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Direct Line Car Insurance - 90 days

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HI all,

Big thank you to Martin for setting up such a great web site. It's second time I am here seeking advised (I had last month finally sorted my ISA transfers thanx to this website).


Now reading through the ISA and motoring threads there are really help-full people over here, so I wonder if anyone has got any suggestion to my problem.


I have bought ex leasing car I always wanted (but also drive company pool car - due to tax every 3 days different). Done the Insurance on-line before driving
of the Action site as and my girlfriend has already got insurance with DL and we did have our previous second car insured with them as well so I am still on her policy as named driver I went for them.

Before going on holiday (within 30 days) from receiving cert. I have posted from Heathrow post office at T3 her details as DL as they offer Named Driver No Claims Discount - NCD (but she had number of policies with them as renewal is often more expensive).
Come back from holiday and got 2 letters that no NCD received. Phoned them on that day advised as what is said on the letters no NCD received. So Advised that I call back later with her policy number as I do not remember it :(

So phoned back 2 days later, lady looked into it and advised me that it's only 4 years NCD so I said look I do own another car in other part of EU where I was born and still have the car
insured and my old men running in it around (in Europe you insure the car not the driver so anyone with valid licence and your permission can drive it) so advised OK,
send us your NCD from your country insurance company. Spoke to my insurance company back where I was born and few days later I did post them the letter. So that I though was sorted.

What a surprise that I got another letter saying that NCD not received will charge full price 1325/year for 2008 Honda Civic 2.2 EX !

So I have phoned on 3rd occasion (spoke to Evelyn) but as usual I will always ask for name of the person I am talking to and make a note of it and as soon as I have done that, lady on the phone become unpleasant etc.
We have not received anything until now, not entitle to NCD, will charge full price, can I speak to Supervisor no you can't, quite a long call arguing about it, anyhow I said look I spoke to (S....) on 12.5.11
and advised that's fine to produce NCD from another EU country insurance, no it is not you can't have another insured car somewhere else ..... ok will phone you back need to check, called back that she will have to cancel my policy as it is not valid because I have
another policy somewhere else and that is not allowed.

I was on the way home from work so she asked if I am driving I said yes and she raised her voice that I 'm not insured to drive so I have advised her that I 'm not driving my own vehicle she calm down bit
so got to the point I said to her that I want to speak to her Supervisor, ok I will get him to call you back when he got time. She as well during the conversation question my residential status (Yes I resident over here in in full time employment as per the insurance cert.)
to what I have replied to her but spend some time abroad travelling no you not insured if you out of the country for more that 90 days ... I did not want to argue with her so wanted to escalate it so advised that some may call me back on day or next week Monday.


No one phone back and then few days later received letter that it is being investigated by Customer Relations and will get back to me.

22 days later I had phone call from a lady at their Customer Relations Office, but was at work (I gave them my evening number but they keep calling me during the daytime when I am at work and can't talk)
to call back in 1 hour time or next day she will be at work 9-5 and second voice mail next day @11am to call back on the day until 6pm. So I have try to call 3 days later on number provided
waited on the phone 0845 number for over 1 hour 44 minutes and at 10pm got cut off, so phoned them in my lunch break 2 days later only to be told that my Surname and reg of the car is not good and need this and the other and that
they have got more than one Terri in the office!

I have left it like that as my work takes over my life and did not get a chance to call back again. 14 days later I got letter that Terri has looked into it and found that she can not accept my NCD as I am out of the country for more that 90 days!!! but as she can
not find the recorded call I had with the ladies she will waive discount but can not insure me as I am out of the country for more than 90 days as she checked her underwriting criteria (no where in my insurance brochure it mentions that I can not go
travelling 3 times a year for more than 90 days. What is says in section G is that Foreign use of the vehicle must not exceed more than 90 days. So she sill have to cancel in 7 days from the 14/07/11 I have received the letter on 16th
so on 19th July posted recorded delivery by 1am that I do not spend 90 days abroad but nowhere on the insurance it says that I have to be in this county for no less that 275 days in the year (I wonder how the old BA cabin crew get insured especially on those long haul flights spending
most of the time overseas) SO they should have received it by 20th of July. and then another surprise, letter saying that my cover will be cancelled from 00.01 5/8/11.

