Car Insurance Address Verification?

bery_451

Hi,


I recently renewed and paid for my car insurance over the phone and the advisor on the phone said another department will contact me asking me to confirm my address via proofs such as utility bills, tenancy agreements, statements etc.


I have address verification proofs such as my driving license, logbook and bank statements however I do not pay bills in my name as I am just living with family.


If I cannot provide utility bills/tenancy agreements/council tax bills in my name then what are my rights as a car insurance consumer and what obligations the car insurance companies must follow?


Does the car insurance consumer has to have utilities/council tax statements/written tenancy agreement instead of oral agreement in their name to purchase car insurance nowadays?


Thanks,

Quentin

Their ts + cs will cover this - they normally do reserve the right to request all sorts of documents to help confirm your application

molerat

Many people can be verified electronically, many need physical documents to prove who they are and the company has the right to ask for whatever they think reasonable so that they can conduct business with you. Does their website have a list of acceptable documentation ?

agrinnall

I would have thought that the most important thing is to be on the electoral roll, and the next most important is for the correct address to be held by the Credit Reference Agencies. If both of those pass verification I doubt if they'll need to see any documents.

westv

People still use a phone to renew car insurance?! :eek:

bery_451

agrinnall wrote: »

I would have thought that the most important thing is to be on the electoral roll, and the next most important is for the correct address to be held by the Credit Reference Agencies. If both of those pass verification I doubt if they'll need to see any documents.

I agree with it however isn't that for customers who want to pay by finance for car insurance by monthly payments?

bery_451

Wait a minute isn't it good practice for the car insurance providers to ask for address proofs first before taking £hundreds off my debit card? What the heck game they are playing here?


I do not want to risk getting my car insurance cancelled by them and risk losing my £hundreds I paid them just because I do not have a Gas bill in my name.


Surely there must some regulations car insurance companies must oblige to right?

rudekid48

bery_451 wrote: »

Wait a minute isn't it good practice for the car insurance providers to ask for address proofs first before taking £hundreds off my debit card? What the heck game they are playing here?


I do not want to risk getting my car insurance cancelled by them and risk losing my £hundreds I paid them just because I do not have a Gas bill in my name.


Surely there must some regulations car insurance companies must oblige to right?

Jeez, calm yourself down.... They haven't actually contacted you yet have they? The advisor just gave you examples of ways to prove your address, besides, "statements" can be bank / card statements which you will have so what's the big deal?

bery_451

Im on their website and found the following:


http://www.octagoninsurance.com/car-insurance/faqs/


Octagon Insurance Services and its insurer partners from time to time, may request additional documentation from customers. You do not need to supply original documents, photocopies are sufficient. Please note that you must provide recent documents that are dated within the last 3 months. Documents that are accepted are:-
– Council Tax Bill/Statement
– Utility Bill
– Tenancy Agreement
– Pay slip (address included)
– Driving Licence – Photocard for all drivers
– Vehicle Registration Document (V5)
– Copy of your passport plus one Utility Bill


Cant see bank statements in the above list. I have 2 out of the list above which is Driving License and V5 Logbook.


Can anyone show me in their terms and conditions that Octagon have the right to ask for anything from the list above and have the right to cancel the policy and steal the customers paid premium if the customer is missing any proofs out of the above list?

Quentin

You are worrying prematurely.


Cross any bridges when you come to them.

bery_451

The reason why I am worrying because it has come to my attention via a few seconds clicks on google showing the numerous horror stories from customers of the company Octagon Car Insurance.


I also can see a dedicated horror stories thread on this forum as well just relating to Octagon.


From reading all these horror stories it seems Octagon can rip customers off and get away with it without any fines or penalties from the regulating bodies. In my opinion they should cease trading and shut down and God knows how they been getting away with it for so many years. Alarm bells should be ringing for a independent enquiry into this company.


I do not want to be part of the horror stories statistics hence why I am posting now so I have a chance to defend myself if the worse does come you know what I mean.