Insurers Cancelled Policy - No Claims Query

forgotmyname

I wouldnt trust that about not having to declare it. As above i would get them to reinstate it and carry on the policy.

Then there wont be an issue of having to declare it.

Quentin

getmeouttahere wrote: »

They have not made an offer to let us continue the policy. As I said, the letter was dated 5th February and gave us 12 days to contact them. The letter only arrived this afternoon and the insurance company have refused to reinstate the policy.

Point this out to them and see if you can charm your way back.

Anything to avoid a cancelled policy on your record.

(If you want to rely on the chat you had you need to get it properly confirmed to you in writing and keep it on file for evermore)

getmeouttahere

forgotmyname wrote: »

I wouldnt trust that about not having to declare it. As above i would get them to reinstate it and carry on the policy.

Then there wont be an issue of having to declare it.

How do I get them to do that when they are refusing to reinstate the policy?

One thought I had was that if they cancel the policy, surely they cannot expect us to pay the remaining balance on the policy. However, if they are making it our choice to end the policy they are within their rights to demand the remaining balance.

getmeouttahere

Quentin wrote: »

Point this out to them and see if you can charm your way back.

Anything to avoid a cancelled policy on your record.

(If you want to rely on the chat you had you need to get it properly confirmed to you in writing and keep it on file for evermore)

I spoke to the insurance company for about 30 minutes on the phone and they are not interested. They claim they sent 5 letters throughout January and the letter sent on the 5th February was their final attempt.

I have said I'm not disputing they sent the letters but I am saying we've not had them. We've also not had any letters saying payments weren't made.

They just seemed totally dis-interested.

My only chance at getting the policy reinstated would be a formal complaint but I don't see that getting me anywhere judging by things I've heard about this particular insurance company.

rudekid48

Did you not notice yourselves that you hadn't paid anything?

getmeouttahere

rudekid48 wrote: »

Did you not notice yourselves that you hadn't paid anything?

Unfortunately not. We've been in a mess financially for some time and have been getting help from StepChange. We moved our bank accounts as per StepChanges recommendation and cancelled direct debits to the debts. We take £50 a week out to 'live off' and don't even look at the bank accounts because that way we don't get tempted to spend money.

This approach though has really stung us this time.

getmeouttahere

I have spent the day looking into all the paperwork of my wife's insurance policy and I think we've got a fair right to complain.

The insurance company use a fixed term credit agreement for the monthly payments and the policy booklet says that if payment is not made on the due date, they have the right to cancel the credit agreement (makes no mention of cancelling the policy).

In addition, under the section about cancellation, it says the following:

Cancellation by us
We have the right to cancel your policy at any time by giving you 14 days’ notice in writing where there is a valid reason for doing so. We will send our cancellation letter to the latest address we have for you. Valid reasons may include but are not limited to:
• where you are required in accordance with the terms of this policy, to co-operate with us, or send us information or documentation and you fail to do so in a way that substantially affects our ability to process your claim, or deal with your policy;
• where there are changes to your circumstances which mean you no longer meet our criteria for providing motor insurance;
• where you have used threatening or abusive behaviour or language or you have intimidated or bullied our staff or suppliers.
If we cancel your policy we will return the premium paid less the amount for the period the policy has been in force. If you have made a claim or if one has been made against you and we cancel your policy, we will return the premium paid, less a charge for the number of days for which cover has been given.

Cancellation by you
You can cancel this policy at any time by telling us either over the phone or in writing.
Cancelling the direct debit instruction does not mean you have cancelled the policy.
• If you cancel before your policy is due to start, we will return any premium you have paid in full.
• If you cancel within 14 days of the policy starting or within 14 days of receiving your documents (whichever occurs later) we will return any premium paid less a charge for the number of days for which cover has been given.

If you cancel after those 14 days have passed, we will return any premium paid less:
• a charge for the number of days for which cover has been
given; and
• an administration fee as shown in your schedule.
We will not refund any premium if you have made a claim or if one has been made against you during the period of cover. If you have made a claim, or one has been made against you, the balance of the year’s premium will become payable.

So, as they are asking us to pay the remainder of the years policy payments, can I safely assume that it in fact is that have cancelled the policy and not the insurer?

[Deleted User]

Now you have done a comparison with the cancellation on it you need to be very careful. Many insurers will assume you are lying if you take it off again, so you should call them and explain what happened when you take out a policy.

magpiecottage

You do not need to write to make a complaint but it helps.

If you can e-mail then do so. However, you should say that you are confirming the complaint you made by telephone on Friday 20 February. If you can do that tonight, it will confirm that they have until the end of Monday 23 February or it has to go into their complaints procedure and be included in returns to the FCA.

If you go to the Financial Services Register, you will be able to find the address to send the e-mail. Once you have found the firm, there is a tab on its entry that says "Contact For Complaints".

Click on that and most insurers have an e-mail address there which should get contact with an organ grinder rather than a monkey.

getmeouttahere

magpiecottage wrote: »

You do not need to write to make a complaint but it helps.

If you can e-mail then do so. However, you should say that you are confirming the complaint you made by telephone on Friday 20 February. If you can do that tonight, it will confirm that they have until the end of Monday 23 February or it has to go into their complaints procedure and be included in returns to the FCA.

If you go to the Financial Services Register, you will be able to find the address to send the e-mail. Once you have found the firm, there is a tab on its entry that says "Contact For Complaints".

Click on that and most insurers have an e-mail address there which should get contact with an organ grinder rather than a monkey.

Thanks, I will look into this. I am not sure what good complaining will do, but has to be worth a try.