Car insurance ripoff/policy amendment

[Beans57]

I forgot to phone my insurance company to report a collision, subsequently because I renewed they want an additional fee of £825.69 which I find absurd.

The original premium was allready a ripoff at approximately £935

 

I am 26 and consider myself a careful driver,  my car is a Skoda Fabia 1.2 L petrol.

 

I just feel I am being ripped off. Any help/advice appreciated.

[unclebulgaria67]

So third party has made a claim and your Insurers are charging you an amount, as the basis of your policy has changed.

 

Insurance premiums as you know are based on a risk calculation and the accident collision claim has changed the basis of the calculation.

 

Your Insurance company could have cancelled your policy due to previous non disclosure within reasonable time following the accident. And if they had cancelled the policy,  as you would have had to disclose to future Insurers, this would  potentially cost you thousands in additional premiums over a number of years.

 

So yes £825.69 is an expensive lesson, but a lot cheaper than if they had cancelled your policy. They would still chase a debt for an amount based on time on risk and additional charges.

 

Be careful in how you deal with this, as if you refused to pay, they would cancel the policy.

 

Ask for a breakdown calculation to check how the £825.69 was calculated and some time to make arrangements to pay the amount due.

[Anawilliam850]

It is important to report any collision to your insurance company as soon as possible, as failure to do so can result in penalties and fees. In this case, it seems that you did not report the collision in time and as a result, your insurance company is charging you an additional fee.

However, the additional fee seems quite high, and you may want to consider contacting your insurance company to discuss this further. You could ask for a breakdown of the fees and why they are so high, and try to negotiate a lower fee if possible.

It is also worth shopping around for other insurance quotes to see if you can find a better deal. Be sure to disclose your previous collision and any other relevant information when obtaining quotes.

Ultimately, it is important to be responsible and timely when reporting any incidents to your insurance company, as it can affect your premiums and coverage in the future.

[Beans57]

Esure gave me 7 days to pay, so I contacted them by phone within that time (may have been next day) 

 

After being transferred several times and notes being updated it was suggested the value would be settled after the claim itself was resolved, they ignored the fact that payment was time sensitive. I was put through to accounts who told me the amount was due in full and would not accept installments due to the way the policy was 'set up'

 

I decided to e mail the 'Operational Underwriting team' because it seemed to be them who came to the figure that was £825.69 I received an email from an adminsitrator who said to contact customer services. So I replied again saying I had and was not satisfied,  I know this inbox is monitored so persisted.

 

On day 6, knowing my insurance was likely about to be cancelled, I phoned again and spoke to customer services who said they needed to make a 'correction' to the account and quoted a figure of around £432 which seemed a little bit fairer and paid.

 

I am dreading what will happen in September. I am useless at negotiating.

 

I should note that my accident was with a lorry at less than 5mph, he refused to let me merge from the inside lane on a single carriageway road that narrowed. We did exchange details. And despite a lack of damage to his vehicle they still decided to make a claim.

 

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Beans57