Cancelled Policy - Insurers win win

[daniel hughes]

I woke up this morning to an email from Post Office Van insurance informing me that my policy has been cancelled.

 

I was laid off in the first week after christmas and had to reign in my direct debits to avoid bank charges and missed two payments.

 

I started back work last week and had been planning on paying the money owed in full yesterday but did not get a chance during the day and so thought i'd call them today.

 

However what I am really annoyed about is that Post Office simply cancelled the insurance.

 

No phone call just a straight robotic cancellation.

 

I will freely admit to everyone on here, as I did to Post Office that I have had a change of address and I have not therefore received any correspondence.

 

However I still believe that for something as important (legally) as insurance, insurers should not cancel your insurance before speaking with you.

 

This is 21st century communication.

 

Letters are antiquated and too slow for matters as these.

 

Even if I had been living back with my parents the letter would likely have not turned up today and I would now be driving around with no insurance with potential life crushing consequences such as car crushed etc etc.

 

I check my emails everyday.

 

A search in my gmail box shows no email from post office for at least as far back as november.

 

When I called this morning and explained my personal circumstances and offered to pay the arrears I was told it was not possible.

 

It seems curious to me that Post Office emailed me to cancel the policy, (therefore giving the cancellation notice special communicatitive consideration) but they did not email me to say that this was going to happen if this that and the other.

 

That leads me to beleive that they know that sending letters is not the most effective means of communicating and thus the need to email in addition.

 

As mentioned before I have not received an email for any reason in at least the past four months.

 

 

The great thing for the industry is that this practice benefits the industry as a whole.

 

For every person this happens to looses their NCB and has to pay a higher premium.

 

Very convenient that flawed communication effort.

 

Seems as it is a legal requirement for one to hold insurance to park or drive a car on a public road then it should be a legal requirement that insurance providers provide a reasonable, fair and accurate service.

 

*******s.

 

 

I have no idea what to do about this but I don't want to become a silent victim.

 

I believe the above must be happening to many other people to the industries benefit.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions about how or what I can attempt to get some justice?

 

Thanks for any help on this,

 

Daniel

[CrappoMan]

Unfortunately, as you have changed address and didn't notify them of your new address, you have 2 problems:

 

- 1 or more letters may have been sent to your old address giving you some time to pay and bring your policy back up to date. Do you know if letters were received at your old address ?

 

- As you have changed address, your risk and therefore policy premium may have changed. As you didn't tell them of your new address, they would be within their rights to deny any claim you make or cancel the policy if they find out you witheld your new address.

 

You MUST tell your insurer of any change in circumstances which may change your perceived risk.

[daniel hughes]

Unfortunately, as you have changed address and didn't notify them of your new address, you have 2 problems:

 

- 1 or more letters may have been sent to your old address giving you some time to pay and bring your policy back up to date. Do you know if letters were received at your old address ?

 

- As you have changed address, your risk and therefore policy premium may have changed. As you didn't tell them of your new address, they would be within their rights to deny any claim you make or cancel the policy if they find out you witheld your new address.

 

You MUST tell your insurer of any change in circumstances which may change your perceived risk.

 

Having just come off the telephone with PO this was also very much their line of response too.

 

And I agree. I should have updated my details.

 

However that is not what I am disputing.

 

What I am complaining about is the method of communication which is not fit for purpose in 2015.

 

My primary means of communication today is email, phone and social media.

 

Letters are way down the pecking order.

 

I don't believe sending out an automated letter from a robot is an acceptable or responsible method for something this important.

 

I think it would be a reasonable step for insurers to take. A phone call which lasts a matter of minutes.

[CrappoMan]

Email, phone and social media may be YOUR primary means of communication, but not everyone has an email account or phone.

 

The one thing that everybody who has a policy has, is an address, to which they send important letters. This also creates a paper trail which covers both sides. The T&C's of your policy would state that letters would be sent to the policy address.

 

You might think that letters are old fashioned, and that might be the way everyone thinks of them in the future, but until that happens they are here to stay.

[daniel hughes]

Email, phone and social media may be YOUR primary means of communication, but not everyone has an email account or phone.

 

The one thing that everybody who has a policy has, is an address, to which they send important letters. This also creates a paper trail which covers both sides. The T&C's of your policy would state that letters would be sent to the policy address.

 

You might think that letters are old fashioned, and that might be the way everyone thinks of them in the future, but until that happens they are here to stay.

 

Which does not fit with my preferred method of communication.

 

Letters require rain forest destruction.

 

Your house may burn down due to the additional fire risk they pose.

 

Emails are quick, efficient, easier to organise and store and are available 24/7 where ever you are in the world.

 

It doesn't matter if the postie is sick, the mail is lost or if the weather stops delivery.

 

Email is also FREE.

 

I think you will find that person under a certain age prefer email, social media and telephone.

 

A simple phone call takes a matter of minutes.

[CrappoMan]

I agree with you, email and/or phone would be more convenient for me too, but we are dealing with dinosaur companies who will resist any form of change unless it saves them lots of money.

[daniel hughes]

The realisation of injustice.

 

Followed by anger, determination and focus.

 

Then the simple reality that as with most things with financial services, there is nothing you can do.

 

And the phase of fury is over.

 

Acceptation of dilemma.

 

And there in lies the problem.

 

Most people have not a fat waad to throw at a good lawyer and ask for loss adjustment.

 

And so millions of people every year get screwed over and have to simply accept their position in life.

 

No justice = no consequence = continued lack of ability to defend one self.

 

And so it continues.................................................

[unclebulgaria67]

Before buying the policy, if you had told them that you required all important communications by email and they had agreed to it, then you would have reason to complain. If this is not the case, then the cancellation letter would have been posted to the address on record and you have no basis for any complaint.

[dacouc]

The vast majority of Insurers send letters informing customers of cancellation of their policy by post as it's a legal letter withdrawing insurance and is set out in the laws that cover the Road Traffic Act, by sending a letter by post the law regards the letter as being delivered. Most Insurers would serve such letters by recorded delivery.

 

These are served by letter as most policies state that if the Insurer wants to cancel the policy they will send a letter giving you seven days notice, if they state this in the policy and instead sent you an email or rang you then the policy would not have actually been cancelled leaving the Insurer still liable for claims.

 

The mistakes you made were a) not paying the instalments b) not contacting the Insurer to advise them you were having financial problems c) not informing them of your change of address.

 

Most Insurers would still cancel the policy if you had rung them to tell them you're having problems as it's an automated process.

 

You will not have lost any no claims bonus you accrued before you took out the policy with the Post Office.

 

You now have a cancelled policy on your record that will preclude you with taking out cover with some Insurers, other Insurers will not have an issue with the policy being cancelled for non payment but it's best you check with the Insurer to avoid any potential problems.

 

If you went to a solicitor there's not a lot they can do assuming the Insurer cancelled the policy in line with how it's set out in their policy wording

[Ethel Street]

You're clutching at straws here daniel. As you say yourself, you stopped paying the premium. What did you expect to happen? Of course they cancelled the policy. How they told you it was cancelled isn't really a big issue.