Car Insurance Policy - HELP!

clarecn

Hey everyone, im new and looking for some advice.
My car insurance policy was recently up for renewal and i decided to change provider. After using compare the market i decided to insure my car with AXA. i called them directly instead of paying online to confirm.
However i have now found out that i have no insurance, which im fuming about. i only noticed as i hadnt received the documents plus the amount was taken out of my bank account and then put back in.
ive logged into my AXA account online which has a message 'we're sorry, there is a problem with your policy'.
i called AXA and gave them my policy number as quoted in our call and my personal details and have been informed that i dont exist on their system.
First of all their response was to simply do a new quote - which was more than £100 than previously quoted - which i declined. they have informed me that they will investigate this.

i was just wondering where i would stand if i had been stopped by police or if this has happened to anyone else.

any info would be greatly appreciated!
rage :mad:

forgotmyname

If they have not reinstated the policy then your uninsured and should not drive and keep the car off the public roads.

You chose to decline their new quote. I can see why.

But you would probably have done better by taking the offer knowing your fully covered then file a formal complaint and request a refund of the extra charged.

clarecn

thanks forgotmyname for your reply.

I have absolutely no intention of driving my car until i am covered. i was hit my an uninsured driver in the past and my car was a right off. i think thats why it has bothered my so much.

it didnt even cross my mind to accept then put in a complaint to get the difference back. they said it will take 7 days for them to investigate so fingers crossed it gets sorted.
i was curious whether i would have a leg to stand on if worse came to the worse.

forgotmyname

No. Driving uninsured would be your fault 100% when stopped.

They have heard all the excuses and probably dont care. Computer says no insurance. They phone the company and they say yes there was a mixup but you declined the cover.

6 points and a fine. Then see what the quotes come in at. Some companies wont touch you after getting done for no insurance.

thenudeone

A car insurance policy is only valid (as far as criminal law is concerned) when the insurer delivers a certificate to you. That's written in law.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/147

So - regardless of any written, verbal or email correspondence, schedules, notes, confirmations, receipts or payments - until they have delivered a certificate, you are uninsured. You don't need to have received it to be insured. Email or web-visible certificates are now acceptable.

Once a certificate has been delivered, you are insured; and it can only be cancelled by giving you written notice in accordance with the policy.

Ultimately, if you were stopped, and if you didn't have a certificate to produce at the time, the seizure of the car would probably be lawful and you'd be out of pocket. This is the case even if you can later prove you were actually insured at the time. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/165A

At court - it would be up to the court to decide whether a certificate had ever been been delivered and if so, whether any cancellation was valid. If you never received a certificate, you have virtually no chance of being acquitted, although you'd have good mitigating circumstances.

So - what remedies you have depend on whether the insurer issued a certificate.