over £1.9 billion by sticking with the same old insurer year after year.

“Smart consumers know that an online insurance company is likely to be cheaper because it doesn’t have to pay hundreds of call centre staff and can pass on the savings to its customers.”

As an example, a 25-year old female driver of a new Peugeot 207 could save in excess of £320 on her annual car insurance policy by opting for an online insurer rather than one of the larger, longer-established firm.

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Save up to £500 on your summer holiday*

The Summer Early Booking Bonus offer from Club Med has been extended by one day. You now have until Friday 29th February midnight to secure your summer holiday and save up to £500 for a family of four. A fantastic saving of up to £150 per adult and £100 per child. On Saturday it will be too late, so book now at the Club Med website!SAVE UP TO £300* ON MEDITERRANEAN RESORTS

Kamarina, Sicily, the active family UK favourite
Gregolimano, Greece, now 4-Trident with direct flights from London
Beldi, Turkey
Da Balaia, Portugal
Hammamet, Tunisia
La Palmyre, France
Opio en Provence, France
Palmiye, Turkey
SAVE UP TO £500* ON LONG HAUL SUMMER RESORTS

La Plantation d’Albion, Mauritius
La Pointe aux Canonniers, Mauritius
Kani, Maldives
Les Boucaniers, French West Indies
Cancun Yucatan, Mexico
La Caravelle, French West Indies
Columbus Isle, Bahamas
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Please note that quoted savings and prices are subject to availability and specific terms and conditions. All offers are subject to availability on a limited number of places on each departure date per destination, cannot be backdated nor combined with any other offers/promotions.

*Based on a family of four: 2 adults and 2 children under 12 years.

Find out more at the Club Med website.

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UK leading the way for broadband uptake in Europe

Britain is leading the way in terms of European broadband uptake, a new report has concluded.

Coming as the government launches a review into the possible future roll-out of even higher speed internet networks, new figures from the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (Ecta) show that the proportion of Britons online stood at 67 per cent in 2007.

This compares to 63 per cent in 2006, while the proportion of households with broadband lines grew from 44 per cent to 57 per cent over the same period.

One of the major reasons behind such an increase has been the growing number of offers being rolled out by various internet service providers, making the sector one of the most competitive in all of Europe.

The “effective unbundling of the local loop” was cited by Ecta as a factor behind such strong competition and large number of consumer offers.

The new report also revealed that the number of people with broadband lines across Europe rose to 92 million on the back of a ten per cent growth spurt over the past 12 months.

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Drivers advised to research new car values before committing

Brits looking to buy a new car should first compare the varying value of the different models on offer over time.

Research carried out by the comparison site uSwitch has revealed that the value of new cars falls by an average of £510 a month, equivalent to £6,124 in the first year.

Furthermore, an average model loses around £9,800 in value over the first four years of its life.

Consumers also need to be aware that a number of insurance providers will only pay out the market value of a car, that its taking into account the any monthly depreciation, should it be written off, while some rival firms will pay the original amount if the damage is done within one year of the purchase.

The study found that the Vauxhall Vectra 1.9 CDTI fared the worse with time, losing 58 per cent of its value in one year alone and 75 per cent over four years.

In comparison, the BMW 325d SE Coupe loses just 25 per cent of its value over the first 12 months and 56 per cent over the first four years, though it does come with an original price tag of £15,000.

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Brits advised to make use of phone bill payment offers

Britons could save a total of £237 million simply by switching how they pay their telephone bills.

That is according to the latest research carried out by uSwitch into the advantages of paying by direct debit rather than by paying off bills received in the post.

Starting in April, BT will be charging customers who pay by paper bills £15 more than those who pay electronically, while an annual charges of £18 will also be introduced for those who pay by cash, cheque, debit card or credit card.

At present it is estimated that around 2.9 million BT customers are paying over the odds for not making use of the direct debit system on offer, while a further £9.4 million are set to be penalised once the new rules come into effect.

At the same time, Virgin and Toucan customers are also being charged £60 and £24 a year respectively for not paying by debit card, the study also revealed.

"Some would argue that the additional charges imposed on customers not wishing to pay by direct debit are an unfair penalty," said Steve Weller, head of communications services at uSwitch.

"With charges as high as £60 a year, customers should seriously consider whether they wish to continue settling their bills by cash, cheque or card."

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Panasonic to introduce new Blu-ray player to UK

Panasonic is set to launch its DMP-BD 30 Blu-ray player in the UK.

Coming soon after Blockbuster video stores announced that it is to give preference to the new technology and will soon only be offering films in the Blu-ray format, the electronics company has announced that it is to introduce its latest model into the UK market.

