Esure told me I was insured when I wasn't.

PecrySugden

Yesterday I bought a new car. Before leaving the garage where I bought it, I spoket to an agent at esure via webchat who told me she had changed the insurance over to the new car.I asked how I would get confirmation and she told me by email. I drove the car 40 miles to get home.

This morning, I still hadn't received an email. I chatted to agent online and was told that I hadn't changed the insurance but had only asked for a quote. I told her this was not true and asked her to check the chat history fromt the day before, she then said she could see the agent had confirmed that the policy had been amended to cover the new car on the previous day but hadn't done it.

I was livid and asked to speak to a manager to which I was refused and was offered £30. Three hours later I spoke to a manager who asked me how I wanted this resolved. I told her it was a serious error on their part and could have had serious consequences. I am worried, I may have been picked up by an ANPR camera. How should I proceed with this complaint as the manager did not seem to grasp how serious the mistake could have been?

Thanks 

cymruchris

PecrySugden said:

Yesterday I bought a new car. Before leaving the garage where I bought it, I spoket to an agent at esure via webchat who told me she had changed the insurance over to the new car.I asked how I would get confirmation and she told me by email. I drove the car 40 miles to get home.

This morning, I still hadn't received an email. I chatted to agent online and was told that I hadn't changed the insurance but had only asked for a quote. I told her this was not true and asked her to check the chat history fromt the day before, she then said she could see the agent had confirmed that the policy had been amended to cover the new car on the previous day but hadn't done it.

I was livid and asked to speak to a manager to which I was refused and was offered £30. Three hours later I spoke to a manager who asked me how I wanted this resolved. I told her it was a serious error on their part and could have had serious consequences. I am worried, I may have been picked up by an ANPR camera. How should I proceed with this complaint as the manager did not seem to grasp how serious the mistake could have been?

Thanks 

At the moment you've not actually lost anything. Lots of what if's and howabouts - but actual loss is zero. Probably £30 sounds a fair 'apology' token. They've admitted their mistake. Should anything happen in the coming weeks that does actually incur a loss, then you can take it up with them if that happens. It's poor service that they've got it wrong - but you're back in your rightful position now.

MorningcoffeeIV

PecrySugden said:

How should I proceed with this complaint as the manager did not seem to grasp how serious the mistake could have been?

It seems they've over-grasped the seriousness, as they've offered you cash for no loss.

Should you suffer any actual loss, that's when you go back for further compensation.

Until then, you'll need to satisfy yourself with the free £30.

Aretnap

No insurance is not routinely enforced by ANPR cameras after the fact - just by police who will stop you at the time if you cause their in car system to ping. My wife managed to drive around uninsured for about six months after forgetting to transfer her policy to her new car (I know, I know), with no consequences. So the risk that you are going to face any comeback over a single, relatively short journey seems very low, if you were not actually stopped. Cross that bridge if and when you come to it.

If you were actually stopped and had your car seized by the police then you would be entitled to significant compensation. However you can't claim compensation for something that might have happened but didn't. Unless and until you actually suffer some consequences for their error, you can only claim a fairly token amount of compensation for the stress that this has caused you. £30 sounds reasonable, though I suppose if you made a formal complaint they might up it to £50. It's up to you whether you think it's worth the hassle.

dunstonh

How should I proceed with this complaint as the manager did not seem to grasp how serious the mistake could have been?

Its not serious.  It may have been but everyone got lucky.   So, the £30 offered seems reasonable.

DullGreyGuy

PecrySugden said:

Yesterday I bought a new car. Before leaving the garage where I bought it, I spoket to an agent at esure via webchat who told me she had changed the insurance over to the new car.I asked how I would get confirmation and she told me by email. I drove the car 40 miles to get home.

This morning, I still hadn't received an email. I chatted to agent online and was told that I hadn't changed the insurance but had only asked for a quote. I told her this was not true and asked her to check the chat history fromt the day before, she then said she could see the agent had confirmed that the policy had been amended to cover the new car on the previous day but hadn't done it.

I was livid and asked to speak to a manager to which I was refused and was offered £30. Three hours later I spoke to a manager who asked me how I wanted this resolved. I told her it was a serious error on their part and could have had serious consequences. I am worried, I may have been picked up by an ANPR camera. How should I proceed with this complaint as the manager did not seem to grasp how serious the mistake could have been?

MID doesn't update in realtime so even if it had been put through correctly an automatic system like ANPR wouldn't have picked up the policy.

Insurers employ humans and humans make mistakes, you get a fair few cases where agents mishear or mistype registrations and sometimes though bad luck it brings back the same make/model or the customer doesn't listen. Inevitably some of those people get stopped by police etc. The insurer, once realising its mistake, will give you a "letter of indemnity" which effectively tells the police or courts that they'd have covered any claim and therefore no offence has been committed even though no insurance was apparently on the vehicle at the time. 

£30 isn't the most generous but as you've suffered no loss, not been stopped by the police etc then its really just your time having to make contact for a second time.