Car insurance cancelled as multiple addresses used when looking at quotes.

Ryan111111

Hi all,

Any advice on the below would be greatly appreciated.

I have received an email today from esure with notice of my policy being cancelled on the 27th June as when looking at quotes for my car insurance I have used multiple addresses.

The reason I have looked at multiple addresses when comparing quotes is my tenancy ends at the end of June and I move to a new address on the 1st July. When my policy renewal date was coming up I was viewing different properties and also had a look at how much car insurance would be at the addresses so I could make an informed decision about where I move to.

After then signing for a house I have taken out a quote at my current address and when the 1st July then came around I could update my address. However I have been emailed today with a weeks notice of the cancellation. I rang Esure and they have said it is the underwriters decision and as they treat all customer equally the policy will be cancelled.

The email states “This letter confirms that your policy will be cancelled at 23:59 on 27 June 2019.

This means from that date your car will no longer be insured by us.

This is because we noticed that whilst inputting your quote details several changes to the address were made resulting in a different price becoming available.

Quotations should generally be input on the first attempt and any significant quote changes tend to follow a pattern which indicates an attempt of receiving a cheaper price.”

Where do I stand with this? I have raised a complaint but that can take up to 4 days to get a response and my 14 cooling off period will be over after the 24th (policy started on the 10th). Have they breached data protection by using data entered in to an automated system and using the comparison information against me? They have not tried to ask me to explain the discrepancies in writing and I have just received an email with the notice of cancellation.

I believe a customer should be able to use a comparison site to gain an insight into future costs and all addresses I used I was considering moving in to.

Thanks in advance!

BoGoF

Every time you get a quote you are saying the information you provided is true and accurate. By accepting the comparison site T and C's you are giving permission for them to share.

You have made an all to common mistake. All you can do is explain and hope for the best.

wesleyad

Ryan111111 wrote: »

Quotations should generally be input on the first attempt and any significant quote changes tend to follow a pattern which indicates an attempt of receiving a cheaper price

Well yeah that's what everyone does surely. I often run with different variables (wife as named driver, different cars, on/off drive etc.) specifically to see what's cheapest. I never even thought about this outcome.

Anyway I very much doubt they have broken any privacy rules. Fingers crossed once a human reads your explanation they will change their minds, else this is going to be very costly (you will have to declare this for 5 years)

Ryan111111

I did ask them if I would have to declare this as a cancelled policy and the person I spoke to said he had checked with the underwriters and I would not. However, I can’t see this being true and do not trust them and I will cancel the policy myself before the 27th.

EdGasketTheSecond

Surely it shouldn't matter so long as the details for the current insurance are correct?

Ms_Chocaholic

Maybe the advice to those who wish to do similar is do it in a false name so they can't track it back - would that work or do they check IP addresses. Sorry OP this won't help you.

Carrot007

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

Maybe the advice to those who wish to do similar is do it in a false name so they can't track it back - would that work or do they check IP addresses. Sorry OP this won't help you.

And while it is good to not use the correct details for the individual it can have consequences for others if it happens to be their data.


I speak as someone who often get phone calls for someone about 4 miles away who insisted on putting my phone number down for everything. I do not know why. I learnt his name and address because people just assume I am him. I guess he could have had myu phone number at some point as they are reused within days around here. Still a pain though.


(and with that I was saying it would need a lot more than false names, address's car details (no number plate), etc, etc, and yes as you say they could track you though ip (not that anyone should especially on ip4 for obvious reasons) or indeed advertising tracking).

Ryan111111

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

Surely it shouldn't matter so long as the details for the current insurance are correct?

My thoughts exactly - my policy is correct and all details are true. I used comparethemarket to compare the prices which is what getting quotes are for. If there was a way to check the insurance prices are different addresses I would have done that but actually getting quotes is the only way to know the cost of the insurance

D_M_E

Policy cancellation on your record is bad news.

Be3at them to it and cancel yourself now and pay the fees for a couple of weeks insurance, then get on a comparison site which you have not yet used and buy insurance from that using your current address.

When you do finally move, advise the insurers of your new address - some will charge a fee for change of address, some will not.

Or, when you decide on a quote, keep it on screen and phone them up and tell them you will be changing address in a week and ask them what address you should supply, the current one or what will be the new one.

They may say the new one would be fine and save you a possible policy detail change fee or whatever they call it.

mgfvvc

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

Maybe the advice to those who wish to do similar is do it in a false name so they can't track it back - would that work or do they check IP addresses. Sorry OP this won't help you.

Quotes generally include the registration number.

DCFC79

mgfvvc wrote: »

Quotes generally include the registration number.

Have seen possibly 1 comparison site where it asks you if you own the car yet and you tick a box if you don't own it.