HELP NEEDED-Halifax wrongly cancelled my car insurance

Goldbond

Hi,this is my first post so please stick with me.
Iv'e been with Halifax car insurance for about 4 years or more and it was due to renew in April,i got the renewal papers,was happy with the price so accepted.Everything was fine,they took out the first installment but then a couple of weeks ago i received a letter from them saying that my policy had been cancelled (no explanation) and that i had to return my documents or they would take it further etc,it also said they'd sent a previous letter 2 weeks before which i never received so i was actually driving around uninsured for 2 weeks unknown to me.
I immediately rang them thinking it was some mistake on their part,asked them why and they said it was because i hadn't disclosed an accident from 2008..I was shocked and was totally sure i'd told them and the more i thought about it i realized i was with Halifax at the time and i even remembered the conversation and told him that but he just said they had no record.He was really snotty and i even said "this will affect me when i apply for new insurance wont it" (the question they ask-have you ever had insurance cancelled or refused-) to which he replied sarcastically "Yeah".
I was livid but at that time couldn't find any documents from 3 and half years ago so had to leave it,luckily after 3 hours of looking through a load of papers that i'd been due to shred i found a few pages from that years policy and was proved right,i HAD disclosed the accident (my fault) and furthermore it was settled.
I rang them back immediately and told them but they were still unhelpful just saying "well,we have no documents",upon further probing by me i found out they'd changed underwriters just after my policy was issued and was told "All the documents hadn't come through from the other company yet" No apology though and no admission they were wrong.
The "team leader" then told me that if it was proved correct then they would install my policy at the same price but i wasn't waiting for them so rang the other underwriters and made sure everything was correct and they confirmed i had told them about the accident and it had been settled a while ago.
I rang back with the information expecting my policy to be re-installed but this time it was a woman who re-took all my details like a new claim and gave me a quote almost £500 more than what i had been paying..!! Not only that but i would have to pay a £300 deposit even though i haven't paid a deposit since i first joined them almost 4years ago.
Surely i should be able by law to get my old policy back especially as i had already paid the 1st months installment?? And the policy had been running for 4 years??
I haven't got a clue what to do so any help would be most appreciated,i didn't get help from the people at the insurance company (the low level ones,haven't taken it further yet) just a take it or leave it attitude.
Thanks in advance
Oh-Since writing this iv'e just rang up about some other insurance with a different company but was told they couldn't help as i'd had 'insurance cancelled"
Absolutely gutted

InsideInsurance

You need to call them back and refer them to the "team leader" conversation during which they had promised to reinstate the policy at the same price (or set up a new policy at the same price, which ever it was) - though I'd push for it to be reinstated rather than a new policy set up.

It may be worth also speaking to the FoS for advice as clearly you cannot wait to exhaust their complaints proceedure whilst you are without car insurance.

Goldbond

Thanks for the reply,like i said im new to all this so can you tell me what the FoS is please?? Sorry for asking,also do you think i have a case?? Surely an insurance company can't just drop you because they feel like it,they have to have a reason and in this case the reason was invalid??
I know it's new underwriters but that shouldn't make a difference seeing as they'd already issued the policy and took the 1st months payment from my bank then cancelled under false pretenses,IMO knowing that they made a mistake they should just give me my policy back at the same price along with a grovelling apology for letting me drive for a week uninsured,
Iv'e actually just rang them up but again unhelpful,asked who the team leaders name was but he never gave it (or i can't remember) so they just said we've given you a new policy quote.When i asked why it was so much more they said it was because before (last policy) they didn't know about the accident but they obviously bloody did because it's in the records.
Really hacked off and stressed

InsideInsurance

The FoS is the Financial Ombudsman Service - the body that handles complaints about organisations such as Banks and Insurers what are regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Normally they are the point you would take a complaint to after exhausting the complaints proceedure within an organisation and their rulings are legally binding on insurers etc.

They can also be a good place for advice.

mikey72

Get an online quote using a dummy name, correct postcode though, use a different house number, and generic car details, and the claim. See how that compares.

anniecave

Goldbond wrote: »

.... they didn't know about the accident but they obviously bloody did because it's in the records.

Clearly they did know about the policy. Or rather their previous underwriters did.

But the premiums are based on the details provided for the individual policy. So if the information was missing, they gave you a quote based on the wrong information.

I always check that sort of thing, because it's not uncommon.

On my renewal they didn't include my windscreen claim from the policy that they were renewing. Obviously that didn't make any difference to the premium, but I had to tell them and they then re-issued the documents with it included.