Car Insurance voided and asking £336 for recovery?

ROY47

When I changed insurance companies in September
I was asked are there any modifications from when the car left the factory ??

told them I had mudflaps fitted and that was noted on the policy

You got to cover your ar.. these days

cos they will

olly300

ROY47 wrote: »

When I changed insurance companies in September
I was asked are there any modifications from when the car left the factory ??

told them I had mudflaps fitted and that was noted on the policy

You got to cover your ar.. these days

cos they will

Unfortunately if you buy a second hand car you don't always know what are and aren't modfications.

You can ask the seller but they don't always know.

You can also do some research on the internet but if you aren't buying a popular model you can't always find the information.

forgotmyname

Front windows are usually near the legal limit for light transmission anyway.

Problem now is make sure the cars off the road and on private land. Car parks with public access
is not good enough.
When you go to take out a new policy will you have any no claims??

You MUST declare the previous policy was cancelled by the insurer otherwise you may find yourself in the
same situation.
Imagine the results of having a crash. The car delivered back to you in bits. With a bill for work done or
a bill for storage etc.

System

The main problem is in the way the various insurance companies ask the question about modifications.

If it only asks if there are any modifications to the manufacturer's standard specification, does that mean you must mention all optional extras added when the car was ordered from new, does it include items included on the purchase order that were fitted by the dealer (not the factory) or does it only include mods done after the car was purchased (after being driven off the forecourt).

Note, when I purchased my new car, my current insurance company said that options fitted from new did not need to be declared, hence I did not need to mention any factory or dealer fitted options, the insurer actually said that the value I declared pointed to the fact that many options were included over the standard RRP.

If you are not the first owner of the car, then it is almost impossible to determine what was fitted at the factory and what was changed afterwards, car specs change so often that even the original brochures can be out of date when you pick up the car from new.
(Although I guess it may be possible to ask the manufacturer if they can send you an options spec for the chassis number, but I doubt you would get this info in time for the start of the insurance when buying a used car)

The insurance industry should decide what the major items are that need to be mentioned, and make it clear if these items still need to be mentioned when they were factory fitted. They should only include things that could effect the level of risk, not the options that clearly have no effect on risk, such as invisible changes that do not effect performance.

IMO - If the insurance industry did try to insist that all options must be declared, then they would need to agree a change to the format of the V5C document and get DVLA to list all factory and dealer fitted options from new, and provide a changes section on the V5C that allows owners to declare modifications they have made so that subsequent owners can declare everything when they buy and insure a used car.

garth549

If they're really that bothered about little things like a window tint film, then instead of just asking a wooly "any modifications" question, they should list all the possible 'features' that they're bothered about and have you tick yes/no against them.

Consider a single mum with 3 children who knows absolutely nothing about cars. She buys a car that a previous owner has fitted different alloy wheels to than were fitted at manufacture. These alloy wheels are very similar to the original ones. How the hell is she supposed to know that this is a declarable modification?

The system of blacklisting/voiding policies was intended protect the insurance companies from people who had deliberately mislead in the past. Voiding someone's policy which effectively blacklists them for the rest of their life for an honest mistake/omission is disgusting IMO.

shreddy

I work in motor insurance and wouldn't have declined a claim unless the windows were tinted to a level which rendered them illegal. I would also take into account whether the modification had any connection with the reason for the claim. For example if you'd changed lanes into another vehicle's path or collided with a stationary object, however in your case it has no connection with the loss of keys - You would have lost the keys regardless and the tinting did not increase your chance of losing the keys. If I remember rightly we also have specific level of tinting which constitutes a modification, anything below that level is not - I can't recall the figure off hand, the issue very rarely comes up.

We would also consider whether it was a deliberate misrepresentation or simply a case of a lay person having limited knowledge of cars. Prior to working in insurance I would not have considered tinting a modification, I would understand it as being bodywork, engines, exhausts etc.

Worst case scenario we would decline the claim but not the policy and would offer a new quote which takes into account the modifications and offer you the chance to pay an additional premium.

Insurers have to be very careful to ensure they comply with the FSA's treating customers fairly guidelines. I would make a complaint via the telephone, when the handler cannot resolve it the matter will be referred to a level two complaints handler who has ten days to investigate and make a final decision. With their response would be a booklet about the next steps open to you (an Ombudsman complaint).

Sorry to hear of your predicament.

r4vilious

Hello everyone,

I received a reply from my complaint letter I sent to the insurance company.

They replied:

"We will not be looking to you for reimbursement of the costs incurred in regards to this file and I apologise for the letter you have received requesting the money back.
Unfortunately we will have to stand by the policy validation teams decision to void the policy,
If you wish to discuss the matter further please don’t hesitate to contact me on 0871 *** **** or at this email address."

So they decided not to charge me for the recovery costs, which is a slight relief, should I still push the complaint further with regards to voiding the policy?

Regards,

Ravi

vaio

Having a policy cancelled for non disclosure is the insurance equivalent of the black death so you should certainly try and get it reversed.

What people really need to see is the exact question they asked about modifications

shreddy

Absolutely pursue the complaint. Without knowing exactly how they worded the question re modifications when your policy was incepted I can't comment on your chances of success, however you have nothing to lose. A complaint to the Ombudsman, should things progress that far won't cost you anything.

Telephone or write to them again, I would do it via telephone so you can progress things quicker. Explain why you're not satisfied and ask them to reconsider. If they won't reconsider, ask them to reply with their final stance and explain that you need it in order to show the Ombudsman that you have taken the complaint as far as you can with your insurer.

The FOS will likely look at what questions the insurer asked at the time the you applied for the policy to try to establish whether there had been any modifications to a vehicle. As mentioned previously they will also consider whether the non-disclosure was material to the claim and whether it was deliberate, reckless or inadvertent.

What was the wording used when asking you about modifications? When declining your policy they should have referred you to the exact section of your policy wording/booklet you have not complied with - If they haven't ask for it.

Have a read of this, it may give you some points on which to base your argument:
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/publications/ombudsman-news/46/46_non_disclosure_insurance.htm

Out of interest which insurer is it?

Good luck

Annisele

You should definitely pursue the complaint.

Over your lifetime the impact of having a voided policy is likely to cost you *far* more than the £300 odd they've decided not to charge you.

Have you obtained replacement insurance yet?