Car Insurance renewal/claim headache

AppleCore

Hi All, I hope some one can help me with this problem.

I had an accident in a car wash on 25/3, here's a link to the thread for the full story - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3134002

My car is currently being fixed and I have paid the £250 excess. I had 3 yrs no claims which were not protected (4 yrs minimum for protection). The insurance company have said they are pursuing the petrol station to recoup the costs but as far as I know they have not got far enough to get them accept responsibility.

My insurance is due to expire on 14/4, I received a renewal through the post just after the accident, before the claim was in full swing. It was far more than last year and did not take into account the claim I was making. I got a quote for a new policy online with the same company using exactly the same details as the old policy and found this to be far cheaper, I called up the company and they said they couldn't get my renewal down to the same price but set up the new policy for me at the internet price and I paid for it over the phone. I told them about my existing policy with them and they told me that the renewal 'should be cancelled out by the new policy'. Sounded good to me.

Today I got a letter regarding my renewal on 14/4 (remember I was told this would be cancelled out by the new policy). The letter stated that as my no claims would be going down to 0 my renewal quote would be increasing by almost 50%! I have never claimed on insurance before so don't know how these things work. I'm hoping to be able to get my no claims back, hopefully when its proven that the accident wasn't my fault. I can't really afford to pay this extra money at the moment - I have paid £250 excess, £400 for the new policy and now and extra £200 as my no claims have upped the price of my policy - its over £1000 which I don't have at the moment. I'm also thinking that the staff member that told me that the old policy would be cancelled out with the new one was probably incorrect and I'll end up paying a cancellation fee for not taking the renewal.

What should I do? I will call them and point out that I'm not renewing the old policy as I have a new one in place but I presume the new one will go up too because of my lost no claims. Can they hold back on charging me the extra money until the claim has gone though fully and hopefully its found that I wasn't liable and my no claims are renstated or do I have to pay up now and recoup the costs at a late date when liability has been established?

Sorry for the long post, its a bit of a complex situation!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Incyder

I do feel sorry for you. It really should not be like this in modern day Britain. Its all so complicated and underhand and sneaky, all these companies just looking to part you from as much cash as possible and give you so little in return apart from a scowl and a sneer.

beanys

Have u got legal cover with your insurance , if so get on them to sort it out for you
They should have know all the details of your claim if its with the same company,you need to complain to them
the new policy can only take effect when your old one finishes ,and cannot simply replace it

mikey72

Ring your current insurer, even better, put it in writing and post it to them.
Tell them you do not want to autorenew as you have a new policy, and quote your old and new policy number.
As to the ncd, yes you will have to pay an increase on your new policy as you have lost your no claims until this is sorted, hopefully then the difference will be refunded. They will want to charge you at the start of the policy.
Get an online quote for the policy you have taken out with 0 no claims, that should be the target price you will be paying when you speak to them.
There is a good chance when you phone they may give you a higher price to ammend your policy, even though it hasn't started yet, try to argue down to the online price again.
If they don't agree to refund and re-instate your ncd, add the cost onto your claim against the garage.

woozywendy

When this is resolved you will have to put down you made a claim when they ask, but it will be classed as a no fault claim. This happened to us and we got our ncb back when it was resolved.

AppleCore

Thank you for all your help.

I just called the insurance company who confirmed that the old policy will definately be cancelled when the new one starts and there was no fee for cancellation which is good. Unfortunately the new policy will increase by £100 which is annoying but far better than the £200 on the old policy. She said that this should be refunded and the ncb reinstated when no fault is established, this could take years but at least I should get it back at some point.

I didn't realise how much it can end up costing when an accident occurs which is not your fault. I know I should get it back in the future but the initial lay out of cash has made life quite difficult.

Thanks again for some really good advice.

madmish00

Have you queried whether you lose ALL your no claims bonus?

When I had my accident I had 5 years NCB not protected. It was reduced to 3 years.

I think most insurers only reduce by 2 years on a first claim. This would mean your new policy would have 1 year NCB until your lost ones are reinstated and may bring that £100 extra back down a bit.

Worth checking with the underwriter.