Advice about a false car insurance claim against me

jewelleryangel

Hi Everyone, I'd really appreciate your opinion on whether or not I am being unreasonable on the following issue I have with my car insurance company.

To give you the brief background, January 2016 my number plates were cloned (I was informed by the police of this) and it turns out the criminal must have hit a police car. The police's legal team messed up and put an insurance claim in against me in June 2016, saying that I had hit a police car. I put a formal complaint into the police who then apologised and I informed my insurers and the claim was put to bed.

I asked my insurers August 2016 to remove the claim from my file altogether before I renewed my insurance in the September, because the claim should never have been made against me. They assured me this would happen so I renewed my insurance (they promised me it didn't have any affect on my premium).

However, as I found out a couple of weeks ago, the claim is still on my file. I put in a formal complaint and after chasing them for 2 weeks, because their only response to me was sending me a letter saying they'd resolved my complaint when they hadn't even started, they have now said that they will remove the claim from the shared insurers database but they can't remove from my file as I have had a claim made against me. My online policy says the following:-

Date - January 2016
Claim Type - Accident
At Fault? - No, Not at fault

This has caused me so much stress and I'm really annoyed and upset that on my record is an accusation from the police that I hit one of their vehicles. I don't want anyone to think I could do such a thing and I want the claim to be removed altogether. My insurer is saying they have to keep a record somewhere, but why should I have a no fault claim against me when I was never in an accident to have been at fault or not at fault? I was also advised that it will be classed as a 'Notification in Error' and that I will have to advise any other insurers of this if I ask for any quotes in the next few years.

Am I being unreasonable asking them to remove altogether?

dunstonh

Am I being unreasonable asking them to remove altogether?

I think this is a terminology issue.

The insurer have said they will remove it from the shared database. That is what you want. However, they will not remove it from their internal systems. They need it on their internal systems as an audit trail. So, they cant remove it.

For me, the easiest solution here is for you to have a letter from the insurer confirming that there was no claim made by you or against you and that it was an error following misidentification. You keep that letter and supply copies of it to any new insurer for the next 3-5 years if asked.

jewelleryangel

Many thanks dunstonh, they sent me a letter yesterday stating that they confirm the claim was notified in error and they have removed the claim from the Claims Underwriting Exchange so it will not appear on the Motor Insurance Bureau, so hopefully they stick to this.

I would have rather the claim wasn't there in the first place, but the more traces I can remove of it the better, seen as though I am the victim in all this and not a perpetrator. However I can also see why they need some record of the claim being made.