View Full Version : Help!! Insurance cancelled...
beezertart
12-06-2008, 12:26
Hi All,
Dunno if anyone can help or anything can be done but on 7th April my insurance on the beza came for renewal and given the mods on now i changed to Highway via Greenlight as my previous company would only replace with standard parts in the event of an accident etc...
Paid my £380 in full ,docs arrived,requesting proof of ncb etc signed etc but were mislaid unfortunately...received a letter few weeks later saying i must provide within 7days or cancellation would follow.Called Greenlight explained docs had gone awol and they said new ones could be sent. Signed for these recorded delivery,in the envelope was the policy proposal n that was it.This was returned immediately so apx a month ago and nothing since. It dawned on me last night that i hadn't received my full certificate and called Greenlight just now to be told the policy had been cancelled on the 28th May so i've been riding around uninsured for 2wks[:@] Explained the situation again and whilst i realise the problem lies with me in that they hadn't had proof of ncb,i am a bit peeved to say the least ..was told they had received the forms as sent but as they hadn't had the ncb,a copy of which i've only just got,they've cancelled and will not issue another policy.Complained that if this was 2wks ago why had i not received notification of this,not to mention the fact that i paid in full...guy said a refund chq was issued yday for £187:banned: £200 short of what i paid,couldn't give me a breakdown of this apart from £25 admin fee and the amount taken for time covered,7/4-28/5, they retain the commission plus other policy items....awaiting a breakdown by posst
The problem i have now is that Grenlight won't give me another policy,Highway won't speak to me,only contact through broker and i'm £200 down basically and am not in a position at the mo to cover this,let alone the fact that my car is parked on a street at work uninsured and i have no other means of getting about at present. So basically i need a like for like policy and some advice if there's anything i can do about this..
All help would be greatly appreciated
Have just spoken to Highway n the guy was very helpful but seems it greenlight n not them that wont reissue,i am seriously unimpressed as it's them that have taken£150 in charges/commission,(£80!!!)highway only charged the apx £50 for the term of cover....all because the ncb proof didnt get to them on time n they wont accept copies,all else was as should be!!
Oh mi god thats is scary, sounds like you best get a short term insurance policy for a weeks while you get your money back and find somone else is the only option.
I steered away from Greenlight as their quote was not that great, have you not tried Adrian Flux rashcupra got a great deal on his modded mk 2 golf im sure you've seen and i think they do all the extras too. I am wanting to move to a company thats covers mods like yourself but can't untill the accident i had the frist week of Feb is resolved!
beezertart
12-06-2008, 14:23
Cheers Aimee,
Yep,was very worried,damn god job i called them or would have been even longer uninsured...have just reinsured her with immediate effect via Adrian Flux with mods declared n like for like etc,cost me £368 which i've had to shove on the old credit card but at least she's covered..having spent not far off 2k recently i can't take that risk!!:( Lets hope she's ok when i leave work,what with the law of sod etc!!
I did call Greenlight back about getting another policy or mine reinstated as its down to them to agree and was told a point blank no once again because of the hassle...well seems the hassle gets them £150ish for nowt after deducting the actual cost of cover for period used so i thought they'd bite my hand off to get this opportunity again even via a different agent...surely if it was only the ncb proof missing i could have ben called and told my premium would be increased to reflect zero ncb until they were in possession of said document???
I don't know if it will get me anywhere but i shall be complaining to all n sundry as £200 is more than half of the policy cost i've lost and feel it is somewhat unfair,reasonable charges are fine but this is just extortion!! The efficacy of Royal Mail is beyond my control as is obtaining duplicate documents, as in the amount of time this can take,although i will be making sure my ncb proof n docs go back via recorded this time!
Guy at Adrian Flux was very helpful and i would prob recommend giving them a call when u get ur hassles sorted,hope it's soon...oh the joys of cars!!!
You need to put a letter of complaint into Greenlight, under FSA regulations they are duty bound to respond asap with a suitable reason, if you are not happy you can persue your complaint.
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm
a good point of reference
UncleFester
12-06-2008, 14:40
Or just suggest that you'll post that around every forum they're registered on unless they sort it out. I would ring and ask for Neil.
Anyway i had the same problem, trying to get proof of NCB etc etc before they cancelled the policy, there is something to be said for reading the small print - it's quite clear about what will be charged for in the event of early cancellation ( for any reason) I guess what they make off people who don't read this is how they offer the prices they do.
Not that it makes you feel better ..... but it's definitely worth a moan to them.
