Cancelled insurance renewal - consequences of ignoring payment attempt?

dank_2

I switched car insurance companies and confirmed my cancellation with One Call (my current provider) 28 days before the renewal date. I have a screenshot of the live chat conversation where I cancelled.

One Call then sent me two automated emails:

• One confirming the cancellation.
• Another (two days later) stating the policy was due for renewal. 

I contacted them again via live chat and clarified the situation (screenshot available). They confirmed the cancellation and said to disregard the second email.

Today, One Call attempted to take payment for the renewal. Luckily, my old payment method is no longer valid.

Reaching One Call by phone is difficult, with previous wait times exceeding an hour. And I have little confidence in using live chat.

My question: Since I have new insurance starting soon and One Call's attempt to withdraw funds failed, what are the potential consequences of ignoring this? My credit score wouldn't be affected because it would've been a one-off, annual payment, right? Would they even pursue it further? 

DullGreyGuy

By the sounds of it they have renewed the policy anyway. As a consequence they will then cancel that policy for non-payment which may well be put in CUE meaning if you do nothing then you'll have a lifetime of having to declare "yes" to the question of if you've ever had insurance cancelled. 

In principle it could also be treated as first party fraud, no intent to pay, with a loading to CIFAS but that is highly unlikely and tends to be reserved for new business only and not renewals. 

It's a pain but you need to get it sorted properly else it will likely come back and bite you at some point in the future. 

dank_2

Appreciate the response. I managed to get through to someone at One Call this morning. They said it was an internal error and assured me that auto-renew is disabled, so no further payment attempts will occur. To be safe, I requested email confirmation, which they provided.

Here's hoping this resolves the issue (though I have my doubts).

born_again

dank_2 said:

Appreciate the response. I managed to get through to someone at One Call this morning. They said it was an internal error and assured me that auto-renew is disabled, so no further payment attempts will occur. To be safe, I requested email confirmation, which they provided.

Here's hoping this resolves the issue (though I have my doubts).

If they do it again. Log a complaint with them. As this is a regulated sector, you would have a right to take it to FOS if they fail to resolve to your satisfaction.