Swinton Car Insurance - CON PEOPLE!!!! ADVICE!!!

Captain_2

Apologies for 2 posts in rapid succession, but I'd be interested to know what people think of the following, quoted from

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/insurance/car-insurance/article.html?in_article_id=419874&in_page_id=35

The insurance companies (brokers) when changing policies, address, car/van changes, adding named driver etc, the risk changes to the policy, therefore premium can change. That simple. example - the customer calls insurer, wanting to cancel policy 6months in, 35pound/55pound cancellation fee. And most times, short term rates which is a % of the policy over the year. example - you cancel in the 4th month, you are charged 50% of your premium.(nice of them), 5th month, you are charged 60% and so on. Here is a tip - when calling insurer to cancel (for whatever reason) if you are charged this, ask them to issue a new policy. Sounds mad, but they can't refuse. Once you started new policy, next day call them back and cancel. You will be charged time on cover for that day.( because you are now within your 14 day cooling off period) If you paid your premium in full for previous policy, you only charged t.o.c for that too. It's called a re-broke. You wont be charged cancel fee of the short term rate.

- Allan, durham

?

raskazz

Captain_2 wrote: »

Apologies for 2 posts in rapid succession, but I'd be interested to know what people think of the following, quoted from

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/insurance/car-insurance/article.html?in_article_id=419874&in_page_id=35

The insurance companies (brokers) when changing policies, address, car/van changes, adding named driver etc, the risk changes to the policy, therefore premium can change. That simple. example - the customer calls insurer, wanting to cancel policy 6months in, 35pound/55pound cancellation fee. And most times, short term rates which is a % of the policy over the year. example - you cancel in the 4th month, you are charged 50% of your premium.(nice of them), 5th month, you are charged 60% and so on. Here is a tip - when calling insurer to cancel (for whatever reason) if you are charged this, ask them to issue a new policy. Sounds mad, but they can't refuse. Once you started new policy, next day call them back and cancel. You will be charged time on cover for that day.( because you are now within your 14 day cooling off period) If you paid your premium in full for previous policy, you only charged t.o.c for that too. It's called a re-broke. You wont be charged cancel fee of the short term rate.

- Allan, durham

?

That won't work. They can refuse. Intermediaries will only offer rebrokes and waiving of the short-term rates when the changes take the risk outside what the original policy will cover, and even then not all will do so. If the changes would have been acceptable to the original policy then if you ask for a new policy they will charge the normal short-term rates to cancel the original policy.

Captain_2

I managed to get my cancellation charge refunded in the end :j

I wrote to Swinton :-
Swinton Customer Assistance Team
Swinton Colonnade
Swinton House
6 Great Marlborough Street
Manchester
M1 5SW

...and received a letter detailing exactly how they had calculated various charges (time on cover, £10 setup, pro-rata discount (?)). Also, an acceptance that the cancellation charge was "disproportionate" in relation to the premium paid, with a refund chq for £45 (plus details of how to take this still further, which I didn't pursue).

Hope this is of interest / use to someone.

Thomas99

Captain_2 wrote: »

Apologies for 2 posts in rapid succession, but I'd be interested to know what people think of the following, quoted from

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/insurance/car-insurance/article.html?in_article_id=419874&in_page_id=35

The insurance companies (brokers) when changing policies, address, car/van changes, adding named driver etc, the risk changes to the policy, therefore premium can change. That simple. example - the customer calls insurer, wanting to cancel policy 6months in, 35pound/55pound cancellation fee. And most times, short term rates which is a % of the policy over the year. example - you cancel in the 4th month, you are charged 50% of your premium.(nice of them), 5th month, you are charged 60% and so on. Here is a tip - when calling insurer to cancel (for whatever reason) if you are charged this, ask them to issue a new policy. Sounds mad, but they can't refuse. Once you started new policy, next day call them back and cancel. You will be charged time on cover for that day.( because you are now within your 14 day cooling off period) If you paid your premium in full for previous policy, you only charged t.o.c for that too. It's called a re-broke. You wont be charged cancel fee of the short term rate.

- Allan, durham

?

This sounds very interesting Capt., may need to do this as my policy is out of sync with my car buying...btw Swinton and Hastings are scum.

lukebetteralone

why not just let the insurance run and pretend u have the car if its gonna cost you more than its worth