Back in December I was due to change my car (a) for a newer model and had left a deposit to secure it. We couldn't test drive it at the time because of the severe snow conditions we had at that time. Unfortunately, the car I was due to part exchange was involved in an accident on black ice and was written off. I still went ahead with the purchase of the new vehicle (b) and notified my insurance that this was to be a permanent change of vehicle because that was the initial plan beforehand. I was charged a small premium for administration and I received a new certificate for the new car until the renewal date in March 2011. However, the new vehicle developed a problem within the first five days and remained in the sales workshop for a further three weeks trying to locate the problem. At this point, I had no other vehicle on the road and the insurance company would not suspend the policy so I was paying a premium for no service!

I managed to get a refund from the dealer and bought another vehicle © from a recognised dealer and notified my insurance company and they agreed to waive the administration premium because of the difficulties I had experienced with the other vehicle. Once again, I received a new insurance certificate for the new vehicle © upto the renewal date. In February I received the renewal documents but the certificate was for vehicle (b). However, the documents said that if nothing was to be changed and the details of policy excess, insured drivers etc were to remain the same and the policy was paid by direct debit I didn't have to do anything. At this point, I thought because I had already notified them of the new vehicle and I had received a certificate © that they would automatically send me out a new renewal notice and certificate. I waited awhile and checked that the direct debit had been paid but a new document didn't arrive. I telephoned the company and they said that I hadn't been insured on vehicle © and they gave me a new quote and said there was another administration premium to pay! Naturally, I wasn't happy. They say that had any of the named drivers been stopped or involved in an accident we wouldn't have been insured. Is this correct?

Shelley

A bit difficult to follow, which is probably why the Insurers may have messed up.

Once you had a claim on a policy, particularly for a write off, you have to pay the full years premium anyway. Some Insurers will keep the policy open for you to Insure another car and they will adjust the premium, taking into account what you are already paying. But for each change there will be an admin fee. Each time the Insurers change the details, you should have had a new certificate of Insurance and schedule. When the policy was due for renenwal a renewal notice showing the latest car you had Insured should have been sent to you.

In short if you are not happy make a complaint. The Insurers complaints procedure should be noted in your policy documents.

The point being is they did not send out a new renewal policy/schedule for the newest vehicle and had I have been stopped by the police or involved in an collision I would not have been insured, even though they had already taken the direct debit payment out of my bank.

Shelley