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No Dive Away Insurance

Dear All,

Good morning. I don't know if this is the best place to ask this question. So please bear with me.

I took delivery of a new car yesterday. In the meetings and discussions leading up to this I had on multiple occasions notified them that I need drive away insurance. So I took the delivery of the car, drove home. Then I thought, they didn't say anything about drive away insurance. So I rang them straight away - No answer from the guy who dealt with me. Called again later 3 times, still no answer from that guy. I did tell the receptionist on these 4 occasions that it was important for me to speak to him. All these time the receptionist assured me that he will call me back.

Now, didn't get any call back yesterday. Today morning I called and guess what, he told me that I didn't have any drive away insurance. I was furious. Then he tried to shift the blame on me saying that I didn't tell him that I require drive away insurance. But I did, on multiple occasions.

I am just furious, Fortunately, the dive was only less than a mile from the dealer. Nothing happened with Gods grace. But I am really disappointed and furious. How can they let me drive without an insurance? How irresponsible. Immediatley I calle dmy insurer and updated the details.

I have taken delivery of a few new cars over the years from different dealers. All of them made sure that I had drive away insurance. They checked that first before allowing me to drive away. Keeping my past experience in mind, I though this time it will be the same. They are a reputed main dealer. They should know better.

So my questions are these
(1) Is it really my fault? I am guessing the short answer is Yes. But, I did tell them that I needed drive away insurance. But admittedly didn't check at the point of taking the keys.
(2) Can the dealer be held responsible for this lapse?
(3) Is is worth giving a complaint?
(4) Nothing happened. But this is negligence from the part of the dealer (or is it Not?). Is there anything else that I can do?

Many thanks for reading,

Cheers.
«1

Comments

  • How much compo do you want?
  • rudekid48
    rudekid48 Posts: 2,382 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    It's your responsibility to make sure that you have insurance in place not the dealer. You should be 'furious' with yourself. All you had to do was contact your own insurer and change cover to the new car....
    All matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves.
  • rudekid48 wrote: »
    It's your responsibility to make sure that you have insurance in place not the dealer. You should be 'furious' with yourself. All you had to do was contact your own insurer and change cover to the new car....

    I am. But I told them I needed drive away insurance on multiple occasions.
  • How much compo do you want?

    I am sorry, I don't understand what you mean.
  • Fat_Walt
    Fat_Walt Posts: 750 Forumite
    Dear All,

    Good morning. I don't know if this is the best place to ask this question. So please bear with me.

    I took delivery of a new car yesterday. In the meetings and discussions leading up to this I had on multiple occasions notified them that I need drive away insurance. So I took the delivery of the car, drove home. Then I thought, they didn't say anything about drive away insurance. So I rang them straight away - No answer from the guy who dealt with me. Called again later 3 times, still no answer from that guy. I did tell the receptionist on these 4 occasions that it was important for me to speak to him. All these time the receptionist assured me that he will call me back.

    Now, didn't get any call back yesterday. Today morning I called and guess what, he told me that I didn't have any drive away insurance. I was furious. Then he tried to shift the blame on me saying that I didn't tell him that I require drive away insurance. But I did, on multiple occasions.

    I am just furious, Fortunately, the dive was only less than a mile from the dealer. Nothing happened with Gods grace. But I am really disappointed and furious. How can they let me drive without an insurance? How irresponsible. Immediatley I calle dmy insurer and updated the details.

    I have taken delivery of a few new cars over the years from different dealers. All of them made sure that I had drive away insurance. They checked that first before allowing me to drive away. Keeping my past experience in mind, I though this time it will be the same. They are a reputed main dealer. They should know better.

    So my questions are these
    (1) Is it really my fault? I am guessing the short answer is Yes. But, I did tell them that I needed drive away insurance. But admittedly didn't check at the point of taking the keys.
    (2) Can the dealer be held responsible for this lapse?
    (3) Is is worth giving a complaint?
    (4) Nothing happened. But this is negligence from the part of the dealer (or is it Not?). Is there anything else that I can do?

    Many thanks for reading,

    Cheers.


    It's your fault, as the driver you should have checked. As the owner you should have checked and got a copy of the insurance certificate.