W*nkers I'd be posting this up on every forum you can, nothing is worse for buiness than bad press and if all else fails the office is just a short walk from my flat [B)]
Highway are actually very good (helps a couple of my mates work there & it's even closer than greelight) had a couple of policies throught them, I tried Greenlight last year and to be honest they were crap, I've found Admiral to be the best, they paid out for my last Ibiza and insured me on my new one weeks later at nearly £100 less than everyone else!
what a bunch of to$$ers, i really do hate some insurance companys.. my insurance is done via highway which are pretty good, i had a lot of trouble with churchill tho, compleate utter waste of time to try and deal with... i didnt renew my insurance with them and rang up to cancel and have them send out a proof of ncd which was fine, but they then decided to carry on taking my monet for renewel!
what a bunch of to$$ers, i really do hate some insurance companys.. my insurance is done via highway which are pretty good, i had a lot of trouble with churchill tho, compleate utter waste of time to try and deal with... i didnt renew my insurance with them and rang up to cancel and have them send out a proof of ncd which was fine, but they then decided to carry on taking my monet for renewel!
My flatmate had that trouble with Churchill took 7 payments before he got it sorted!!
DanTheSeatMan
12-06-2008, 21:46
Something really simular happened to a guy on the 200sx forum, he really pushed with the FSA about contractual law, along the same lines as the "Bank Charges" stuff. They awarded in his favour and he got his money back! Deffo worth a read!
http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=289214
beezertart
12-06-2008, 22:37
[QUOTE=Grayboy;1940957]W*nkers I'd be posting this up on every forum you can, nothing is worse for buiness than bad press and if all else fails the office is just a short walk from my flat [B)][QUOTE]
Maybe i'll be coming to u next weekend Gray,haha....armed n dangerous!!!
Thanks everyone for your input,i will be writing a filthy letter tomorrow having been advised by a friend who used to be in insurance,although i shall phone the ombudsman 1st..i am absolutely disgusted that insurance companies can contact one another to discuss accidents etc but to actually help a customer,hell no!! How come they can text to say it'll be cancelled but can't manage that when it is,leaving me susceptible to all sorts of aggro,not to mention the fact i've been ferrying my son around in an uninsured vehicle,as had i been tugged or involved in an accident who would believe i had no idea that i was uninsured!!??
I can understand the need for procedure given the amount of fraud etc but having paid the premium in full at policy start i expect some sort of service and they really couldn't have been less inclined to offer this...i probably wouldn't be so irate had they tried to help!!!
Sods law when i came out of work some incompetent ass had left a nice black scuff on my rear bumper,lucky for me it wasn't anything that won't polish out!!:D
r6_allan
13-06-2008, 00:59
Insurance companies piss me off no end, they offer discounts over the phone that could have been sent out in the first place and in this day and age providing proof of no claims should take no more than providing your old policy number and who it was with. A quick phone call or computer lookup they can check it out. FFS they are quick enough to use central databases to catch you out about previous claims, accidents or refusals etc.. why not put it to use and help the customer a little :mad:
Insurance companies piss me off no end, they offer discounts over the phone that could have been sent out in the first place and in this day and age providing proof of no claims should take no more than providing your old policy number and who it was with. A quick phone call or computer lookup they can check it out. FFS they are quick enough to use central databases to catch you out about previous claims, accidents or refusals etc.. why not put it to use and help the customer a little :mad:
It's you typical 'heads we win, tails you loose' scenario. always will be with insurance companies who are there to take as much of our money as they can and pay as little of it back as they can get away with.
Thankfully competition keeps the policies reasonable (if you're a low risk) but it really pays to check the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of other policy holders before parting with your cash if you want the best cover, cheapest isn't always best in the long run.
beezertart
13-06-2008, 11:14
It's you typical 'heads we win, tails you loose' scenario. always will be with insurance companies who are there to take as much of our money as they can and pay as little of it back as they can get away with.
Thankfully competition keeps the policies reasonable (if you're a low risk) but it really pays to check the satisfaction/dissatisfaction of other policy holders before parting with your cash if you want the best cover, cheapest isn't always best in the long run.
Well,the reason i went with them was the fact that quite a few scn'ers seem to be with them as well as they do the mods policies n there didn't seem to be that much aggro with them,how wrong was i?? I don't think the difference between their quote n AF's was that much,can't remember tbh but all poundage saved is money i can spend on the car!!! When i got home last night the refund chq was there along with an accompanying three lined letter saying chq enclosed due to cancellation of policy,no reason why or breakdown of costs etc which i think is poor..this is only going to be sent as i requested it. At my work we are bound to give clients an itemised invoice for works/services provided,so why is it they don't have to?
Greenlight are an insurance broker, not a insurance company.
beezertart
13-06-2008, 11:29
Greenlight are an insurance broker, not a insurance company.
