elephant.co.uk adding claims to my policy on their own - any help?

speerest

I have bought car insurance from elephant.co.uk couple of weeks ago for £627 (0 years NCD). A week later they sent me a letter (and an email) stating that they will add a claim (and increase my premium) to my policy even though I have told them I have had no claims in the past. Here is the actual letter:

_______
A system check of your policy has highlighted that you gave different
claim details when you obtained a quote from Admiral, prior to taking out
this policy.

We appreciate that when you took out your policy these details may have
been overlooked but our records indicate your claim details need to be
amended as follows:

claim dated February 2005

Unless we hear from you within the next 7 days, we will assume the above
information is correct and amend your policy details accordingly. We will
then write to you separately to confirm any additional charges that may be
generated as a result of the amendments.

I called them and told them that:

I have had no claims in the past and before buying my car insurance I did shop around on many sites entering different details trying to understand how the UK insurance market works. I added claims to past dates to see how they would have affected my current premium. I entered 3 or 5 years of NCD to see how they would affect my premium. This was in order to understand what voluntary policy excess I need to have.

However, they are not accepting this and they are saying they will add the claim to the policy anyway. I told them that if they are to trust what I have entered on other sites (without signing any contract) rather than what I have actually signed for then they should add 5 years NCD since I was also experimenting with this but they said no.

To sum up, they said that they need a letter from my insurance company stating that I haven’t had any claims. However, I haven’t owned a car in the last 3 years so I haven’t had any insurance.

Is there anything I can do? Can they just add claims to my policy just because someone (this time it was me but it could be anyone) enters something on a website?

Thanks for your help!
~speedrest~

Astaroth

This is one that I have never heard of before.... what was their response to you saying you couldnt get your previous insurers to confirm because you had no insurance?

I am sure that an escalated complaint in writing would ultimately get it removed however I am surprised that they are requiring this to be done.

Could call back, stay calm, polite and non-sarcastic and see if a different call centre agent takes a different tact.

speerest

Thanks for your reply.

I had to resolve to sarcasm in the end, after being 30 minutes on the phone talking to the agent and going nowhere.

I have explained all the above to them and they wouldn't change their minds. I will write a formal letter tonight. It just doesn't make sense. I have asked them what would happen if I go online today and check a quote adding 2 more claims and they said if their systems pick it up they would add it to my policy. This is the weird part. Anyone knowing a person's birth date and postcode would be adding claims to that person's policy if what they have told me is true.

oldwiring

TBH any kite flyers are best done ny Anne or Ant Nomymouse, at different address and email alias. Generally computer systems are not very bright.

impy78

It with come from the cue system - All claims are recorded on a database, and this will be where the info is from.

Whatever the computer has recorded is taken as gospel, even though it's wrong.

Unfortunately, the only thing you will be able to do is to contact Admiral and get them to write you a letter stating that you had no claim, and no cover with them.

mattymoo

Did anything happen in Feb 05 on another policy though? Examples I can think of include :-
Claim on household insurance for goods stolen while in the car.
Claim on a travel policy for above reason.
Claim on a company car policy.
Claim by a third party against your policy.

Sometimes household insurers (for example) requiest a contribution from motor insurers for the policy limit - normally £50.

One other thing - anyone else in your household with same initial? Might be a case of mistaken identity.

ftbworried

:-O that is shocking. I can't count how many times i've experimented on Admiral and Elephant with 'what if's', basically to try and guestimate what next years premuim will be. Also think that ANYONE could type your name into the site and put in some really big claims that thus affect your policy is extrordinary.

Do you have to tick and 'Data Information' boxes when you search on Admiral. What are the terms of the search?

Surely there is something in the Data Protection Act that stops them from using data from a source that is a) external to them (even though I know Admiral and Elephant are the same company) and b) cannot be confirmed to be correct. They don't even know that the search on admiral was DEFINITLEY conducted by you.

Try contacting trading stanards or CAB and see where you stand legally on this.

nordberg

I had a similar thing. I had a shopping trolly run into my car in a car park once. It made a small amount of damage to my paintwork. I contacted my insurer (Toyota Insurance) just to find out what my excess would be etc. I NEVER made any claim. When it came to renewal time, I found Admiral to be the cheapest so phoned them to take out the policy. The operator told me the information I gave was false as I made a claim in the last 12months. Only I didn't. In the end, I fixed the damage myself. The fact that I told them a trolly hit my car in the car park became an "incident" and as such put my premium up by £100, took 2 years off my PROTECTED NCB and really - REALLY - !!!!!! me off.

Insurance companies are like one big cartel. They all conspire and share information to the point where you have little or no chance of reasoning with them.

Lorian

speerest wrote:

Can they just add claims to my policy just because someone (this time it was me but it could be anyone) enters something on a website?

Tell us the whole story. Why would someone who never had a car before and never had the accident enter into a website that they had?

Zoetoes

Lorian wrote:

Tell us the whole story. Why would someone who never had a car before and never had the accident enter into a website that they had?

I have been getting quotes the last few days, I have made a claim last year but in the bit where you have to put what sort of claim there are all different options and I am unsure which one applies so have clicked different ones on different sites.

I have also played with me being the main driver then my partner being the main driver with a provisional but no claim, to see what is cheapest.

I have also wondered how much it would be if I didn't have the claim, does that mean I haven't really made one?

Zoetoes

Tell them to shove their insurance and go elsewhere.

If the next insurers say the same then don't admit that it was you, say someone else must have entered your details.