Can a named driver make changes to the policy?

miniemma

My brother left his partner. She was a named driver on his car insurance policy. She rang the company (Admiral I think) and changed the car on the policy leaving his car uninsured and she also changed the email address and the phone number!

He has spoken to them since to ask why she was allowed to do this. They said that any named driver can do this and also his immediate family!

Surely this can't be correct?

AnotherJoe

I don't think applies to all insurers. For example, I'm a named driver on my wife's car
policy with direct line and years ago when I called up to change something they insisted on checking with her it was OK and then suggested she authorise me to make future changes.
So with direct line, names driver doesn't mean authorised, but it seems it does with Admiral.

phillw

miniemma wrote: »

He has spoken to them since to ask why she was allowed to do this. They said that any named driver can do this and also his immediate family!

Surely this can't be correct?

I'd ask to make a complaint, if they don't change their mind then take it to the ombudsman.

Maybe also worth talking to the ICO about a GDPR complaint as the insurance policy could be considered your private data.

societys_child

Have the details been changed back to what they should be?


As above, make an official complaint.

miniemma

societys_child wrote: »

Have the details been changed back to what they should be?


As above, make an official complaint.

Yes they have.

I will pass on all the above, thank you

Cash-Strapped.T32

I can't offer any personal advice on this topic, but upon reading the thread I asked my Mrs, who's last job was as a quality auditor for a car insurer (they carried out continual audits to ensure data protection, quality of information given to customers, re-training of agents, etc..).


She said this would have been a massive breach on the part of the call-handler who took that information & modified the policy if it is literally the case of a namded driver calling up out of the blue and modifying policy details without explicit consent of the main policyholder, having gone through his own set of data-protection checks - at least in the places she's worked. Hope this helps.

societys_child

. . . this would have been a massive breach on the part of the call-handler

That was my thoughts. It's the policy holders account. No one should be able to simply phone and change the details. Not a named driver, close relative, spiteful neighbour ex partner or bloke down the pub, no one!


if it was Admiral, certainly one to avoid no matter how cheap they are . .

miniemma

Thanks all, I am glad that you are all as shocked as we are. I had also thought about the data protection aspect which is why it's so odd that a second call handler agreed with the first!

System

Usually a company will not talk to anyone other than the policyholder. But for convenience couples often authorise their other half to speak on their behalf. I don't know whether this gives the authority to make any significant changes - it would depend what was agreed.
But that would be because of the authorisation, nothing to do with being a named driver.

angrycrow

It will depend on how the policy has been set up in the past. If permission has previously been given to deal with named driver the insurer have done nothing wrong.

My wife has insurance with direct line, I am named driver, dl have never spoken to my wife, I set up an administer the policy, all docs come to my email address and I paid. Dl are happy to proceed on this basis.

If you have never given authority for the named driver to have joint control of the policy then a complaint is justified.

AstroTurtle

Depends if she was a named driver or joint policyholder.

https://www.admiral.com/policyDocs/AD-003-020-Your-Cover-with-Admiral.pdf

Page 6 details a table with what changes each person is and isn't allowed to make.

If she was a joint policyholder she was allowed.
If she was just a named driver she should not have been allowed.