Car insurance Big Brother

pixar

I recently went on line with "Go Compare" as my car insurance is coming up for renewal, I liked one quote from L.V. so I took down their phone number and gave them a call, whilst waiting to be put through I listened to their pre recorded message, it amongst other information tells you will be credit checked as a matter of course, when I was finally put through to someone, I enquired if I would be credit checked as I did not want any credit and wanted to pay in Full, she told me that everyone is credit checked whether they wanted credit or not...
I then phoned Go Compare complaints line, she informed me it was a matter of course and it was in their terms and conditions about obligatory credit checking, I explained I had read through their Terms and Conditions fully, and there was nothing regarding this subject, then she said maybe its in our Privacy Statement, there was a section regarding this but,, it does not state at any point, or anywhere, that you will be credit searched regardless of you applying for any credit, and if it did,, it Should be mentioned in their Terms and Conditions!! I find this an affront to my privacy! when I'm not in anyway applying for any Credit. Why should we be treated this way??Should they be allowed to get away with this affront to our privacy?
I wonder if you and your colleagues could find out why.
and is this Legal! shouldn't it be in the terms and conditions ,,,of the sale, or proposed sale??

ian_h

It does have to be covered in the T&C's, some Insurers (most notably Aviva & RBS Group i.e. Direct Line, Churchill, Privilege) use your credit check as a rating factor and adjust the price up (and also allegedly down) depending on what your credit file reveals.

The logic they used when introducing this was that it allows them verify your identity and to identify potential claimants earlier and therefore adjust the rate accordingly.

MrRedundant

Have you checked whether a credit check has been carried out by go compare?

If you read there terms it states after the quote you will be linked to the insurers website and must read there terms which are different.

I therefore dont see any problem. Go compare introduced you to LV who you called; their terms included a credit check which you declined - as I imagine most insurers did so.

Therefore unless you can show a credit check being done by gocompare then I feel you have no grounds for complaint.

adamc260

I thought its an unrecorded entry to check your identity etc

noh

It's there, in plain English, in the (Go Compare) terms and conditions.
The section headed "Credit Searches" near the bottom of the page.

http://www.gocompare.com/about/terms.aspx

The last sentence of which states:-

"PLEASE REMEMBER while we do not carry out credit searches on our website, our partners may do so at any stage of the quote process."