Car Insurance Cancellation

[JonathanRyan]

(A bit different from the other thread - honest).

Like lots of people, my insurer has quoted a 3-400% increase this year so I'm going elsewhere. Another insurer only wants to raise prices by 80%. So I need to prevent the renewal of my policy.

The *only* way to do this is by phone and....they don't answer. I've just spent 40 mins in a queue saying they will get to me soon. Eventually I tried option 1 to arrange a call back. This didn't work. After a long process with their chat bit it finally admitted that they don't actually open on Sundays.

The same company provide an app which allows me to "manage" every aspect of my policy except of course preventing auto renewal. And of course I only have auto renewal turned on because they wouldn't insure me otherwise...

It really looks like this is all a deliberate attempt to trick me into renewing. Given how regulated insurance is, I'm amazed this is all legal.

 

[Gav.]

Try contacting your bank and ask for any payments requests from them to be blocked.

 

[IanD]

As Gav says, good idea.

Also, check all your paperwork or previous emails, to see if there is any sort of valid customer services email, and email with all the relevant references etc on.

These companies are leeches of the highest order. As you've experienced, they make things as difficult as is humanly possible, and they've certainly won this round.

Unfortunately it seems you're going to have to put in some more time, to get the result you need

 

[MickC]

I would take out the new policy then contact the old company by email/letter explaining how you couldn't contact them by phone and ask them for documentation of any proof of no claims in the same letter. Once it's insured with the new company, they can't cover it anyway. I wouldn't cancel the dd till you've spoken to them

 

[JohnC6]

(A bit different from the other thread - honest).

Like lots of people, my insurer has quoted a 3-400% increase this year so I'm going elsewhere. Another insurer only wants to raise prices by 80%. So I need to prevent the renewal of my policy.

The *only* way to do this is by phone and....they don't answer. I've just spent 40 mins in a queue saying they will get to me soon. Eventually I tried option 1 to arrange a call back. This didn't work. After a long process with their chat bit it finally admitted that they don't actually open on Sundays.

The same company provide an app which allows me to "manage" every aspect of my policy except of course preventing auto renewal. And of course I only have auto renewal turned on because they wouldn't insure me otherwise...

It really looks like this is all a deliberate attempt to trick me into renewing. Given how regulated insurance is, I'm amazed this is all legal.

I'm taken aback. That's the first time I've seen you criticise the industry. You've normally defended their position in posts to such an extent that I thought you were in the insurance business such was your detailed knowledge. I think I've asked you in the past if you are (were) and you haven't responded.

Is this your light-bulb moment ? I'm not having a dig at you but it seems to have taken a personal negative experience to "see the light'.

Anyway..hopefully, you'll find a much better deal.

 

[andya700]

I would take out the new policy then contact the old company by email/letter explaining how you couldn't contact them by phone and ask them for documentation of any proof of no claims in the same letter. Once it's insured with the new company, they can't cover it anyway. I wouldn't cancel the dd till you've spoken to them

Why wouldn't you cancel the dd if the old company was being dodgy?

 

[JonathanRyan]

I'm taken aback. That's the first time I've seen you criticise the industry. You've normally defended their position in posts to such an extent that I thought you were in the insurance business such was your detailed knowledge. I think I've asked you in the past if you are (were) and you haven't responded.

Is this your light-bulb moment ? I'm not having a dig at you but it seems to have taken a personal negative experience to "see the light'.

Anyway..hopefully, you'll find a much better deal.

Sorry - I hadn't realised I'd ignored your question.

Yes, for a while I worked in insurance - the risk side. Which is why I understand that prices are rising dramatically because of Brexit, Inflation (partly caused by Covid) and Legislation (probably roughly in that order). I didn't ever work on the customer pricing side which is where this new chicanery comes from. I think in general companies are becoming a lot more cunning - they have looked at the gym model where memberships can be hard to cancel and decided they will have a try. As it happens, the sums involved are so enormous that I'll just hang on the phone until they answer. They also know this so won't hire sufficient staff for the phones.

Anyway..hopefully, you'll find a much better deal.