So I got straight on the PC and wrote long letter with copies of all the correspondence / voice mails saved on my web server and links included in that email to Paul Geddes, I got Out of Office AutoReply that not in until Monday 1st of August.

On Monday I got e-mail from his PA to advise that the matter has been passed over to Mr. Geddes team who will look into it.

Same day lady from his executive team phoned and left message on my evening phone to call back. I did so next day, briefly explained it all again, and she will call me back. SO the same day I got another message from her to call back.
So I did call back today, she has advised me that can not cover me because the 90 days rule I have then got bit frustrated as I did explained that in my letter to Terri dated 18/07/11 so she said that she will need to check wit DL
as she can't access my info, so I stayed on hold for few minutes and then been told that she will have to listen to the conversation I had with Evelyn and by the way we have cancel you insurance already on 21st oh no sorry it was cancelled on 14th oh no on 2/08/11 so
I got bit irritated as last letter say 00.01 5/8/11 so she said I will have to check why and will call back. I did say to her that it made me feel that Evelyn or someone else is trying to really screw me over and make my life difficult and that I would like to see all the notes on my account.

So just got back home my car is uninsured I now want to use it and can't. Total incompetence. I have another voice mail to call her back so I have taken 2morrow off
to get that sorted.


With regards to cancellation what should have been the legal process they should have followed?

Does anybody know what the hell is the 90 days about?

I could only find this in my car insurance booklet section G page 20

Extending your policy cover abroad:
...... Cover in these countries only applies if your main permanent home is in the UK and your visit abroad is for less that 90 days.

or if someone has got any other advice it will be much appreciated.


Thank you in advance.

Comments

  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,920 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    So they wont accept the foreign NCD, But did they not offer a discount for being a named driver?

    If you couldnt prove any NCD then the full premium would be payable. Did the letter mention the policy
    would be cancelled if you failed to provide proof of no claims?

    The 90 days question would have been asked when you took out the policy and is in the policy terms.
    If you spend more than 90 days outside the country they will not cover you. Also the cover is 3rd party only
    (or less)? or you would need to upgrade to a foreign use extension.

    Dont forget make sure your car is not parked on the road with no insurance or you may find it missing one day.
    If you dont get it insured fairly quickly you need to get it SORN'd.

    Also be careful when the next insurer ask you if you have had a policy cancelled, If you dont say yes you may find
    yourself with another cancelled policy.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • m2_225288
    m2_225288 Posts: 26 Forumite
    So they wont accept the foreign NCD, But did they not offer a discount for being a named driver?

    If you couldnt prove any NCD then the full premium would be payable. Did the letter mention the policy
    would be cancelled if you failed to provide proof of no claims?

    The 90 days question would have been asked when you took out the policy and is in the policy terms.
    If you spend more than 90 days outside the country they will not cover you. Also the cover is 3rd party only
    (or less)? or you would need to upgrade to a foreign use extension.

    Dont forget make sure your car is not parked on the road with no insurance or you may find it missing one day.
    If you dont get it insured fairly quickly you need to get it SORN'd.

    Also be careful when the next insurer ask you if you have had a policy cancelled, If you dont say yes you may find
    yourself with another cancelled policy.

    Hi forgotmyname,

    thank you for the reply.

    One person told me one think another person told me something else.

    Last letter 27/07/11 say:
    We write regarding the above car policy and confirm we are unable to continue cover under this policy.

    Therefore, we regret that we will cancel your policy and any associated benefits in accordance with the terms and conditions ....take effect 00.01 5/8/11 but lady from executive office today said that it's already cancelled and she is not sure as of when :(

    I do not want to post any of the letters / names over here as I have taken day off and will get it sorted today and if not I will let you know :)

    90 days.

    I did advise them in my letter 18/07/11 that I do not said that I spend more than 90 days abroad, but I can not find anything with regards to that anywhere in my policy wording "that I can not go travelling (gap year or what ever) for more than 90 days per year."

