Comments: Observations

Many printer cartridges are in short supply; some are currently unobtainable. This may be a short-lived Brexit event, but not sure.
I recommend RefreshCartridges - good, cheap, excellent customer service.
Haven't tried your approach to retaining current insurers; I tend to switch each year.

Posted by Tim W on 16 February, 2021 at 11:12 AM

Only problem with running compatible cartridges on HP office printers is that you have to spend half an hour finding a workaround for the missing 'genuine cartridge' chip to get the printer to fuction again. This usually involves having to stop your printer doing auto-updates so that the compatible company can manage to find a workaround every time HP get one step ahead and block use of compatibles with a new software update. Plus, as we print our own honey labels, compatible ink can run when damp (which it can be in the honey honesty cupboard outside the house) and customers don't like runny labels (and nor would I). So we're stuck needing to use genuine cartridges. Interestingly, the compatibles for our printer are now exactly the same price as the HP originals were pre-pandemic. Whcih can only be profiteering. I think this pre-dates Brexit, and most HP cartridges are now made in Malaysia, China or Singapore anyway.

The thing with the insurance is that cover from the 'non known' sites that tend to be cheapest and so come top on comparison sites has more exclusions and less generous cover for the various categories of peril every year. In the past I used to swap insurers every time I couldn't haggle the existing insurer down to, or below, new customer prices from comparison sites, but now I'm finding I don't have to haggle at all, it is loads cheaper anyway, plus I keep my original T&Cs which are generally a lot better than those in newer policies. Might just be coincidence though.

One other point - we buy legal cover for cars separately from car insurance (it's much cheaper) but I don't think you can buy household legal cover separately. If you change house insurers every year, and buy home legal insurance, you will get a new policy, and neither your old nor your new policy will cover you for something that becomes litigious where the event started outside the cover period. eg you contract someone to do a job in year 1 insurance. 3 weeks later, in year 2 insurance (when you've changed policy/company) something goes wrong and you need to make a legal claim against the contractor as they refuse to put it right. You won't then have cover. Whereas, if you stayed with the same company, you would have cover. I've been looking at this very carefully, for reasons that you may be able to work out :)

Posted by Blue Witch on 16 February, 2021 at 2:06 PM

Have a look at freemotorlegal dot co dot uk.
Actually we never pay for legal expenses cover - there are so many "gotchas" in the wording that I don't think it's worth having.
When you "renew" your insurance policy with the same company, aren't you actually entering into a new contract? So your periods of legal cover argument might be voided, perhaps. But I do appreciate your research, so am inclined to your perspective on this!

Posted by Tim W on 17 February, 2021 at 8:28 AM

I checked that one Tim... as long as the policy number is the same (which, with this company it is, for as long as your cover with them continues) you have continuous cover.

And while I share your 'it's not worth the paper it's written on' concerns on household legal cover, the legal helplines can be helpful, and will give specific advice. Probably worth the £26.99 a year just for that, while we are in the current situations.

And freemotorlegal only covers you for accidents that are not your fault. We pay one premium for standalone cover for all our vehicles and it gives cover for all motoring situations, including potential prosecutions (providing you were driving legally of course).

Posted by Blue Witch on 17 February, 2021 at 9:11 AM

Printer ink. Hmmm. I type (becos handwriting) weekly snail-mails to a friend and include photos.

Last week's letter had to be reprinted in parts because black ink running out, refilled. Then pix - no idea at all of colours. Think next letter will have to have B&W pix, if any.

So much for trying to not send 'outdated' electronics to the tip/wherever.

The Tech Dept (aka Husband, who Knows About and Understands these things) says it's a pain, but there you are. We refill the black ink. We could refill the colour cartridges, but would then need to fiddle some innards to actually persuade the machine they actually contain ink - as described above, I suspect.

Posted by Sharon on 18 February, 2021 at 11:40 AM

There may be shortages of bedding plants come spring.....we were talking to one of our plant suppliers based in France and he said lots of the companies that usually provide the UK market aren't going to be ready and some are going to give this year a miss until it's all sorted out (pretty narrow profit margins I imagine).

Posted by NiC on 21 February, 2021 at 12:04 PM