Do I have a case for compensation with Motor Insurance Company?

paraza

My Car Insurance was set to auto renew in May 2015.

In Sept 2015 I was pulled over by the police for driving without motor insurance. I was completely shocked because my car insurance should have renewed. The police informed me they could arrest me and seize my vehicle. I rang my insurance company who advised me the policy had been cancelled. In order to satisfy the police I had to reinstate my insurance with my insurance company. The advised me it had increased from approx £500 to approx £1900. In order to avoid arrest and my car being seized I had to take the insurance they had offered me at huge expense!

I received a Road Traffic Offence Notice from the police in Oct 2015. This gave me two options - 1. to accept the conditional offer of fixed penalty or 2. request a court hearing.

I made a complaint to my insurance company. My complaint was upheld(they admitted it should have renewed and claimed a system error had lead to it not renewing) and I was able to have the offence cancelled by the police.

My insurance company have offered my £75 to compensate for this error. I feel this is not reflective of the distress this has caused. I just wondered if I should accept the £75 or let them know I am not satisfied with their offer.

Any advice would be very much appreciated

dannyrst

What distress was caused exactly?

BeenThroughItAll

dannyrst wrote: »

What distress was caused exactly?

I'd think being pulled over and told you're uninsured (if you genuinely believed you were) would be pretty upsetting.

Mind you, automatically renewing would cause me plenty of distress. That way madness lies...

Ms_Chocaholic

What's happening about the additional £1,400 premium you had to pay

foxy-stoat

Its down to the Registered Keeper to make sure they have paid the apprioprate insurance for the vehicle and its down to the driver to make sure they are insured.

The insurance company made a mistake, but you unfortunatley have broken the law.

paraza

Just I was a female on my own in the dark when it happened being threatened with arrest and seizure of my car.......Plus the only way to prevent this from happening was to agree to get my insurance back up and running again with a premium hike of £1400!

paraza

I took insurance out the next day with a different insurance company, which offered me a lower premium, as I had 14 days where I could cancel the £1900 policy I had taken out the previous evening

EssexExile

I would count myself very lucky the police dropped the case, it wasn't your fault but you did break the law. Then I'd get on comparison sites to find some reasonable insurance cover and cancel the overpriced policy.

paraza

foxy-stoat wrote: »

Its down to the Registered Keeper to make sure they have paid the apprioprate insurance for the vehicle and its down to the driver to make sure they are insured.

The insurance company made a mistake, but you unfortunatley have broken the law.

Maybe but the police cancelled the IN10 and fine and insurance company admitted liability. Just not sure when I have received a confirmation email of my policy renewing, how I am ever to know that they have then cancelled it. I'm sure when you take your policy you would also not know it suddenly cancelled?!

Hintza

Take the £75 have a glass of wine and leave it behind you. Saves you a lot more hassle than chasing this.

Quentin

Don't take the offer!

You need reimbursing all the costs you were put to by their neglect over this.

(You haven't been lucky at all by being "let off".)

Your insurer made an error and would have paid out were you involved in any claims during this period.