Broker threatening to cancel insurance!
Discussion
Just bought a new (to me) car; same as my old one but newer and more valuable.
Having done a quick go-compare, it looked sensible to me to transfer the new car onto the existing policy and insure the current car on a new policy, third-party, zero NCB.
I contacted my original broker to ask about a change of vehicle on the policy however the fee quoted to change was going to be almost as much as original policy even though we are already three months in (£140 to change on a policy that cost £168 originally!).
Told the phone monkey not to bother, leave the original vehicle on cover and I will insure the new one elsewhere (already been quoted £250'ish for a new comp policy, even with zero NCB).
His response was that, now I have informed them I want to change, they either have to process the change or cancel the policy!
Obviously, I told him not to be silly, at which point he became quite aggressive and horrible and I hung up.
Anyone come across this sort of nonsense before?
Having done a quick go-compare, it looked sensible to me to transfer the new car onto the existing policy and insure the current car on a new policy, third-party, zero NCB.
I contacted my original broker to ask about a change of vehicle on the policy however the fee quoted to change was going to be almost as much as original policy even though we are already three months in (£140 to change on a policy that cost £168 originally!).
Told the phone monkey not to bother, leave the original vehicle on cover and I will insure the new one elsewhere (already been quoted £250'ish for a new comp policy, even with zero NCB).
His response was that, now I have informed them I want to change, they either have to process the change or cancel the policy!
Obviously, I told him not to be silly, at which point he became quite aggressive and horrible and I hung up.
Anyone come across this sort of nonsense before?
No - you called to find out the cost to change. They can't make you change. Cancelling your policy for those reasons is unfair. I'm guessing the person/company is an idiot, or there is more to the story.
Email/write a letter of complaint. Ask for a deadlock letter to go to the Financial Ombudsman. It costs them£650 even if they win, so they are unlikely to want it to escalate. If they refuse a deadlock letter, after 8 weeks you can go to the financial ombudsman anyway. For that reason make sure you have either emailed or got recorder delivery.
I'd personally write to the CEO and the complaints department. But that's just me.
I've threatened the Financial Ombudsman many times, however I've never had to use them. I think that says an awful lot.
They are truly on the side of the consumer. It's a shame more people don't use them.
Email/write a letter of complaint. Ask for a deadlock letter to go to the Financial Ombudsman. It costs them£650 even if they win, so they are unlikely to want it to escalate. If they refuse a deadlock letter, after 8 weeks you can go to the financial ombudsman anyway. For that reason make sure you have either emailed or got recorder delivery.
I'd personally write to the CEO and the complaints department. But that's just me.
I've threatened the Financial Ombudsman many times, however I've never had to use them. I think that says an awful lot.
They are truly on the side of the consumer. It's a shame more people don't use them.
lookingforajob said:
No - you called to find out the cost to change. They can't make you change. Cancelling your policy for those reasons is unfair. I'm guessing the person/company is an idiot, or there is more to the story.
Email/write a letter of complaint. Ask for a deadlock letter to go to the Financial Ombudsman. It costs them£650 even if they win, so they are unlikely to want it to escalate. If they refuse a deadlock letter, after 8 weeks you can go to the financial ombudsman anyway. For that reason make sure you have either emailed or got recorder delivery.
I'd personally write to the CEO and the complaints department. But that's just me.
I've threatened the Financial Ombudsman many times, however I've never had to use them. I think that says an awful lot.
They are truly on the side of the consumer. It's a shame more people don't use them.
+1 for Financial Ombudsman. First regulator I have dealt with that the members fear/respect. Once the companies got a letter from FO, they miraculously resolved issues that had been ongoing for over 3 monthsEmail/write a letter of complaint. Ask for a deadlock letter to go to the Financial Ombudsman. It costs them£650 even if they win, so they are unlikely to want it to escalate. If they refuse a deadlock letter, after 8 weeks you can go to the financial ombudsman anyway. For that reason make sure you have either emailed or got recorder delivery.
I'd personally write to the CEO and the complaints department. But that's just me.
I've threatened the Financial Ombudsman many times, however I've never had to use them. I think that says an awful lot.
They are truly on the side of the consumer. It's a shame more people don't use them.
