Help / Legal Advice / RE: Outstanding money to insurer

Davey_Martin

Up until June last year I was insured on my car with Kwik Fit. I moved down to my current address around May last year.

I cancelled my insurance with Kwik Fit by returning my new insurance certificate, along with a covering letter explaining I no longer required this service.

This year I receive a letter from Buchanan Clarke & Wells demanding £576.41 or there about, to which I was straight on the phone. Mythed as to why I owed Kwik Fit money, it was explained to me that, due to Kwik Fit not receiving a response within 28 days (I think) of them sending out my final bill, my case was automatically forwarded onto BCW.

So onto the phone I went to Kwik Fit. They were charging me for a period post dated to when I cancelled the policy, almost a years worth of insurance! After a number of emails back and forth the amount gradually reduced to £125.55 and the underwritten insurer wont backdate it any further to cover the costs of claims on the vehicle's insurance... which there aren't any. I have never been involved in any accidents or been required to contact an insurance company, other than to add insurance to my car.

Anyway, after this seemingly stupid response I requested transcripts/copies of letters/etc, so I could perform my own investigations as I felt they were taking too long to contact me.

The initial advisor I spoke to summised that it was due to a system error that I hadn't received any letters regarding my outstanding monthly payments (which is how I pay my insurance, not annually) and that there were no letters sent out. Also, that the system showed they had never received my cancellation request.

The second advisor that has been dealing with this complaint told me that I had been sent out the letters but they had been sent to my old address as they never had my current address.

Today I just received a whole load of letters. Strangely, in this bunch of letters there appears to be a little gem. It is a letter dated 18/06/2010... with my CURRENT address on it and the first sentence being:

"Dear Mr Martin, Your car insurance policy has now been cancelled and there is no balance due."

Yet they are trying to charge me up until 11/09/2010 for £125.55.

To me, that letter is gold dust, no?

Just wondering if anybody with more legal knowledge would have a better idea where I stand?

Thanks.

hillcats

It certainly appears to prove you case...

societys_child

Davey_Martin wrote: »

Today I just received a whole load of letters. Strangely, in this bunch of letters there appears to be a little gem. It is a letter dated 18/06/2010... with my CURRENT address on it and the first sentence being:

"Dear Mr Martin, Your car insurance policy has now been cancelled and there is no balance due."

Yet they are trying to charge me up until 11/09/2010 for £125.55.

To me, that letter is gold dust, no?

Thanks.

Yup, guard that letter with your life. Send a copy to the debt collectors maybe?

Davey_Martin

Thanks for your input guys. That's pretty much as I thought, I'm just confused as to why they would feel the need to drag this out.

They say they never received my cancellation documents, yet they have a record of this letter on their system which, to me, proves that they did receive my cancellation request. For them then to say I never received the letter due to it being sent to my old address doesn't make sense. This cancellation letter is in my current and correct address and dated within their cooling off period as per the date on the copy of my insurance certificate they also sent.

They don't have a leg to stand on from where I stand. I forgot to mention earlier, they also have been sent proof that the car was SORN which was around the same time of cancellation.

Don't know what they are playing at... it's really been quite stressful as I'm sure you can imagine. If they try and take it to court to recover the so called outstanding balance they can expect a counterclaim against them for what they've put me through!

Is there anybody else with input on this matter?

Thanks.

fivetide

Ombudsman!

Davey_Martin

Yep, that's my next port of call. Gonna fax them a copy of the letter too.

Thanks.

Davey_Martin

So finally, I got a final response from Kwik Fit... and after reviewing my complaint for the 2nd time, through contact they had received from the financial ombudsman, as a good will (<<< i know, can u believe it haha) they have decided to write off the outstanding balance i had with them, and if i require any further help with anything, to contact them! NO THANK YOU!