New insurance company being awkward over no claims discount - advice please

JennyP

My housemate has just bought a car after 18 months of not having one and he's insured it with Privilege.

He had 5 years no claims discount and has a letter from the AA, his last insurers saying so. He has sent this to Privilege but he has just had a letter this morning (sent 2nd class!!!) giving him 10 days to respond and send them evidence of his no claims discount.

They say they want evidence from his insurers NOT his brokers or that they will remove his entitlement and he'll have to pay the full cost of the policy.

He has phoned them but the very irritating woman on the phone has said that it takes 14 days to process the no claims discount but they have only given him 10 days to send in the evidence from the previous insurer. He has sent it in but she says she cannot tell him whether or not they have received it. She isn't being very helpful.

Any thoughts? Can they just up the premium despite the fact that he has sent it in?

I am wishing we'd gone with my insurers - LV - as they have been fantastic! Privilege seems pants - the number they've given him to ring about this is out of order! So we had to go through the 0870 website.

JennyP

No wonder RBS got themselves in such a pickle! (Privilege are part of LV aren't they?)
He's just asked the hopeless woman on the phone if he could email her the documents. No, she says, we don't accept emails. So he asked if we can fax it. No, comes the reply, we don't accept faxes either. So he says, "But you've put a fax number on the bottom of the letter?!!!"
Her answer: "That's so we can track things online!" Track things online with a fax number? I've never heard of it!

kingstreet

If requested, original evidence of no claims discount provided by the insurer has to be forwarded. I'd always send it special delivery so you have a guarantee it's delivered the next day and you can track receipt.

IMHO there's no point balking at their requirements. They want what they want, and can insist on getting it the way they want it.

System

The AA are not an insurance broker.

Info from the AA car insurance web page :

The underwriter of your car insurance policy will be chosen from our panel of insurers.
AA Car Insurance is arranged by Automobile Association Insurance Services Limited. Registered office: Fanum House, Basing View, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 4EA. Registered in England and Wales number 2414212.
Automobile Association Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). You can check on the FSA's register by visiting the FSA's website www.fsa.gov.uk or by contacting the FSA on 0845 606 1234.

So, Privilege insurance should accept the proof of NCD from the AA who are the intermediary for the previous insurer.
I hope you retained the original proof of NCD from the AA since you may need it again. Phone Privilege again, inform them that you have sent them the proof and wish to complain about their handling of your case, due to the fact they are not allowing you to use another alternative method of giving them the proof they asked for. Tell them to phone the AA to get proof or give you an email address or fax number to use to resend. If they still refuse to be flexible, inform them that your next step will be to escalate your complaint to the FOS



BTW - Privilege Insurance is underwritten by Direct Line Insurance plc who are currently part of the RBS Group (Nothing to do with LV AFAIK)

JennyP

kingstreet wrote: »

IMHO there's no point balking at their requirements. They want what they want, and can insist on getting it the way they want it.

I am NOT balking at their requirements but frustrated that they only give us 10 days to sort this out, send a letter telling us that second class so we in effect have only a couple of days to sort it out and then cannot even tell us whether they've received what we sent and whether it's acceptable. Not to mention the woman's attitude on the phone or the phone number they gave us to ring being unobtainable!

Happy to comply with requirements. Not happy to deal with inefficient companies who are happy to accept customers' money but not able to provide a decent service in return.

I asked about what my rights were and for advice on what to do next!

BAA1 wrote: »

The AA are not an insurance broker.

Info from the AA car insurance web page :


So, Privilege insurance should accept the proof of NCD from the AA who are the intermediary for the previous insurer.
I hope you retained the original proof of NCD from the AA since you may need it again. Phone Privilege again, inform them that you have sent them the proof and wish to complain about their handling of your case, due to the fact they are not allowing you to use another alternative method of giving them the proof they asked for. Tell them to phone the AA to get proof or give you an email address or fax number to use to resend. If they still refuse to be flexible, inform them that your next step will be to escalate your complaint to the FOS



BTW - Privilege Insurance is underwritten by Direct Line Insurance plc who are currently part of the RBS Group (Nothing to do with LV AFAIK)

MUCH more helpful thank you. Yes we have got the original! And it's useful to know about the AA.

I know that LV is nothing to do with Privilege - that's what I meant. I'm with LV and they've been great. My housemate decided to go with Privilege as LV were more expensive. I did tell him it was worth a bit extra!

rita-rabbit

Many insurance companies appear on the fiddle - I was with Aviva & they were difficult around accepting No Claims Bonus proof - eventually they did but it took months (after they had pocketed extra cash pending them agreeing that I did have the years I said I had & me kicking up a fuss to get this extra refunded).

I went to another insurance company - sourced as cheapest at the time on moneysupermarket.com - Autodirect - v unprofessional - once insurance paid for emails received by the dozen explaining why they wouldn't accept the proof I sent and demanding £200 extra premium, when I provided it - deafening silence - until today when I stated very clearly that I was requesting the Financial Ombudsman penalise them for ignoring me for all this time - ie now I have realised I have more Years No Claims Bonus than I had stated (so they in fact owed me a refund on my premium) I discover to my horror that they cancelled my insurance on 7th November but didn't have the common decency to let me know.......

20 minutes on the telephone and one of their sales operators cut the call saying I was being unreasonable not to want to take out new insurance with them & supposedly happily pay twice to ensure I have insurance cover to use my car tomorrow. Eurch :0(

rita-rabbit

update - I have renewed with them to avoid losing more cash on going with someone else & they have given me a discount - hopefully Ombudsman will still haul them over the coals for leaving me unprotected :0(

vusys1

the ncd process has been outsourced to India and as per there are problems (understanding of brokers,insurers,renewal,statement of insurance etc)

I would give Priv a ring and read out exactly what is on your renewal notice to the consultant and ask them to explain why it is not acceptable. They may also want confirmation of why there was a gap in insurance, just explain no car etc

Also ask them to log a complaint.

kingstreet

JennyP wrote: »

I am NOT balking at their requirements

What I was trying to convey, perhaps more to future readers than to you, is that sending the stuff quickly and using special delivery is the best thing you can do to help the process reach a conclusion.

I don't want you, or anyone else, arguing the toss and ending up getting a policy cancelled and all that entails.

Making a complaint after the event is perfectly sensible as BAA1 has suggested. I understand the frustration of dealing with companies which have silly procedures, I experience it every day. I try not to rock the boat until after the point they can be awkward.

ihateyes

BAA1 wrote: »

The AA are not an insurance broker.

Info from the AA car insurance web page :

The underwriter of your car insurance policy will be chosen from our panel of insurers.

to me that states the AA is a broker

confirmed........

http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=is+the+aa+an+insurance+broker&pbx=1&oq=is+the+aa+an+insurance+broker&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=25l3701l1l4430l13l13l0l0l0l0l228l2105l0.11.2l13l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=90b4755c2abfb48b&biw=1366&bih=667

and

http://www.expertcardirectory.co.uk/insurance-brokers-aa.htm
Today, AA Insurance – which also sells home, travel and other specialist cover – is the UK's largest home and car insurance broker