Bit of help embarrassing an insurance company please!

[xRIEx]

PaulG40 said:

aswell as contacting the Insurance Ombudsman??

The FOS won't do anything until the matter has been through the company's complaints procedure.

OP, you'll most likely have a page with your original documents called something like "What to do if you have a complaint." Have a read of it.

[Gregewazix]

Cheers guys, some more calls and the threat of more publicity got an apology and promise of a refund of my remaining policy and waiving the cancellation fee even though the 'computer still says no'. I won't use them again as they don't actually have a customer service call centre or telephone number I had to use a hacked number published on the web. Lesson learnt

[V8LM]

V8LM said:

"MINI Cooper SD 5 Door Hatchback 1995 cc" is listed on QMH's website.

Is you car different then?

[Gregewazix]

V8LM said:

Is you car different then?

Yes its different, it's the new 1499cc petrol 5 door Cooper chilli, apart from the engine the base, pepper and Chilli are regarded as separate models and insurance groups are therefore different as well, Quote Me Happy don't list some new mini models so wont insure them(not naming and shaming just a fact confirmed by QMH).

[silentbrown]

Gregewazix said:

If I don't pay the cancellation fee they won't supply the proof of NCB

IT should be on your old renewal documentation, assuming you have it. Send your new insurer a photocopy of that.

[TankRizzo]

To thicken the plot somewhat, part of my remit at work is a large salary sacrifice system which interfaces with an insurance broker linked to Aviva. If we can't retrieve an insurance cost for a car then they don't show up on the system as selectable.

Yours definitely appears to be..

[Gregewazix]

TankRizzo said:

To thicken the plot somewhat, part of my remit at work is a large salary sacrifice system which interfaces with an insurance broker linked to Aviva. If we can't retrieve an insurance cost for a car then they don't show up on the system as selectable.

Yours definitely appears to be..

As you say Aviva and Quote me Happy are the same company, I've re checked QMH the model is still not listed, crazy. I suppose it's a case of getting the customer service you pay for, QMH are cheap which isn't always the same as being good value.

[PurpleMeanie]

Gregewazix said:

As you say Aviva and Quote me Happy are the same company, I've re checked QMH the model is still not listed, crazy. I suppose it's a case of getting the customer service you pay for, QMH are cheap which isn't always the same as being good value.

But they don't us the same system (fact, not opinion BTW).

The ABI vehicle codes (what used to be code 44 and supplied now by Thatcham) do not list the chilli pack as a separate model. You can check on the Thatcham site.

Any company using the base Vehicle list will have the same issue. Some organisations will create their own groups, and no doubt Aviva have done this. This has been a problem for the "is it a model or not" mini for years.

To reduce overheads, a "low cost" insurer won't want to be manually updating lists all the time, or doing bespoke underwriting. Or even, as you have found, providing a phone service when they are explicitly "online only".

Whilst it is obviously a complete PITA in your situation, I think it is at least somewhat understandable that a "no frills" online only insurer would do this to keep costs down.

[PurpleMeanie]

TankRizzo said:

To thicken the plot somewhat, part of my remit at work is a large salary sacrifice system which interfaces with an insurance broker linked to Aviva. If we can't retrieve an insurance cost for a car then they don't show up on the system as selectable.

Yours definitely appears to be..

As above, no plot thickening. Different systems between the "self serve" QMH platform and Aviva broker. They share some back end processing as they are the same company, but the front end is different.