Insurance Companies and their 'admin' fee's for come what may....How can we charge them for admin?

[Deb T]

when you obtain a quote?

 

I just filled in the various details with an insurance company for an online quote and whom I'm already insured with for a vehicle and at the end of the quote there is the usual ticking the box if you don't want to be on their marketing list but now there is an added box of

 

To assess your insurance application and the terms on which cover may be offered, we may obtain information about you from credit reference agencies to check your credit status and identity. The agencies will record our enquiries. This will not affect your credit standing.

 

How long has this been going on for? Needless to say I've not continued with the quote.

[unclebulgaria67]

Some have been doing this for the last 5 years or so. It started out as being a check on identity and has since moved on to check rating, not only to decide whether credit for monthly payment can be offered, but also to have a bearing on premiums. As an example, if you had a poor credit record/rating, it is highly possible that some of the major Insurers e.g. Direct Line, Aviva, will not offer monthly payment option or the best premium rates.

 

This applies if you obtain quotes directly from Insurers or via comparison sites. If you use a comparison site for quotes, you may see a number of entries on your credit record for companies conducting basic checks.

 

The advice for those with adverse credit record entries and affected credit ratings, is to go the old fashioned route and use a decent local broker.

[Deb T]

It's the first time I've seen it, I'll have to pay more attention to the disclaimers at the bottom.

 

So, the questions that go begging is if you have an established insurance record with your insurer and you then go for a quote...will they credit search you then and if they do then why? and at the same time as this the quote when given should be as a pay all in one go basis, if you require terms they should then 'possibly' reach for the search button but only when you're asking for terms.

 

Yet another back door for credit reference agencies to log details on you, if you think about it insurance is a complete joke at the best of times, most if not all people end up coming worse off when a claim is made and they offer you terms and you dont pay and then there is a claim...do you see the insurers honouring the claim? any excuse to get out of it would be them.

 

I've had house insurance for 15 years, bricks and mortar and contents, I've never made a claim and yet the last few years they've put the price up claiming fraudulent claims...yeah right. How many houses suffer a total loss? My house and contents insurance this year was over £400, I asked them to quote without the contents and they reduced it by £22 ...I asked for a separate quote for the contents and they wanted £110 ....it's a joke, I shopped around and got the bricks and mortar for £128 and the contents I have dispensed with, I've never made a claim, the insurers want you to jump through hoops with door locks/window locks, safes and so on.

 

Insurance is money for old rope if you ask me.

[unclebulgaria67]

Don't think Insurers conduct credit checks on existing policy records. It is only if you requested a new quotation and this was a separate record that they would conduct the search.

 

My experience with Insurance is to shop around each year and unless you have reasons for loyalty, arrange cover elsewhere. Once you have been with one company for a few years, I am sure that they pick up on the loyalty being shown, by increasing the premiums. The Insurance pricing staff mess around with pricing all the time and IT is updated/changed regularly, so you can end up with unjustified increases. When you ask about the premium changes, you get the issues you have mentioned in your post.

[honeybee13]

I agree, Uncle Bulgaria. We check the premium each year and then ring the incumbent company to say that their renewal premium seems out of line with the market. Each year it seems that they are able to match a lower price we've been quoted.

 

My best, HB

[Deb T]

Our house insurance was due for renewal in March, we didn't receive a renewal notice.

 

Next we get a document stating the policy had lapsed, no problem, we phoned around and our insurers were the cheapest, so we took out the policy with them.

 

We have been insured with this insurer on the house policy continually for 10 years, no claims made ever.

 

When the insurance document came through it had a problem with the date, it showed us as insured for just one day and that the renewal was next year on the same date.

 

We called them, asked that they send out the correct documentation and reflecting the date as correct. Two weeks later the document arrives, same error as before.

 

So, repeat

 

We called them, asked that they send out the correct documentation and reflecting the date as correct. Two weeks later the document arrives, same error as before.

 

So, repeat

 

We called them, asked that they send out the correct documentation and reflecting the date as correct. Two weeks later the document arrives, same error as before. This time we requested to speak to a supervisor, not one available and we'd get a call back...we didn't get the call back.

