Inertia Selling for Insurance Renewal

GingerBob_3

Just got my renewal notice. If I don't do anything it will renew automatically. I don't like this (I know a lot of people do, but I don't). If I insist that next time around they don't auto renew, whart sort of response will I get? I'm expecting something along the lines of "well b****r off elsewhere then". Is this about right.

DUTR

Yes it's about right, they have give you notice to do something about it now, saves going without insurance cover (technically) .

GingerBob_3

So I rang them up today (M&S Insurance) ostensibly to cancel the motor legal protection element, and by the by asked them not to auto renew. "No Problem Sir", was the answer, "but if you want to renew you will have to contact us when you get your renewal notice".

I think I can just about manage to do that.

forgotmyname

GingerBob wrote: »

I think I can just about manage to do that.

Count the posts where people have said they forgot or didnt get the renewal and have been driving uninsured.

InsideInsurance

GingerBob wrote: »

Just got my renewal notice. If I don't do anything it will renew automatically. I don't like this (I know a lot of people do, but I don't). If I insist that next time around they don't auto renew, whart sort of response will I get? I'm expecting something along the lines of "well b****r off elsewhere then". Is this about right.

It will vary, some will remove the auto renewal at any point in the policy lifecycle. Others its a condition of the policy that it must be on auto renewal and so you either accept it or go elsewhere.

Ultimately though, if you are having to phone up to remove auto renewal each year, isnt it just as easy to do this in the renewal cycle rather than at the beginning? If you say its because you may forget to do it or such then surely you are running the much bigger risk of forgetting to renew/ buy a new policy?

GingerBob_3

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Ultimately though, if you are having to phone up to remove auto renewal each year, isnt it just as easy to do this in the renewal cycle rather than at the beginning? If you say its because you may forget to do it or such then surely you are running the much bigger risk of forgetting to renew/ buy a new policy?

The problem is the concept of auto renewal. Not long ago it didn't generally exist on motor policies. When renewal approached you had to contact your current insurer to renew - and maybe renegotiate - or you just forgot about them and went elsewhere. With auto renewal if you do forget about them (I'm using the terms loosely here) you can end up being insured twice. So what's worse, insured twice, or not at all? The latter I hear everyone screaming.

The fact is, the insurers are using the continuous insurance law (a bad law imho) as an excuse to bring in auto renewal, hoping that we'll all take the easy, do nothing, option, staying with them and maybe paying through the nose as a result.

Another problem is expiring credit cards during the policy term, and then being hit with fees as a result. Overall, I prefer not to have auto renewal. Yes, it should be offered, but you should have to opt in to it.