unsettled no fault claims are affecting my insurance

kevnvicb

We have 3 cars on a multicar policy, the policy in in my name. 
My husband had his van written off in a no fault accident in December then a woman reversed into his new car while he was parked in March. Both very clearly no fault accidents. Our insurance company paid him out for the write off and for repair to the new car. As far as we knew all was sorted.
I have just tried to buy a new car and the 2 claims are showing as unsettled on the policy, which apparently, as far as searches go, look like fault claims. I was then told that if the other insurance companies don't pay our insurance with a specified time (usually 18 months) the claim does down as a fault claim against my husband and as I am the policy holder it will affect my insurance as well and I will loose my no claim bonus. The damage claim was £500, yet our insurance company have appointed an independent lawyer to try to reclaim the money! 
How is this not fraudulent? If a company insures a person who has an accident, surely they have a legal obligation to pay out, whether that be their own client or a 3rd party's insurance company?

DullGreyGuy

kevnvicb said:

We have 3 cars on a multicar policy, the policy in in my name. 
My husband had his van written off in a no fault accident in December then a woman reversed into his new car while he was parked in March. Both very clearly no fault accidents. Our insurance company paid him out for the write off and for repair to the new car. As far as we knew all was sorted.
I have just tried to buy a new car and the 2 claims are showing as unsettled on the policy, which apparently, as far as searches go, look like fault claims. I was then told that if the other insurance companies don't pay our insurance with a specified time (usually 18 months) the claim does down as a fault claim against my husband and as I am the policy holder it will affect my insurance as well and I will loose my no claim bonus. The damage claim was £500, yet our insurance company have appointed an independent lawyer to try to reclaim the money! 
How is this not fraudulent? If a company insures a person who has an accident, surely they have a legal obligation to pay out, whether that be their own client or a 3rd party's insurance company?

What do your insurers say are the reasons for it not being settled?

There are many reasons why claims can take a long time, from just bad management and backlogs to dealing with foreign insurance firms or people that were drink driving. 

Fraud requires an intent to device others for their own gain... backlogs, being a foreign insurer etc are not acts of fraud.

kevnvicb

they have just said it hasn't been paid. No drink driving or anything just person error admitted in full by both drivers. Both english with good uk insurance companies

GrumpyDil

I'm more interested about you losing your NCB.  When I had a multicar policy I was the lead on the policy but each driver retained their own NCB against their car so I wouldn't have expected an incident my wife was involved in to impact my NCB. 

DullGreyGuy

GrumpyDil said:

I'm more interested about you losing your NCB.  When I had a multicar policy I was the lead on the policy but each driver retained their own NCB against their car so I wouldn't have expected an incident my wife was involved in to impact my NCB. 

Thats because most multi-car policies are not a single policy but independent policies with a harmonised renewal date and multi-product discount. There are a small number of true "multi-car"/small fleet policies and in those cases there is a single NCD across all the vehicles.

kevnvicb

each of us has earned our own no claims bonus while on this policy. The Insurance company are adamant that, if the claims are not paid, mine will be affected as i am the policy holder and my husbands will be affected as he was the driver. In turn I assume my daughters will be affected as I am a named driver on her car!

Northern_Wanderer

It's not clear from the posts here, but have you spoken to the insurer that the claims were made to? It may be that the CUE Database has not been updated by the insurer.