Esure - Never Again

wensley

Hi,

I am having a huge problem with ESURE! Last year 2005/2006 our home and contents insurance were with them and we paid via Direct Debit - when this policy expired we took out a policy with a different company as ESURE would not price match, I advised them I would not be having our policy with them.
I have now received letters from them stating that my payments via Direct Debit have not been paid (for a policy I DONT have), and now them have sent the so called outstanding 'debt' to a debt collection agency who are threatening to take me to Court!
Esure and the debt collection agency will not listen, I have never renewed this policy with them and at no time did they have authority to try and obtain money from my Bank account.
As I had paid by direct debit the previous year they state that they could continue taking money for the following years policy! The fools will not take on board that I havent got a policy with them and have been insured with another company!
I have sent them numerous letters but they just send back with I owe them money, Esure even stated in one letter if I had sold the car just to ring and let them know - The insurance referred to home and contents insurance!
Esure have at no time advised me that they were sending the 'debt' to a collection agency.
Debt collection agency have advised that I should just pay them the money and try and sort it out later with Esure - Hell will freeze over first!

Be aware that even though you advise Esure that you are not taking a renewal insurance with them they will not take no for an answer!

Has anyone else had any problems like this?

mattymoo

Have you escalated the claim with them to the highest level. It should tell you how to do this in your policy book (from last year). If you did not keep this, you may be able to download a copy of the full wording on their site.

Follow the instructions with a view to taking the claim to the Financial Services Ombudsman. This will result in your problem being passed to someone with a brain and not a call centre script monkey.

Also get hold of your credit records from Experian / Equifax to see what damage has been done.

regularsaver1

Credit scoring should not have happened for home insurance mattymoo so doubt there would be damage

mattymoo

Credit scoring may not be done but they certainly refer to credit reference agencies when Direct Debits are used. This fiasco may have been recorded as a default.

Astaroth

Normally they arent but that is because most insurers do not want the full hassle of the CCA that they would have to follow to the letter if they were to load to credit references - that isnt to say none do. Obviously if it were to go further and the debt collection agency were to issue small claims court proceedings against you then the CCJ would be noted against you. To the best of my knowledge a creditor doesnt have to inform you specifically that they intend to pass to a collection agency.

Auto renewal is common and legal practice... if however you state that you did tell them over the phone that you did not want to renew the policy then they should be able to find the call and listen to it to confirm this is indeed what you stated and clear the matter up. If you give them as much detail as you can (time and date called, number called from, person you spoke to etc - it is unlikely you have all this but the more accurate you can get it the better the chances they will have of locating the call)

wensley

It would have been the end of June 2006 that I contacted them by telephone and then followed up with a letter. I can give them an approx date - if they think its worth spending time on trawling through their recordings they can do it. It would probably cost them more than the £50 they are wanting off me!
I think it stinks that they are causing all of this trouble - I have had house insurance for over 14yrs and have never had any problems with any other insurance company. I shop around every year so I do change insurance companies quite regularly.
I have insurance with another company and in fact it was all in place (ready to start) approx 3 weeks prior to the expiry date of my Esure policy - I never like to leave insurance renewal til the last minute.

As you stated Mattymoo - they are call centre script monkeys - both Esure and the debt agency! I have filled in a form from the Financial Services Ombudsman - but I am also a member of Which Legal and am just awaiting their phone call prior to sending it off.
Thanks for your help, and yes after it is all settled I will check with the credit reference agencies as I dont trust any of them,
Esures gimmick should be a snake not a mouse!

mattymoo

Let us know how you get on with this.

I work for a modern insurance company (commercial insurance) and we keep a paper file note for everything - tel conversations, e-mail correspondance etc. Seems old fashioned but it beats the use of recordings / computer logs anyday in my opinion.

Astaroth

All our telephone calls are recorded with a fairly standard system where you can simply put in the telephone number called from, date range, time, operator etc (or any combination of them) and it will within a few seconds bring up all the recordings over the last 6 years... it has been a god send for resolving complaints like these.

Classic... "I phoned 10 times over the last 4 days and you still havent...", "did you call from this number?" "Yes", "We only have 1 call from this number in the last 2 months and having just listened to the call you never mentioned...." It is amazing the number of complaints that are suddenly dropped (and from a less cynical view point it is good that we can identify training issues when an operator has been giving out wrong advice etc)

wensley

Astaroth - Thats great if they can find the recording - I am a genuine person and DID call so No this complaint will not just drop!
I just hope they are as honest as me, as stated they did put on the first letter about it being car insurance when it was in fact home and contents insurance - so forgive me for being cynical but if they cannot get their facts right at the start I feel as though I'm on a no starter!

wensley

Astaroth - just one further question if you dont mind. How can auto renewal be legal if none of the paperwork I originally signed mentioned about the policy continuing even though they also had written notice from my bank that the direct denit had been cancelled?
Thanks

wensley

Well!! Further update! After contacting solicitor and writing to Esure asking for a copy of my telephone conversation - guess what they have stated they were in the wrong and offered compensation!
Astaroth - they even admitted they couldnt locate the recording due to their communication errors!
Just shows that genuine people do get what is right.
They also state that they shouldnt have sent my details to the 'debt collection agency'.
Just to make people aware - and if anyone has the same problems DONT back down if you are sure you are in the right, its even worth taking legel advice just to make sure.