Car accident...No commuting cover

jondawes1

Hello forum users
I had an accident whilst driving to work and it seems my car is a complete write off. I called my insurance company to log my claim and said I skidded off the road in the way to work. I was horrified to find that they could not take my claim forward as I did not have commuting cover as part of my policy. I did not realise I was not covered to drive to work and thought this was included in ‘social, domestic and pleasure’ use. 

I answered all questions in my policy application truthfully, stating I am employed and my job title, how many miles I drive per year accurately, listed my car is kept in a public car park during the day etc.
I have now had to log a complaint to my provider and have to wait up to 8 weeks for a response. My car is expensive and I pay a lot to insure it each month. I am worried I will be left with a worthless car and in huge debt all because of a genuine misinterpretation on my application.  Not only this but my insurance company have said  my policy would have been cheaper if it included commuting! 
i was wondering if anyone else had been through a similar situation or had any advice. It just feels so unfair as I am a genuine and honest consumer and would never intentionally take risks when insuring my car.
I assume the next step would be to take the complaint to the ombudsman once I had the final response from my insurers

BoGoF

Sorry but you didn't answer the question regarding what type of cover you required correctly. SD & P doesn't cover commuting. If you selected SD & P then I can't see what grounds you have.

TadleyBaggie

Every online car insurance quote I have ever done has shown the options cleary regarding use of car, for example here is the one from CompareTheMarket:


So it's clear that SDP does not include commuting. Unless you could show you had been mislead in anyway I can't see the ombudsman being likely to side with you.

Was the accident your fault?

jondawes1

I selected SDP and thought this covered driving to work. My previous insurers did not give a choice and included commuting in there most basic usage. Not disputing the fact I have selected the incorrect use just seems unfair that it makes no difference to my premiums and in the others answers I had given it’s quite clear it shows I am using the car each day (mileage, daytime location) and work full time. I hadn’t tried to hide anything. 

Yes the accident was my fault. However road was wet and some mud on the road 

dacouch

Which Insurer is it and how did you purchase cover

elsien

Some include commuting and some don't. Have you checked the wording of your specific Policy?

jondawes1

Axa. Selected through compare the market which led me to axa’s site. 

elsien

Their website says

If I use my car to drive to or from work (or during the working day) what class of use should I have on my policy?

If you use your car to drive to work you should have Social Domestic and Pleasure plus Commuting cover on your policy. Please refer to Section 3 on your Certificate of Insurance to check the level of your cover. You can access this document in your MyAXA account.

Maybe you need to run a dummy quote to check what you were asked first time round.

TadleyBaggie

Then it's not looking good (see my earlier screenshot), the usage options are clearly indicated.

lewis_hardwick

You did check your insurance documentation after you took out the policy, didn't you?

Marvel1

I wish you luck

jondawes1 said:

Axa. Selected through compare the market which led me to axa’s site. 

TadleyBaggie said:

Every online car insurance quote I have ever done has shown the options cleary regarding use of car, for example here is the one from CompareTheMarket:

;Also moving your mouse over to select one, brought this up on the right:

Social, Domestic and Pleasure (SDP) only
This is when you use the car for general day to day appointments, visiting family and friends, shopping.

Social, Domestic Pleasure & Commuting (SDPC)
This is the above but also includes commuting to and from your single permanent place of work.

SDPC & Business Use
This is the above but also includes business use. Business use is travelling to and from more than one location for business purposes. Business use can be selected to include your spouse / additional drivers.