Changed address - policy cancelled

[elusiven]

Hi there

 

Just before May I went on to tesco's website to change my policy's address, I completed the form and sent it.

 

Just after that I moved out because the landlord was selling the flat and it was urgent so I had to do this in a hurry. Tesco Bank Car Insurance apparently sent letters to the old address, knewing that I've changed the address with information that the thing that I did online was only a quote and that a change in premium will be made, 20 pounds more per month for changing the address and If I won't contact them within 21 days they have right to cancel the policy. I didn't have the letter and did not read them as I had no access to the old flat, so until few days ago I found that I was driving without insurance when I called them up and wanted to upgrade my breakdown cover . Apparently they sent me emails (which i have not received) and post.. I also found that from my old landlord that there was no letters from tesco.. All this just before my +1 year of ncd. The fact that they didn't call me or text me is disgusting (they had my number yet not tried to contact). So I had NO WAY of knowing about this.. I called them and they explained everything, and they said they can't do anything now since its too late, they canceled the policy.. So i asked them for proof of postage on the mails and emails and they said they don't have any proof... Is there anything then I can do or did they just screwed me up?

 

p.s; they were still taking money out of my account so even that gave me an impression that everything is good.

 

Thanks for any advice.. Ask more questions if you need to.

Edited June 25, 2016 by elusiven

[BankFodder]

Thank you. This is a pretty amazing story.

 

So just to clarify – you informed Tesco's of your change of address. You gave them your new address but despite this they wrote to your old address and of course you are no longer there.

Please could you give us a few dates. When did you inform them of the change of address. What date did you move? Until what date did they keep on taking money from you? What date did you find out that they had cancel the insurance?

 

In other words, please would you try and give us a bullet pointed chronology which will help us to understand a bit more clearly the situation.

 

All insurance companies have a duty to treat you fairly and also to communicate with you fairly. They are required to do this by the FCA ICOBS regulations and it seems to me that from what you say here they are in breach.

 

I would suggest that you start gathering some information before you make any further complaint.

 

I suggest that you implement the advice in our customer services guide and then have some phone calls with them and see what you can get them to say. More than one phone call will get you more than one version, possibly.

 

Also, I would send them an SAR straightaway to find out exactly what they have got. Whether or not the letters were at your old address, the fact is that they have admitted that they have sent the letters to your old address and this is quite enough to demonstrate a breach of their obligations, I would say.

 

Are you insured now? Is it with the same company or through somebody different? Have you been penalised at all because an insurance policy has been cancelled by the insurer? I'm afraid that you are under an obligation to disclose this regardless of the circumstances.

 

You ask and you do anything. Yes, I think you can do quite a lot but first of all I think you should collect the information and then let us know what you find and then we can advise you as to action.

 

I'm sure that you eventually you will be able to have your insurance restored if you want it. That you will have the matter deleted from their files so that you are under no obligation to disclose an insurer-cancellation for any future insurance applications. I think also that you will be able to obtain some compensation.

 

Also, are you in credit to them. In other words do they owe you any money?

[unclebulgaria67]

Without knowing anything about Tesco customer log in to policies to do change of addresses, it is difficult to comment. You need to find out what information was on the Tesco screens you completed. Perhaps Tesco only allow you to get indicative quotes for change of address and the address was not changed on the policy. Does not explain why they did not write to your new address, on the basis you might have moved already.

 

Suggest you write to Tesco Insurance head of customer service with an urgent complaint. Their process appears flawed, as in this situation where the change of address is notified by online log in, the staff in customer services write to the old address advising policy will be cancelled if the change of address is not confirmed. This is because until you confirm the change of address on the actual policy, any letters on the Insurers system will go to whatever address is held on the actual policy, unless the staff do a manual letter. I know the landlord says letters not received, but they might not have been passed on any way. The point is that Tesco should not be writing to old address any way.

 

Tesco can resinstate a policy cancelled in error, change the address and adjust the premium. But Insurers don't like doing this, because of the requirement legally to provide accurate information to the Motor Insurance Database. Their reluctance is misplaced, as their IT staff can reinstate the policy record from the cancelled date to correct the error and the customer service staff can then do what they need to do.

 

If you search online you will find many complaints about Tesco Insurance cancelling policies, often because their admin processes appear to be flawed. They then make it worse by having customer services who don't seem to care about customer service.