barge1914
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So you've got a van and full time abroad, and wouldn't it be nice to have a scooter to take round with you? How difficult could that be. Ah but the admin and burocracy! A little tale of the entertaining time we had getting a scooter to keep on the deck of our barge. (Entertaining is the optimists word for frustrating)
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Scooting round Europe
Somebody, I can't remember who, asked me if I ever manage to find out how to insure a scooter in Belgium to let them know. Now, hopefully I do, this is the way we went about it....
It all began when we got to Belgium. First stop Veurne where we got a quite reasonable quote for re-fettling the back deck so that we could drive a car on board using ramps. By the time we got to Bruges however the realization had sunk in that this idea was going nowhere. Nowhere anywhere, unlike France, was there a bank low enough to offload a car, indeed rarely a flat surface approached the waterside without an attendant safety barrier. Back on the shelf went the great idea, the alternative prospect of a crane being greatly deterred by the many thousands of euros involved..
"how much ...we could buy another car for less than that!"...So it will have to be a scooter then.
We rattled around the scooter emporium in Veurne:
"No problem! No license, number plate or road tax needed...but you will need insurance, no problem, only €150".
Off to Bruges, compared prices, same answer ...
"No problem! Aah but you do need a permanent address in Belgium to get insurance. No problem! Go to the town hall they will give you a paper to say you are staying long term in Bruges".
We rattled around Bruges for several hours becoming merrily acquainted with an varied and architecturally satisfying range of local authority edifices. Finally earnestly assured that what we really wanted was the Dept of Mobiliteit, in we stepped, explained once again. Well we were getting close this time, we only had to step down the corridor to the next Dept. So we did and in true Monty Pythonesque style up popped the same personage once more. He explained our dilemma to his collegue.
"No problem, all you need is to request an inscription",
"An inscription??!",
"Oh yes"
"How do we get one?"
"Fill a form and make a declaration, simple....but there is just a little downside..."
"Ooooh, what may that be???"
"You need an address ("Grrrr")...and..."
"And???"
"You get to pay income tax...and council tax...and..."
"Hmmm, we'll just pop outside and think about it.." feet shuffling hastily backwards through the door,
"Not perhaps quite the cheapest way to insure a scooter!".
Next attempt:
"Lets see if an insurance broker can come up with something".
Next quest...we found a very useful Public Information Office next to the fish market which very nicely got round the problem of not having a clue what Flemish is for 'insurance broker'.They gave us some addresses... off to the brokers...
"No problem, we can get you insured for just €130"
"No leeettle problems like an address in Belgium?"
"Oooh yeees, you will need one of those"
"How could we get one?"
"You could try the town hall"
"There's a hole in my bucket!!!"
"Sorry pardon?"
"Oh never mind, it would take too long to explain."
"Can't you insure it in England, EC rules say you can insure anywhere in Europe"
A small fortune in mobile phone calls to England proved that English insurers don't share this view, unless its registered in UK they don't want to know.
So far not much insurance but a towering thirst for Belgian Beer.
"B****r this for a game of soldiers, it will be easier to drive to France and find a broker there, at least we have a sort of official French address in the form of our 'Port d'Attach' (Avontuur is French registered).
So next day off we drove...to Dunkirk. The added benefit in this strategy was we could finally dispose of our now well-matured collection of waste engine oil at one of those nice helpful French 'dechetteries'. In a country that padlocks up its bins in case those who don't pay local taxes may dare put something in them, getting rid of oil is also not so easy. We were turned away in Bruges because we were foreigners who couldn't possibly be taxpayers!...but I digress.
Friendly locals directed us cheerfully on fools errands all over Dunkirk. We never did find the Peugeot scooter dealer, but by chance tripped over an insurance broker.
"Pas de problem!" (No English spoken here, but fortunately my French is up to the task) "Your Port d'attach address is quite acceptable. Much rattling of the keyboard ensued.
"Regarder! We can insure you for only €450"
"What, for that we can buy a new scooter every three years! Why so much???"
"Ah, if you have also a French registered car then only €150. Malheureusement...there is no other way round this"
"Oh B****r, perhaps we don't really want a scooter!"
Back in Bruges, a few days to reflect, a last ditch attempt. Somebody said that the local postmistress is very helpful, perhaps she may know how to get an accommodation address. Into the 'Postkantoor' in Laangstraat, told the tale...all smiles...
"Not a problem." (writing vigorously)" Here is you address in Bruges"
"What...here..the post office? Will that be accepted by insurers?
"Not a problem, they have to accept it" (something to do with no-fixed-abode-ism).
"What happens next year when we leave Bruges, perhaps for good?"
"Not a problem! I will send everything on to you, just telephone and say where you are...for as long as you want"
"This sounds excellent..what does such a good service cost?"
"Not a problem! Nothing at all, I could rent you a PO box but that's expensive...and you won't be needing one."
Back to the brokers proudly bearing our new Belgian address.
"Here you are, this is our new address, is it acceptable?"
"Not a problem! Oh yes....we have other customers who also use the post office. If you move elsewhere, just call us and we ourselves can send your papers onto wherever you are."
