Car Insurance Rip-Off?

JMR48

Hi ...

My wife was insured with AA last year and we did claim when someone put a brick through her side window. The brick damaged the top of the door and we were going on holiday the next day.
The garage claim was around £800 which seemed extortionate, Karen paid £200 excess.
She has just changed to AGEAS insurance, they asked her to post her proof of no-claims (8 years) when available.
We have been on holiday (yes, again) and didn't get back until the 30th May. Repeated calls to the AA and finally she gets the proof of no claims - 7 years!
She rang them to say she had protected no claims but was told that the last year didn't count as they had no-one to claim from.
On informing AGEAS of this they told her she would have to pay an extra £69 !!!
Personally I think we have been shafted all ends up here.

Advice appreciated....

rgds
John & Karen

custardy

you need to look at AA's T&C on protected NCD

dunstonh

Personally I think we have been shafted all ends up here.

I'm struggling to see how. You dont gain a year of no claims in a year you have a claim. Protected no claims doesnt mean claims are ignored. It means what you accrued during years of no claims is kept.

hethmar

I think you will find the new insurer put up the premium simply because she had made a claim, not because of the number of years NCB. My husband had a coach reverse into his parked van and they admitted liability and paid up but we had to tell the car insurers when we took out a policy on our car and that knocked up the premium by £37 even though it was not his fault and on a totally different vehicle.

Ive been doing quite a lot of research into this today, it seems that the insurers base NCB on 5 years usually as a max, whether or not you have had no accidents for more years than that.

Quote

The AGEAS bonus scale may run higher than 5 years. That, and the claim - whether or not is was disclosed - makes the additional premium sound perfectly reasonable to me.

adamc260

Protected no claims bonus stops your NCB being reduced in the event of a claim... it doesn't grant you an extra years NCB at renewal.. the hint is in the name.. NO CLAIMS bonus.

JMR48

Thanks to all for advice etc.....

Dunston.....feel shafted as....

1) Car window smashed by some druggie scrote.
2) Karens bag swiped, we didn't claim as it 'only' contained work....and mountains of it, which had to be all done again!
3) Upset caused.
4) New insurance obviously informed of claim beforehand.
5) A difference of £69 between 7 - 8 years NCB
6) All in all in total con .... I have been driving 30 years and have been with a different insurance company almost every year and I have never.....repeat never had to forward a NCB proof.

Thanks again to all.....

J & K

dunstonh

I have been driving 30 years and have been with a different insurance company almost every year and I have never.....repeat never had to forward a NCB proof.

That would make you an extremely rare beast then. I havent been asked every time but the odds would normally be that someone that changes annually for 30 years should have been asked at least once.

However unfortunate the hassle of having a window smashed in your car is, it does not make it the fault of the insurer and they are not responsible for any con. If anything, you were trying to con them by saying there was 8 years when there was just 7. I am sure you werent and you made an honest mistake.

adamc260

It's a no claims bonus, not a no blame bonus !