Oh how I laughed (insurance rant!!)
07 December 2005, 08:52 PM
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Oh how I laughed (insurance rant!!)
I've recently changed cars and changed insurance companies from Tesco's to Sainsburys. Much cheaper premium and quicker service i thought so i thought i'd give it a go. About a month ago i got a note asking for proof of my no claims bonus from Tesco's which i thought was the norm. I rang them to tell them i needed to get confirmation from Tesco's and would send it through asap! No problem, they said, in fact if you give us your policy details we'll ring them and save you the hassle!!
Excellent, I thought, makes my life easier!
Today i got a letter from them stating that i had not informed them of an accident on 5th May and therefore i needed to cough up extra cash to carry the policy onwards?!?!
Odd, i though, as i had made no claims at all.
So i rang Sainsburys and spoke to a lad there who informed me that Tesco's had contacted them to tell them i had claimed on 5th May for an accident to my Impreza. No other details were given by Tesco's and none asked for by Sainsburys.
I then informed him i had made no claim at all and would not be paying the additional premium. Fine he said, i'll speak to Tesco's again to clear it up. I was put on hold again while he had a very long conversation with, i guess, Tesco's.
It then dawned on me!!??!! I had, in May i believe, damaged an alloy by kerbing it quite hard and had spoken to Tesco's to find out what my excess would be if i claimed. On being told it was £500 i told them i would not be claiming and deal with it myself. I immediately told Sainsburys this when he had finished with his call to Tesco's to which he replied 'Oh, well, see what you've done is notify the insurance of an accident and it goes down as a claim, even though you didn't receive any money.
Well...... after lifting my gob off the floor i exploded! There was no claim made, i received no money, no damage was inspected by Tesco's, no police attended and no damage was done to anything other than my alloy, why is that a claim and why has that effected my premium with Sainsburys? Luckily i had protected no claims otherwise i would have lost my 14 years worth of no claims without receiving a penny!
I then tried another tack and asked him to prove i had had an accident. 'Oh, so you're saying you didn't have an accident then are you? So when you rang Tesco's you were attempting to defraud them? Is that what you're saying?'
I quietly and very politely told him i was a police officer who quite clearly understands the definition of an attempt deception and in no way had i attempted it and was rather annoyed by his suggestion that i had!
He seemed to change slightly then and became quite helpful saying i didn't need to pay the extra (i wasn't going to anyway). I then asked him why he was defending his competition so vehemently and could he not see how ridiculous the whole situation was. Not giving him chance to have another go i politely thanked him for his help and hung up!!
My next point of call is Tesco's to inform them i am not at all happy with what has gone on, in effect registering a claim against me for an accident that was never made, and i will be demanding to see documentation explaining that this is a right and proper thing for them to be doing!!
Rant over!!!!
Excellent, I thought, makes my life easier!
Today i got a letter from them stating that i had not informed them of an accident on 5th May and therefore i needed to cough up extra cash to carry the policy onwards?!?!
Odd, i though, as i had made no claims at all.
So i rang Sainsburys and spoke to a lad there who informed me that Tesco's had contacted them to tell them i had claimed on 5th May for an accident to my Impreza. No other details were given by Tesco's and none asked for by Sainsburys.
I then informed him i had made no claim at all and would not be paying the additional premium. Fine he said, i'll speak to Tesco's again to clear it up. I was put on hold again while he had a very long conversation with, i guess, Tesco's.
It then dawned on me!!??!! I had, in May i believe, damaged an alloy by kerbing it quite hard and had spoken to Tesco's to find out what my excess would be if i claimed. On being told it was £500 i told them i would not be claiming and deal with it myself. I immediately told Sainsburys this when he had finished with his call to Tesco's to which he replied 'Oh, well, see what you've done is notify the insurance of an accident and it goes down as a claim, even though you didn't receive any money.
Well...... after lifting my gob off the floor i exploded! There was no claim made, i received no money, no damage was inspected by Tesco's, no police attended and no damage was done to anything other than my alloy, why is that a claim and why has that effected my premium with Sainsburys? Luckily i had protected no claims otherwise i would have lost my 14 years worth of no claims without receiving a penny!