"*****!!!" (It would have been nice if they had thought to mention this before).
So there you have it...Belgian scooter insurance...Not a problem! >>
<<
Scooting round Europe
Somebody, I can't remember who, asked me if I ever manage to find out how to insure a scooter in Belgium to let them know. Now, hopefully I do, this is the way we went about it....
It all began when we got to Belgium. First stop Veurne where we got a quite reasonable quote for re-fettling the back deck so that we could drive a car on board using ramps. By the time we got to Bruges however the realization had sunk in that this idea was going nowhere. Nowhere anywhere, unlike France, was there a bank low enough to offload a car, indeed rarely a flat surface approached the waterside without an attendant safety barrier. Back on the shelf went the great idea, the alternative prospect of a crane being greatly deterred by the many thousands of euros involved..
"how much ...we could buy another car for less than that!"...So it will have to be a scooter then.
We rattled around the scooter emporium in Veurne:
"No problem! No license, number plate or road tax needed...but you will need insurance, no problem, only €150".
Off to Bruges, compared prices, same answer ...
"No problem! Aah but you do need a permanent address in Belgium to get insurance. No problem! Go to the town hall they will give you a paper to say you are staying long term in Bruges".
We rattled around Bruges for several hours becoming merrily acquainted with an varied and architecturally satisfying range of local authority edifices. Finally earnestly assured that what we really wanted was the Dept of Mobiliteit, in we stepped, explained once again. Well we were getting close this time, we only had to step down the corridor to the next Dept. So we did and in true Monty Pythonesque style up popped the same personage once more. He explained our dilemma to his collegue.
"No problem, all you need is to request an inscription",
"An inscription??!",
"Oh yes"
"How do we get one?"
"Fill a form and make a declaration, simple....but there is just a little downside..."
"Ooooh, what may that be???"
"You need an address ("Grrrr")...and..."
"And???"
"You get to pay income tax...and council tax...and..."
"Hmmm, we'll just pop outside and think about it.." feet shuffling hastily backwards through the door,
"Not perhaps quite the cheapest way to insure a scooter!".
Next attempt:
"Lets see if an insurance broker can come up with something".
Next quest...we found a very useful Public Information Office next to the fish market which very nicely got round the problem of not having a clue what Flemish is for 'insurance broker'.They gave us some addresses... off to the brokers...
"No problem, we can get you insured for just €130"
"No leeettle problems like an address in Belgium?"
"Oooh yeees, you will need one of those"
"How could we get one?"
"You could try the town hall"
"There's a hole in my bucket!!!"
"Sorry pardon?"
"Oh never mind, it would take too long to explain."
"Can't you insure it in England, EC rules say you can insure anywhere in Europe"
A small fortune in mobile phone calls to England proved that English insurers don't share this view, unless its registered in UK they don't want to know.
So far not much insurance but a towering thirst for Belgian Beer.
"B****r this for a game of soldiers, it will be easier to drive to France and find a broker there, at least we have a sort of official French address in the form of our 'Port d'Attach' (Avontuur is French registered).
So next day off we drove...to Dunkirk. The added benefit in this strategy was we could finally dispose of our now well-matured collection of waste engine oil at one of those nice helpful French 'dechetteries'. In a country that padlocks up its bins in case those who don't pay local taxes may dare put something in them, getting rid of oil is also not so easy. We were turned away in Bruges because we were foreigners who couldn't possibly be taxpayers!...but I digress.
Friendly locals directed us cheerfully on fools errands all over Dunkirk. We never did find the Peugeot scooter dealer, but by chance tripped over an insurance broker.
"Pas de problem!" (No English spoken here, but fortunately my French is up to the task) "Your Port d'attach address is quite acceptable. Much rattling of the keyboard ensued.
"Regarder! We can insure you for only €450"
"What, for that we can buy a new scooter every three years! Why so much???"
"Ah, if you have also a French registered car then only €150. Malheureusement...there is no other way round this"
"Oh B****r, perhaps we don't really want a scooter!"
Back in Bruges, a few days to reflect, a last ditch attempt. Somebody said that the local postmistress is very helpful, perhaps she may know how to get an accommodation address. Into the 'Postkantoor' in Laangstraat, told the tale...all smiles...
"Not a problem." (writing vigorously)" Here is you address in Bruges"
"What...here..the post office? Will that be accepted by insurers?
"Not a problem, they have to accept it" (something to do with no-fixed-abode-ism).
"What happens next year when we leave Bruges, perhaps for good?"
"Not a problem! I will send everything on to you, just telephone and say where you are...for as long as you want"
"This sounds excellent..what does such a good service cost?"
"Not a problem! Nothing at all, I could rent you a PO box but that's expensive...and you won't be needing one."
Back to the brokers proudly bearing our new Belgian address.
"Here you are, this is our new address, is it acceptable?"
"Not a problem! Oh yes....we have other customers who also use the post office. If you move elsewhere, just call us and we ourselves can send your papers onto wherever you are."
"*****!!!" (It would have been nice if they had thought to mention this before).
So there you have it...Belgian scooter insurance...Not a problem! >>
