Insurance company fails to take DD's. I'm I liable?

JackieToo

September 2018 I renewed my home insurance with the insurance company, whom I have been with for many years. DD is set for 4 payments a year, they take the 1st instalment as I renewed.
September 2019 I renew again, and again DD is set for 4 payments a year they take the 1st instalment at renewal.
Mid Dec I receive a letter saying my card set up for the DD is about to expire and could I send details of the new card.
I then get a letter saying that I owe £348 from the previous year (sept '18-Sept '19) due to an error on their behalf!
So when I phone them up to give the new card details I mention the other letter about the £348 asked why it happened (my card details were ok at that time) and I didn't think I should pay as it was their fault, they then agreed to reduce it to half. But I need to know if I am legally obliged to pay this now, they didn't find this amount missing when I made my renewal in September 2019.
TYIA for any helpful advice

societys_child

It might be "their fault" but it's still owed, what makes you don't have to pay?


Offering a half price deal seems very generous.

BoGoF

You think you get free insurance because of an admin error?

And a card expiring has nothing to do with DD's, sounds more like a CPA

Aylesbury_Duck

Take the half price insurance and be grateful. They could have demanded the whole amount. They've been generous.

lammy82

They have been very generous in offering you a 50% discount.
You used their services so you owe them the payment.

powerful_Rogue

JackieToo wrote: »

September 2018 I renewed my home insurance with the insurance company, whom I have been with for many years. DD is set for 4 payments a year, they take the 1st instalment as I renewed.
September 2019 I renew again, and again DD is set for 4 payments a year they take the 1st instalment at renewal.
Mid Dec I receive a letter saying my card set up for the DD is about to expire and could I send details of the new card.
I then get a letter saying that I owe £348 from the previous year (sept '18-Sept '19) due to an error on their behalf!
So when I phone them up to give the new card details I mention the other letter about the £348 asked why it happened (my card details were ok at that time) and I didn't think I should pay as it was their fault, they then agreed to reduce it to half. But I need to know if I am legally obliged to pay this now, they didn't find this amount missing when I made my renewal in September 2019.
TYIA for any helpful advice

Count yourself very lucky they didn't cancel the insurance. You would have been almost un-insurable, or at a vast vast VAST price.

JackieToo

powerful_Rogue wrote: »

Count yourself very lucky they didn't cancel the insurance. You would have been almost un-insurable, or at a vast vast VAST price.

Why would they cancel my policy? I have made every payment available, it's their fault they didn't collect them in the year that they were due. Current DD's are being collected.
I have four other policies with this company all being paid at the moment.
I think they are very lucky to have my custom as I have never made a claim in over 20 years.

powerful_Rogue

JackieToo wrote: »

Why would they cancel my policy? I have made every payment available, it's their fault they didn't collect them in the year that they were due. Current DD's are being collected.
I have four other policies with this company all being paid at the moment.
I think they are very lucky to have my custom as I have never made a claim in over 20 years.

Because if they didn't receieve the money, they could cancel your policy, which opens up a whole world of problems. Yes it would be their admin error, however would take an awful lot of time to resolve.

Custom counts for nothing. I hope you haven't just stayed with the same company for 20 years without shopping around.

Aylesbury_Duck

JackieToo wrote: »

Why would they cancel my policy? I have made every payment available, it's their fault they didn't collect them in the year that they were due. Current DD's are being collected.
I have four other policies with this company all being paid at the moment.
I think they are very lucky to have my custom as I have never made a claim in over 20 years.

As has been pointed out, you’d have had a whole load of hassle unwinding their admin error had they cancelled.

There’s a time to be self-righteously bolshy, and there’s a time to count yourself lucky. You’re in the second category. They messed up and you’ve been compensated when they could have stuck to their guns.

MothballsWallet

I've had experience of an insurance company not taking a payment when they should.

Many years ago, I had my home insurance with eSure and my policy was to start on the 1st January but they didn't take the payment when they should.

I called them and mentioned the mistake and they took the payment details again to sort it out, but it didn't happen for a second time.

On my next contact with them, I asked about the gap in cover but they told me not to worry because, since it was their error, they'd still class my policy as being in place.

JackieToo

powerful_Rogue wrote: »

Because if they didn't receieve the money, they could cancel your policy, which opens up a whole world of problems. Yes it would be their admin error, however would take an awful lot of time to resolve.

Custom counts for nothing. I hope you haven't just stayed with the same company for 20 years without shopping around.

The fact they did not receive the money was not my doing, it is on them to claim the money as per our agreement. The money was there for the taking, I did not refuse to pay.
It took them over a year to discover their mistake, and now they expected me to pay up at the moment they ask for. I wanted to find out my rights before I agreed to anything.
FYI I do a comparison every time a policy comes for renewal, I have changed energy 5 times in the last 6 years.