I then tried another tack and asked him to prove i had had an accident. 'Oh, so you're saying you didn't have an accident then are you? So when you rang Tesco's you were attempting to defraud them? Is that what you're saying?'
I quietly and very politely told him i was a police officer who quite clearly understands the definition of an attempt deception and in no way had i attempted it and was rather annoyed by his suggestion that i had!
He seemed to change slightly then and became quite helpful saying i didn't need to pay the extra (i wasn't going to anyway). I then asked him why he was defending his competition so vehemently and could he not see how ridiculous the whole situation was. Not giving him chance to have another go i politely thanked him for his help and hung up!!
My next point of call is Tesco's to inform them i am not at all happy with what has gone on, in effect registering a claim against me for an accident that was never made, and i will be demanding to see documentation explaining that this is a right and proper thing for them to be doing!!
Rant over!!!!
07 December 2005, 09:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris5-0
I've recently changed cars and changed insurance companies from Tesco's to Sainsburys. Much cheaper premium and quicker service i thought so i thought i'd give it a go. About a month ago i got a note asking for proof of my no claims bonus from Tesco's which i thought was the norm. I rang them to tell them i needed to get confirmation from Tesco's and would send it through asap! No problem, they said, in fact if you give us your policy details we'll ring them and save you the hassle!!
Excellent, I thought, makes my life easier!
Today i got a letter from them stating that i had not informed them of an accident on 5th May and therefore i needed to cough up extra cash to carry the policy onwards?!?!
Odd, i though, as i had made no claims at all.
So i rang Sainsburys and spoke to a lad there who informed me that Tesco's had contacted them to tell them i had claimed on 5th May for an accident to my Impreza. No other details were given by Tesco's and none asked for by Sainsburys.
I then informed him i had made no claim at all and would not be paying the additional premium. Fine he said, i'll speak to Tesco's again to clear it up. I was put on hold again while he had a very long conversation with, i guess, Tesco's.
It then dawned on me!!??!! I had, in May i believe, damaged an alloy by kerbing it quite hard and had spoken to Tesco's to find out what my excess would be if i claimed. On being told it was £500 i told them i would not be claiming and deal with it myself. I immediately told Sainsburys this when he had finished with his call to Tesco's to which he replied 'Oh, well, see what you've done is notify the insurance of an accident and it goes down as a claim, even though you didn't receive any money.
Well...... after lifting my gob off the floor i exploded! There was no claim made, i received no money, no damage was inspected by Tesco's, no police attended and no damage was done to anything other than my alloy, why is that a claim and why has that effected my premium with Sainsburys? Luckily i had protected no claims otherwise i would have lost my 14 years worth of no claims without receiving a penny!
I then tried another tack and asked him to prove i had had an accident. 'Oh, so you're saying you didn't have an accident then are you? So when you rang Tesco's you were attempting to defraud them? Is that what you're saying?'
I quietly and very politely told him i was a police officer who quite clearly understands the definition of an attempt deception and in no way had i attempted it and was rather annoyed by his suggestion that i had!
He seemed to change slightly then and became quite helpful saying i didn't need to pay the extra (i wasn't going to anyway). I then asked him why he was defending his competition so vehemently and could he not see how ridiculous the whole situation was. Not giving him chance to have another go i politely thanked him for his help and hung up!!
My next point of call is Tesco's to inform them i am not at all happy with what has gone on, in effect registering a claim against me for an accident that was never made, and i will be demanding to see documentation explaining that this is a right and proper thing for them to be doing!!
Rant over!!!!
Excellent, I thought, makes my life easier!
Today i got a letter from them stating that i had not informed them of an accident on 5th May and therefore i needed to cough up extra cash to carry the policy onwards?!?!
Odd, i though, as i had made no claims at all.
So i rang Sainsburys and spoke to a lad there who informed me that Tesco's had contacted them to tell them i had claimed on 5th May for an accident to my Impreza. No other details were given by Tesco's and none asked for by Sainsburys.
