Car insurance auto-renewed, payment failed - what to do?

joetopper

My car insurance with AXA automatically renewed (I did not explicitly approve this) and they tried to take around £720 from my account (despite it previously being £640). Luckily I lost the card I paid for the plan with and the payment failed. However, AXA did not cancel the policy automatically, instead keeping me insured for another 7 days before the policy would be cancelled for good. I was not insured elsewhere during this week (which I know now to be illegal!) as this was over xmas so I just figured I'll buy a new policy on Jan 3rd when I was going back to work.

AXA are now trying to charge me £22 for this week because I did not cancel the policy before it was due to be renewed. They claim auto-renewal is in the T&C's and as I wasn't insured elsewhere during this week they have no choice but to charge me. Is there any way out of this?

Quentin

You will have agreed to them autorenewal when taking out the policy. There's no way out of it unless you manage to get them to waive it as a goodwill gesture


(Did they cancel it or did you - from your post it looks as though they gave you 7 days notice it was to be cancelled)

paddyandstumpy

So if I've read it right you weren't insured elsewhere during the time that Axa are trying to charge you £22 for?

As you've stated continuous insurance (albeit the Third Party element only) is a legal requirement, so if you didn't have cover elsewhere then you're stuck with paying Axa.

If the charge is only £22 sounds like they aren't charging a cancellation fee either, consider that a win in itself.

joetopper

Correct paddy, I wasn't insured during that period - is that any of Axa's business though? If I got caught I'd be paying the fine not them...

Jamiesmum

£22 sounds like a good deal, really.

It's in the t&cs, plus, if you had an accident in that week I'll bet you would have been quick enough to pay the years worth.

Just pay it.

DUTR

joetopper wrote: »

Correct paddy, I wasn't insured during that period - is that any of Axa's business though? If I got caught I'd be paying the fine not them...

You agreed to continuous insurance or auto renewal on the previous policy that had just expired, as others have pointed out £22 for attiude is cheap. And yes you have to specifically inform them that you do not wish to renew, it's not as if you didn't have 30 days notice to consider your options.

Sparx

Wow you can't help some people - £22 for a week's insurance? Just pay it you cheap sod.

You would be gutted if the police caught you - impounded your car, slapped you with a hefty fine and points on your license would you not? The reason the police didn't get you in that week, would be because AXA kept your insurance live, so ANPR wouldn't of flagged you as uninsured.

What if you had an accident as well in that time frame as someone mentioned above? You would be screwed from all angles.

AXA did you a favour. They give you the pleasure of 7 days insurance, giving you the benefit of the doubt with no payment, now you want to cancel and you have an issue paying a measly £22...

Maybe start managing your money and insurance a bit better, put it in the diary next time so you can shop about beforehand.

joetopper

Sparx wrote: »

Wow you can't help some people - £22 for a week's insurance? Just pay it you cheap sod.

You would be gutted if the police caught you - impounded your car, slapped you with a hefty fine and points on your license would you not? The reason the police didn't get you in that week, would be because AXA kept your insurance live, so ANPR wouldn't of flagged you as uninsured.

What if you had an accident as well in that time frame as someone mentioned above? You would be screwed from all angles.

AXA did you a favour. They give you the pleasure of 7 days insurance, giving you the benefit of the doubt with no payment, now you want to cancel and you have an issue paying a measly £22...

Maybe start managing your money and insurance a bit better, put it in the diary next time so you can shop about beforehand.

I didn't drive it during the week and it was parked in a locked garage so I'd have done well to have had an accident. My issue with the £22 is a matter of principle. They sneak the auto renewal into the T&C's then have the cheek to raise the premium for the following year.

DUTR

joetopper wrote: »

I didn't drive it during the week and it was parked in a locked garage so I'd have done well to have had an accident. My issue with the £22 is a matter of principle. They sneak the auto renewal into the T&C's then have the cheek to raise the premium for the following year.

Well they could put a cancelled insurance marker on your record, so cough up the £22.

rs65

joetopper wrote: »

Correct paddy, I wasn't insured during that period - is that any of Axa's business though? If I got caught I'd be paying the fine not them...

Sounds like if you could prove cover elsewhere they wouldn't charge you. They are acting in your favour here.

Jamiesmum

joetopper wrote: »

I didn't drive it during the week and it was parked in a locked garage so I'd have done well to have had an accident. My issue with the £22 is a matter of principle. They sneak the auto renewal into the T&C's then have the cheek to raise the premium for the following year.

It's not a sneak, it's well known!

Did you not bother to read them?

Finding short time insurance for that amount of time would be a hard find!

It's your mess up from all angles and I think your insurance is actually being really fair (don't say that often!)