Weird Car Insurance Question
Discussion
Renewal due in a few weeks so been shopping around online for best quotes for next year.
My renewal docs were not yet in from my current insurer of the last 4/5 years, lets call them Giraffe...
So I called the renewals team on Wednesday to ask if they could tell me over the phone what the figure was, for a lump sum rather than my current monthly arrangement.
The girl on the end of the phone tells me she cant confirm the figure as there is going to be £19 owing at the end of my current policy for some reason. She said she would look into it and call me back when she was back in the office on Friday.
Calls back today....and the £19 is right, I will owe them it at the end of the policy and its due to changes in my circumstances...and had I been getting quotes online as this is where they got their infomation from.... I ran through my details and they were all the same for my potential new policy, other than that my miles will be slightly higher next as I'll be driving to work more often - a car share colleague is leaving... She tells me this is a change in my circumstances and they've charged me an adjustment on my current policy....!
No letters send out or anything. Sounds a bit silly to me ? Anyone come across this before, insurers changing your policy details, pricing etc of their own accord ?
I was put through to a supervisor who upheld what the girl said.
Think I will stick my neck out and say I wont be a Giraffe customer come renewal date (see what I did there...)
My renewal docs were not yet in from my current insurer of the last 4/5 years, lets call them Giraffe...
So I called the renewals team on Wednesday to ask if they could tell me over the phone what the figure was, for a lump sum rather than my current monthly arrangement.
The girl on the end of the phone tells me she cant confirm the figure as there is going to be £19 owing at the end of my current policy for some reason. She said she would look into it and call me back when she was back in the office on Friday.
Calls back today....and the £19 is right, I will owe them it at the end of the policy and its due to changes in my circumstances...and had I been getting quotes online as this is where they got their infomation from.... I ran through my details and they were all the same for my potential new policy, other than that my miles will be slightly higher next as I'll be driving to work more often - a car share colleague is leaving... She tells me this is a change in my circumstances and they've charged me an adjustment on my current policy....!
No letters send out or anything. Sounds a bit silly to me ? Anyone come across this before, insurers changing your policy details, pricing etc of their own accord ?
I was put through to a supervisor who upheld what the girl said.
Think I will stick my neck out and say I wont be a Giraffe customer come renewal date (see what I did there...)
Edited by MondeoMan1981 on Friday 16th April 20:50
i see what you did.... rather good.
i'm pretty sure if you fight this, you'll win, argeered contract law, you agreed on the contract of insurance you have currently and all you need to do is say your higher mileage doesn't come into effect untill the new policy would begin, therefor not breaking the agreed terms of your current contract and not being charged extra.
i'm pretty sure if you fight this, you'll win, argeered contract law, you agreed on the contract of insurance you have currently and all you need to do is say your higher mileage doesn't come into effect untill the new policy would begin, therefor not breaking the agreed terms of your current contract and not being charged extra.
Spot on Eltax - one more payment due and if its not the amount expected the Direct Debit Guarantee will be getting invoked.... thereafter its cancelled.
Funnily enough, their renewal quote, which she did give me today and I didnt mention, is £19 more than the best price on the comparison site I used....
Funnily enough, their renewal quote, which she did give me today and I didnt mention, is £19 more than the best price on the comparison site I used....
Update on this....
Following my incident with Giraffe insurance, I was checking quotes on comparison sites again when a company from the same group, lets call them "Navy General" popped up with the best quote...
So I called giraffe to go through my details one last time before telling them to shove it, and they give me an annual quote of £329, compared to Navy General's £225 - for the exact same cover , same policy with name changes !
I questioned Giraffe on this and the member of staff there told me my Giraffe quote was for paying up monthly and she could give me a quote for a one off payment....but I'd have to give her my debit card details and payment wouldnt come off til the policy due date.... I explained I wasnt renewing, only wanting a flamin' quote..... no could do.
Think I'll be writing off to the insurance regulator about this lot, I see numerous posts on here too about rip off renewal quotes and issues on their "several vehicle" policy.
Following my incident with Giraffe insurance, I was checking quotes on comparison sites again when a company from the same group, lets call them "Navy General" popped up with the best quote...
So I called giraffe to go through my details one last time before telling them to shove it, and they give me an annual quote of £329, compared to Navy General's £225 - for the exact same cover , same policy with name changes !
I questioned Giraffe on this and the member of staff there told me my Giraffe quote was for paying up monthly and she could give me a quote for a one off payment....but I'd have to give her my debit card details and payment wouldnt come off til the policy due date.... I explained I wasnt renewing, only wanting a flamin' quote..... no could do.
Think I'll be writing off to the insurance regulator about this lot, I see numerous posts on here too about rip off renewal quotes and issues on their "several vehicle" policy.
Finally got an answer on the extra charges... well not an answer but some form of explaination, and they have written it off !
Giraffe said:
"XXXXXXX referred this to our Pricing Department and they confirmed this was valid due to status changes on the policy. Although this information is correct, to fully understand it requires a greater understanding of our entire rating structure, which is not something that is easy to explain. Therefore, I have issued a reduction of £19.30 on your policy and this means your renewal quote is now £3XX.XX.
I would also like to refer to our policy booklet ‘Your cover with Giraffe’. Under General Conditions of your cover, it says:
“In the event of a change to your policy or should we be required to reissue documentation, we may charge an administration fee. We reserve the right to alter this fee without notice”.
Turning to your point regarding the fact we take card details for a quote, I should explain the reasons for this. When a customer changes their payment method from direct debit to a one off charge, we generally ask for card details to give a quote. However, this does not mean a customer is under any obligation to accept the price we offer. I can confirm the annual premium to pay your policy by card is £2XX.XX. Please contact our Renewals Department before the xx/xx/2010 to let us know if you would like to renew your policy with Giraffe.
I am sorry you found it necessary to complain as we take customer satisfaction seriously. I understand you may remain disappointed but I hope I have explained the reasons for our actions"
Doesnt really explain it fully, but there we go ! I called up after getting the email back and they have price matched Navy General's quote , so I'll probably stick with it, given I got a reply from a UK based person within 24 hours, not bad service...
Giraffe said:
"XXXXXXX referred this to our Pricing Department and they confirmed this was valid due to status changes on the policy. Although this information is correct, to fully understand it requires a greater understanding of our entire rating structure, which is not something that is easy to explain. Therefore, I have issued a reduction of £19.30 on your policy and this means your renewal quote is now £3XX.XX.
I would also like to refer to our policy booklet ‘Your cover with Giraffe’. Under General Conditions of your cover, it says:
“In the event of a change to your policy or should we be required to reissue documentation, we may charge an administration fee. We reserve the right to alter this fee without notice”.
Turning to your point regarding the fact we take card details for a quote, I should explain the reasons for this. When a customer changes their payment method from direct debit to a one off charge, we generally ask for card details to give a quote. However, this does not mean a customer is under any obligation to accept the price we offer. I can confirm the annual premium to pay your policy by card is £2XX.XX. Please contact our Renewals Department before the xx/xx/2010 to let us know if you would like to renew your policy with Giraffe.
I am sorry you found it necessary to complain as we take customer satisfaction seriously. I understand you may remain disappointed but I hope I have explained the reasons for our actions"
Doesnt really explain it fully, but there we go ! I called up after getting the email back and they have price matched Navy General's quote , so I'll probably stick with it, given I got a reply from a UK based person within 24 hours, not bad service...
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