Policy Expert(.co.uk) kept my payment details then recharged me without my permission

sirtede · 6 July 2017 at 1:15PM

Hi Folks,

so in 2016 I took out a home insurance policy with Policy Expert(.co.uk) and as I usually do paid fully for the year's coverage through my debit card for the policy. One year on I received an email from Policy Expert(.co.uk) thanking me for renewing my policy and was advised that they took payment from my bank account using my bank card details for another year's policy coverage.

The issue here is that I did not receive any notification of a renewal from Policy Expert nor did I give them permission to keep my banking details on their records. (I did not know they did that). is that even legal?

I paid upfront as part of my usual plan to compare prices before I buy and I believe this company is using dirty tricks (or even illegal actions) to keep customers payment details when not instructed to do so.

can anyone please advise if there is something I can do to ensure Policy Expert doesn't do this to me or anyone else in future?

paddyandstumpy · 6 July 2017 at 3:17PM

When you signed up last year there would have been something about auto renewal, which is far from uncommon in insurance.

Unless you explicitly opted out, this is why they've done it.

Nothing wrong with it, or illegal about it.

They should have (and will no doubt claim to have) sent you a renewal offer which will outline this.

Quentin · 6 July 2017 at 4:03PM

sirtede wrote: »

The issue here is that I did not receive any notification of a renewal from Policy Expert nor did I give them permission to keep my banking details on their records. (I did not know they did that). is that even legal?

.....can anyone please advise if there is something I can do to ensure Policy Expert doesn't do this to me or anyone else in future?

You will have given them permission to keep your details on record (they would have used them should you have needed any refund during the policy year as well as to autorenew)

They may have sent you details of your autorenewal to an old email address??

You can ensure they don't do it to you again by walking!

sevenhills · 8 July 2017 at 10:24AM

paddyandstumpy wrote: »

Nothing wrong with it, or illegal about it.

This issue winds me up too.

My car insurance was the same, paid the full year, got a letter saying auto-renewal.
I was on the phone, waiting to be connected for 10 minutes, sent them an email in the end.
I would choose a policy that did not auto renew, its a scam.

Quentin · 8 July 2017 at 11:06AM

sevenhills wrote: »

This issue winds me up too.

My car insurance was the same, paid the full year, got a letter saying auto-renewal.
I was on the phone, waiting to be connected for 10 minutes, sent them an email in the end.
I would choose a policy that did not auto renew, its a scam.

You will have "chosen" a policy that did autorenew!

Your problem was you agreed to it without reading what you were doing when you accepted the policy ts and cs when buying it

sevenhills · 8 July 2017 at 11:49AM

Quentin wrote: »

You will have "chosen" a policy that did autorenew!
Your problem was you agreed to it without reading what you were doing when you accepted the policy ts and cs when buying it

I have often seen options for £100 access, legal fees and free replacement car; but never auto-renew.

Quentin · 8 July 2017 at 12:08PM

sevenhills wrote: »

I have often seen options for £100 access, legal fees and free replacement car; but never auto-renew.

You usually won't.

It would be covered in the policy ts + cs as posted (#5), which you must agree to before buying

Geoff1963 · 8 July 2017 at 2:27PM

Having money taken from your account by an auto-renew insurance company, is much less painful than it being taken by a court because your insurance ran out.:)
I think the OPs point is that the communication should have been better ; and even if some official things have to come by post, an e-mail a couple of weeks ago could have said :
Dear X, your insurance policy is about to expire, but in 5 days time we will take a payment to auto-renew unless you tell us otherwise"

The wording could be better, but that's the gist.

Policy Expert(.co.uk) kept my payment details then recharged me without my permission

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