Giving back motor insurance certificate
Giving back motor insurance certificate
Author
Discussion

jonah35

Original Poster:

3,940 posts

188 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
My car insurance has expired. The car is no longer mine anyway.

The insurer are asking me to send back the motor insurance certificate.

I don't know or really care where it is as the insurance has expired.

What do they do if I don't send it back?

Ps why should I take the time to find it, write a letter, post it and pay for a stamp?

Very petty but I hate rules like this.

TheEnd

15,370 posts

219 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
It's funnier when they email the certificate and ask you to return that instead.

jonah35

Original Poster:

3,940 posts

188 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Funnily enough it may have even been emailed. Was with admiral. I cant remember, I just know when I'm insured I ring them if theres a problem but I didn't claim etc.

Their letters are shirty.

bobfett

144 posts

148 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
When I cancelled with Admiral (yep, electronic certificate IIRC), I'm sure I just filled in an online form that was policy number related. Looked around their online portal?

Bingo: https://secure.admiral.com/surrender-certificate

Edited by bobfett on Friday 8th August 15:33

minky monkey

1,567 posts

197 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
When I closed my firm, the insurance wanted the certificate back. Couldn't find it, so made a statutory declaration at a solicitors. Cost me a tenner.

Motorrad

6,811 posts

218 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
I always send it back to them.

Except I don't.

If they ask about it I tell them I have.

Personally I'd like to charge the s a 100 quid admin fee for doing it but obviously that won't fly. Instead I ask them to provide me with proof it hasn't arrived.

Did I mention insurance companies and brokers are s?

anonymous-user

85 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
I have never returned an insurance cert and have never been chased to do so. What's the insurer going to do? Put you on the naughty step? Give you a hard stare?

Red Devil

13,530 posts

239 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
jonah35 said:
My car insurance has expired. The car is no longer mine anyway.

The insurer are asking me to send back the motor insurance certificate.

I don't know or really care where it is as the insurance has expired.

What do they do if I don't send it back?

Ps why should I take the time to find it, write a letter, post it and pay for a stamp?

Very petty but I hate rules like this.
Why should you? Because Parliament has decreed that you must. See Section 147(4).
If the certificate was issued electronically you can cancel by the same method - see subsection (4D)(a).

Failure to do so is an offence. What action will the insurer take if you don't? As I have never had to test it, I don't know. I doubt they would grass you up to the state though. As insurers share information I suspect there are other ways they could make life difficult for you.



PurpleMoonlight

22,362 posts

188 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Red Devil said:
Why should you? Because Parliament has decreed that you must. See Section 147(4).
If the certificate was issued electronically you can cancel by the same method - see subsection (4D)(a).

Except the insurance wasn't cancelled it expired at the end of the term.

gshughes

1,352 posts

286 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Have cancelled a policy before - the written t&cs stated that I MUST return the certificate. When I phoned up to cancel I asked for an SAE to return it, and they said "oh don't bother, no need to return". Never heard anything more on the matter.

Snowboy

8,028 posts

182 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
I think they have a,legal obligation to ask you to return it to prevent false docs from being used by naughty people.

So, they have to ask.
But, they really don't care whether you actually send it back or not.

burwoodman

18,718 posts

277 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Snowboy said:
I think they have a,legal obligation to ask you to return it to prevent false docs from being used by naughty people.

So, they have to ask.
But, they really don't care whether you actually send it back or not.
used for what though. The police call to check whether a certificate is genuine

Motorrad

6,811 posts

218 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
It's an anachronism. You don't really need to send it back, you just have to say you have done if it comes down to it.

BTW I obviously did.^


^apart from the fact I chucked all their useless st in the bin once they decided to price gouge me like the useless, robbing s they surely are biggrin. Or obviously not because I didn't do that. The s. biggrin

TwigtheWonderkid

49,231 posts

181 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Motorrad said:
It's an anachronism. You don't really need to send it back, you just have to say you have done if it comes down to it.

BTW I obviously did.^


^apart from the fact I chucked all their useless st in the bin once they decided to price gouge me like the useless, robbing s they surely are biggrin. Or obviously not because I didn't do that. The s. biggrin
Bloody hell mate, what is your issue. Did your wife run off with your insurance broker?

Motorrad

6,811 posts

218 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Bloody hell mate, what is your issue. Did your wife run off with your insurance broker?
I never married because I'm a rampant homosexual, but only with insurance brokers or those in the industry though, the fickle bhes. frown

Mound Dawg

1,931 posts

205 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
Motorrad said:
I never married because I'm a rampant homosexual, but only with insurance brokers or those in the industry though, the fickle bhes. frown

Huff

3,447 posts

222 months

Friday 8th August 2014
quotequote all
It's an anachronism. I recently sold a car c.3weeks before ins. renewal was due, so called to cancel policy and also ensure no auto-renewal fee take - and had an email to acknowledge in my inbox within 3mins of putting the phone down!

elanfan

5,527 posts

258 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
jonah35 said:
My car insurance has expired. The car is no longer mine anyway.

The insurer are asking me to send back the motor insurance certificate.

I don't know or really care where it is as the insurance has expired.

What do they do if I don't send it back?

Ps why should I take the time to find it, write a letter, post it and pay for a stamp?

Very petty but I hate rules like this.
You sure they haven't auto-renewed your policy? I should check your DD's. As far as I am aware no insurers ask for expired certificates back. They have little validity thesedays as the Police most often check anyway in case you haven't kept up the payments and the cert isn't valid anyway.

ooo000ooo

2,647 posts

225 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
TheEnd said:
It's funnier when they email the certificate and ask you to return that instead.
I had that when i changed cars mid policy, they asked me to email them and write on it that it was an electronic cert and there was nothing to return smile

Red Devil

13,530 posts

239 months

Saturday 9th August 2014
quotequote all
PurpleMoonlight said:
Red Devil said:
Why should you? Because Parliament has decreed that you must. See Section 147(4).
If the certificate was issued electronically you can cancel by the same method - see subsection (4D)(a).

Except the insurance wasn't cancelled it expired at the end of the term.
Fair point. I must learn to read properly. wink
There is nothing in the legislation AFAICS which mandates it.
Under those circumstances their request makes no sense to me.

Snowboy said:
I think they have a,legal obligation to ask you to return it to prevent false docs from being used by naughty people.

So, they have to ask.
But, they really don't care whether you actually send it back or not.
In the case of cancellation, the law imposes the obligation on the policyholder. None that I can see on the insurer. Where a certificate has expired it won't deter naughty people from creating a separate false document beforehand. Asking for it back is like bolting the stable door when the horse is already halfway across the next county.

Edited by Red Devil on Saturday 9th August 18:30