Insurance cancelled after 1 week
Discussion
Hi folks. Long time lurker and infrequent poster. Not been around for a while so apologies if this has been covered recently. I need to vent a bit, too.
My 17 year old daughter passed her test last week and took out a telematics insurance policy on the car she’d bought to learn in. All good so far.
Today she sent a message to say she’d received an e-mail that her insurance was being cancelled due to her driving style. She’s been a bit cagey but it looks like she’s been going too fast and too often. No excuses, I’m glad she’s had the wake-up call. (She doesn’t live with me, so I haven’t been out with her much but when I did she was slow & cautious).
I assume it’s unlikely the underwriters will rescind the cancellation no matter how remorseful she is.
She’s tried to get a new policy online and is being quoted £9k. I’m a mere mortal and would need to sell a kidney for that sort of money so my assistance is purely advisory.
Any constructive suggestions on how we can overcome this? I would like her to keep on the road (safely) and keep learning and improving her skills. Please - no righteous comments. She’s facing a tough lesson but to gain and lose driving freedom in a week is a harsh one.
Thanks.
My 17 year old daughter passed her test last week and took out a telematics insurance policy on the car she’d bought to learn in. All good so far.
Today she sent a message to say she’d received an e-mail that her insurance was being cancelled due to her driving style. She’s been a bit cagey but it looks like she’s been going too fast and too often. No excuses, I’m glad she’s had the wake-up call. (She doesn’t live with me, so I haven’t been out with her much but when I did she was slow & cautious).
I assume it’s unlikely the underwriters will rescind the cancellation no matter how remorseful she is.
She’s tried to get a new policy online and is being quoted £9k. I’m a mere mortal and would need to sell a kidney for that sort of money so my assistance is purely advisory.
Any constructive suggestions on how we can overcome this? I would like her to keep on the road (safely) and keep learning and improving her skills. Please - no righteous comments. She’s facing a tough lesson but to gain and lose driving freedom in a week is a harsh one.
Thanks.
Pica-Pica said:
Have I got this correct? She has had insurance for the week since she passed her test, and in that week the insurance have had enough details about her driving that they are cancelling. What has she been doing, is a NIP or two (and 6 points) likely in the post?
I don’t think she’s been past any speed cameras. If she lost her licence from speeding then she’d get little sympathy from me but at least she could retake her test and obtain insurance (albeit at a higher premium). A cancellation will count against her for a very long time.
Jordy12397 said:
When I took my first ever policy out it was with a black box ( telematics ) I got upto a week for them to fit it to my car, even if she got it fitted a phew days after opening the policy how have they gathered all the information that quick for them to decide to cancel her straight away?
She insured herself on the car whilst learning to drive via Adrian Flux. That policy expired as soon as she passed her test. Adrian Flux then set up a new policy with a black box. It took a few days for the black box to be fitted, so they can’t have had more than a couple of days driving history before cancellation. However, it’s probably an automated decision so wouldn’t need long to judge if her driving was really bad. She’s cancelled with immediate effect, and therefore has hopefully dodged the permanent stain on her insurance risk.
I hope this has caused her sufficient stress, anxiety and cost to land the message about the responsibility required to drive.
Thanks for the advice.
We’ll now need to dig further on the detail of her driving and any communications from the insurer.
I hope this has caused her sufficient stress, anxiety and cost to land the message about the responsibility required to drive.
Thanks for the advice.
We’ll now need to dig further on the detail of her driving and any communications from the insurer.
I’ve not logged in to the telematics app.
My daughter sent me a screenshot which shows a snail trail of green, amber and red but she says she doesn’t know by how much she was speeding for it go red.
I realise this was probably a carefully-selected sample, of course. And that there would have been a key on screen. Partial picture presented to me!
Next challenge is to find somewhere off-road for her car to be SORN whilst she saves for the next insurance policy.
My daughter sent me a screenshot which shows a snail trail of green, amber and red but she says she doesn’t know by how much she was speeding for it go red.
I realise this was probably a carefully-selected sample, of course. And that there would have been a key on screen. Partial picture presented to me!
Next challenge is to find somewhere off-road for her car to be SORN whilst she saves for the next insurance policy.
Mammasaid said:
Don't forget the Continuous Insurance requirements, especially if the car's parked on the road.
https://www.mib.org.uk/reducing-uninsured-driving/...
Indeed. The car will be SORN once she’s cleared the garage out (today’s fun chore for her). https://www.mib.org.uk/reducing-uninsured-driving/...
Hammy98 said:
OP - Did you get a refund...?
I know they were planning to cancel but if you cancelled during the cooling off period surely they would have to refund you the premium minus the cost of the week she was covered, any admin fees and the cost of the telematics box?
No, I’m told there was no refund. The cost of the black box plus the broker commission seems to have been sufficiently hefty to preclude that. I know they were planning to cancel but if you cancelled during the cooling off period surely they would have to refund you the premium minus the cost of the week she was covered, any admin fees and the cost of the telematics box?
maclarkk said:
Providing she manages to cancel the policy before the insurer does (I admit it’s chances are slim), then she won’t have any problems in the future.
The question insurers ask is “have you ever had a policy cancelled/voided? Etc.”
Not “have you ever had a cancellation notice before?”
The policy was cancelled by my daughter at 10:00 this morning. I really hope that means she’s dodged the bullet. The question insurers ask is “have you ever had a policy cancelled/voided? Etc.”
Not “have you ever had a cancellation notice before?”
CanAm said:
zetec said:
OP, did you ever get to the bottom of what the misdemeanour/s was/were?
Bearing in mind the old, "How can you tell if a teenager is lying?", I doubt if we ever will.
Live and learn...
The notice of future cancellation counts as a forced cancellation irrespective of the fact that my daughter cancelled first. The argument is that she wouldn’t have cancelled if not told of imminent cancellation by the underwriter.
The question “Have you ever had insurance cancelled?” is therefore a phoney. The question should be amended to add “...or been advised of a future cancellation”.
My daughter’s latest policy is now being cancelled on the basis of a “non-disclosure” when she answered the question they asked truthfully.
The notice of future cancellation counts as a forced cancellation irrespective of the fact that my daughter cancelled first. The argument is that she wouldn’t have cancelled if not told of imminent cancellation by the underwriter.
The question “Have you ever had insurance cancelled?” is therefore a phoney. The question should be amended to add “...or been advised of a future cancellation”.
My daughter’s latest policy is now being cancelled on the basis of a “non-disclosure” when she answered the question they asked truthfully.
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