Autonet insurance cancellation problem

ChrisGUK

A few weeks ago I arranged a new policy for my van with Autonet Insurance. It was a tortuous process and during the call the price went up as they probed for more and more ridiculous details. Finally I paid for a years insurance by debit card, but I wasn't happy so I did one more quick search online after I got off the call.

Autonet came up as the cheapest policy on the price comparison engine here at MSE, and on another comparison site. But when I went onto Aviva's website directly, a similar policy was about £150 a year cheaper, and in many respects it's a better policy. So I immediately called Autonet back to cancel the policy I had just setup with them. This was less than an hour after I had set it up, and two days before cover started. There was a £25 charge, which I accepted, and they said that the balance would be refunded to my bank within 7 - 14 days. A bit cheeky as the charge originally debited instantly, but ok. So I went ahead and took out the Aviva policy.

I'm much happier with Aviva as the whole process was so much simpler, and it's a better policy. Autonet also wanted me to email them scans of all the drivers' licences and a DVLC check code for each driver, and they wanted me to contact my old insurance company and give my permission for Autonet to contact them to verify my NCD. Aviva don't need any of that.

A few days later I received a letter from Autonet saying that the policy had been cancelled and that I would receive a refund in due course.

Two weeks later, I wasn't overly surprised when the refund from Autonet still hasn't turned up. I just assumed that they don't send out refunds until the customer chases it. So I called them. And that was when I got the Big Horrible Shock.

I was told that the refund had been used to fund the new policy that I had taken out with them after the cancellation! WHAT????

Well, as you can imagine, I went ballistic. I was in shock, but I pretty soon calmed down and handled the situation. The representative asked me to email them details of the Aviva policy and then call them back. I did that, and finally after an almost one hour call, they agreed to cancel the new policy that had been setup without my knowledge or permission, and refund it from inception.

Yesterday, the refund finally arrived in my bank account so all is well. I haven't yet received my phone bill for dealing with this, but I imagine it will be a few pounds. And they had my money for almost a month.

Autonet promised me a full explanation of how this happened, but I have not received one.

So my question for the forum here is, should I follow this up with a formal complaint? Or do we just have to accept that this is how things are these days?

huckster

You should follow this up with a written complaint to their Managing Director in writing. It is a serious misconduct issue, if a member of their staff has deliberately set up a new policy to maintain their commission.

You are entitled to 8% interest on not having access to your money during this period.

ChrisGUK

Thanks for that. Yes, I agree, the MD needs to know about this. An employee not wanting to give back their commission does seem like the obvious explanation.

I will wait for my phone bill to arrive and send them evidence of that cost too.

ninetyfables

You can ask them to refund call charges that will be no issue. I'm wondering if perhaps you've clicked to buy a policy online, and it may have said it didn't go through at which point you've then called. The Internet purchase has gone through and the phone purchase has as well. It may be they thought you'd bought twice and cancelled one, so they transferred the money. This is just a thought. Did you attempt to buy online first? If not I'm not sure what could've occurred. Get an explanation!

ChrisGUK

No, I didn't buy online. I started down that route but the site told me I needed to call them and do it on the phone. At no point did I give any card details online.

EdGasket

Yes take it all the way; ombudsman if necessary as they might just talk the talk and not pay you for your calls and keeping your money unless they see that you mean business. I hate the sort of thing they did to you and so does everyone else.

ChrisGUK

I wrote to the MD and the head of their complaints department phoned me the next day with a full explanation. It was in fact, a mistake, although rather too complex to explain fully here. As reparation, they offered to refund the £25 administration charge, which is more than the cost of my phone calls.

I'm quite satisfied. They handled the problem promptly and really rather well. There is no cause for concern here.

Katesimon155

I am having a nightmare time with this insurance company too, I've been promised many 24 hour complaints call back and never had them, a quote they gave me and never set up and now they have literally doubled my quote and taken so much time responding taken me out of my 14 day period. Now they will only refer me to the complaint department who I am unable to contact due to working hours! I have 2 days left before they cancel my policy. Literally being held to ransom!