To have thought I could use either name

[sickandtiredofsick]

I’m married but I thought I could use either my married or maiden name ?
I didn’t realise I had to use one or the other and now apparently my contents insurance isn’t valid ? I had no idea I thought it was fine to use either and had take then policy out about 4 years before getting married
Feel so stupid now

It's not Aviva is it ? They appear to be struggling with names today

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51235939

Several thousand Aviva customers have received an apology after the insurer mistakenly called them all Michael.

God this is like the conversation I had about 15 years ago at a hen party where the bride-to-be had declared she wasn't going to change her name and her friend went on and on and on and on and on and on and on about how you had to it was "the law" and eleventy billion people told her she was wrong and she was having none of it, she was convinced there was some sort of national klaxon that would go off when she got married and every database/piece of ID everywhere in the world that stated her maiden name would automatically change to her married name overnight. She wouldn't even have to apply for a new passport - they would just know and send her one and if she didn't use her married name the police would come and take her away. Or something. God that was a shit hen party being stuck all weekend in a sodding cottage with her going on and on and on

Like many others on this thread, I have my driving licence in my maiden name and my passport in my married name (principally to avoid problems if/when travelling alone with the kids). That means I have photo ID in both names. Other things are a mix but mainly maiden name (which I use for work). Been married 13 years and it's never caused a problem.

The insurance are wrong. You can use maiden name if married legally. You did not renounce the name did you?

You can read uo about name on gov.uk

I used both names for years and my credit file reflects this. I have if in both names ie driving licence in maiden and passport on married but the at will be changed back to maiden as now divorced.

You have been told wrong by your insurance.

Making payment with a different name on cars can be problematic but most companies are fine if you ring them up to make payment.

I bet they're not interested in refunding the 4 years' worth of premiums during which they reckon you weren't covered...

Oh good grief, the last page loaded after I'd typed this (and I'm on a PC!) and several people have already said the refund thing. Well, you get the picture. I expect you'd rather have ongoing insurance coverage than a refund anyway.

That said, I bought a new car that came with a year's free insurance that covered the owner and their spouse. There was no way that their computer system would accept that I could be married and have a different name from my husband. The manufacturer told me to change my name or they wouldn't insure both of us

@SHAR0N I realise it is legally wrong and normally I would be the first person to take something like that to the highest level on principle but at the time I had a newborn with me and wanted to leave the dealership with my long awaited new car so I just made a verbal complaint (to some eye rolling), my husband drove the car home and I called the insurance company to change it.

I doubt very much it was actually company policy. Just that some halfwit designed the computer form for what it is a reasonable enough T&C (they would only give the free insurance to the owner or a couple if they are married/in a civil partnership) and the dealer, his manager and the customer services assistant we spoke to at the manufacturer were also misogynistic halfwits who made up some BS to fob me off with no regard to the law just because they had no idea how to override the computer.