Car insurance con

dolphin0fm6

So, I have just taken out a policy with Brightside insurance and I was quoted £30 per month which was £10 less than my old insurer, so I signed up. However I have since had an email stating that they have increased my premium by £85 a year (now £39 a month) as apparently I failed to disclose a claim.
Last year, a guy fell asleep on the motorway and crashed into the back of me. He worked for a hire car company and was driving one of their vehicles. That company then took full responsibility, lent me a car whilst they had mine fixed, they didn’t even use their insurance company, it was all sorted in house. I however, called my then insurers to notify them, but said that I wouldn’t be making a claim, it was a pure courtesy call and that no insurers were being used at all.
So this info has obviously been passed to the new insurers who feel that an £85 increase is justified???? And they have stated that this is still classed as a claim!!! If I want to now cancel the policy, this will now incur a fee also.
I’m now stuck between a rock and a hard place, and not quite sure what to do. I have cancelled my direct debit, but am worried that I’m going to end up uninsured. I just can’t believe they can get away with this.

AdrianC

Don't get hung up over whether it was a claim or not.

Did you tell them about the incident, the collision? Or not? Even though they definitely explicitly asked about everything, whether there was a claim or not?

Brightside_Insurance_online_quote wrote:

Accidents or losses
On any motoring policies you've held in the last 5 years, have there been any accidents, thefts or losses? (Please include all incidents even if you or the named driver on that policy weren't at fault and didn't have to make a claim)

On any motoring policies you've held in the last 5 years, have there been any accidents, thefts or losses?
You should answer yes to this question if you have had any accidents, thefts or damage to your vehicles at any point in the last 5 years - even if you didn't need to make a claim and even if the accident wasn't your fault.
Similarly, you should also answer yes if a named driver on one of your previous policies had any accidents, thefts or damage in the last 5 years.
This is one of the most important factors that we use when calculating your premium so it's really important that this is accurate.
If you give us incorrect details here, you may find you can't make a claim under your policy and you might find it more difficult to get insurance in the future.

dolphin0fm6

So, no I didn’t declare that I’d been in an accident ( certainly don’t recall reading that above) but regardless of this, how does someone else falling asleep at the wheel affect my premium, does it make me more of a risk because I happened to be driving on that particular motorway on that particular day? Or is it just a sort of fine, for not declaring it? Considering I’ve been driving 26 years and never made a single claim and this is the first prang I’ve been involved in ever, I’m feeling a bit annoyed

[Deleted User]

dolphin0fm6 wrote: »

does it make me more of a risk

So, yes it does.

It makes you statistically more likely to have another accident.

DoaM

It's all based on statistical analysis ... this tends to show that someone who has been involved in an incident is more likely to be involved in another, therefore is a higher risk = higher premiums.

Quentin

Having an insurance policy cancelled by the insurer is bad news (it has to be disclosed to all other insurers you approach for quotes and most online Insurers refuse to quote if you have a cancelled policy on your record)

You were fortunate that your insurer didn't cancel your policy after you failed to complete your application truthfully

But your action now in cancelling your DD can also lead to a cancellation!

Urgently resolve this issue

Otherwise you face problems for evermore should you end up with a cancellation

Retrogamer

Deleted_User wrote: »

So, yes it does.

It makes you statistically more likely to have another accident.

I often hear people state this, but is there any evidence it's true?

EdGasketTheSecond

Always look on the 'Brightside' of life.
[whistle]
Always look on the light side of life.
[whistle]…

[Deleted User]

Retrogamer wrote: »

I often hear people state this, but is there any evidence it's true?

Yes. Similar trends emerge consistently across the data.

Aylesbury_Duck

dolphin0fm6 wrote: »

So, no I didn’t declare that I’d been in an accident ( certainly don’t recall reading that above) but regardless of this, how does someone else falling asleep at the wheel affect my premium, does it make me more of a risk because I happened to be driving on that particular motorway on that particular day? Or is it just a sort of fine, for not declaring it? Considering I’ve been driving 26 years and never made a single claim and this is the first prang I’ve been involved in ever, I’m feeling a bit annoyed

Why on earth not, when you had?

Anyway, get that DD reinstated ASAP, otherwise more trouble could come your way.

Ectophile

You need to pay up and reinstate the direct debit.


The alternative is that they will cancel your insurance policy. If that happens, then the next time you contact an insurance company, not only will you have to tell them that you were involved in a (non-fault) accident, but also that a previous insurer has cancelled a policy.


At that point, you're going to be struggling to get insurance at any sensible price.