Car insurance news

Huge cost of lost handbags revealed

Lost handbags cost British women an enormous £4.9 billion every year, according to the latest research from home and car insurance firm Churchill.

The London-based insurers have revealed that the average cost of replacing a handbag and all its contents is a whopping £228, and with one in three of us admitting to losing our bags at some point, the pennies soon mount up.

But it's not only the financial cost of a missing bag that can be a huge inconvenience, as Abi Clark from Churchill explained. She said, "The theft or loss of a bag can cause a woman no end of problems, stress and worry.

"We carry a lot of value in our bags and it can take substantial time and money to cancel credit cards, have new home and car keys cut and replace lost luxury items too."

According to the home and car insurance company, a woman who has lost her bag will spend a time-consuming six days ringing around to cancel cards and phones, as well as taking time off work to sort out lost keys and shopping for new bits and pieces.

Michelle Simpson, a stylish twenty-something actress from London knows all too well the hassle a lost bag can cause, saying, "I was distraught when my bag went missing on the underground.

"But it's not only losing the pricey things that upset me, it was the things that are irreplaceable; photos in my wallet, little keepsakes from my boyfriend, that sort of thing.

As well as handbags going missing on the Tube, they also seem to disappear fairly regularly in pubs, clubs and on holiday. In addition, smash-and-grab robberies on bags left unoccupied in cars are becoming increasingly more common, resulting not only in lost possessions, but also the chance of a costly motor insurance claim.

A spokesperson from CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, the leading women's car insurance provider, warned, "Opportunist thieves are always on the lookout for handbags left inside vehicles, so it really does pay to be extra vigilant and make sure you've left nothing in view."

*A replacement car can normally be arranged under one of the following conditions: (1) Comprehensive policyholders – a replacement car may be available under the terms of your insurance policy. Please check your policy details for more information. (2) Non fault accident – where we have the name, car registration number and insurance details of the person who caused the accident, we can supply a replacement car. This is done on a credit hire basis which means the costs for this service will be passed onto the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. We may not be able to arrange a replacement car where we are unable to get an admission of liability from their insurance company, or where the driver is untraceable or uninsured. (3) Repair garage – if your car is booked in for repairs following an accident, the repair garage may be able to provide a replacement car (subject to availability).

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