Swinton home insurance - I believe I am genuinely entitled to my money back!

Mharkins

fluffnutter wrote: »

Always, always cancel in writing.

Lesson learnt

EvilM; the letter states verbatim "We're writing because there are a few points on your home insurance that need clarifying before your insurer can issue your policy documents. Would you please contact us as soon as possible so that we can talk them over with you.

Yours sincerely 'signed by hand'"

There is nothing in the smallprint regarding specifically auto renewal.

I suppose there may be a covert assumption in there that they are going to issue policy documents - do you think the wording of the letter is, legally, enough to count as an instruction to auto renew? There is nothing in the contract regarding auto renewal.

My interpretation of the letter is if I don't contact them, they don't have sufficient detail to proceed and therefore are unable to issue any policy documents. Bearing in mind I have not agreed to, nor have I signed anything regarding the renewal of the policy: Swinton have assumed it.

Is assumption all they need to proceed? It just doesn't seem right to me.

Thanks for your replies.

Mike

Mharkins

abbyscuito wrote: »

If Swinton record telephone conversations ask them to review yours.

I will certainly ask. It is a local high street branch so I'm not sure.

Mike

abbyscuito

Have you checked last years policy document for a sentence saying the will auto renew? That's where I've seen it in my home and car insurance docs.

Mharkins

I was just thinking.

I ask out a young lady on a date. We go out, all appears fine, and I think about asking her out again another night.

I send several letters, no reply, I phone several times but leave no message. Finally she answers and I ask her if she'd like to go out again.

"Erm, no thanks" she replies "I think I'd rather look elsewhere".

Personally I would have thought I'd have been dumped there and then.

Swinton, I guess, would book the table at the restaurant and turn up at the her house in a taxi asking "why aren't you ready?" before asking her to pay for the taxi and his dinner before he left.

Just a thought...

Mike

abbyscuito

She knocked you back because you're clearly desperate! :rotfl:

abbyscuito

Fluffy has given you your 1st thanks....YEH!

halibut2209

Your analogy might be worth mentioning in a letter to the head office. A bit of humour can often go a long way. Look at the now infamous complaint to Virgin Airlines about the state of the food. Guy got a personal call from Richard Branson!

fluffnutter

I agree with halibut. Humour can really help. As can crying. Have you tried bursting into tears?

abbyscuito

fluffnutter wrote: »

I agree with halibut. Humour can really help. As can crying. Have you tried bursting into tears?

Have you looked on the insurance forum...Swinton dont have a heart...they have brick instead.

Mharkins

fluffnutter wrote: »

I agree with halibut. Humour can really help. As can crying. Have you tried bursting into tears?

I've done nothing but, all day!

I think I'll bung it into a letter and send it off to head office. I think it would be a front page scoop for the Daily Mail too...

Thank you all for the advice.

Abby, having re-scoured my documents I have found one sentence that states there will be nil charges upon cancellation and another that states that direct debit policies will be automatically renewed unless I tell them otherwise.

I guess it's all down to the interpretation of what the true meaning of "No thanks - I'll look elsewhere" really means.

Mike