I then informed him i had made no claim at all and would not be paying the additional premium. Fine he said, i'll speak to Tesco's again to clear it up. I was put on hold again while he had a very long conversation with, i guess, Tesco's.
It then dawned on me!!??!! I had, in May i believe, damaged an alloy by kerbing it quite hard and had spoken to Tesco's to find out what my excess would be if i claimed. On being told it was £500 i told them i would not be claiming and deal with it myself. I immediately told Sainsburys this when he had finished with his call to Tesco's to which he replied 'Oh, well, see what you've done is notify the insurance of an accident and it goes down as a claim, even though you didn't receive any money.
Well...... after lifting my gob off the floor i exploded! There was no claim made, i received no money, no damage was inspected by Tesco's, no police attended and no damage was done to anything other than my alloy, why is that a claim and why has that effected my premium with Sainsburys? Luckily i had protected no claims otherwise i would have lost my 14 years worth of no claims without receiving a penny!
I then tried another tack and asked him to prove i had had an accident. 'Oh, so you're saying you didn't have an accident then are you? So when you rang Tesco's you were attempting to defraud them? Is that what you're saying?'
I quietly and very politely told him i was a police officer who quite clearly understands the definition of an attempt deception and in no way had i attempted it and was rather annoyed by his suggestion that i had!
He seemed to change slightly then and became quite helpful saying i didn't need to pay the extra (i wasn't going to anyway). I then asked him why he was defending his competition so vehemently and could he not see how ridiculous the whole situation was. Not giving him chance to have another go i politely thanked him for his help and hung up!!
My next point of call is Tesco's to inform them i am not at all happy with what has gone on, in effect registering a claim against me for an accident that was never made, and i will be demanding to see documentation explaining that this is a right and proper thing for them to be doing!!
Rant over!!!!
07 December 2005, 09:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris5-0
I've recently changed cars and changed insurance companies from Tesco's to Sainsburys. Much cheaper premium and quicker service i thought so i thought i'd give it a go. About a month ago i got a note asking for proof of my no claims bonus from Tesco's which i thought was the norm. I rang them to tell them i needed to get confirmation from Tesco's and would send it through asap! No problem, they said, in fact if you give us your policy details we'll ring them and save you the hassle!!
Excellent, I thought, makes my life easier!
Today i got a letter from them stating that i had not informed them of an accident on 5th May and therefore i needed to cough up extra cash to carry the policy onwards?!?!
Odd, i though, as i had made no claims at all.
So i rang Sainsburys and spoke to a lad there who informed me that Tesco's had contacted them to tell them i had claimed on 5th May for an accident to my Impreza. No other details were given by Tesco's and none asked for by Sainsburys.
I then informed him i had made no claim at all and would not be paying the additional premium. Fine he said, i'll speak to Tesco's again to clear it up. I was put on hold again while he had a very long conversation with, i guess, Tesco's.
It then dawned on me!!??!! I had, in May i believe, damaged an alloy by kerbing it quite hard and had spoken to Tesco's to find out what my excess would be if i claimed. On being told it was £500 i told them i would not be claiming and deal with it myself. I immediately told Sainsburys this when he had finished with his call to Tesco's to which he replied 'Oh, well, see what you've done is notify the insurance of an accident and it goes down as a claim, even though you didn't receive any money.
Well...... after lifting my gob off the floor i exploded! There was no claim made, i received no money, no damage was inspected by Tesco's, no police attended and no damage was done to anything other than my alloy, why is that a claim and why has that effected my premium with Sainsburys? Luckily i had protected no claims otherwise i would have lost my 14 years worth of no claims without receiving a penny!
I then tried another tack and asked him to prove i had had an accident. 'Oh, so you're saying you didn't have an accident then are you? So when you rang Tesco's you were attempting to defraud them? Is that what you're saying?'
I quietly and very politely told him i was a police officer who quite clearly understands the definition of an attempt deception and in no way had i attempted it and was rather annoyed by his suggestion that i had!