The new model will come boast Panasonic’s Pixel Precision Progressive Processing for HD technology, which will offer homeowners a cinema-standard picture quality from the comfort of their own home, and it will also be able to play CDs.

As an introductory offer, the company will be bundling the movies Ratatouille and Cars in with the player in a special package to cost £349.

At the same time Microsoft has announced that it is to introduce Paramount’s HD DVD player with its Xbox 360, with movies such as Blades of Glory, Naked Gun and Transformers to be among the first movies on offer.

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Brits neglecting £23bn of sporting kit

Britons have sporting goods worth over £23 billion in their homes, with most of this equipment just sitting idle and catching dust, new research has found.

Some 23 per cent of people buy all the kit they need when they embark upon a new activity, a study by the insurer LV= found, though a majority of people then promptly give up and forget all about their equipment.

The UK currently has £10.4 billion worth of golf clubs, bikes and other equipment which has not been used within the last six months as well as a further $4.4 billion worth of kit not touched for more than three years.

“We tend to think that the most costly things to replace are jewellery or electronics, but sporting equipment can cost thousands of pounds,” said Emma Holyer, a spokesperson for the insurance firm.

“People must ensure that if their bike is worthy of Lance Armstrong, or their golf clubs are up to Tiger Woods’ standard, they inform their insurer so that it is included on their home insurance.”

She added that many insurance policies don’t cover equipment left in sheds or garages and as such it is always wise to compare the deals on offer.

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Talk about fast food: Porsche unveils new “man’s kitchen”

A new kitchen designed by the supercar manufacturer Porsche is set to be released in the UK, with the nation’s males its target audience.

Adhering to the design specifications of its cars, the German firm has revealed that its new “man’s kitchen” will be both flash and functional and is set to offer an antidote to a market dominated by designs aimed at females.

Using the latest design techniques, the kitchen will boast cabinet doors which open at the touch of a finger as well as features such as touch-adjustable lighting and some of the finest materials available.

For £20,000, however, homeowners won’t get any door handles as these have been completely taken out to give a greater sense of space and of “floating” through the room.

The launch of the new kitchen follows on from the recent releases of Porsche’s Sagem mobile phone, which comes with 3G connectivity and a built-in MP3 player, as well as its espresso coffee maker and range of men’s and ladies’ watches.

Fellow luxury car manufacturers Ferrari and Bentley have also put their names on a range of watches.

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Households urged to embrace efficient washers

Consumers have been urged to do more to save water, with new figures showing that the UK uses more of the resource than any other European country despite having less available water per head than most of the continent.

Among the measures suggested by environmental experts are comparing the water efficiency of new washing machines and even cutting back on the often-unnecessary pre-wash cycles.

According to a new report from Ariel, recent heavy rainfall levels and flooding instances have instilled a sense of complacency among Britons when it comes to preserving water.

Jacob Tompkins, Director, Waterwise, said: ‘The past two years has seen the worst droughts and floods for a century in parts of the UK. Although these events give different messages to the public about available water supply and the need to be water efficient, both lead to restrictions on public water supply.

“Climate change means that we will see even more extreme weather in the future. Already, the south-east of England has less available water per person than Sudan and Syria.”

Britons waste more than six million litres of water a year through using pre-wash settings on a washing machine, while around half of all Britons do not put full loads into their washing machines or dryers, the report also revealed.

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Mortgage lending strong as borrowers shop around for best rates

Growing numbers of UK homeowners are researching the best deals on offer as they look into updating their mortgage commitments, new figures show.

According to the latest statistics published by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) the value of mortgages being approved rose from £17.3 billion in December to £18.1 billion in January.

Significantly, this growth was fuelled by strong remortgaging levels, with homeowners taking advantage of competitive interest rates to borrow against their properties.

David Dooks, director of statistics at the organisation, stated: “Although house prices and new loans for house purchases appear to be subdued as the housing market slows, the strength of remortgaging would suggest competition for mortgage business and switching remains high.”

Many of the homeowners taking out remortgage deals are coming off fixed-rate products and looking for an equally competitive offer, observers have explained.

Just recently the Council of Mortgage Lenders noted that it expects to see the mortgage market remain relatively quiet over the coming months as borrowers feel the impact of the credit crunch.

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Sony set to unveil new colour-changing MP3 player

Sony is to launch an updated version of its popular E-Series Walkman MP3 players, it has been announced.

The new models will offer customers between one and four GB of storage, an FM radio and colour LCD screens.

However, it is their interchangeable cases which are expected to prove a hit with UK consumers, giving owners the opportunity to switch between a number of bold and contemporary designs.

The company has also confirmed that the new generation of walkman will be capable of playing MP3, WMA and WAV and will boast a battery life of around 30 hours, making it extremely favourable in comparison to other models currently on a market.

