Adrian Flux charging extortionate fee for extra mileage allowance with excessive cancellation fees

space141

I signed up with Adrian Flux on a recommendation of a friend as I was in the process of converting my Vauxhall Vivaro SWB into a campervan.

However, on renewal of my insurance in September (which would be my third year with them) my premium already being £559.70 - they asked for a mileage reading and on realising that I had exceeded my mileage limit of 5000miles/anum, wanted to charge me an extra £386.32 for this increase in mileage making a whopping £946.02!

Now, I have 2 years no claims bonus which them already (in case you were thinking I'm a new driver) and am 34 years old. The surprising thing about this charge is that the previous year I had also exceeded my mileage but had not been charged for this which sets a precedent no?

Anyway, I thought that this was an extortionate amount to pay for insurance and after a quick search online I found comprehensive motorhome insurance with Lexham insurance for only £309 - less than the additional payment Adrian Flux were asking me to pay alone!

So, Adrian Flux were threatening to cancel my insurance unless I paid the extra sum of £386.32 my reply to which was that I will be leaving them and taking my custom elsewhere thinking that i would get most of the cost of my insurance refunded for that year as it had only been active for just over a month (06/09/21 - 12/10/21.)

Oh, was I wrong! They hit me with all kinds of figures and cancellation fees so from what originally starts out as a £594.64 refund ends up being a measly £72.13!!!

So, they have tried to charge me for the excess in mileage from last years policy - £217.33 even though I was never charged for exceeding the mileage the previous year - but worst of all, they are then effectively charging me £168.99 as a lump sum (subtracted from my refund) as opposed to calculating that as a fraction of this years insurance that I have actually used i.e. 37days (06/09/21 - 12/10/21.)

This should instead work out as 37/365 = 0.10136986301 x £168.99 = £17.13

So, I am rather disappointed in them as you can imagine but wanting some second opinions on the matter as it's impossible to argue these things over the phone with them and want to have it in writing somewhere.

Any help is much appreciated in advance,

Thomas.

TELLIT01

Not being charged for excess in one year does not mean you can't be charged in subsequent years.  If you raise the question with them you may even find them saying "Sorry about that, and thank you for telling us about our oversite.  The additional cost for that year should actually be £x"

Bottom line is that you underestimated the mileage you would be doing and the premium was based on that figure.  The cost per mile for exceeding that mileage estimate would also be set out in the documentation.  The cost per mile surcharge is likely to be much higher than the additional premium if correct mileage had been declared, that is presumably intended to encourage drivers to be more considered when stating mileage.

chrisw

Your numbers appear to be a bit mixed up. They are charging you 168 for last years excess mileage and presumably an additional 217 for this year. So your pro rata refund for this year should be 37/365 of 559+217 (although the pro rata is not always a direct proportion).

csgohan4

I used to be with Adrian Flux, but changed due to their excessive charges for any kind of change, from mileage to address e.t.c. 

But I knew their charges and they were the cheapest at the time. They are very strict on mileage and required me to take a photo of the odometer as well when I started the policy.

OP did you read the T+C? and agree to their 'extortionate' fees? I did and only kept being with them as they were cheapest for me for 3 years before I switched due to this and their reviews. 

Sandtree

Non-disclosure or false disclosure is a very serious issue as far as insurers go; whilst they may have forgiven you for year one that doesnt set a precedence for subsequent years, if anything it should point out to you that you're doing more mileage than you think and must be more careful.

I would question that they have miscalculated your refund however, the additional premium for this year should be a pro-rata of £217.33 which they dont appear to have considered but I may be wrong