charged in 14 day cooling off period? HELP!

blondieliz

Hi, I was hoping that someone could help me.

I have just cancelled my car insurance within 14 days of the automatic renewal as my current company have not only messed me about, but also tried to charge me £750 for insurance (up £400 on last year), and I have found an alternative for £380.

So, I’ve just called to cancel within the cooling off period to be advised that there is an outstanding fee of £34.84?! I asked what this was for as the insurance only renewed on 1/05 and I was advised that it was 4.5 days and then a £25 cancellation fee?1 My understanding was that due to distance selling regulations they were not allowed to charge a fee within this time. I tried to argue, but the advisor was having none of it.

How can this be right?!

Help!

Quentin

You are wrong. DSR don't apply.

Check your policy wording to see if the cancellation fee is mentioned (it often is applicable even for cooling off period cancellations).

(£25 is cheap these days)

blondieliz

Surely you can't be charged in a cooling off period?

Wow- you learn something new everyday.

paddedjohn

blondieliz wrote: »

Surely you can't be charged in a cooling off period?

Wow- you learn something new everyday.

im sure you would have tried to claim if you had an accident in the 'cooling off period'. who do you think was insuring you for the best part of a week?

blondieliz

Actually, I haven't been able to use the car as I had no renewal information, and they wouldn't send one by fax or email. So, as they had failed to update the motor insurance database, I have been unable to tax my car until the cover note came through today. I have a formal complaint with them as they admit they have made errors. I am more than happy to pay for the 5 days of insurance, it is the 25 quid cancellation fee I was querying. However, thank you for your rather harshley toned response. Really, no need.

Hammyman

blondieliz wrote: »

Surely you can't be charged in a cooling off period?
.

Of course you can - you had benefit of the service, i.e you were insured.

Hammyman

blondieliz wrote: »

Actually, I haven't been able to use the car as I had no renewal information, and they wouldn't send one by fax or email. So, as they had failed to update the motor insurance database, I have been unable to tax my car until the cover note came through today. I have a formal complaint with them as they admit they have made errors. I am more than happy to pay for the 5 days of insurance, it is the 25 quid cancellation fee I was querying. However, thank you for your rather harshley toned response. Really, no need.

TBH, your thinking that you were entitled to benefit from something for free just because you decide to cancel within 14 days is so borderline moronic that it deserves nothing but vitriol.

spiro

If you could cancel within the 1st 14 days and pay nothings I'm sure I could get free insurnace for months by doing this to one company after another. :rotfl:

bigjl

I got phoned by Admiral about 3 weeks bedore my renewal and i told them.i was insuring with Swinton. They still tried to take the depost but kuckily i had cancelled myDD.

They then had the cheek to send a letter requesting payment. I oho.ed them and sorted it out. Then 3 months later a letter from a money chaser turned up.

One of the reasons i won't use Admiral again, shame as the multicar policy was handy. This experience may be onnected to an unsttled non fault claim that we had going through at the same time. Which was sorted fine byt Admiral tried to double the premium when this non fault was being processed. The most annoying thing was we necer even claimed it was done through a no fault.recovery firm.

There loss.as far as i am concerned.

debull77

hi
I took out a new insurance policy with "one call direct" saturday the 20th august on a comparison site ,the policy does not start untill 1st september.

today was my first chance to read throught the wording of the proposal and I found a few things that were not mentioned when i was on the comparison site.ie I went for a £250 excess ,but found that on top of that there is a £150 compulsory excess. also they said there was homestart and roadside rescue included free of charge ,but when reading the small print it seems I have to pay £20 for any callouts ! so not really free.
anyway i called them to cancell and although it does say this on their website.
"You have 14 days from the start date of the policy or the date you receive the policy documents to cancel the cover under the cooling off period if you feel you have been misled in any way with regard to the terms and/or the cover that we have arranged. One Call Insurance will not apply any fee within this period"

I was told on the telephone this does not apply and i will be charged a fee £49.
i feel this is very misleading also please remember the policy has NOT yet started..ANY ADVICE WOULD BE VERY WELCOME

shazzom

Same thing has happened to me.
I took out breakdown cover with the AA on 18th August and have received my documents yesterday, and monthly fee is £17.95, so they've taken that from my bank on 18th Aug, and are after another "monthly" payment of £17.95 on 3rd Sept! So why does my first payment only cover 2 wks??? So anyway I've called today to query and instead of explaining why they want an extra payment from me after 2 weeks (and that's all I wanted to know) the advisor chose to get a tone on with me like I was a kid, so obviously not liking it I said I wanted to cancel then.
So, I've had the cover for 8 days, and have paid for the full month, but have been told my cover will end immediately (????) and I don't get even a part refund even though 8 days is actually less than a third of what I've paid for, and I've also actually incurred a £20 administration charge for cancellation, but as a "goodwill gesture" they're gonna let me off the £2.05 that I owe THEM! Absolutely ridiculous.
Sooooooo basically you can apparently still incur extra cancellation charges/ fees during this so called cooling off period. Obviously if you've received a service you should pay for it, but I think making charges during a cooling off period makes a cooling off period a bit pointless.