Car Insurance - Warning

[Mr Trophy]

Pistonheads,

Just to make you all aware, it would appear that a certain car insurance company (can I name them or is that shaming them)? Have for some reason stopped automatic renewal.

I phoned last month and got the new price, fine by me, and just let nature take it's course. Yesterday, I was handed a letter, which was from said company. I thought, it's just conformation of new price, details etc. It was infact a letter from them stating that tomorrow (today) my insurance runs out and they're worried that if I don't phone up to say "go ahead" I will no longer be insured.

I've been with said company for the last 4 years and always let it auto renew itself.

I've been a lucky boy this time, so I am passing this on to make others aware.

[steveeeW]

I believe most, if not all insurance companies do this know. It's so they get confirmation of you staying with them, as I believe others have caught out, thinking it wouldn't renew, so went ahead with another, cheaper car insurance quote & the other one automatically renewing. Could be completely wrong though...

[Captain Muppet]

The important thing to remember is that if you have been confused by this issue on the internet the insurance company will still send you a letter to your house which makes the situation clear.

[Riley Blue]

To hell with automatic renewal; every year, for each of my cars, I shop around for the best quote. Not doing so is as bad as keeping with the same gas or electricity provider year after year.

[B'stard Child]

Mr Trophy said:

Pistonheads,

Just to make you all aware, it would appear that a certain car insurance company (can I name them or is that shaming them)? Have for some reason stopped automatic renewal

Good - it's caught me out a few times when the renewal quote has been uncompetative and I've shopped around and moved companies - then they take the premium anyway.

And yes on the last occasion I had told them they would not get my repeat business!

[catman]

I would never allow auto renewal. I always shop around every year. I'm with Aviva now, and they've been competative at renewal time, without the need for haggling.

I would never take for granted though, that they always will be the cheapest.

Tim

[B'stard Child]

catman said:

I would never allow auto renewal. I always shop around every year. I'm with Aviva now, and they've been competative at renewal time, without the need for haggling.

I would never take for granted though, that they always will be the cheapest.

Tim

Funnily enough they got my business for a couple of years and were competitive on renewals too till the last one.

[Dave Hedgehog]

only a fool auto renews, i typically save 40% each year by shopping around

[chrispj]

Good! The last one was so sure I would auto renew they sent the next year's certificate of insurance with the renewal pack. Then when I switched (not just because of their laughable renewable premium) they sent me a rather heavy handed letter telling me I was committing a crime if I didn't send the certificate back to them. Never asked them to send me the damn thing in the first place.

[astirling]

Dave Hedgehog said:

only a fool auto renews, i typically save 40% each year by shopping around

If that was the case every year then surely you get down to free car insurance pretty quickly?

[timbo999]

astirling said:

If that was the case every year then surely you get down to free car insurance pretty quickly?

Nope - vanishing small admittedly, but never free...

/pedant mode

[TwigtheWonderkid]

astirling said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

only a fool auto renews, i typically save 40% each year by shopping around

If that was the case every year then surely you get down to free car insurance pretty quickly?

Maths fail.

[The Moose]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

astirling said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

only a fool auto renews, i typically save 40% each year by shopping around

If that was the case every year then surely you get down to free car insurance pretty quickly?

Maths fail.

Well, near as damn it free anyway...

[KungFuPanda]

Seems like the insurers can't win on this occasion as I've seen many threads in the past where people have moaned about their insurer auto renewing their policy and taking the premium from their bank account.

[CharlesAL]

That's good. Every time my insurance runs out it's cheaper to move to a different insurer than it is to renew. This just makes it easier.

I don't think it's right that an insurer can just go ahead and renew itself every year unless you tell them not to anyway.

[Mound Dawg]

When I worked in motor insurance my employer introduced automatic renewal for people who paid on instalments. Massively unpopular but oddly, only with people who couldn't be arsed with actually reading the renewal notice we sent which told them we'd do this and went elsewhere without telling us.

Of course, for people who paid in one go and weren't automatically renewed then crashed their car six months later. Well, that was our fault too.

Damned if you do...

[sday12]

Mound Dawg said:

When I worked in motor insurance my employer introduced automatic renewal for people who paid on instalments. Massively unpopular but oddly, only with people who couldn't be arsed with actually reading the renewal notice we sent which told them we'd do this and went elsewhere without telling us.

Of course, for people who paid in one go and weren't automatically renewed then crashed their car six months later. Well, that was our fault too.

Damned if you do...

Why should I read your renewal notice? I didn't ask for it. I paid for a years insurance, not two. When did insurance companies start making my decisions for me?

Damned insurance companies have been running this scam for too long.

[Riknos]

Auto renewal is a scam, they punish you for being lazy by not giving you the best price, even if you just got a new quote with the same company, you'd save money.

Takes 5 minutes to bung your details throgh comparetheconfusedmarket.com

Think of all the money you lost by auto-renewing, they're doing you a favour now

[TwigtheWonderkid]

The Moose said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

astirling said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

only a fool auto renews, i typically save 40% each year by shopping around

If that was the case every year then surely you get down to free car insurance pretty quickly?

Maths fail.

Well, near as damn it free anyway...

No, he saves 40% each year, not year on year. So insurer A invites at £500, he takes out insurance thru insurer B at £300. There renewal comes thru a year later at £600, he renews with insurer c at £380. And so on. 40% saved each year but premium has increased.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Riknos said:

Auto renewal is a scam,

Last week someone said failure to auto renew was a scam. Setting folk up for a no insurance conviction so they can charge extra premiums in the future.

I wish you insurance haters would agree on what is a scam and what isn't.