Car Insurance Charges - add your charges

mark2004uk

We have reclaimed unfair bank charges, well what about charges from car insurance companies, I am with swinton and the charges they have are bonkers

If you want to make a change on the policy £25

If you cancel £50

Duplicate documents (photo copy) £20

DD Defaults £24

Returned cheques £20

Failure to sign credit agreement £12

Payment via credit card 2% of total payable.

Some of these charges are so bad, especially when car insurance has shot up big style this year!

worried_jim

Give 'em a call and see what they say.....................

0800 072 9018

mikey72

I object to the cancellation fee, but I suppose they were getting loads of people obtaining insurance to tax the car, then cancelling. Maybe different fees depending on whose fault it was.
Changes to policy- should be free for moving address, and changing car.

StephenMarsh

costs money to make changes but the amounts charged are excessive £25 is very over the top.

the credit card charges are charged by the credit card company and the not signing DD mandate are probably charged by the credit company (quite possibly close)

foggytown

The additional charges for "admin" activities is the newest rip-off from an industry that killed and buried the concept of "utmost good faith" decades ago. These charges and the unhealthy concept of auto-renewal are two of the most cynical and self-serving innovations of recent years.

mikey72

I forgot auto renewal, then the £50 cancellation.........
Don't get me started.................

iceicebaby

All the charges are stated on the website / documents when you buy. You have the option of not buying and going elsewhere if you dont like that chages.

mikey72

iceicebaby wrote: »

All the charges are stated on the website / documents when you buy. You have the option of not buying and going elsewhere if you dont like that chages.

That's what the banks said as well.

dunstonh

The FOS generally accept fees up to £50 where the fees are published.

We have reclaimed unfair bank charges

Not quite. The court case on bank charges put an end to that. It was only those that got in early whilst the banks wanted to avoid the courts that were able to reclaim them. Try putting in a claim now and it gets rejected (apart from hardship cases).

That's what the banks said as well.

and the banks won.

Some of these charges are so bad, especially when car insurance has shot up big style this year!

Who is going to pay for your costs then if you are not?

Explicit charging has occurred for two reasons. 1) it allows them to reduce the insurance premium so they look better on quote portals. 2) the FSA has a preference for explicit charging and doesnt like too much cross subsidy. Indeed, in some areas of regulated business, it will soon become against the rules to have cross subsidy with charges.

mikey72

dunstonh wrote: »

and the banks won.

I meant more the comment about not buying, or going elsewhere.

Can't not buy if you need it, and they all charge about the same.
So they have you, the same as the banks do.

DrScotsman

INDICATIVE AND NON-EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF TERMS WHICH MAY BE REGARDED AS UNFAIR
1. Terms which have the object or effect of-
(e) requiring any consumer who fails to fulfil his obligation to pay a disproportionately high sum in compensation;

That is the logic of the bank charges. e.g. Going over your allowed funds is a failing to fulfil your obligation.

mark2004uk wrote: »

If you want to make a change on the policy £25

If you cancel £50

Duplicate documents (photo copy) £20

DD Defaults £24

Returned cheques £20

Failure to sign credit agreement £12

Payment via credit card 2% of total payable.

Only the three in black could possibly be seen as the consumer failing any obligations. The ones in red do not. I don't think they come under any of the other categories, am I wrong?