    If anything happens to the car I will be writing to FOS.
    (What information can I get legally from DL to help my case?
    - Copy of the recorded calls
    - notes they hold on my file on their system
    -??


    We will get the car insured on my girlfriends policy (with DL as well) again at the weekend as she is busy at work :(
  • bob_a_builder
    bob_a_builder Posts: 2,357 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    to clarify, this 90 days out of the country thing a bit
    Whats 'out of the country' in your case
    you
    or
    you and your car
  • m2_225288
    m2_225288 Posts: 26 Forumite
    So they wont accept the foreign NCD, But did they not offer a discount for being a named driver?

    If you couldnt prove any NCD then the full premium would be payable. Did the letter mention the policy
    would be cancelled if you failed to provide proof of no claims?

    The 90 days question would have been asked when you took out the policy and is in the policy terms.
    If you spend more than 90 days outside the country they will not cover you. Also the cover is 3rd party only
    (or less)? or you would need to upgrade to a foreign use extension.

    Dont forget make sure your car is not parked on the road with no insurance or you may find it missing one day.
    If you dont get it insured fairly quickly you need to get it SORN'd.

    Also be careful when the next insurer ask you if you have had a policy cancelled, If you dont say yes you may find
    yourself with another cancelled policy.
    to clarify, this 90 days out of the country thing a bit
    Whats 'out of the country' in your case
    you
    or
    you and your car


    Car is staying in the UK,
    Me and my girlfriend flying around on BA ID90 tickets :) So that is why I am confused. How can Insurance company restrict you and cancel you insurance .....
  • Hi, as you all probably know allready about 17 days ago i smashed my car into the back of a uninsured mazda (polish driver, no licsense no insurance.
  • m2_225288
    m2_225288 Posts: 26 Forumite
    shela2525 wrote: »
    Hi, as you all probably know allready about 17 days ago i smashed my car into the back of a uninsured mazda (polish driver, no licsense no insurance.

    Very funny :)
    If you with DL you're OK :) you're covered.
  • m2_225288
    m2_225288 Posts: 26 Forumite
    m2_225288 wrote: »
    Car is staying in the UK,
    Me and my girlfriend flying around on BA ID90 tickets :) So that is why I am confused. How can Insurance company restrict you and cancel you insurance .....

    I have again spoke to the lady from the Mr. Geddes Chief Executive Team and she has confirmed to me that 90 days is requirement that I must not be out of the country for more than 90 days (does not matter if car is at my house not being driven). She has re-instated my policy this morning (so car was not insured for 3 days) but she is adamant that it would have been sorted if I got pulled over, somehow I do not believe her as MID did not show the car and still not showing on their database.

    This 90 days sound absolutely ridicules!

    But on the other side with only 33 days / 264 hours of holiday entitlement plus some of the many hours in lieu I wont be affected by it.

    But it is the fact that it is nowhere on their materials as I just went through their web site for insurance quote and noting there.

    h**ps://uk6.directline.com/pdf/motor/M6B_0711_WEB_PDF_1.pdf
  • m2_225288
    m2_225288 Posts: 26 Forumite
    m2_225288 wrote: »
    I have again spoke to the lady from the Mr. Geddes Chief Executive Team and she has confirmed to me that 90 days is requirement that I must not be out of the country for more than 90 days (does not matter if car is at my house not being driven). She has re-instated my policy this morning (so car was not insured for 3 days) but she is adamant that it would have been sorted if I got pulled over, somehow I do not believe her as MID did not show the car and still not showing on their database.

    This 90 days sound absolutely ridicules!

    But on the other side with only 33 days / 264 hours of holiday entitlement plus some of the many hours in lieu I wont be affected by it.

    But it is the fact that it is nowhere on their materials as I just went through their web site for insurance quote and noting there.

    h**ps://uk6.directline.com/pdf/motor/M6B_0711_WEB_PDF_1.pdf


    Just spoke to the lady from the Mr. Geddes Chief Executive Team and have been advised that her "Underwriters" advised her that 90 days is right (so if you have DL insurance you can't leave the country for more than 90 days) and You would not find it anywhere as it is commercially sensitive information.
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