Car insurance backdating premium

Silverstar123

Hi
My car insurance was renewed in Feb this year. I received a notice of intent in Dec 2018. Told the car insurance company when I renewed that I have received a notice of intent due to speeding and I haven’t received anything further. The person on the phone said that’s fine. Let us know the outcome and nothing further was said. Received the outcome of my speeding last week. I got 6 points. Informed my insurance company and they have decided to backdate my premium as the offence was before my renewal and charge me £505 for this. Currently in the complaint process with them as I’m arguing that when I renewed my insurance I had a clean license and it’s not my fault that I have received the outcome now. And during my renewel I wasn’t informed that my premium would increase nor does it state that in any of the documents.
Any help or advice on what to do?

Boggles190

Bit of a difficult one this! On your renewal document, there should be a section that says "changes your must tell us about immediately" and "changes you must tell us about at renewal".

I seem to remember speeding convictions come under "changes you must tell us about at renewal". Check on your renewal notice if it says this.

You rightly told them at renewal of a prosecution pending. If, as I think, speeding convictions come under changes that need to be declared only at renewal then your best argument is that you didn't have to tell them about the actual conviction until next renewal, so really can they charge any premium, nevermind a backdated one?

Silverstar123

Yeah it states that in the policy document which I why I told them that I’m telling them out of courtesy. Wish I didn’t bother. It something to do with their ‘procedure’ on to process it as the offence was before my renewel. To which I said that’s your problem. But it’s been escalated as a complaint. Also asked them that if a person car accident settlement which they are at fault and it comes after the renewel would you decide to raise their premium whilst they are insured. Didn’t have an answer for that.

Jumblebumble

Silverstar123 wrote: »

Hi
My car insurance was renewed in Feb this year. I received a notice of intent in Dec 2018. Told the car insurance company when I renewed that I have received a notice of intent due to speeding and I haven’t received anything further. The person on the phone said that’s fine. Let us know the outcome and nothing further was said. Received the outcome of my speeding last week. I got 6 points. Informed my insurance company and they have decided to backdate my premium as the offence was before my renewal and charge me £505 for this. Currently in the complaint process with them as I’m arguing that when I renewed my insurance I had a clean license and it’s not my fault that I have received the outcome now. And during my renewel I wasn’t informed that my premium would increase nor does it state that in any of the documents.
Any help or advice on what to do?

Disagreeing with other posters and on the basis of the text below my interpretation is that a NIP is not a pending prosecution but an allegation so I am not convinced you would have needed to tell your insurance anything at that time
A summons is definitely a pending prosecution
A conditional fixed penalty is debatable

From Herts Police website

Notice of intended prosecution
A notice of intended prosecution (NIP) informs a possible defendant that they may be prosecuted for a driving offence that they have committed, soon after the offence has been committed.

If you have received a NIP it does not necessarily mean that you are going to face prosecution, but may act as a warning that you may face prosecution.

Boggles190

Disagreeing with other posters and on the basis of the text below my interpretation is that a NIP is not a pending prosecution but an allegation so I am not convinced you would have needed to tell your insurance anything at that time
A summons is definitely a pending prosecution
A conditional fixed penalty is debatable

From Herts Police website

Notice of intended prosecution
A notice of intended prosecution (NIP) informs a possible defendant that they may be prosecuted for a driving offence that they have committed, soon after the offence has been committed.

If you have received a NIP it does not necessarily mean that you are going to face prosecution, but may act as a warning that you may face prosecution.

You make a good point on this, and having thought about a bit more I think you could be right. The two questions do relate to slightly different things in insurance terms. Prosecutions Pending is used mostly to determine if you're acceptable for insurance cover whereas points/convictions are used as rating factors (until you've got quite a few, then acceptance comes into it as well).

I would still always suggest it's better to inform your insurer if you're in any doubt and at least in this case they've handled the initial notification correctly by not taking any action.

Silverstar123

Even though my outcome was in June. They are saying because my conviction date for the offence is December they have to backdate. Are they allowed to do that?

tasticz

I guess they can since you are now found guilty of the offence from the day it happened

Quentin

The points go on your licence from the date of offence, not the date of conviction.

dacouch

Silverstar123 wrote: »

Yeah it states that in the policy document which I why I told them that I’m telling them out of courtesy. Wish I didn’t bother. It something to do with their ‘procedure’ on to process it as the offence was before my renewel. To which I said that’s your problem. But it’s been escalated as a complaint. Also asked them that if a person car accident settlement which they are at fault and it comes after the renewel would you decide to raise their premium whilst they are insured. Didn’t have an answer for that.

The answer to your question about an accident being decided at fault after renewal and affecting premium is that it would have already affected the renewal as Insurers rate accidents as being fault as soon as they are reported. They change the status from fault to non fault once you or them have recovered monies from the third party

Boggles190

Even though my outcome was in June. They are saying because my conviction date for the offence is December they have to backdate. Are they allowed to do that?

Is that their response to your complaint or are you still waiting for that?

Silverstar123

I’m still waiting to hear back regarding my complaint