Insurance Doubled

madmumof5

Is this discrimination what can i do.
My son is 21 and Autistic he passed his driving test 2 years ago it took him some time but being very lateral he drives by the book..
We got him a car so he could go to college he only drives for a reason to get from A to B doesnt understand why you would just go for a drive lateral thinking again.
He has done 4 years of college as no one will take him on as he has no social skills although he is a qualified Joiner, he left college July 2015 as there were no further courses and unfortunately had to sign on. We got him a new car last month and when we phoned to change the insurance they asked if he was still a student so being honest i said no unemployed due to disability then then informed me that his insurance (currently aprox 1200 a year) would go up to £2000 a year as unemployed and could be driving around all day i stated i thought that was why he had a black box fitted so they would know how often he drove and that surely this was discrimination for the unemployed as well as someone with a disability any advice please ??

Browntoa

no , its done on risk , change of employment status

lizziesharples

I'm afraid that being down as unemployed will affect the insurance for anybody. Are you due for renewal? Can you shop around? What would the cancellation fees be if you were to change provider if you are part-way through your policy?

forgotmyname

Unemployed is not a disability though. The premium adjustment is because he is unemployed not because of a disability.

Get a quote yourself and you will see the premium increase if you put unemployed.

madmumof5

They are changing his benefit from job seekers to ESA so he will no longer be unemployed so will this make a difference if i tell insurance company this ?

Quentin

madmumof5 wrote: »

They are changing his benefit from job seekers to ESA so he will no longer be unemployed so will this make a difference if i tell insurance company this ?

Why will no longer be unemployed? At "best" he will be unemployed on medical grounds (or similar wording)


ESA is awarded to the employed as well as the unemployed!

CoffeeandStitches

Have we all missed the fact it's a new (different) car as well? There's a distinct possibility that the price rise can be attributed to a different vehicle (possibly with a higher propensity to claim?) and not just employment status that has changed.

madmumof5

He has been put on ESA by dr who says he is not fit for work due to his autism also his car changed before the employment status was updated so no point has been missed I posted on here to get some advice and support thanks you those that have

DCFC79

madmumof5 wrote: »

He has been put on ESA by dr who says he is not fit for work due to his autism also his car changed before the employment status was updated so no point has been missed I posted on here to get some advice and support thanks you those that have but I feel some of you are quite rude

Cant see any rude replies myself.

madmumof5

fair enough maybe I am being a little protective of my son

CoffeeandStitches

madmumof5 wrote: »

He has been put on ESA by dr who says he is not fit for work due to his autism also his car changed before the employment status was updated so no point has been missed I posted on here to get some advice and support thanks you those that have but I feel some of you are quite rude

To confirm.....

Your son got a new car. You amended the policy to show this and the price did not change?

You then amended policy to show unemployed and the price changed?

At the risk of sounding rude, and forgive me if you know this information already, although I suspect you don't, or else you wouldn't be here....

Insurance premiums are all calculated statistically, and based on previous years claims data. Insurers take into account all of the information given, and calculate a premium based on the number or value of claims made previously by people with the same pieces of information. For example:

Insurer had 20 claims from those unemployed in 2015
Insurer had 2 claims from those employed in 2015

Unemployed = higher premium

Insurer had 20 claims from people in red cars in 2015
Insurer had 2 claims from those in blue cards in 2015

Red car = higher premium. Unemployed AND red car = higher premiums still.

Is it fair? Probably not. Is it a true reflection of how likely your son is to claim? Possibly not. But that's the way it is. If you are unhappy with the price, vote with your feet and find a different insurer.

ETA - Did the application specifically ask if your son is registered disabled or did you have to put that specific information in to the quote? If you didn't, then the premium has nothing to do with the fact there is a protected characteristic involved with your son, and is just based on the information you did give. No discrimination, just unfortunate change in other circumstances meaning a higher premium.