 

So called them back, spoke to their supposed customer complaints dept who 'could see the problem and would rectify it accordingly and we'd get the documents soon' they also said that it doesn't matter that the document is wrong because they know it's right....which may well be the case but a document is a document and should it ever need to be referred to they could so very easily deny it etc....idiots.

 

Today we've had two documents received, One showing the same feckin error as the last three times and a further document simply stating the period insured for, the level of cover and this one gives 2 days cover...nice!

 

Each time we phone them it take about 20 mins on average to get through to them, it takes a further ten minutes to speak explain the problem, go through the security checks and blah blah...this is time consuming ...but now and due to the amount of times they've got it wrong is bordering on being grossly incompetent.

 

What route in ? I'd like to charge them for my time as they're charging me for theirs etc.

[dx100uk]

why not write?

 

dx

[Deb T]

Got a house insurance policy (see other thread) where there is a date issue on the length of cover....which is currently ongoing..

 

But there is a second issue.

 

On the document it tells me that we have no qualified for 10% no claims discount. We've been insured with this company for 10 years continuous .

 

Some years it's in my name, other years it's in my partners name, depends who calls them to renew, but the other party is always named on the policy as joint policy holder.

 

This year, we renewed about 10 days after the policy had lapsed, but it was a 'new policy' because the policy had gone over the renewal date. No problem, if the other renews it's always a new policy anyway.

 

In any case, I asked them why the 10% discount had not been applied ...these are the answers they gave...when I answered each one of their points they came up with a new answer.

 

A/ Because it was a new policy

It may be a new policy but this year it was renewed by the same person as last year and under their ( insurers) own terms and conditions the 10% no claims is still applicable up to 90 days after their last policy expired...the policy was taken out ten days after the last policy expired.

 

B / The discount was applied but it wont show until next year.

So if we dont insure with you next year how will we benefit from the 10% discount?

 

C:/ The discount was applied, it just doesn't show on the policy but it has been applied I assure you.

When we receive the document we get a covering letter asking us to ensure that all the details are correct, the document quite clearly states 'No No claims discount applicable, who

is right? you or the document?

 

D:/ We will call you back later today:

One week later, no call back and no message left on the ansafone.

 

E: Our underwriters have stated we don't qualify due to the times lapsed since renewal

But in your terms and condtions of the policy it quite clearly states that 10% discount will apply if no claims are made on the previous years insurance and that this remains in force for up to 90 days from the previous none claimed on policy expiring.

 

I asked them to speak to their underwriters who naturally are not customer facing,

 

oh, and

F: / Sorry, you dont qualify for the discount because their are leaves on the line

 

Who can I take this up with? I don't intend to let it go but getting to speak to people a little higher up than the customer service drones is difficult, often they just pass you to another colleague who is no more senior than them.

[Deb T]

We have ..but they have so many offices that all seem to deal with the same issues....testament to that is the last document they sent was sent specially to us to counter the previous documents, as in adifferent letter stating the period of insurance...but no admission of a problem...no apologies....................and still fecking wrong.....they doubled the cover from one day to two days...when in reality it should be 365 days (or 364)

[unclebulgaria67]

I have heard of similar problems many times with companies. The computers these guys use, just cannot produce accurate documents and often some of the information in front of them is so unclear, they are guessing. Hence the number of different replies you have received about the 10% discount.

 

Suggest that in view of the inconsistent/unclear service you have received that you follow the Insurers complaints process by sending a written complaint in. Suggest to them they have failed under the 'treating customers fairly' agenda, which is something they should be taking seriously, as they have to log breaches, where a customer has complained about being messed around in the way that you have. You may receive some form of compensation as a result.

[unclebulgaria67]

See other thread reply for advice. Written complaint.

[BankFodder]

The solution is to sue them in the County Court. They arte clearly in breach of contract because in addition to insuring you they are obliged to conduct the business correctly and provide a reasonable standard of service. So sue them for a very modest amount - £50 which will be enough that they don't go to court but that they will get their act together and also they will pay you the £50 and your claim fee in order to settle.

 

It would be a nice little exercise for you.