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Accidental duplicate vehicle insurance
Hello, over the past 3 years I have been sorting out my dad's van insurance, with a policy from Van Compare which has auto renewed each year.
Out of the blue he received a letter from dial direct saying his payment details have failed, they are looking to charge an extra £20 because of this, and a £50 charge to cancel the policy.
Turns out he has had a policy running with them since 2023 that he was totally unaware of, he recently had a new bank card hence the letter from them
I can only assume the renewal invitations have been going to my late mother's email(she used to do his insurance) so we were totally unaware he was being charged. I have checked his statements and can confirm he has shelled out an extra £700 on duplicate insurance
Just wondering where we stand with this.
Comments
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That's probably just unfortunate.
You could try to request some kind of goodwill gesture - perhaps to waive the £20 and £50 charges they now want to apply?
Are you able to access your Mother's former email accounts and check there is nothing else of a similar nature that requires action?
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At present I cannot get into her email because the Gmail verification is going to her mobile which has been cut off.
Yes I would be pretty disgusted with DialDirect if they charge my dad the additional £50 considering the circumstances
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Ultimately speak to them, it may be done easier by email and include evidence that they have been insured elsewhere. Be clear what you are asking for, if you are only considering the renewal that just happened or previous renewals too. Also be contrite and dont try to blame them unless you have evidence that you did actually attempt to cancel the policy… people who come out swinging tend to get worse outcomes than those who are more reasonable.
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VanCompare aren't actually an insurer. They're a comparison site.
Could it be that the DialDirect policy IS the VanCompare one?
But that aside, did he not notice that he was paying two premiums…? For three years…?0 -
Possibly, I have checked his emails and cannot find anything for direct dial at all. He is in his 70s and not very good with tech. Obviously a bit slack at monitoring his expenses.
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Have a look at the bank and see if there were annual or monthly payments for the same price going out every month x2
Sam Vimes' Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness:
People are rich because they spend less money. A poor man buys $10 boots that last a season or two before he's walking in wet shoes and has to buy another pair. A rich man buys $50 boots that are made better and give him 10 years of dry feet. The poor man has spent $100 over those 10 years and still has wet feet.
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He has definitely been paying twice since 2023. Turns out he started with DirectDial in 2021, looking at his bank statements.
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