No i understand that,however i have the contract with them so they are obliged to deal with and explain any issues and it seems that it is their criteria that has bought about this problem of not reinsuring rather than Highway...Greenlight refused point blank to help me obtain another policy through themselves or to provide me with any info on a company/broker that could help,customer service at its finest....not!! Speaking to a friend she said it was standard procedure in her company that in the event of failure to produce/obtain relevant paperwork a notice of excess fees incurred would be sent and it would be handled as a policy without any no claims discount applied,therefore you pay til you produce the goods,fair enough on that score!
Just got the refund cheque for the Golf we chopped in when we got the Alhambra, £26! Mid term policy change, expires September, already paid to add the SEAT so wasn't the difference between the two but a pro-rata refund on a £240 policy with another 4 months left to run... Mid term policy change fee plus refund admin fee... :shrug:
traumapat
13-06-2008, 11:48
thing is its often not straight forward proving your ncb anyway. your in the hands of your last insurer who have no benifit from giving the infomation out. they all share info and find out if youve made past claims or been involved in an accident... why cant they automatically share ncb info... or at the very least a certificate proving your ncb rating sent to you each year.
daft system asking you to prove something only another insurer can prove:shrug:
beezertart
13-06-2008, 11:50
Just got the refund cheque for the Golf we chopped in when we got the Alhambra, £26! Mid term policy change, expires September, already paid to add the SEAT so wasn't the difference between the two but a pro-rata refund on a £240 policy with another 4 months left to run... Mid term policy change fee plus refund admin fee... :shrug:
They just get you one way or another it seems,admin/cancellation fees plus all those others they can't refund such as legal cover etc...what i would like to know is seeing as paid for a years worth of legal cover etc does that not still stand as it's obviously yet another party that deal with this or because it ties to the policy then becomes null n void??
I was lucky with Tesco then...... I did exactly the same as you, and when i didnt produce, they sent me a letter saying theyll be charging me the cost as if i didnt have any NCB. Sent in my NCD which they then told me was invalid, as it was the wrong dates (which it wasnt) so the guy asked me if it was alright to contact my previous insurer, i told him go ahead, 2 mins later he gets back to me, yep, thats all taken care of!
Shocking customer service imo, quick enough to get the cash off you, with absolutly no aftersales skills:ban:
Dunno about anyone else, but I hear stories about insurers, brokers, and repair bodyshops etc. and make a mental note never to deal with them if they sound dodgy. Unfortunately, the list of companies I'm prepared to deal with is getting shorter and shorter.:rolleyes:
neil@greenlight
18-06-2008, 10:01
No i understand that,however i have the contract with them so they are obliged to deal with and explain any issues and it seems that it is their criteria that has bought about this problem of not reinsuring rather than Highway...Greenlight refused point blank to help me obtain another policy through themselves or to provide me with any info on a company/broker that could help,customer service at its finest....not!! Speaking to a friend she said it was standard procedure in her company that in the event of failure to produce/obtain relevant paperwork a notice of excess fees incurred would be sent and it would be handled as a policy without any no claims discount applied,therefore you pay til you produce the goods,fair enough on that score!
Just to confirm we would of had to send you 3 prior chaser letters before the final 7 day cancellation letter is sent recorded delivery.
Cancelling peoples policy is a last resort but we can only wait so long for the required paperwork. We allow clients ample time (50 days) to send the items to us.
As per our website we only cover drivers with a minimum of 1 years NCB so we could not reduce the NCB to zero and make a charge in the interim (as suggested). Had we of reduced the NCB to zero the insurer would of requested policy cancellation.
The administration involved in chasing these documents is very time consuming, so as a company we choose not to offer a new policy if a prior policy was cancelled due to non receipt of required documents.
You previously requested a copy of the cancellation breakdown which has been dispatched to you today. This is processed by a different department to the refund cheques/ncb proofs hence why they are dispatched seperately.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via telephone, pm or e-mail.
Best Regards
Neil
Greenlight
Insurance companies piss me off no end, they offer discounts over the phone that could have been sent out in the first place and in this day and age providing proof of no claims should take no more than providing your old policy number and who it was with. A quick phone call or computer lookup they can check it out. FFS they are quick enough to use central databases to catch you out about previous claims, accidents or refusals etc.. why not put it to use and help the customer a little :mad:
I spent almost 3 weeks chasing up my proof of no claims for the past 10 years... like banging your head against a brick wall sometimes... Zurich, Eagle Star, Norwich Union, Halifax... all sent me proof, stating I had "5+ years NCD" as 5 years is their maximum (for full discount). However, having finally got proof of "5+" years... not good enough! They need to see in writing "10 years". But nobody would give me proof of 10 years, because 5 years is their maximum! :confused: To make things worse, I found out that you can't go back as far as 10 years in some cases, as some companies only store records for 5 years - therefore not having any of my details at all! Bloody nightmare :blink: