Cancelling my car insurance through a broker

__bc1

Hi,

Last week I paid for a car insurance policy through a broker that specialises in insurance with convictions. 

I paid for the policy in full using my credit card but the policy doesn’t officially start until 07/12/24. After speaking over the phone with the broker I was told there would be no fee to cancel before the policy actually starts and before the cooling off period, as it would be an NTU (not taken up) which I was happy with, so paid for the policy in full over the phone, without having access to any insurance documents or t&c’s in writing.

I have since notified them by phone that I’d like to cancel (before the start date of the insurance) as I have found a cheaper price elsewhere. They sent me an email stating

“We're writing to let you know that your insurance policy with x was cancelled on 07-12-2024.

At present, we do not have the balance of your loan available due to a recent payment request”

After receiving this email I phoned them again and have been told that I will have to wait over 10 days to hear back from their underwriter for a confirmation of a refund off them with the price minus any fees I’ve incurred, as the brokers don’t charge a cancellation fee but the insurance company do. The man on the phone stated it was a £25 fee to the insurance company and when I argued that I’d been told there was no fee he backtracked to say he doesn’t actually know. 

I feel like I’m being taken for a ride here and since checking their website I’ve found a dedicated page listing cancellation fees which include the sum of £55 even if it’s before the 14 day cooling off period, although in my policy booklet and personal insurance documents online there is no mention of a fee

i also noticed in one insurance document that I have to cancel in writing to the broker, so I sent an email confirming I wanted to cancel the policy and asking to confirm what he said on the phone regarding no fees, to the original broker who I purchased the policy with (who I’ve previously exchanged emails with last week). Only to receive an instant response saying he’s out of office until 02/09/24.. 2 months previous and isn’t monitoring emails 

I am worried where I stand legally and if I’m entitled to a full refund, and if I do owe any cancellation fees. 

Also the Wording in the email to confirm I’ve cancelled the policy also makes it sound like they’ve cancelled the policy on me, and not at my request. I’m now worried this will be marked against me in future when taking out insurance that I’ve had insurance cancelled 

Thanks in advance for any advice or information 

DullGreyGuy

Wouldn't take any note of the out of date OoO message, its a common mistake to make, especially if you are only taking a day or two off that you forget to correct the message from the last time. Whilst you can set it to automatically turn off at a future date the message isn't dynamically updated. Last time I set an OoO it said I was returning 2 years ago. 

Ultimately wait, you';ve been told there will be no deductions and so see if you get the full refund as promised and if not then you raise the complaint at that point.