Blacklisted for car insurance

Ja_Mez

I was looking to buy a car and went on an insurance comparison site. I was also thinking of moving house so got quotes for were i lived now and for several of the addresses I was considering moving to. Some of the houses had a drive so I got quotes for parking on the road and on the drive. I eventually found a quote for my current address that I was happy with and saved the other quotes for when I moved. I bought the car and paid the insurance.  A day later the insurance was cancelled because, according to the insurance company, they had been made aware that I was making changes while looking for insurance quotes and they considered it fraud. They cancelled my insurance, paid back any money I had paid, and blacklisted me from future insurance with any of the companies they underwrite, which is several. 

I am now forced to use more expensive insurers or not drive.

Is there a way to remove the blacklist against me?

AdrianC

If you explain the situation, and can demonstrate that the policy you took up is based upon all the correct details, then you may persuade the insurer in question to change their mind.

However, they are under no legal obligation to accept future business from you - they simply cannot discriminate based on the protected characteristics enshrined in the Equalities Act. There doesn't appear to be any suggestion they're doing that here.

There is absolutely no guarantee that any particular insurer will always be cheaper for you. so the "forced to use more expensive insurers" line simply has no reality behind it.

chrisw

Have you tried speaking to them? My daughter did a similar thing but they were happy to accept a council tax bill as proof of where she was actually living.

scaredofdebt

That's ridiculous.  I often play around with quotes, ie change my job title etc as it can result in cheaper premiums, surely fraud would be if you actually entered into a contract with false information?

Get that in writing (about you committing fraud) and engage a lawyer.

Scrapit

Name the insurer. There have been several posts like this recently.

Car_54

scaredofdebt said:

That's ridiculous.  I often play around with quotes, ie change my job title etc as it can result in cheaper premiums, surely fraud would be if you actually entered into a contract with false information?

Get that in writing (about you committing fraud) and engage a lawyer.

What do you imagine a lawyer can do?

neilmcl

Make a formal complaint to the insurer and if that doesn't resolve it complain to the FOS.

Flight3287462

They can decline your business for whatever reason (with a few exceptions race, religion etc)

facade

Car_54 said:

scaredofdebt said:

That's ridiculous.  I often play around with quotes, ie change my job title etc as it can result in cheaper premiums, surely fraud would be if you actually entered into a contract with false information?

Get that in writing (about you committing fraud) and engage a lawyer.

What do you imagine a lawyer can do?

Possibly take action for slander- or they could in The Olden Days, when the letter would have been dictated to a secretary.  They need to publish/say the accusation of fraud to a third party to damage the good name of the OP for a defamation action.

neilmcl

Hunyani_Flight_825 said:

They can decline your business for whatever reason (with a few exceptions race, religion etc)

This is a bit more than declining your business. Having insurance cancelled can have quite serious implications going forward and blacklisting a customer would also be frowned upon.

angrycrow

The problem with people trying lots of different scenarios on comparison sites is they fail to actually read the declaration that they confirm all facts are true before submitting the quote request. Each time the op entered an address that they did not live at they were making a false declaration to the insurer. Insurance works on the principle of utmost good faith between the customer and insurer. If the op has given them lots of differing and conflicting answers yet stated each one is a true statement how are the insurer supposed to know which statement is true.