He seemed to change slightly then and became quite helpful saying i didn't need to pay the extra (i wasn't going to anyway). I then asked him why he was defending his competition so vehemently and could he not see how ridiculous the whole situation was. Not giving him chance to have another go i politely thanked him for his help and hung up!!
My next point of call is Tesco's to inform them i am not at all happy with what has gone on, in effect registering a claim against me for an accident that was never made, and i will be demanding to see documentation explaining that this is a right and proper thing for them to be doing!!
Rant over!!!!
Excellent, I thought, makes my life easier!
Today i got a letter from them stating that i had not informed them of an accident on 5th May and therefore i needed to cough up extra cash to carry the policy onwards?!?!
Odd, i though, as i had made no claims at all.
So i rang Sainsburys and spoke to a lad there who informed me that Tesco's had contacted them to tell them i had claimed on 5th May for an accident to my Impreza. No other details were given by Tesco's and none asked for by Sainsburys.
I then informed him i had made no claim at all and would not be paying the additional premium. Fine he said, i'll speak to Tesco's again to clear it up. I was put on hold again while he had a very long conversation with, i guess, Tesco's.
It then dawned on me!!??!! I had, in May i believe, damaged an alloy by kerbing it quite hard and had spoken to Tesco's to find out what my excess would be if i claimed. On being told it was £500 i told them i would not be claiming and deal with it myself. I immediately told Sainsburys this when he had finished with his call to Tesco's to which he replied 'Oh, well, see what you've done is notify the insurance of an accident and it goes down as a claim, even though you didn't receive any money.
Well...... after lifting my gob off the floor i exploded! There was no claim made, i received no money, no damage was inspected by Tesco's, no police attended and no damage was done to anything other than my alloy, why is that a claim and why has that effected my premium with Sainsburys? Luckily i had protected no claims otherwise i would have lost my 14 years worth of no claims without receiving a penny!
I then tried another tack and asked him to prove i had had an accident. 'Oh, so you're saying you didn't have an accident then are you? So when you rang Tesco's you were attempting to defraud them? Is that what you're saying?'
I quietly and very politely told him i was a police officer who quite clearly understands the definition of an attempt deception and in no way had i attempted it and was rather annoyed by his suggestion that i had!
He seemed to change slightly then and became quite helpful saying i didn't need to pay the extra (i wasn't going to anyway). I then asked him why he was defending his competition so vehemently and could he not see how ridiculous the whole situation was. Not giving him chance to have another go i politely thanked him for his help and hung up!!
My next point of call is Tesco's to inform them i am not at all happy with what has gone on, in effect registering a claim against me for an accident that was never made, and i will be demanding to see documentation explaining that this is a right and proper thing for them to be doing!!
Rant over!!!!
07 December 2005, 10:24 PM
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It isn't uncommon to charge extra for "accidents, and/or thefts of or from the vehicle, regardless of whether a claim was made". I got stung for 20% premium increase many years ago as a result of having a stereo stolen - value £160 against excess £250. Unfortunately as I'd reported it to police I let insurance know as I would otherwise have had to lie on the form. Police do sod all with reported thefts of car stereos. Moral of the story?
You won't be surprised to learn that was the last time I ever used the insurer in question (alliance auto direct)
You won't be surprised to learn that was the last time I ever used the insurer in question (alliance auto direct)
07 December 2005, 10:31 PM
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I think the wording you were given was wrong.
They will have asked you about any accidents OR claims.
You had an accident, you didnt have a claim. A bit of a sh1tty stunt by them - but you DID have an accident and you DID tell them about it... You wouldn't have lost any ncb regardless of protected because you didnt claim.
Let this be a lesson to others. Be careful what you say when checking your excess LOL
They will have asked you about any accidents OR claims.
You had an accident, you didnt have a claim. A bit of a sh1tty stunt by them - but you DID have an accident and you DID tell them about it... You wouldn't have lost any ncb regardless of protected because you didnt claim.
Let this be a lesson to others. Be careful what you say when checking your excess LOL
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