Though an exact release date has yet to be announced, it is expected that the new gadgets will be available to consumers before the end of June.

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Avis builds on 3-minute car hire offer

Avis has announced that it is to extend its ‘3 Minute Promise’ car hire offer to all of the UK’s major airports.

The firm first rolled out the offer at the start of the year at London’s Heathrow airport, with any customers enrolled on its frequent renter scheme who are not given the keys to a hire car and handed a printed agreement within three minutes receiving an apology and £20-off voucher in the post soon after.

To date in France the company has achieved a 99.7 per cent success rate for this new service, which is also available at more than 390 locations across the continent.

Commenting on the offer, Avis’ commercial director Daniel McCarthy, said: “At Heathrow airport over the first six weeks since the launch we have served over 3,250 Avis Preferred customers and only given out three retail vouchers and apologies.

“This is an excellent success rate and we are confident this will be mirrored at further locations. In addition, we are aiming to roll the service out across all 25 Avis airport locations by the end of May.”

The initiative comes as millions of Britons are expected to head away for an Easter break, with many keen to take advantage of last-minute holiday offers.

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Dodgy digital camera disasters unveiled

Scheming foreign taxi drivers, adult entertainment and family bath times have all featured in a new list of the most novel claims made with a digital camera insurance company.

While the cost of a simple digital camera has fallen significantly over recent years, with online retailers and even supermarkets rolling out continuous offers, many of the top end devices can cost hundreds, or even thousands of pounds, and therefore owners have been advised of the importance of a decent insurance policy.

According to Photoguard, among the top five camera calamities of 2007 was one man breaking his equipment after he got a little too close to a break-dancing session, as well as cases of a Peruvian taxi driver leaving a traveller stranded without his luggage and a houseboat owner dropping his camera into the water after slipping.

In addition, one female owner made a claim using a photo of her camera set up alongside a video camera and monitor in her bedroom.

“The variety of claims that we receive each year never ceases to amaze and occasionally amuse,” said Sarah Gow, managing director of Photoguard.

“The vast majority of claims we receive each year have a happy ending, but there are thousands of stories where it’s much harder to see the funny side.”

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Cheap flights offer from bmibaby

Flying from Birmingham? Then just pay taxes and charges on flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast Intl, Bordeaux, Cork, Ireland West Knock, Jersey, Lisbon, Marseille Provence, Milan (BGY) and Murcia Flying from East Midlands? Then just pay taxes and charges on flights to Alicante, Belfast Intl and Gdansk. Flying from

Cardiff? Then just pay taxes and charges on flights to Amsterdam, Belfast Intl, Gdansk and Jersey. Flying from Manchester? Then just pay taxes and charges on flights to Belfast Intl, Cork and Ireland West Knock.The big seat giveaway ends midnight Tuesday 26th February 08. Valid for travel on selected destinations from 7th April until 18th May 08. You don’t want to miss out.

book flights now

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Consumers urged to look for best home phone deals

Consumers have been advised to shop around for the best offer on home phone packages after BT announced a series of radical tariff alterations which could see the cost of calls soar.

Under the operator’s new plans for its Options 1 and 2 price plans, the cost of an evening call for those customers not on a 12-month contract could go up by 1,900 per cent, while those on certain deals will be able to get free weekend calls and actually save money.

Julia Harris, analyst at moneyfacts.co.uk, explained: “For any consumer trying to work out how these changes will affect them, all of the packages and tariffs are a minefield.

“Unfortunately, before any of the utility providers start to become more transparent, consumers will have to sit down and work out what they are using and when to really get the best deal.”

However, BT is hoping to win customers over with its revamped Unlimited Anytime offer, one of its leading all-inclusive plans which will drop in price from £7.95 a month to £5.95 a month

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Broadband offers “misleading” study finds

A number of broadband offers currently available to consumers are misleading, it has been claimed.

According to research carried out by Broadband Expert, the average speed within the UK is currently “a pitiful 2.95Mbps”, despite some operators advertising speeds of up to 9Mbps.

The website claims that Be broadband currently offers the best average speeds of 6.07 Mbps, in stark contrast to the 1.72 Mbps provided by Tiscali.

Commenting on the findings, the website’s technical director William Harvey said: “Despite ongoing pressure from Ofcom and various consumer groups, broadband providers are still misleading the public over broadband speeds.

“Providers should state the average download and upload speeds achieved by their broadband subscribers, this would give consumers a better idea of the sorts of speeds they are likely to receive and would encourage providers to deliver better broadband products.”

The comments come as O2 announced that it is to extend its pay-as-you-go broadband offer to include non O2 customers.

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