Insurer being difficult on no fault accident

chrisw

I had a similar incident last year where I got side swiped by a woman who passed out due to a medical episode, suspected diabetic. The police were in attendance so I also had the police report. There was never any issue around liability, her insurers paid up quickly and without quibble for my repair and my hire car costs which probably totalled around £15k.

ontheroad1970

DullGreyGuy said:

J66998821 said:

So when I come to renew my policy I lose my 6 years no claims. My insurer says this will be reinstated once the claim is resolved. However in the meantime my quote will be much higher because I’ve got 0 years no claims. Sadly, they won’t refund the difference in policy price for what my quote should be vs what it will actually be. 

Seems highly unfair. 

Is there anything that can be done? 

For context I was driving along minding my own business when another driver sadly became unconscious and drove into me (we were all fine eventually) 

6 years NCD becomes 3 years NCD on a fault claim not 0... this doesn't hang together.  If you are direct with an insurer then normally they will automatically reinstate the NCD and correct the premium when it's closed. Life's much more complex if you are via an intermediary/broker. 

Became unconscious? That opens a big can of worms as to if it was their fault. 

It's kind of unfair as it forces you to renew rather than shop around, so that the actual eventual premium can be adjusted.  The insurance industry need to look at making things more equitable.  

tifo

J66998821 said:

My insurers are saying I must declare this as an at FAULT accident until they can claim costs from the other insurer and the other insurer admits their client was at fault. 

So when I come to renew my policy I lose my 6 years no claims. My insurer says this will be reinstated once the claim is resolved. However in the meantime my quote will be much higher because I’ve got 0 years no claims. Sadly, they won’t refund the difference in policy price for what my quote should be vs what it will actually be. 

"My insurers are saying I must declare this as an at FAULT accident until they can claim costs from the other insurer and the other insurer admits their client was at fault".

This is how it's always been.

"My insurer says this will be reinstated once the claim is resolved. However in the meantime my quote will be much higher because I’ve got 0 years no claims. Sadly, they won’t refund the difference in policy price for what my quote should be vs what it will actually be".

In theory insurers are MEANT to refund the difference in extra premium you've paid before a NCD is reinstated (or the claim is resolved in your favour) but in reality this could be a few years later and you'd have to ask every previous insurer from the claim. In 35 years of my driving, and we have 4 drivers in the house, i've NEVER known an insurer to refund the difference paid in extra premiums while a claim was ongoing, not even my own. Another sneaky way for them to make money out of us.

J66998821

Yes agree with above. 

Also I thought it had to go through my insurance company because I had no details of the other persons insurance etc. And I didn’t want to be driving round in a potentially unsafe car etc 

thanks for the suggestions everyone 

ThorOdinson

Try mentioning that you want the increased premiums added to the cost of the claim. Difference between what it should be and what you have to pay.

DullGreyGuy

ontheroad1970 said:

DullGreyGuy said:

J66998821 said:

So when I come to renew my policy I lose my 6 years no claims. My insurer says this will be reinstated once the claim is resolved. However in the meantime my quote will be much higher because I’ve got 0 years no claims. Sadly, they won’t refund the difference in policy price for what my quote should be vs what it will actually be. 

Seems highly unfair. 

Is there anything that can be done? 

For context I was driving along minding my own business when another driver sadly became unconscious and drove into me (we were all fine eventually) 

6 years NCD becomes 3 years NCD on a fault claim not 0... this doesn't hang together.  If you are direct with an insurer then normally they will automatically reinstate the NCD and correct the premium when it's closed. Life's much more complex if you are via an intermediary/broker. 

Became unconscious? That opens a big can of worms as to if it was their fault. 

It's kind of unfair as it forces you to renew rather than shop around, so that the actual eventual premium can be adjusted.  The insurance industry need to look at making things more equitable.  

How would you expect company B know what the outcome of company A is potentially 2 years after the policy was bought and 1 year after it lapsed?

Unless you are going to mandate a universal db that insurers can query unlimited times at no cost and insureds are required to declare their policy numbers for the last 5 years before buying insurance or driving license ID and create an NCD ID that they must also share its going to be unworkable 

Who's going to fund the billions required to create such a system and integrate it to every PAS system used in the UK insurance market when it gives no commercial benefit to anyone? Happy to pay an extra £100 per year premium to fund this equitability? 

lisyloo

Don't know if the option is available to everyone, but I always get protected NCB.
It doesn't stop you being loaded for an accident but it does stop you losing the NCB.

tifo

DullGreyGuy said:

How would you expect company B know what the outcome of company A is potentially 2 years after the policy was bought and 1 year after it lapsed?

Unless you are going to mandate a universal db that insurers can query unlimited times at no cost and insureds are required to declare their policy numbers for the last 5 years before buying insurance or driving license ID and create an NCD ID that they must also share its going to be unworkable 

Who's going to fund the billions required to create such a system and integrate it to every PAS system used in the UK insurance market when it gives no commercial benefit to anyone? Happy to pay an extra £100 per year premium to fund this equitability? 

It's all in the linked insurers' and govt databases (MIB, DVLA etc), there's no need for a new system. Insurers know exactly what's happened over the past 5 years and they're happy to use it to increase premiums but obviously not when it means giving money back.

I've had it over the years where an insurer has queried a claim 3 years ago (I wasn't aware it was an 'accident' for the named driver at that time as they were not driving) and wanted £300 more, and they showed me exactly how much had been paid out on previous claims.

DullGreyGuy

tifo said:

DullGreyGuy said:

How would you expect company B know what the outcome of company A is potentially 2 years after the policy was bought and 1 year after it lapsed?

Unless you are going to mandate a universal db that insurers can query unlimited times at no cost and insureds are required to declare their policy numbers for the last 5 years before buying insurance or driving license ID and create an NCD ID that they must also share its going to be unworkable 

Who's going to fund the billions required to create such a system and integrate it to every PAS system used in the UK insurance market when it gives no commercial benefit to anyone? Happy to pay an extra £100 per year premium to fund this equitability? 

It's all in the linked insurers' and govt databases (MIB, DVLA etc), there's no need for a new system. Insurers know exactly what's happened over the past 5 years and they're happy to use it to increase premiums but obviously not when it means giving money back.

I've had it over the years where an insurer has queried a claim 3 years ago (I wasn't aware it was an 'accident' for the named driver at that time as they were not driving) and wanted £300 more, and they showed me exactly how much had been paid out on previous claims.

The MID has nothing about accidents, if they are fault or not, NCD etc in it and the "DVLA" isn't a database but similarly doesn't hold claims details.

CUE is the closest thing but it's optional not compulsory for insurers to use it and still it can only say if the claim was fault or non-fault. It's also not got the greatest amount of detail, particularly on TP claims or Named Drivers details, to be able to say if John Smith is "my John Smith" or some random other person with the same name. 

You are also forgetting how NCD works, a single person can have multiple NCDs if they've ever had multiple cars. CUE has no NCD ID concept so when I have an accident in my more expensive to insure car I naturally switch my other NCD onto it at renewal. When the claim is settled non-fault its my other car's NCD that now needs increasing and both my policies and my wife's policy that premiums need adjusting 

There is no off the shelf solution to be used and you are grossly underestimating the complexity of what you are suggesting.