To think I should be entitled to my money back?

[CocoM2017]

My car insurance automatically renewed on 28th Feb. Unfortunately the email went into my old email account that I don’t really use anymore so I didn’t see it. Anyway, my premium doubled from £400- £800 a year, despite me not making any claims/ having any driving penalties etc in the last year

I pay by monthly DD and they took the first months instalment of £70 out on the 5th March.

I realised all this yesterday, thankfully was still within the 14 day cancellation period so changed providers and cancelled the policy. The guy on the phone was initially going to charge me a £25 fee for cancelling before he realised I was within he 14 days.

Anyway, he didn’t mention them refunding me that £70, should they? Nothing has come back into my account yet?

But you were insured by them last month at a cost of £70. They provided a service. You can't blame them for you failing to shop around/query their exorbitant price hike.

But they took the money out on the 5th March for a month, I actually only had about 2 weeks ‘service’ with them?

I assume your previous insurance paid up to 28th Feb. Your car still needed to be insured between now and 5 March, again, I assume this was covered by the first £70 installment. So I don't think you'd have a case for getting it all back, if any...

From my experience, they should give you a partial refund.

You can't expect to get your £70 back but auto renewal stinks, it's so dishonest.

I would definitely query a partial refund yes, just not necessarily the bit between the 28th and now

Well, I'd be annoyed too, but it's not really their fault if you've changed your email address and not told them.

You can't expect to get your £70 back but auto renewal stinks, it's so dishonest.

Had the policy not auto renewed, the OP would have been driving around uninsured. Which is worse?

If they hadn't automatically renewed it you'd have been uninsured, and liable for fines and the costs of any incident in that time. It's why they do it.

If you had had an accident and your car was a write off, would you have claimed from the car insurance?

If the answer is yes, then you used the insurance.

If you had crippled someone and was sued, would you have expected your insure to pay out compensation of possible millions of pounds?

Even though you cancelled, you would have claimed on the insurance had you needed to. Just put this down to experience and shop around beforehand next year.

Yes, it’s rubbish your premiums doubled. This is how the insurance companies make their money, by drivers not being on the ball. But you are very lucky it did auto renew otherwise you could have ended up in a situation of driving around uninsured. Had you killed or maimed someone, you would have been in serious trouble even if you weren’t found to be driving negligently.

This is what would be deemed a learning experience.

Agree with others. Hardly their fault you a) didn't tell them you'd changed your e-mail and b) didn't make a diary note to shop around in the month before it was due. They also have been insuring you for the first few days of March. I guess you'd have expected them to pay out if you'd had an accident, even though they continued the policy rather than you actively opting in ?