help/advice needed please

[drwoo]

my missus has traded in her new beetle for a hyundai so she rang her insurance company on the 8th of may to say that she wished for the car on the policy would be switched from the newbie to the hyundai on the 19th may for when it is collected. the insurance comapany said this was no problem and my missus confirmed with the insurance company that the newbie policy wouldnt expire till the 19th and the hyundai policy wouldnt start til the 19th. the insurance company agreed to this and said there would be 'no charge' for this change of policy.

my missus believed the person on the phone from the insurance company seemed a bit 'dizzy' so asked for her name and noted the time and date the call was made.

yesterday all the new policy details had arrived for us to find out they had cancelled the newbie policy and the hyundai policy had started. they also took over £500 from our bank account to pay for the 'new policy' on the hyundai.

so in short, we have been driving around in a car without insurance for 6 days cus they cancelled the policy even tho we didnt want it cancelling only to be amended to the new car on the 19th and that they have taken money out of our account without permission even tho they said there would be 'no cost involved'

so she rang the insurance company to sort the matter out, they listened back to the original conversation on the 8th may and agreed that they was at fault for the policy been cancelled, saying there was no cost involved and for taking money without permission.

the reply back from the insurance company is that they now cannot amend the policy from new beetle to hyundai cus its been cancelled(even tho we never asked for it to be cancelled) and have to take out a brand new policy for the hyundai for the amount they are taking from our bank account. they have re-instated the newbie policy to how it was originally before we asked for it to be amended and have offered an apology

so we aint too pleased about this so any advice/help/ideas of how we can take this further would be really apreciated

[Beanie1]

Who is the insurance company? If the beetle policy was cancelled from the 19th May and the hyundai policy started from this date then there shouldnt be a problem reinstating the beetle, changing to the hyundai and cancelling the new hyundai policy down and offering the full refund !

If the policy was cancelled from the 19th of May there is no issue with the MID (motor insurer database) as this only prevents backdating the reinstatement. Hope this helps...

[drwoo]

the company is budget, the policy was cancelled on the 8th and the hyundai started on the 8th but we didnt want that to happen til the 19th, and that was just to amend the policy not cancel one and start another

[Beanie1]

Ah right... In that case I would take the complaint to them and speak to their cust relations but that aint going to help you at the moment. Its their mistake not yours. They have listened to the call so ask/demand them to sort it out. They have basically secured your business for another year without you aksing for it.. and also left your beetle uninsured. Try explaining that to them and see where you get !

PM me if you dont get any joy..

[Rob S]

How simple is it for them to deal with a simple change to a policy like this and they still cock it up! Insurance companies must deal with requests like this several times a day. It is a simple process. Some will charge an admin fee for it and if the replacement car is of a higher value and in a different insurance group there may also be a charge to cover this, but to cancel the policy and then take money out of your account without permission is absurd.

I think you need to make a formal complaint, especially as you have been driving your Hyundai around without insurance for a few days through no fault of your own.

[Beanie1]

Hey Drwoo, any update on this?

[drwoo]

no update as such, yesterday they said the best they could do is the new policy cover wich they had decided to give me after cancelling the old one was for over £500 and that would ony last until november ! so they want £500 out of me for something they said they would do 'without charge' i did a new online quote and that came up at £450 for 12 months cover !

so with this i contacted them again asking why the best they can do for me is £500 plus for 6 months when i can take out a new policy for nearly £100 less for a full 12 months cover and they said it is cheaper because its a new policy ! and its always more expensive to renew as an existing customer !

have now written an official letter of complaint through there complaints procedure and waiting to see what that brings me.




thanks for your reply's ! :O)

[millymong]

keep going .writing letters takes more time but they have to file and answer them

[Beanie1]

Dont give up with this matey. They have a duty to fully investigate and resolve any complaints. If they close the complaint without your satisfaction you can then escalate to the FOS.

Think they have 8 weeks to resolve the complaint. After that you can refer to FOS. Keep an eye on the letters they send out as should have complaints guidelines and timescales for them to adhere to !

Good luck and let me know how it goes.

[Trojan1401]

OK, I've just read this post.

In my mind, this is a straight forward policy adjustment for a change of vehicle to take place today. Clear instructions were given and quite frankly the customer "advisor" cocked up.

I cannot see any reason why Budget will not reinstate the original policy and process the CoV (Change of Vehicle). They may say their systems will not allow it but they can. It is just inconvenient for them to go through that process. If they still insist that they cannot do this then ask them to "manually" continue your policy & input a short period policy to the computer expiring on the original renewal date.

If they fail do do any of the above, insist on a full pro-rata refund from the original cancellation date along with the return in full of the £500 and go elsewhere. These plonkers do not deserve your money. Also ask for proof of your No Claims Bonus to be sent immediately.

Do not let them fob you off, you are entitled to this.

If you need any further help, just ask.