Backdated payment for non-disclosure?

xxNick101xx

My car insurance is up for renewal in a couple of weeks. I currently have two SP30 (speeding) motoring convictions, one from 2007 and one from 2008.
I called up my current insurer to try and haggle on the renewal quote they sent me and i mentioned my two convictions, which i hadn't previously told them about. They said that the one from 2007 occurred before my last renewal, and that i should have told them about it when i renewed last year. I said i thought i had told them (i didn't tell them) and they said they would review the call from last year to see.
Anyway, they said that i need to pay them £126 as the figure i paid last year did not include the conviction premium. So, i asked them that if i had had an accident, and they had found out that i had not disclosed the points, would my insurance have been invalid, and they said 'yes'.
I then asked that if this had happended, would i have been able to pay £126 to have my insurance validated, and she said 'no'.
So, i am being told to pay £126 for an insurance policy that i never had, and never will have as i have since cancelled my policy and moved elsewhere.
They said that they will send a letter requesting the payment of £126 - is this right? do i have to pay it?
It seems that the insurance company wins both ways - my insurance was effectively invalid as i hadn't told them about the points (they win); now i have told them, they want £126 for insurance that i never has/will have (they win).
Surely it was my risk that i ran?
Any advice is much appreciated!
Nick

Katie-Kat-Kins

I can't imagine why you would fail to disclose your convictions, you are paying to have no insurance!

You have attempted to deceive them, they are entitled to recover money that you would have had to have paid if you had been honest. Pay up and think yourself lucky you weren't caught out, driving without a valid insurance policy is a criminal offence and you could have lost your licence or had a hefty fine imposed.

Miss_Qwerty

I agree with KatP. The £126 is what they would have charged you on top of your premium had you have told them in the first place. If you'd have been honest and upfront about it then you may have looked round a few more companies and found a cheaper insurance elsewhere, but since you decided to hide the truth you can't really blame them now they've found out and want you to pay what they wouls have charged you in the first place.

gordikin

I do hope you have disclosed your convictions to your new insurance company and that you have not claimed an extra years NCD from your old insurance policy as your insurance was invalid. Personally I would pay the £126 as you should have paid it at the renewal and as not doing so may lead to problems should you have to make a claim in the future.

Quote

Good grief. What a moron.

TheHits

Nick, the bottom line is that if you don't pay up, and your insurer decides to invoke their right to void your policy due to non-disclosure, then you will in effect have been driving illegally for the last two years.

What you make of that, of course, is up to you.

gordikin

Quote wrote: »

Good grief. What a moron.

Who? OP or me?

Quote

The OP, obv.

LittleMissInDebt

At least you didn't have an accident... I neglected to disclose points a year or so ago (I thought they were due taking off and was too lazy to find my license and check) and did write my car off, I was just very very fortunate the insurance company did pay up - although obviously they too charged for the period of non-disclosure as well... anyway it's a pain now but at least £126 isn't too bad!

Wammer

I almost didn't declare my OH's 3 speeding points, but certainly not deliberately.

The online question was, "Have you had any accidents or convictions?" I automatically thought of a conviction as something you get in court so smugly answered No.

I can't remember why, but at the end of the quote I realised they may have meant a speeding fine and went back and changed it. It may have been because another website asked the question more clearly.

My non-discloure certainly wouldn't have been deliberately withholding information. It would have been my misunderstanding of their terminology, but the insurance would still have been invalid.

dunstonh

Deliberate non-disclosure and unintentional non disclosure are treated differently by the insurance companies.

In the event of a claim, unintentional will usually see the insurer pay out providing they would have offered cover from the start had they known the full facts. They will also collect back payments and you will have to declare that you had non disclosure on future applications which will increase your premiums. If the insurer would not have covered you from the start then you would be treated as an uninsured driver as suffer the legal consequences of that. Intentional non-disclosure will see the claim rejected and you be treated as an uninsured driver and having to declare that in future. If you think your premiums are bad now, try getting insurance with you having to declare that.