More teeth than the likes of the Local Govt Ombudsman, Information Commissioners Office e.t.c
Eclassy said:
+1 for Financial Ombudsman. First regulator I have dealt with that the members fear/respect. Once the companies got a letter from FO, they miraculously resolved issues that had been ongoing for over 3 months
More teeth than the likes of the Local Govt Ombudsman, Information Commissioners Office e.t.c
I'd go as far as to say that the system is weighted against the banks and the insurance companies. I am really surprised that more people don't threaten the ombudsman when it comes to debating write off values for cars. Even if you lose, it costs the insurers £650. And it only binds them and not you. You can still go to court and argue it out if you are inclined. More teeth than the likes of the Local Govt Ombudsman, Information Commissioners Office e.t.c
Overall I love the FOS - as I said I've never used them but a quick letter asking for a deadlock letter has probably netted me around 10k so far. You don't even need to be right in terms of small print, it's all about "treating consumers fairly". I also love the 8 week time limit - it really does get the ball rolling.
dacouch said:
They may be assuming you've sold the old car which would make most Insurers/Brokers want you to cancel the policy.
Have you tried ringing back to explain the situation to someone else?
Yep, do you still have the first car?Have you tried ringing back to explain the situation to someone else?
If it's sold, that will be against the terms of the original policy where you would have signed up as the owner.
Eclassy said:
lookingforajob said:
No - you called to find out the cost to change. They can't make you change. Cancelling your policy for those reasons is unfair. I'm guessing the person/company is an idiot, or there is more to the story.
Email/write a letter of complaint. Ask for a deadlock letter to go to the Financial Ombudsman. It costs them£650 even if they win, so they are unlikely to want it to escalate. If they refuse a deadlock letter, after 8 weeks you can go to the financial ombudsman anyway. For that reason make sure you have either emailed or got recorder delivery.
I'd personally write to the CEO and the complaints department. But that's just me.
I've threatened the Financial Ombudsman many times, however I've never had to use them. I think that says an awful lot.
They are truly on the side of the consumer. It's a shame more people don't use them.
+1 for Financial Ombudsman. First regulator I have dealt with that the members fear/respect. Once the companies got a letter from FO, they miraculously resolved issues that had been ongoing for over 3 monthsEmail/write a letter of complaint. Ask for a deadlock letter to go to the Financial Ombudsman. It costs them£650 even if they win, so they are unlikely to want it to escalate. If they refuse a deadlock letter, after 8 weeks you can go to the financial ombudsman anyway. For that reason make sure you have either emailed or got recorder delivery.
I'd personally write to the CEO and the complaints department. But that's just me.
I've threatened the Financial Ombudsman many times, however I've never had to use them. I think that says an awful lot.
They are truly on the side of the consumer. It's a shame more people don't use them.
More teeth than the likes of the Local Govt Ombudsman, Information Commissioners Office e.t.c
dacouch said:
They may be assuming you've sold the old car which would make most Insurers/Brokers want you to cancel the policy.
Have you tried ringing back to explain the situation to someone else?
Very much this. If they think you've sold the car they'll be very keen to get it off their books - otherwise if the new owner didn't insure it they could end up having to pick up the bill if he has an accident. Did you make it clear that you're keeping the old car?Have you tried ringing back to explain the situation to someone else?
First prt of call is to phone back and make sure they understand the situation properly, if necessary asking to speak to someone more senior than the person who answers the phone. If that gives you no joy you can start to think about formal complaints and ultimately the ombudsman.
lookingforajob said:
I'd go as far as to say that the system is weighted against the banks and the insurance companies. I am really surprised that more people don't threaten the ombudsman when it comes to debating write off values for cars. Even if you lose, it costs the insurers £650. And it only binds them and not you. You can still go to court and argue it out if you are inclined.
Overall I love the FOS - as I said I've never used them but a quick letter asking for a deadlock letter has probably netted me around 10k so far. You don't even need to be right in terms of small print, it's all about "treating consumers fairly". I also love the 8 week time limit - it really does get the ball rolling.
So does that mean, even if the InsCo offers me a fair value for the car, I might be able to screw up to another £600 out of them by threatening them with FOS?Overall I love the FOS - as I said I've never used them but a quick letter asking for a deadlock letter has probably netted me around 10k so far. You don't even need to be right in terms of small print, it's all about "treating consumers fairly". I also love the 8 week time limit - it really does get the ball rolling.
Countdown said:
So does that mean, even if the InsCo offers me a fair value for the car, I might be able to screw up to another £600 out of them by threatening them with FOS?
I've no idea - I've never had any reason to battle with an insurance company. However if there first offer was fair and reasonable (you are happy with it) I am sure if you kicked up a fuss you would be able to get a little more. Ultimately if it's going to cost them £650 and then they will have the hassle of dealing with the ombudsman they would be crazy to not offer you an extra £500 to resolve your complaint.
Also your complaint wouldn't just have to be about the settlement figure - you could find a whole host of reasons why they have not treated you fairly if you were so inclined. The FOS often demands compensation for people who have not been treated fairly, or in a timely manner.
