Help with insurer

jcerrino

Hello all,

First the facts:

I had an active car insurance policy from August 15 to Aug 16.

Completed the full year, requested my NCD for the next insurer to see, received this no problem.

April 16 (mid policy) I got in touch to update my name after getting married added my partner to the policy and had to pay an extra few pounds per month.

Policy Lapsed after the 12 months with several emails from the insurer, reminding me to renew, and informing me it had lapsed.

Jan 17 the insurer gets in touch saying I owe them £300ish for missed payments.

A £50 Cancellation fee and x6 £40 payments From Nov - April were missed. The insurer blames the bank for messing up the DD. The bank say's it doesn't know why the payment were missed. Sufficient funds etc in account, they presume it wasn't requested.

No letters were sent, they themselves apparently did not know the payments had not been made.

The policy was not cancelled at any time by me or them.

My question: Do I pay?

If I had been stopped or had to claim, would they have honored the policy or not. If not, was I technically receiving the service they are back charging me for?

If I argue this properly, will they just drop it?

I can't really afford this payment and I feel it was their responsibility to contact me for missed payment at the time not 6 months after the policy completed. I have a DD set up so I don't have to remember when/what/who to pay.

I will be refuting the cancellation fee regardless but would appreciate and guidance on who has the legal high ground over the missed payments.

Thanks in advance

Amy

FutureGirl

Are the missed payments in regards to the policy that lapsed? Or the new policy you then took out, as your post isn't clear? Or are they for Nov 15 - April 16?

Most insurance policies auto-renew nowadays unless you tell them otherwise - did the policy auto renew?

If you meant to continue with the policy, or If the missed payments were for Nov 15 - April 16 then yes you need to pay. then it's your responsibility to ensure the payments are being made. The fact you set up a DD doesn't mean you shouldn't be checking.

If you needed to claim, the insurer would have honoured the claim as the policy was in force at the time. So, if this is the only policy in force and you meant to pay this policy, then yes you have to pay it and surely the funds you would have used should still be in the account, unless you spent them?

If you actually meant for that policy to lapse and you took out a policy elsewhere, tell them this and they may drop it, if you can provide them with the proof you tookout another policy and didn't intend to renew with them.