Compensation offer for poor service - to accept?

Aretnap

mayi80 wrote: »

If they fail to tell me there have been claims though, then that means I am getting quotes elsewhere and potentially committing fraud myself through no fault of my own. So surely isn't it a bit more serious than inconvenience?

You can't commit fraud through no fault of your own - by definition fraud requires an intention to decieve. Carelessly or inadvertently providing false information is not fraud, though of course it can still have serious consequences at times.

If you'd suffered an actual, significant, loss as a result of your insurer's error, for example if you'd incorrectly told your new insurer that the accident had not resulted in a claim, and the new insurer had cancelled your policy as a result, then you would indeed be entitled to compensation to reflect the loss you'd suffered. However you can only claim compensation for things which actually happened - not things which might have happened, but didn't - so you're left with claiming for the inconvenience this has caused you. £150 doesn't sound outrageous; in anything it sounds on the generous side.

mayi80

Aretnap wrote: »

You can't commit fraud through no fault of your own - by definition fraud requires an intention to decieve. Carelessly or inadvertently providing false information is not fraud, though of course it can still have serious consequences at times.

If you'd suffered an actual, significant, loss as a result of your insurer's error, for example if you'd incorrectly told your new insurer that the accident had not resulted in a claim, and the new insurer had cancelled your policy as a result, then you would indeed be entitled to compensation to reflect the loss you'd suffered. However you can only claim compensation for things which actually happened - not things which might have happened, but didn't - so you're left with claiming for the inconvenience this has caused you. £150 doesn't sound outrageous; in anything it sounds on the generous side.

Cheers, this is helpful. So the fact that I nearly committed fraud because I was asking for quotes and not declaring this incident (because I didn't know it existed) is neither here nor there, aside from the fact it wasted a load of my time. Thanks.

To whoever asked if I declared this with my current insurer - yes of course. As i said initially, I was getting quotes with the wrong details, but then my renwal notice popped up, I spotted it had lost the no claims discount etc, and I took it from there. luckily I had not gone with a new insurer at that point. But I very nearly could have.