Car insurance cancellation - do I have to pay them?

dunstonh

Come off it guys.

You know that you are not meant to have two policies in force at the same time using the same NCD entitlement. So, why are you trying to make out otherwise.

You also know that it isnt difficult to get away with it if your timing is lucky and the insurer doesnt check. He is unlikely to get caught now and its a non-issue. However, technically what has happened is wrong.

Retiredlso has said multiple times that his insurance company are fully aware of the circumstances

Not in the posts I have read. It reads like a bunch of assumptions being made and no checks to verify.

vaio

vaio wrote: »

...Retiredlso has said multiple times that his insurance company are fully aware of the circumstances........

dunstonh wrote: »

......Not in the posts I have read. It reads like a bunch of assumptions being made and no checks to verify.

Here you are, I've collected them all together for you

retiredalso wrote: »

But they did know.

When I insured my new car the insurance company knew that I wasn't canceling my old policy because it would cost more to cancel it than any amount I would be refunded. ……

retiredalso wrote: »

……Anyway my insurance company were informed as I have already posted…….

retiredalso wrote: »

…….After being told the call was being recorded I told the agent I was calling because I could not insure my car online as it was a new car just registered, and answered all the questions. I was asked about my present car and insurance, NCD etc. and I told him the car was going to be scrapped, and told him about Swinton wanting £65 to cancel my present insurance when I had, with cashback, only paid £80 and was it OK if I just left that insurance in place since I was scrapping the car……..

retiredalso wrote: »

……..So you are saying that although I disclosed everything about leaving the old policy running I am not insured just because you say so, even when my present insurer says I am…….

System

Originally Posted by retiredalso
……Anyway my insurance company were informed as I have already posted…….

It does depend who you speak to at the insurance company...

If it was a member of the call centre staff, it is likely that that person reads from a script and actually knows very little about the insurers underwriting or NCD procedures. So, they may not have known to inform you that you cannot use your NCD entitlement on another companies policy until your policy with them has lapsed or been cancelled.

Just because the new insurer accepted the NCD you said you were entitled to, may not have made any difference if you had needed to make a claim during that period where the two policies overlapped.
I assume that period has now passed, so for you, the argument is mute. But, for other MSE members, it is important to understand that you cannot use the NCD on a new policy until the old policy has lapsed or been cancelled, that is when the proof of NCD becomes valid.

JimmyTheWig

retiredalso wrote: »

So who do I believe as to whether my car is insured or not?

Given that the old policy has now expired, I think you are in the clear and you are insured.

If it had been flagged as an issue while the old policy was still in force then I think you might have been in trouble.
Probably would have been a fight between you and the new company as to whether you did everything reasonable to inform them what had happened.
If what you've told us is accurately remembered then my money is on you winning that fight.

But what is clear, whatever happened to retiredalso, this is not standard practice.
It is not worth trying to pull a fast one on an insurance company. They may well leave things if you don't claim, but will no doubt catch up with you if you do need to claim, in which case you may end up scuppered.

So, OP, you might want to phone a new company and ask them to quote based on the fact that you are keeping your old policy going. If you tell them explicitly that the no claims bonus that you are wanting to use with this new policy is already in use with another policy that you are keeping, and you ensure that this is recorded on your file, then you should be ok.
My guess would be that they would refuse, but based on retiredalso's experience you may think it is a worthwhile phonecall.