car insurance charge following accident

stickywicket

In Jan 2010 I had a very minor accident touching someone else's bumper. We both agreed that there was no damage. He repored it, I discused it with my insurance company. Someone came to see if there was damage to my car and theirs. I heard nothing at all from my insurance company. Last week I was told by my car insurance company that they would be taking another £60 from my acount because of a claim for £4,5000. What are my rights here?

Quentin

Your premium shouldn't alter mid term, but if you have had a renewal since your incident and the incident wasn't taken into account in your new premium, or your NCD was affected, then a revised premium would be correct.

(Are you sure this £4500 claim refers to the "very minor accident", and not something else?)

stickywicket

I have been told via my insurance company that the underwriters have said that they will claim as they see fit, that they decide to setle a claim instead of a possible dispute which could be costly. However I have been given no information about this, I have no idea what the claim is, there has been no correspondence, and my insurance company has not been told anything. Have I not got any rights under even the Date protection Act to have access to any information held about me? I may have wanted to disput the claim particularily as no damage was done. Why have I not been kept informed?

Nelsonyouth

If when your insurers contacted you, you told them that there was no damage to either vehicle, then yes they should have been suspicious when a claim was submitted and therefore contacted you to discuss it.

However, in these situations you have to have some pretty good evidence before your insurers consider repudiating a claim. Photos from the accident scene work best, but are not entirely fool proof.

stickywicket

Thansk for that. In the end I contacted the underwriters to let them know that I would have liked some information about the claim against me. They said that most people don't want to be concerned. I said that I had no opportunity to question the validity of the claim as I had not been sent any information. They took this on board for the future and my insurance company paid me back the extra £48 that was asked for by the underwriters. The claimwas settled by agreeing to buy a new bumper ( undamaged) and whiplash injury which I think was a scam.