I did thanks. Admiral are £500 cheaper than my renewal. I also opted for them not to store my credit card details so I don't have this problem next year.

 

[MickC]

Why wouldn't you cancel the dd if the old company was being dodgy?

Just a deep mistrust of insurance companies. Many moons ago, the company i was using somehow took it that i was cancelling the current policy early. Took a lot of phone calls to sort it out. I have never had auto renewal on any policy ever since.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

For many years, we've used a broker.

They've always achieved a good price for the policies we need and have been very helpful when we've had to make a claim. They've been especially helpful in sorting out glitches like the one that's affected Jonathan.

 

[wyx087]

open on Sundays

This might be the reason for your problem...... did you get through today (a working day)?

I did thanks. Admiral are £500 cheaper than my renewal. I also opted for them not to store my credit card details so I don't have this problem next year.

I just moved away from Admiral, it was easy, you just ask them to turn off auto renew.

Admiral didn't send my quote until 20th day before renewal. I was doing quotes at 23rd day before renewal because MSE says that's when it's cheapest. Phoned Admiral up and they told me to wait for renewal quotes to be generated automatically, but happy to cancel auto-renewal during that phone call. So it was very easy and painless.

With LV+ for next year. LV+ is perfect, allows opt out of auto renew when signing up.

 

[Cobra]

The same company provide an app which allows me to "manage" every aspect of my policy except of course preventing auto renewal

That really bugs me, it should be opt in not opt out, especially when they make it difficult to contact them.

I did thanks. Admiral are £500 cheaper than my renewal

Glad you are sorted.

Admiral didn't send my quote until 20th day before renewal.

My previous insure didn't even send me a renewal quote, on phoning them they said it was in the post, 2 years running,
After I left, the quote turned up

As I noted elsewhere mine went from £360 to £480 (Esure) this year.
I went looking for meercats and got a better deal, @£320. ( the nodding dog)
It pays to shop around, I do it every year.

 

[JonathanRyan]

Update: Monday morning is an even worse time to call an insurer than Sunday 40 mins on hold before I gave up - call back system didn't work at all. I called later on Monday and immediately requested a call-back which actually worked that time. Within 5 mins somebody called me back and in another 5 we had cancelled the renewal. He stopped trying when I said the new guys were £500 cheaper...

So at least partly my own fault - if I'd tried on a Tuesday it would have been far easier. But really the whole thing is unnecessary - continuous renewal should never be the default with car insurance when prices are rising so fast.

 

[Cobra]

continuous renewal should never be the default with car insurance when prices are rising so fast.

Auto renew should never be the default for anything. Their option to do so is usually buried somewhere in the reams of T&C's
And its always difficult to try and cancel.

 

[Dave Canon]

With my House insurance, I went into my account and cancelled the auto renewal after 6 months which would have given me plenty of time to resolve this had their been a problem. When the quote came it was too high but gave them a chance and negotiated achieving a worthwhile reduction. I then had documentation confirming the new policy and that the old policy had lapsed. However, I kept getting emails saying because I had cancelled the auto renewal my insurance would cease etc. This happened several times and the final one was from the guy who had agreed the new policy. I replied back to him directly and asked if I needed to take legal action or had they now sorted themselves out. To be fair he replied quickly with an apology for their communication blunder.

Dave

 

[Brentor]

Pleased you got this sorted. I managed to remove the auto renew from my Admiral account today without any problem. I thought there was some new legislation a few years ago that meant you had to opt in to auto renew. I don’t remember doing this for Admiral but I suppose it was in the terms of business somewhere. Admiral was easy to contact today apart from the dreadful auto assistant at the beginning, which meant answering several questions before being put through to a real person. He started asking the same questions which annoyed me but at least the assistant apologised and did find the information.

 

[Cobra]

apart from the dreadful auto assistant at the beginning,

They can be a real PITA to get past can't they?

He started asking the same questions which annoyed

And when you do, you get that. That annoys me too.

 

[JohnC6]

Auto renew should never be the default for anything. Their option to do so is usually buried somewhere in the reams of T&C's
And its always difficult to try and cancel.

