Car Insurance Automatic renewal!

Hari1974

Due to covid I have been unable to fly home to Wales to open my mail, and my family have been shielding so therefore couldn’t travel to my home to check on things. I’m still stuck abroad. I noticed yesterday on my bank statement that £40 had come out to pay my AA car insurance cover (Insurance finish date was April 8th). I was not going to continue with AA but was not home to receive the renewal letter or I would of cancelled it. I don’t get an emails from them (paper form). I have called them and they want to charge me £70+ pounds plus the £40 that they have already had via direct debit as a cancellation fee. What are my rights due to this situation due to covid please??

Hasbeen

Hari1974 said:

Due to covid I have been unable to fly home to Wales to open my mail, and my family have been shielding so therefore couldn’t travel to my home to check on things. I’m still stuck abroad. I noticed yesterday on my bank statement that £40 had come out to pay my AA car insurance cover (Insurance finish date was April 8th). I was not going to continue with AA but was not home to receive the renewal letter or I would of cancelled it. I don’t get an emails from them (paper form). I have called them and they want to charge me £70+ pounds plus the £40 that they have already had via direct debit as a cancellation fee. What are my rights due to this situation due to covid please??

So 3 months into the new policy you want to cancel?

I would think if the AA had not auto renewed, that you agreed to at the time of purchasing your policy?

 You would now have been uninsured for 3  months? was your car sorned and off road?

I would suggest you pay what is due and move on. But my opinion only. Someone with more knowledge will be along. Good luck.

Norman_Castle

This should be on the insurance board. I suspect you accepted automatic renewal at the start of the policy but could try explaining the situation including that the car hasn't and isn't being used and hope for a goodwill gesture.

How much is your annual policy? It might be cost effective to leave it if you expect to be using the car again in the next few months.

Hari1974

The polite young lady spoke to her manager whilst I was on hold and she couldn't care about my situation to be honest. My car was off the road and parked on private land therefore didn't need insurance. I've stopped the direct debit now that's due out today. I suppose I'll have to call them up today and pay the fee and move on as you mentioned Hasbeen. 
THANK YOU

Hasbeen

Hari1974 said:

The polite young lady spoke to her manager whilst I was on hold and she couldn't care about my situation to be honest. My car was off the road and parked on private land therefore didn't need insurance. I've stopped the direct debit now that's due out today. I suppose I'll have to call them up today and pay the fee and move on as you mentioned Hasbeen. 
THANK YOU

Off road and private land is good. But you would still have required valid insurance unless you sorned it.
https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

As you have stopped direct debit, then as you say ensure that all is paid and up to date, so that you do not get chased for any other outstanding amounts.

As Norman_Castle states would it not be cost effective to you  now to just keep policy running?

molerat

Hari1974 said:

The polite young lady spoke to her manager whilst I was on hold and she couldn't care about my situation to be honest. My car was off the road and parked on private land therefore didn't need insurance. I've stopped the direct debit now that's due out today. I suppose I'll have to call them up today and pay the fee and move on as you mentioned Hasbeen. 
THANK YOU

Have you got new insurance arranged ?

If not and you have not registered the vehicle SORN, which you cannot easily do without access to the V5, you will likely get an automatic £80 penalty in the post from DVLA. If you don't have access to your mail so miss it and do not pay the penalty it could end up at court.  Keeping the insurance running would have been far simpler.

McKneff

Private land is irrelevant if it is not your orivate land..
Even then, it has to be sorned.