chris-boris

iTrader: (7)

Hi guys,

I have just had a rather annoying letter throught the post from my insurance company demanding more money from me. The policy is roughly 6 months old now and this is not the first time this has happened.

A few months ago they demanded we send them more money due to the difference in no claims bonus between my last insurer and the current one (both maximum just different number of years as a claim has NEVER been made) I spoke to my relevant previous insurers and they sent off all the relevant proof of this and then my current insurer sent me a letter saying that all was fine and sorted.

Yesterday morning my insurer sent me a letter saying i owe them another £100 roughly due to a difference in the level of no claims! They had previously sent me a letter saying that all was fine so why have they now suddenly changed their minds?

I am going to give them a call later on today but i am after some advice on how to proceed from people with more experience than me (you guys)

Any help is gratefully received,
Thanks in advance,
Chris

Tony@Greenlight

Chris,

Sorry to hear about the problems youve had with your Insurer, i'll try to explain what may have occurred & what you would need to do to resolve.

Your policy would be based upon the level of NCB declared by you at the beginning of the policy, when obtaining a quotation & first arranging the policy.

There are numerous rating factors and the Insurer would be looking for the information provided to conclude policy issue to match the details declared when obtaining the policy.

Any variance would be re-assessed and re-rated, as would any issue of non-disclosure. It's this re-assessment following a change to the original details provided which may have resulted in your Insurer (whoever that is) charging you more.

One thing to watch out for which may have caused the difference is that some Insurers Legacy software systems have limitations as to the maximum level of NCB.

For example, assuming you have 8 years NCB and go to an Insurer who's maximum is 6YRS, the maximum proof issued to you will only be 6 years the following year (as this is their maximum).

We encounter this quite a lot with NCB received from clients taking policies with us and it is a nuisance to resolve.

The moral of the story is to keep a photocopy/scan of the prior years NCB showing the correct level of NCB so that this can be used as evidence (if required) to show the new Insurer in addition to the incorrect NCB supplied.

This is only half the solution, as it would also be prudent to contact the Insurer that had issued you the reduced (incorrect) NCB, ensure they check their records for the level of NCB provided to them at inception & write you a specific letter (rather than the automatic system generated NCB) to confirm your correct NCB level.

Or.... if you've been with a Broker over the years, all brokers act as your agent/mediator. Thus would be able to offer this service and remove the headache for you.

At Greenlight, we scan everything. Which is particularly useful and ensures that we can do this behalf of our client - it's still a hassle, but it's then our hassle rather than our client's hassle.

One final suggestion to you would be in respect of your contact with your Insurer.

Due to the nature of your problem I would suggest you direct your contact to the customer services manager, or compliance officer as they will be in a better position to assess and explain the situation, then resolve the problem for you.

Kind regards

Tony

chris-boris

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for your reply Tony.

I have been throught all the miss match of NCB and my current insurer (giving them the benefit of the doubt before naming them) has had written proof of the full 9 years NCB (not from the last insurer but the one before that) so the level of NCB has been settled at their maximum for just over 4 months now.

My problem with what they are saying is as follows:

they demand an extra £109.65 and the reason is "further no claims bonus overlap" this happened at the start of the policy in compliance with what you said above and i understood and paid up back then. Things were left with them sending me a letter stating that everything was settled up, both of us agreed the level of NCB and that was the last of it so why do they now, 4 months down the line suddenly decide that they want more money for an issue that was resolved months ago!

I just dont understand how they can suddenly demand more money for a problem that was resolved months ago. If there is anything i have missed then my appologies but i just cant see it

Tony@Greenlight

Hi Chris,

The NCB overlap charge sounds like a charge applied due to your being unable to use the same NCB upon 2 vehicles simultaneously, which would be correct.

But, like you, I also dont understand as to why they are belatedly charging a further additional premium for something resolved months ago??

It's really difficult talking as a Third Party, as whilst we would be capable of sorting the problem out, our not being your broker effectively means we are unable to work in a "hands on" capacity to resolve this for you.

This is often the problem with direct writers, as whilst their cover is often good individuals are required to deal with their own problems without assistance.

I wish you well and hope that you manage to get this situation sorted by speaking to "the horses mouth" (your Insurer).

Kind regards

Tony

chris-boris

iTrader: (7)

Hi again Tony,

once again thanks for taking the time to reply to my questions. I have definately not overlapped the NCB from another vehicle, the NCB in question has only ever been used in this run of vehicles (citroen ax - vauxhall astra - the scooby) the previous car has always been sold and the insurance on it cancelled/amended before the new insurance is taken out so there is no way that i have overlapped my NCB.

i appreciate your position in not being my insurer (for now ) and so cant help to the full but even so your replys have been very useful

does anyone else have anything to add that may help?

thanks again
Chris