Help! My insurance company said I was not insured at time of accident - now got creditors chasing me!

[I Need Help!!]

Hi!! I am new here but hopefully one of you kind people can hopefully shed some light!!

In Dec 05 I was involved in a car accident that was not my fault. The driver did a runner and I was left in hospital.

Now my insurance company at the time of the accident are saying that I was not insured by them and that I owe them over £8k in expenses!!! I am also getting threatening letters from their creditiors.

I was insured by them at the time as I have the original certificate of motor insurance from them, although they are now saying that they sent me a letter asking for proof of my no claims and also to sign the documentation and send it back to them. I did do as requested and sent it back but also telephoned them to say that I would be moving house and gave them my new address. They now say that they did not receive the signed documents and proof of no claims in the post and that they sent further communication to me to chase for these. I never got the further communication (I suppose that they sent it to my old address) and because of this, I never replied (thinking that they had received the initial stuff I sent back and that everything was in place and ok - that my insurance was ok and in place). They are now saying that as I did not respond to their letters that they cancelled the policy prior to my accident.

Now they are chasing for more than £8k.

[wino]

Hi and welcome to the cag forums
When you sent the documents back I don't supose you sent them recorded delivery did you?

[JonCris]

Are you saying they paid out 8K BEFORE realising you weren't insured

I very much doubt it summit fishy here & suspect someone at your insurers is trying to cover their butt

[gizmo111]

Who did they pay out the £8K to?

[I Need Help!!]

Hi people - thanks for the swift reply!!

I did not send the forms back via recorded delivery - how I wish I had!!!

They are saying that as they were the last company to insure me they were legally obliged to pay out the costs (even though the accident was not my fault) and now they are chasing me to recoup the costs. I was not at fault in this accident so unsure where they get their £8k from. They

They started chasing me this time last year for £8k and I told them that I was insured by them and now a year later (now) they are saying that the policy was cancelled as they had not got the forms back. Hence they are now chasing me. They asked me if I had got proof of postage for the forms which I replied I had not and then i asked them if they had Royal Mail proof of postage for the chaser letters they supposedly sent me and to what address.

[JonCris]

If, as you claim, it's a none fault incident then you need to know why & for what they paid 8K ASAP. Once you have that info we'll be able to advise accordingly

[I Need Help!!]

Originally Posted by JonCris

If, as you claim, it's a none fault incident then you need to know why & for what they paid 8K ASAP. Once you have that info we'll be able to advise accordingly

Hi - just called the debt recovery agent and they are saying that the £8k is to cover third party damages, third party compensation and legal costs. Looks as though the tosser tried to sue me even though he was at fault and ran into me!!!

[JonCris]

Ok if he ran into you did you make a claim against him by completing an accident claim form?

Also if they originaly sent post to the wrong address how come they now know where to send it

[JonCris]

See above

[wino]

I cannot see why the insurance company would pay out when your not insured. Have you contacted the insurance ombudsman about this? It seems to me that the insurance company have just paid out without investigating the accident properly.

[JonCris]

I Need Help you should be contacting the insurer not the collection agency

[I Need Help!!]

Originally Posted by JonCris

Ok if he ran into you did you make a claim against him by completing an accident claim form?

Also if they originaly sent post to the wrong address how come they now know where to send it

Hi - yes I completed the accident claim form, complete with the police reference number (the police attended the scene as the man had done a runner and left me in the car injured).

I told them of my new address when before I sent in the proof of no claims etc so guess they now know where to send letters when they are chasing money....

[JonCris]

Sounds to me as if someone at your insurer has cocked up. If the tp was at fault & did a runner what the hells the 8k for.

You need to talk to your insurer urgently wanting to know why they paid out when it wasn't your fault as evidenced by the report & police

Also you haven't explained how if they claim that they (allegedly) didn't know your address before they managed to contact you now

[I Need Help!!]

Exactly - I have queried why they know my address now....

I have the Certificate of Motor Insurance and normally they would only issue a temporary Certificate until the proof of no claims discount and other documentation had been submitted.

It sounds as though the guy who ran into me has used one of those accident claims companies you see inbetween episodes of jemery kyle....and now Hastings Direct are trying to recoup the costs they paid to him. Why would they pay out if they are saying I was not insured at the time. Plus any serious accident when police are involved the police look on their systems to see if the persons car was insured.....

I have taken this matter to the Insurance Ombudsman so I will see what they say.

Thanks for your support and help

[JonCris]

Hasting Direct. Surely they are brokers not actual insurers

[I Need Help!!]

Originally Posted by JonCris

Hasting Direct. Surely they are brokers not actual insurers

Hi thought they were the actual insurers not brokers...I may be wrong.