One year, as I renewed my car insurance, I recall specifically telling the person I was renewing with that I don't want auto-renewal. I never have it. "No problem" she said "I've done that" Two days later the policy arrives. I read every page. On the back of the last page it had written "You have opted for "continuous payment". The crafty sods know people are aware of the term 'auto-renewal' as Martin Lewis keeps mentioning it..so they call it something else and hope A. People don't read the documents and/or B. 'Continuous payment' doesn't register with them.

I called them and it was stopped, with an apology. I've often thought that it's worth having a recording device on the phone..landline.. but I'm sure I read that you have to tell the person on the other end that the call is being recorded.......for training purposes..

 

[Cobra]

On the back of the last page it had written "You have opted for "continuous payment". The crafty sods know people are aware of the term 'auto-renewal'

Crafty sods indeed

but I'm sure I read that you have to tell the person on the other end that the call is being recorded.......for training purposes..

And charge them for the training

 

[JonathanRyan]

One year, as I renewed my car insurance, I recall specifically telling the person I was renewing with that I don't want auto-renewal. I never have it. "No problem" she said "I've done that" Two days later the policy arrives. I read every page. On the back of the last page it had written "You have opted for "continuous payment". The crafty sods know people are aware of the term 'auto-renewal' as Martin Lewis keeps mentioning it..so they call it something else and hope A. People don't read the documents and/or B. 'Continuous payment' doesn't register with them.

I called them and it was stopped, with an apology. I've often thought that it's worth having a recording device on the phone..landline.. but I'm sure I read that you have to tell the person on the other end that the call is being recorded.......for training purposes..

Nope. In the UK you can record cake for personal use. There's no need to warn people. Companies do so that they can use them for other purposes.

But you don't need to. Gdpr (and dpa before it) says you can get their copy on request. The penalties for not supplying it or "losing" it if you request it are terrifying.

 

[Cobra]

Nope. In the UK you can record cake for personal use.

But can you have your cake and eat it?

( don't you just love predictive messaging? )

 

[JohnC6]

But can you have your cake and eat it?

( don't you just love predictive messaging? )

I'm still trying to figure out what he actually wanted to write.

Edit. Of course... "calls" It was so far removed from cake I didn't think predictive text would have suggested cake .

 

[F1.2]

I was 8 months into a 1 year insurance on my camper van and decided to sell the van and look around for a lower milage one, Sold the van and being a good boy sent the insurers a email notification saying I had sold it , A week later the replacement van arrives , I contact them asking for a change over from one van to the other , They then tell my my policy has been cancelled and I need to take out a new one, OK I say how much refund will I receive ? I am then told nothing ! , Err hold on that's 1/3 of a years insurance , Why no refund ?, The cancellation fee would be more that the value of the remaining insurance fee, WTf

 

[JonathanRyan]

I'm still trying to figure out what he actually wanted to write.

Edit. Of course... "calls" It was so far removed from cake I didn't think predictive text would have suggested cake .

Yes, it's not just predictive text, I use a Swype keyboard. Calls and cake have very similar patterns. And I message people about cake all the time.....

 

[JohnC6]

Yes, it's not just predictive text, I use a Swype keyboard. Calls and cake have very similar patterns. And I message people about cake all the time.....

I did wonder wonder when Cobra said it was predictive text not least because I've never had that experience on here. It was funny though and don't we need a laugh these days ..

 

[Cobra]

I did wonder wonder when Cobra said it was predictive text

As I've never heard of a swype keyboard, it was just the closest explanation I could come up with.
Don't shoot the messenger

 

[Mag1cp2x]

Having taken out a dual insurance deal with Admiral I was surprised at just how quickly I was able to cancel one of our two car’s auto renewal with Dial Direct yesterday.
They answered quickly after a bit of recorded spiel, took the policy number and all done, no offer of a discount or anything.
Had been with them for some eight years without a claim for anything.
… and I’m £80 the better off just on that one car.
Went looking around because the other car is now too old for some insurers.