Edited by lookingforajob on Sunday 10th August 19:59
lookingforajob said:
Countdown said:
So does that mean, even if the InsCo offers me a fair value for the car, I might be able to screw up to another £600 out of them by threatening them with FOS?
I've no idea - I've never had any reason to battle with an insurance company. However if there first offer was fair and reasonable (you are happy with it) I am sure if you kicked up a fuss you would be able to get a little more. Ultimately if it's going to cost them £650 and then they will have the hassle of dealing with the ombudsman they would be crazy to not offer you an extra £500 to resolve your complaint.
Also your complaint wouldn't just have to be about the settlement figure - you could find a whole host of reasons why they have not treated you fairly if you were so inclined. The FOS often demands compensation for people who have not been treated fairly, or in a timely manner.
Edited by lookingforajob on Sunday 10th August 19:59
eldar said:
LoonR1 said:
We don't fear the FOS at all. Quite where people get this drivel from is beyond me.
I assume that is because you stick to the rules and behave responsibly?My question with the oP's issue is how has it disadvantaged him? Sure, he spoke to a muppet, but the broker needs to solve that, the FOS can't.
LoonR1 said:
We don't fear the FOS at all. Quite where people get this drivel from is beyond me.
Assuming you work/have worked for a large insurance company. Are you saying in your opinion people will not be more likely to get a favourable outcome if they threaten to involve the FOS? Indeed the same goes for people advertising their displeasure on social media. Do you not feel that makes a difference?My tactic whenever I've ever had to deal with any sort of financial institution is to record calls (without informing), as call centre staff are generally happy to be rude, unhelpful and incriminate their organisation thus helping me out immensely. At the end of the call I will inform them off this, usually to get a response along the lines of me having to inform them at the start of the call. I point out I don't and move on.
I then use social media to advertise my terrible service/situation, and finally write to the CEO and complaints department stating I need a deadlock letter and outlining my disgust and upset. Generally I get a call back the same day from a manager asking me what has happened.
None of that would be required if the staff were universally polite and helpful. However faced with my evidence I have never so far failed to get the outcome which I want. I generally also get a reasonable amount of compensation for my upset.
lookingforajob said:
Assuming you work/have worked for a large insurance company. Are you saying in your opinion people will not be more likely to get a favourable outcome if they threaten to involve the FOS? Indeed the same goes for people advertising their displeasure on social media. Do you not feel that makes a difference?
My tactic whenever I've ever had to deal with any sort of financial institution is to record calls (without informing), as call centre staff are generally happy to be rude, unhelpful and incriminate their organisation thus helping me out immensely. At the end of the call I will inform them off this, usually to get a response along the lines of me having to inform them at the start of the call. I point out I don't and move on.
I then use social media to advertise my terrible service/situation, and finally write to the CEO and complaints department stating I need a deadlock letter and outlining my disgust and upset. Generally I get a call back the same day from a manager asking me what has happened.
None of that would be required if the staff were universally polite and helpful. However faced with my evidence I have never so far failed to get the outcome which I want. I generally also get a reasonable amount of compensation for my upset.
My tactic whenever I've ever had to deal with any sort of financial institution is to record calls (without informing), as call centre staff are generally happy to be rude, unhelpful and incriminate their organisation thus helping me out immensely. At the end of the call I will inform them off this, usually to get a response along the lines of me having to inform them at the start of the call. I point out I don't and move on.
I then use social media to advertise my terrible service/situation, and finally write to the CEO and complaints department stating I need a deadlock letter and outlining my disgust and upset. Generally I get a call back the same day from a manager asking me what has happened.
None of that would be required if the staff were universally polite and helpful. However faced with my evidence I have never so far failed to get the outcome which I want. I generally also get a reasonable amount of compensation for my upset.
Good for you.
Threatening the FOS makes me think your a cock sprocket.
"Most" people on the phone are only trying to help you. I'm not there to screw you out of money, mess up your day or the other many things that get punted at me all day every day.
"Most" people on the phone are only trying to help you. I'm not there to screw you out of money, mess up your day or the other many things that get punted at me all day every day.
- ETA: Just like to say I'm often threatened with it when its completely out of my control <sarcasm> Unfortunately the FOS cannot make the third party accept liability when you have hit them in the rear, or have pulled from a side road nor will they side with you when you think your car is worth more than the three guide values I have given you and the market evidence too. Believe it not they will also not force me to repair your £2000 car when it requires £8000 of repairs. However if we have genuinely caused material loss, inconvenience or distress I will be doing my utmost to put it right - not because I'm scared of FOS more so that I feel bad it happened in the first place.
Edited by nipsips on Sunday 10th August 21:19
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff