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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Who can I report this to?

163 replies

justamumseekingadvice · 09/12/2021 18:33

Hello everyone! 👋

Last year I bought my first car and took out a black box insurance (the type which is fitted to your engine). I had a couple of minor accidents as most new drivers do, however every month on my driving report I always had high scores and was rewarded with bonus miles for good driving.

This year my insurance was up for renewal and because of the accidents that I had, my insurance went up slightly, and I had a cheaper quote from another insurance company so I chose to go with them instead because it worked out about half the price (still a black box policy but one that sticks on the windshield instead and connects to your mobile phone).

A month or so into my new insurance policy, I noticed that my scores had dropped very low (I’m talking from 90’s range to under 10 points). I knew that this was not correct at all because I have always driven safely (the first accident was not my fault, I was hit at the back, and the second accident involved an ambulance and I completely panicked and couldn’t pull over in time but had only been on the road around a month or so) and on top of that, because I now have slight agoraphobia since the pandemic started, I rarely go out and only drive my car around once a week within a 2 mile radius of my home.

I complained to the insurance company straight away and they said that they would investigate and let me know the outcome, I waited their reply which never came, and I ended up being in hospital for a long time so I didn’t get round to chasing it up, but equally because I hadn’t been driving during that time I wasn’t exactly worried about having a low score for bad driving - because no driving was happening!

Today, I get a random email completely out of the blue saying that because of my low driving score (for bad driving) my policy is now being cancelled and I have 20 days to find a new one.

I rang them and disputed this based on the fact that 1; I had a good history with black boxes until I went with them. 2; I raised a concern about the low score weeks ago which they were supposed to investigate but evidently have not or it wouldn’t have reached this point and 3; they are supposed to give out warning emails before cancelling a policy and the last email I got from them was 3/4 months ago.

The manager is due to ring me back tomorrow to discuss it because I was EXTREMELY unhappy that I tried to resolve this with them weeks ago and now I’m going to be left uninsured and unable to drive my car IF I need to because there is no way I’m going to be able to afford an initial deposit on a new insurance on top of Christmas, and I have a physical disability so I can’t walk to places I need to get to either.

If I was driving stupid every single day I would suck it up and get on with it, but I barely drive and when I do it’s always normally and safely - and now I’ve had a policy cancelled through absolutely no fault of my own and have the financial impact of this happening too.

If I can’t resolve this with the manager, who else can I report this to?

They asked what kind of solution I am seeking and I am thinking to either set me up on another policy free of charge of initial deposit, or reimburse me some of the money I have paid to be able to afford a new policy with someone else - is this unreasonable?

OP posts:

Q123R · 09/12/2021 20:08

FYI 21.6% of new drivers are involved in an accident in their first year here so definitely not 'most'. That being said, I sincerely hope you get this sorted to your benefit soon.

ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 09/12/2021 20:09

I think the only thing you can do when you speak to them is
a) Ask about the outcome of the original investigation.
b) Ask them to reinstate the policy with a new black box.
I think you need to be assertive about a (although it’s a shame you didn’t raise your concerns in writing) but swallow your pride over b. Because you need them not to cancel the policy more than they need you as a customer.
We can all speculate, but until you have that conversation you won’t know their reasons. I am sorry for your heart issues and hope you are back on your feet - and the road - very soon.

LIZS · 09/12/2021 20:13

There is an ombudsman www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance but you would need to have followed the internal complaints process first. I wonder if your previous accidents were correctly recorded when you took out the policy. Were both claims resolved at that point?

christmaspombears · 09/12/2021 20:14

The problem with an accident even if no fault is that the insurance deem you a higher risk. 2 accidents in a year is high and therefore the insurance will see you as high risk.

girlmom21 · 09/12/2021 20:15

@christmaspombears

The problem with an accident even if no fault is that the insurance deem you a higher risk. 2 accidents in a year is high and therefore the insurance will see you as high risk.

This is a new policy taken out after the accidents

Aprilx · 09/12/2021 20:15

…and accidents do happen - you’re telling me you have never been involved with one?

I am 51 and I can tell you that I have never been in an accident. My husband can say the same, so can lots of people, in fact most people will not have been in an accident. Honestly you are over normalising accidents. New drivers do not have one or two accidents in the first year of driving. Your driving record is poor and you are also over focusing on whose fault it is. It wasn’t my fault that my fence blew over in the last storm but it still impacts my insurance.

People are trying to help you and you just aren’t listening. People have referred back to what happened a year ago because it is relevant for insurance. It is uncommon for insurers to cancel insurance and if you can at all avoid it you must try to do so. However, I suspect that the insurer has taken multiple factors into account before coming to this decision. Nevertheless see if there is anything you can do to prevent it.

Original poster

justamumseekingadvice · 09/12/2021 20:18

@Aprilx no I’m sorry but an insurance company cannot cancel your policy over past accidents that they knew about correctly and in full detail when you took the policy out. If they deemed me too high risk they shouldn’t have offered me the policy in the first place.

OP posts:

Viviennemary · 09/12/2021 20:20

You had two accidents quite quickly but haven't built up very many accident free miles which probably flags up on their system. Sounds like your very cheap insurance could even have been a mistake on their part and the risks weren't calculated correctly.

scarpa · 09/12/2021 20:20

I think the accidents are a red herring - it's not that which is causing them to cancel OP's policy otherwise they wouldn't have offered her the policy in the first place... it's the supposed poor driving data with the new insurer (which her past driving data would suggest wasn't accurate).

Definitely keep pushing them to investigate and if not speak to the Ombudsman!

(Also, one small accident, clipping another car, in your first year of driving isn't that unusual! Not ideal obviously, but hardly a sign that OP is Mad Maxing it all over the show. And the other accident wasn't OP's fault so I'm not sure why everyone is at such pains to comment on how outrageous 2 accidents in a year is...)

scarpa · 09/12/2021 20:25

@Aprilx

…and accidents do happen - you’re telling me you have never been involved with one?

So many people I know had a small bump or scrape in the first year of driving! Mostly gateposts etc while parking - I didn't think this was that unusual?

Obviously OP's involved another car so it's gone on insurance but it was hardly a ten car pile up - just a new driver trying to get out of the way and misjudging space.

Given the videos I've seen of people trying to get through this narrowed lane - 11 in a month!! - I don't think misjudging space is that unusual either.
www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2021/10/13/astonishing-video-shows-11-cars-crash-in-four-weeks-on-watford-road/amp/

And as OP has said, the other accident wasn't her fault.

Lou98 · 09/12/2021 20:26

You're getting a very hard time on here OP - they won't have cancelled your policy over the accidents as they knew about them when you took out the policy (I used to work in motor claims).

It will be the data from your black box - if you're genuinely driving as you're saying here then it does sound faulty. Phone them again and put in a complaint, keep chasing it if they're not. If you're not happy with their resolution to your complaint then you can escalate it to the financial ombudsman.

It would be in your best interest to get them to continue on with your policy rather than reimburse you some costs and still cancel - if they void your insurance it will make it very difficult to get insurance with another company as they see you as more of a risk - especially as a new driver with two accidents (regardless of fault). Your premiums would also be through the roof.

They have given you notice of cancelling your insurance by giving you 20 days notice so technically they've done nothing wrong there. You'll need to keep chasing them before the policy is cancelled - escalating if need be

madisonbridges · 09/12/2021 20:39

If you never drive further than two miles and you hardly go out, take a photo of your present mileage to show how few miles you've driven. I would think that you get a special deal for using a black box as they record you're driving safety. If you're not recording any mileage, whether your fault or not, they will automatically think you're avoiding recording your driving stats. They deal with all sorts of chancers - they have no way of knowing if you are one or not!
If you can demonstrate that you have been off the road through being ill that might help. I wouldn't state you've lost confidence in driving, rather say you're just doing local shopping because you need to stay close to home.

MathsFiend · 09/12/2021 20:46

One thing to bear in mind is that under GDPR, you can get them to review a decision that has been made based on data alone. You must have the ability to have that decision reviewed by a person. It seems this decision has been made solely based on the low scores from your black box, which you has previously contacted them to query.

As PP said, raise an official complaint. The very minimum you want is for your policy to be reinstated as it will be difficult to get insurance elsewhere. I’d also suggest seeking compensation for your time involved in resolving this. If it reaches the stage where you are uninsured for a period, I’d also expect compensation for not being able to use your car.

If you are unsuccessful I’m the complaint, the next step is the Financial Ombudsman service.

girlmom21 · 09/12/2021 20:47

It might be that data is only logged for journeys over a certain number of miles. If that's the case it might look like you're trying to play the system by getting a years no claims and 'experience' without actually using the car.

Or it might look like you're really hesitant and stop/start on the data because there's no long, steady bouts of driving.

SeasonFinale · 09/12/2021 20:58

Did you also declare the accident that wasn't your fault as you need to have declared that too?

Their policy presumably states that you need to be connected and the low mileage suggests to them that you are driving with it turned off.

Bedtimeforever · 09/12/2021 21:12

Check this insurance policy on Trustpilot, chances are you’re not the only one this has happened to, and they are probably notorious for this sort of thing.

I took out a policy with a similar sounding company. 90% of reviews were like this, I quickly cancelled it.
Good luck getting it sorted.

Tee20x · 09/12/2021 21:14

Not sure why people are acting like accidents never happen. Of course new drivers have accidents and get into minor bumps and scrapes - even if it's a post, gate etc. That's the reason new driver insurance is so high in the first place - clearly they're more risky and that will be based on some algorithm or another.

I can see why you're annoyed. You've been taken on with them knowing about the accidents - no new accidents have occurred and you say you have been driving safely so shouldn't have anything flagged up and are now being told your insurance is being cancelled. Doesn't really make sense tbh. Do they have a flag system? I knew someone with a black box who would get warnings if they had been speeding etc. I think 3 flags led to the policy being voided. But with that obviously there was prior warning etc.

I think other posters may be right in that they may think you've tampered with the box. Contact them and find out what's going on. Surely they would have given a reason as to why they are voiding the policy?

Tee20x · 09/12/2021 21:18

Accidents are sheer luck or lack there of. I've seen people pull some risky moves and got away with it because there has been no one there or the other driver has reacted quickly. A new driver won't have had the time to build up those skills so may become flustered or not know what to do. Like OP said one of the accidents wasn't even her fault - how can you stop someone driving into the back of you? You can't.

Lokdok · 09/12/2021 21:20

Sorry to say, I agree with basically everyone else. It definitely isn’t common for new drivers to have accidents. And there’s no point being defensive saying one wasn’t your fault - even one accident is one too many and you’re lucky you got insurance after that. They might think you have been turning off Bluetooth so your driving isn’t recorded, I expect that’s why it’s been cancelled. If you told them you were going to do 10000 miles a year and have only done 50 in a month then this will be why. Or, if you were speeding for those two miles you drove, even slightly, that would throw you over the risk threshold and you were already high risk. I’d play it very nicely with them and not be asking for discounts etc, just see if you can get insurance reinstated, even for an increased cost because if you can’t get that with them I’m afraid you’re probably uninsurable.

Skyll · 09/12/2021 21:20

It’ll be to do with them not having your phone synced with the app. You need to get to the bottom of that.

BritWifeInUSA · 09/12/2021 21:26

I’ve been driving over 30 years and had one accident.

I’m not sure how it works there but over here those boxes that monitor your driving for insurance purposes (and record his hard you use your brakes, etc) also score you negatively if you drive very little as this means you are inexperienced. From what I was told by my insurance company here when they tried to get me to have one to supposedly lower my insurance cost, they work best for people who drive medium distances and often - such as a 10-mile commute twice a day - rather than people who only drive 2 miles a few times a week or people who drive 500 miles once a month.

scarpa · 09/12/2021 21:27

@Lokdok

"You're lucky you got insurance after that"?

What world do you live in where nobody ever gets reinsured after one accident? 🤣

Porfre · 09/12/2021 21:29

Yeah check on trust pilot if they're a dodgy company.

This is the exact reason why I would never get a black box. Luckily I dont need one now.
But my niece had similar. The black box kept flagging up poor driving when the driving was fine. In the end her mum cancelled the policy.

BritWifeInUSA · 09/12/2021 21:30

@Tee20x

If she was rear-ended through no fault of her own (there are cases where it can be your fault such as being in a queue at traffic lights and rolling when you set off due to poor clutch control) then it wouldn’t be listed as an accident or claim on her insurance as the whole matter will have been dealt with by the other person’s insurance. If the rear-ending is affecting her insurance quotes then she must have been found at fault in some way.

Tee20x · 09/12/2021 21:35

@BritWifeInUSA she would still have to declare that type of accident even if she was not at fault. Most insurers ask whether you have been in an accident in the last 5 years whether you are at fault or not. Unfortunately even if you are not at fault for an accident but have been involved in one your premiums can be affected as you are still deemed more risky.

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