Car insurance claim against me

hindsight123

Apologies in advance for the long post.
My partner and I have just bought a new vehicle. I was most  surprised to find that I could not get insured as a named driver.
After days of investigations, I found out that I had been involved in a multi vehicle collision last year.

So the long and the short of it is that a woman drove into the back of me at a petrol station . We both got out of our vehicles and there was no damage. She asked for my phone number, photographed my car and we both drove away - I thought nothing more of it.
About a week later she called me, and told me that her husband had checked the car, found damage,  and it was £500 to put it right. I politely told her to go take a hike.
A couple of weeks later I got a letter from my insurers asking me to call them which I did. I explained what had happened.
A couple of months later I got another letter from them, thanking me for admitting liability because I was reversing. I was so angry I scrawled accross the letter that this was nonsense,  and that this was a fraudulent claim against me,  and sent it back to them. I heard nothing more about it.
I am apparently now blacklisted,  no insurer will touch me, because I failed to declare an accident. (Which I now realise that I should have done, but because there was no damage , I didnt) I spent an hour on the phone,  and while the new insurance company understand what has happened , their hands are tied. This woman obviously saw a payday, and has a garage in her pocket. They tell me that when my current insurance runs out, I  probably wont be able to renew it. This will render me unemployed, as i will have no way of getting to work. 
I have contacted the company that i was insured with at that time ,but have had no response. 

Any advise please



 


 

AdrianC

hindsight123 said:

My partner and I have just bought a new vehicle. I was most  surprised to find that I could not get insured as a named driver.
After days of investigations, I found out that I had been involved in a multi vehicle collision last year.

...except...

So the long and the short of it is that a woman drove into the back of me at a petrol station . We both got out of our vehicles and there was no damage. She asked for my phone number, photographed my car and we both drove away - I thought nothing more of it.

So the incident was no surprise. Nor was the insurance industry's knowledge of it.

I am apparently now blacklisted,  no insurer will touch me, because I failed to declare an accident. (Which I now realise that I should have done, but because there was no damage , I didnt)

You make that sound like a simple sin of omission - "Ooops, I completely forgot". But you actively told them that you hadn't been involved in any. The wording of the question, as asked by the Meerkats...

"Have you had any motor accidents, claims or losses in the past 5 years, no matter who was at fault or if a claim was made?"
"It is really important to tell us about any claims (including unsettled claims), accidents or losses that are motor vehicle related"

I spent an hour on the phone,  and while the new insurance company understand what has happened , their hands are tied. This woman obviously saw a payday, and has a garage in her pocket.

Perhaps that claim was iffy, perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps it went away completely, perhaps it's still lurking in the background. That's not your problem. Your problem is that you lied about it having happened at all... despite knowing that the insurance industry had a record of it.

They tell me that when my current insurance runs out, I  probably wont be able to renew it.

No, that's not true. You will be able to get insurance. It'll just be more expensive.

Any advise please

Has the policy actually been cancelled, or merely a refusal to quote for a policy change?

You are a named driver, so the lie here was on the policyholder - your OH. They're the one facing having their policy cancelled right now.

BTW, if you're commuting in this car, why are you named driver rather than policyholder? Commuting would tend to make you the main user, wouldn't it...? Or is that another fib to get the premium down...?

hindsight123

I have my own car insurance which is the one that I use to commute to work , this is the policy that they tell me that I will have trouble renewing when it runs out. The policy that I cannot get insured on is a new policy in my partners name that he took out

AdrianC

hindsight123 said:

I have my own car insurance which is the one that I use to commute to work , this is the policy that they tell me that I will have trouble renewing when it runs out.

Ah, OK.

Is that insurer aware of the accurate situation? Is that policy the one which was in force at the time of the incident? If it's been renewed, was it a straight renewal with the same insurer?

The policy that I cannot get insured on is a new policy in my partners name that he took out

So there's nothing to stop your OH insuring the new car - just without you as a named driver.

treeroy

It's perfectly reasonable to not think you need to declare anything if as far as you're concerned you have not been involved with any claim. 

when you got the letter telling you that someone was making a claim against you then you should have done more than "scrawling on the letter", although equally your insurance company should have responded.

From what I can make out, You DID make your insurer aware because you spoke to them on the phone. Although this is not what causing the problem. I don't think you have done anything wrong, but you just need to speak to the old insurer. You say you have contacted them, what do you mean? Go on the phone to them and speak to a person.

Best of luck getting it resolved

hindsight123

AdrianC said:

hindsight123 said:

I have my own car insurance which is the one that I use to commute to work , this is the policy that they tell me that I will have trouble renewing when it runs out.

Ah, OK.

Is that insurer aware of the accurate situation? Is that policy the one which was in force at the time of the incident? If it's been renewed, was it a straight renewal with the same insurer?

The policy that I cannot get insured on is a new policy in my partners name that he took out

So there's nothing to stop your OH insuring the new car - just without you as a named driver.

Yes, he has taken out the policy alone

hindsight123

treeroy said:

It's perfectly reasonable to not think you need to declare anything if as far as you're concerned you have not been involved with any claim. 

when you got the letter telling you that someone was making a claim against you then you should have done more than "scrawling on the letter", although equally your insurance company should have responded.

From what I can make out, You DID make your insurer aware because you spoke to them on the phone. Although this is not what causing the problem. I don't think you have done anything wrong, but you just need to speak to the old insurer. You say you have contacted them, what do you mean? Go on the phone to them and speak to a person.

Best of luck getting it resolved

I was just so angry, stupid of me to scrawl on the letter,  hindsight is a wonderful thing. I am going to speak with the original insurer today, that's why I wanted advice - thanks

hindsight123

hindsight123 said:

AdrianC said:

hindsight123 said:

I have my own car insurance which is the one that I use to commute to work , this is the policy that they tell me that I will have trouble renewing when it runs out.

Ah, OK.

Is that insurer aware of the accurate situation? Is that policy the one which was in force at the time of the incident? If it's been renewed, was it a straight renewal with the same insurer?

The policy that I cannot get insured on is a new policy in my partners name that he took out

So there's nothing to stop your OH insuring the new car - just without you as a named driver.

Yes, he has taken out the policy alone

And I have not tried to renew my own policy yet, I have two months before it expires, yes it should be a straight forward renewal, and yes they will be aware of the situation 

AdrianC

hindsight123 said:

And I have not tried to renew my own policy yet, I have two months before it expires, yes it should be a straight forward renewal, and yes they will be aware of the situation 

So nothing to panic about.

All that's happened so far is that your OH had a quote in which he "forgot" to mention the claim, then took a policy out without you when he was "reminded".

Meanwhile, the policy which the claim pertains to continues as it did before the incident. And, when you get quotes to renew it, you'll make sure you do mention it.

hindsight123

I hope you are right, his underwriter says that I will have a problem

shaun_from_Africa

treeroy said:

It's perfectly reasonable to not think you need to declare anything if as far as you're concerned you have not been involved with any claim. 

It would be perfectly reasonable if any potential insurer only asked if you had been involved in any accidents that resulted in a claim but this is not all that they ask.
When applying for insurance, the wording might vary but you are specifically asked about any accidents, claims, convictions or losses and someone driving into your car is an accident, therefore it must be declared.

treeroy said:
From what I can make out, You DID make your insurer aware because you spoke to them on the phone.

Yes, they spoke to their insurer about it but only after the insurer had already been informed by the other driver or their insurers and a few weeks after the accident and if the insurers wish to refuse to cover the OP for this, they are perfectly entitled to do so just as they are perfectly entitled to add the details to the insurance database for other companies to see.