Naughty Saga Car Insurance

JethroUK

Just been shopping around for cheaper car insurance - found it £100 cheaper to take affect next week

this morning opened a letter from my existing insurers (Saga) - thinking it was just a renewal reminder I was gob-smacked to find full insurance policy and details (10 page document) to start next week

to add insult to that - I didn't get a paper/hard copy for my original policy - had to download it and print it myself (which i prefer) - but for my renewal they managed to find 10 sheets of paper and a stamp

chuck it in the bin and call and cancel?

Nope - after reading enclosure, if i want to cancel I have to post all the documents back (the documents I didn't ask for)

not only that - the cancellation procedure talks of a £40 admin fee for cancellation :rotfl:

of course I'm not going to pay it - but It scares me to think how many people will pay it

talk about people washing your windscreen and demanding payment - Saga took this to a whole new level

as an aside - when i needed my policy details half way through last year - although it suppose to be 'online' policy, my login page had no copy of my policy - weird city or what - it all became clear when i gave them a call - Saga wanted to charge me £40 admin fee to give me another lousy link to my 'online' document so i could print it out myself - after about 30 minutes of me belly-aching she agreed to post my the 'link' again - for freeeeeeeeeee

vax2002

Car insurance is renewed automatically every year now.
You need to call your insurer and stop the automatic renewal
They are taking the proverbial and cashing in. ALL OF THEM !

InsideInsurance

It will be your renewal reminder and documents in one, many insurers now do this.

You wont be cancelling the policy however, you need to call them and tell them you dont want to renew/ you want the policy to lapse. There is no fee for this as it is not a cancellation (and dont use the word cancellation as it is wrong and can cause confusion)

Iconic50

Green Insurance Company has just done the same thing to me.
When the renewal quote arrived @ double last years insurance it was consigned to the recycle bin.
I only discovered that it would be automatically renewed and a charge of £25 to cancel it when I was asked by new insurance company for proof of no-claims last night when the new policy was to start.
This extortion should be a criminal offence. It has never been automatically renewed in the past.

McKneff

Always read the full text when you get a renewal quote, most of them are on auto renewal now.

I disagree with you that says it should be a criminal offence, mainly because more people would forget (and some of those will say that they didnt get the renewal notice) which doesnt matter a fig, you would still be prosecuted, ignorance is no excuse, and be riding around uninsured.

Its finding the balance between the two and the 2nd one is preferable for me.

*Scarlett

The renewal notice will tell you if is automatic renewal.

Usually if you have paid by direct debit (either monthly or annually) the policy will renew automatically.

However if you have paid by card some companies may also have set up a "continuous payment authority" in which case they will auto renew the policy.

In any case, you need to contact the insurer before the renewal date to tell them to lapse the policy (it's not enough just to cancel your DD).

If you are aware enough to purchase a new policy for your renewal date, surely you can make a phone call, post a letter, send or e-mail to make sure the old one won't carry on.

Lots of people don't mind auto renewal. They know they are always covered and don't have to remember renewal dates. Although they are probably missing out on better deals by sticking with the same company, this is not essential to everyone.

DCFC79

Iconic50 wrote: »

Green Insurance Company has just done the same thing to me.
When the renewal quote arrived @ double last years insurance it was consigned to the recycle bin.
I only discovered that it would be automatically renewed and a charge of £25 to cancel it when I was asked by new insurance company for proof of no-claims last night when the new policy was to start.
This extortion should be a criminal offence. It has never been automatically renewed in the past.

You shouldn't need anything from the insurers to say your policy is up for renewal, you should be on the case of looking for a new policy at least 4 weeks before your current is due to end.

forgotmyname

Phone to cancel as you should have done anyway.

Send the documents back, Sure as soon as they arrive i will do that.

Not returned them? What documents? I dont have them.