The hard sell is very prevalent in Britain, and it you don't take their insurance, they are more likely to find something wrong with the car. It's their way of improving their margins. However, it's also very hard to find these excess insurance companies who will insure Hong Kong residents. This is due to the high number of claims from here. My last two companies have declined my business on renewal. Judging by the standard of HK driving, I'm not surprised.