Asda car insurance - a warning

slopemaster

I recently took out car insurance with Asda. (To start in 3 weeks time.)

After filling in the normal details and paying in full for the insurance, the "welcome" e-mail received seconds later demands copies of driving licences, and also written proof of NCD - in spite of having been given my current insurer and policy number in order to verify my no claims during the online application.
The mail then immediately goes on to threaten
"If we have to cancel your cover as a result of you not sending your documents, you’ll have to disclose that your cover has been withdrawn to any new insurer. This may mean that you’ll be refused cover, or you may have to pay a higher premium."


This is not a very welcoming e-mail to send to a new customer, and immediately makes me think of cancelling the insurance before it starts. So they then go on to say that if I do so, I will be charged a £45 cancellation fee!


I am not at all happy that they do not disclose until after taking payment that they are going to demand copies of driving licences and written proof of NCD. Most insurers check these things electronically, and if they are going to ask customers to jump through extra hoops, it should be made clear before buying.
Yes, it is probably there somewhere in the small print of their terms and conditions – I admit I didn't read them and should have done.
But I feel that this is very sharp practice, as it is definitely not mentioned anywhere during the application.

I am even less happy with the threatening e-mail about "having to disclose that cover has been withdrawn" if you don't do what they demand. It is really unacceptable to be threatening customers in this way in the first contact with them.

Potential customers should be aware of this before buying.

I have mailed them back asking them to cancel, and saying that I do not believe they have the right to charge a £45 fee as I am cancelling within the 14-day period, and they have not yet provided any cover. I will see what they say – awaiting a response.

Valli

s'not a threat, it's a warning.

Sometimes I have to provide paper proof of NCD; sometimes I don't.

Personally I would have read the T&Cs - you could probably have done that in the time it took you to type and format that post.

SaLoGo

I had a nightmare with them when I set up insurance with them. Sent my docs 4 times before they acknowledged receipt and stopped sending threatening emails and letters. Then they picked up on the fact that I had said I'd been driving 5 years when i was 4 years, 11 months and 3 and half weeks (genuine calculation error on my part, not at all to mis-lead or make my premium cheaper) and slapped a £75 admin fee on my account. After several emails complaining about it they eventually refunded the fee.

After buying a new car I used the opportunity to leave them after they quoted an extra £450 ON TOP OF what I was already paying to insure the new car. Went elsewhere and got covered for less!

Will never touch them with a bargepole again! Get out while you can and keep on to them about the charges, they will back down eventually. Just AWFUL customer service! Made me feel like a criminal!

deanos

i haven't given proof of ncd for years thought it was on a database that they share ?

RichardD1970

Why post the same thing in two boards?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4761059

Most (if not all) of the replies on the other thread seem to think this is quite normal and not an issue.

Faith177

deanos wrote: »

i haven't given proof of ncd for years thought it was on a database that they share ?

The database only shows claims not ncb

DCFC79

I dont see the email from Asda as threatening at all, ive been asked to send a copy of my ncb before and didnt have a problem with doing so, albeit ive only been asked once.

slopemaster

deanos wrote: »

i haven't given proof of ncd for years thought it was on a database that they share ?

me too.....

slopemaster

RichardD1970 wrote: »

Why post the same thing in two boards? .

To let as many people as possible know about it.

Nilrem

DCFC79 wrote: »

I dont see the email from Asda as threatening at all, ive been asked to send a copy of my ncb before and didnt have a problem with doing so, albeit ive only been asked once.

Aye, the warning is there because, I suspect, they have to include it for legal reasons, in the same way pretty much any time you contact your insurance company they'll be likely to go through the whole "if you do not tell us an important fact it may....".

When I insured my new car earlier in the year I had a similar warning from my new insurance company that arrived a day or so after the initial documentation (I think they sent it separately specifically because people tend to not check the documents included with their insurance cert), and another about a fortnight later. I was panicking a bit when my old insurance company hadn't sent me the cert by near the end of the time limit.

Having said that, I can't remember if it was my sister or my nephew who had to send additional copies of their driving licence and NCB at least twice (from memory) when they went with Asda, and I've heard the same sort of thing from various other people (I get the impression Asda's incoming mail for "proof of id/ncb" may not be terribly well organised/well staffed).

Homeagain

Saga is not much better, constant letters to and fro. What I can't understand (and this is probably a well debated question) is why your current insurance company do not merely match or better the quote you have been given by a rival company? Do they not value existing clients? I have to change insurance every year for this very reason. I know I am not alone in this but its a pain - thank goodness for MSE- thank you thank you thank you :T.