    You comitted a criminal offence but weren't caught, time to move on.
  • Fat_Walt
    Fat_Walt Posts: 750 Forumite
    How much compo do you want?


    £100,000,000 should see him ok.
  • spiro
    spiro Posts: 6,405 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    1) Yes, you are legally responsible for making sure the vehicle you are driving is insured.
    2) No, see answer 1.
    3) Was the requirement for insurance in writing on the car order? If no hen they will probably just say you didn't ask.
    4) No, see answer 1. Some garages do ask to see proof of insurnace before you a drive a car away but I don't believe there is any legal requirement to do so.
    IT Consultant in the utilities industry specialising in the retail electricity market.

    4 Credit Card and 1 Loan PPI claims settled for £26k, 1 rejected (Opus).
  • Mercdriver
    Mercdriver Posts: 3,898 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Dear All,

    Good morning. I don't know if this is the best place to ask this question. So please bear with me.

    I took delivery of a new car yesterday. In the meetings and discussions leading up to this I had on multiple occasions notified them that I need drive away insurance. So I took the delivery of the car, drove home. Then I thought, they didn't say anything about drive away insurance. So I rang them straight away - No answer from the guy who dealt with me. Called again later 3 times, still no answer from that guy. I did tell the receptionist on these 4 occasions that it was important for me to speak to him. All these time the receptionist assured me that he will call me back.

    Now, didn't get any call back yesterday. Today morning I called and guess what, he told me that I didn't have any drive away insurance. I was furious. Then he tried to shift the blame on me saying that I didn't tell him that I require drive away insurance. But I did, on multiple occasions.

    I am just furious, Fortunately, the dive was only less than a mile from the dealer. Nothing happened with Gods grace. But I am really disappointed and furious. How can they let me drive without an insurance? How irresponsible. Immediatley I calle dmy insurer and updated the details.

    I have taken delivery of a few new cars over the years from different dealers. All of them made sure that I had drive away insurance. They checked that first before allowing me to drive away. Keeping my past experience in mind, I though this time it will be the same. They are a reputed main dealer. They should know better.

    So my questions are these
    (1) Is it really my fault? I am guessing the short answer is Yes. But, I did tell them that I needed drive away insurance. But admittedly didn't check at the point of taking the keys.
    (2) Can the dealer be held responsible for this lapse?
    (3) Is is worth giving a complaint?
    (4) Nothing happened. But this is negligence from the part of the dealer (or is it Not?). Is there anything else that I can do?

    Many thanks for reading,

    Cheers.

    In your shoes, I'd be grateful you didn't pass a police car with ANPR monitoring. It is your responsibility to check that you have sufficient insurance cover. You would have had no defence to driving without insurance, and had to take 6 points and a heavy fine (you could have tried to argue significant reasons not to endorse in court, but I wouldn't fancy your chances) and struggle to hire a car from mainstream rental companies (Hertz Avis etc won't rent a car to someone with an insurance conviction/endorsement according to their Ts and Cs).

    You can by all means write a letter of complaint, but at most you will get an apology, and a feeling of better out than in. Treat it as lesson learned. You are only insured if you see it in black and white. Assume you aren't otherwise, or face the consequences.
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 11,035 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    For what it's worth, I got my car and the dealer insisted on me providing proof I had insurance (moved over from the old car) which I arranged before I travelled to pick up the car, it never even occurred to me to expect them to pay for cover given I was obviously going to be driving the car and needed insurance cover

    Sam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness: 

    People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.

  • neilmcl
    neilmcl Posts: 19,460 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Nasqueron wrote: »
    For what it's worth, I got my car and the dealer insisted on me providing proof I had insurance (moved over from the old car) which I arranged before I travelled to pick up the car, it never even occurred to me to expect them to pay for cover given I was obviously going to be driving the car and needed insurance cover
    Things seemed to have changed recently. When I got my previous car the dealership were at great pains to tell me that it came with 7 days insurance but this time around, like you, I had to arrange and provide a copy of my own insurance certificate before I could collect the new car. Even if I did have the option of drive away insurance I'd still make sure I'd change my own insurance over on that day regardless.
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