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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Has anybody been able to continue driving after having an insurance policy cancelled? I’m in bits

424 replies

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 09:36

I’m mid 20s. Passed my test yesterday, absolutely over the moon. I have a car ready for me, my partner’s old one. It’s a 2007 Yaris. The car did fail its MOT a month ago but it’s only a small part replacement that we will get round to doing now that I’ve passed. It’s essential I drive ASAP for various reasons. It’s too far to walk to most places and I can’t do buses, within 5 minutes of being on a bus I have to get off to be sick. I have severe motion sickness on buses.

Problem is, I don’t think I can afford any insurance. When I was 18 I tried learning with my dad and used a monetary gift from my grandparents to buy a little car. We arranged learners insurance, a black box policy. When filling in the forms we said we’d be practicing 2x times a week. However, my dad never kept to his promise of practicing with me, constantly fobbing me off when I asked and so we went months without using the car. This made the insurance company think we had turned the black box off and were driving without it, which resulted in them cancelling the policy. I received notice at the time that they were cancelling the policy but being a naive 18 year old I never realised it would affect me going forward, so I just let it happen.

Now when applying for insurance I have to declare I’ve had a cancelled policy, and my quotes are all £8000+. I have no idea what to do, I feel like I’m being treated like a criminal.

Any advice?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
YouveGotAFastCar · 12/04/2024 20:28

How old are you, OP?

The FOS can only get involved within six years of the issue, or 3 years of you becoming aware of an issue, or reasonably became aware of an issue.

If this happened when you were 18, you've got until you are 24 to escalate a complaint. You'll need to exhaust the complaints procedure with the insurance firm first, which may be quick because they may refuse to investigate anything from that long ago. You've got six months from the date of their final response to escalate the complaint.

There are sometimes exceptions to the six-month rule; if you've got a verifiable extenuating circumstance such as a bereavement, but there is no extension to the six year/three year rule.

At the moment, the FOS is advising to expect the process to take around 10 months from receipt of your complete claim.

Rosebyanothername19 · 12/04/2024 20:28

I totally appreciate that your OH won't be using your car regularly but on occasion they might and it would be useful to be on the insurance so you don't have to mess about getting short term insurance etc.

What if their car breaks down or they need to nip to the shop and you have more fuel, or you want to go somewhere and share the driving. There are loads of reasons why they may need to borrow your car. If you have been together a while and don't see this changing, then it's completely reasonable to put them on your insurance, the potential reduction is just a bonus!

Mercs · 12/04/2024 20:28

I’d suggest speaking to an insurance broker rather than going direct there are specialists in this - try Sale Insurance

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 20:52

YouveGotAFastCar · 12/04/2024 20:28

How old are you, OP?

The FOS can only get involved within six years of the issue, or 3 years of you becoming aware of an issue, or reasonably became aware of an issue.

If this happened when you were 18, you've got until you are 24 to escalate a complaint. You'll need to exhaust the complaints procedure with the insurance firm first, which may be quick because they may refuse to investigate anything from that long ago. You've got six months from the date of their final response to escalate the complaint.

There are sometimes exceptions to the six-month rule; if you've got a verifiable extenuating circumstance such as a bereavement, but there is no extension to the six year/three year rule.

At the moment, the FOS is advising to expect the process to take around 10 months from receipt of your complete claim.

thank you everybody that gave advice btw

OP posts:
Dartwarbler · 12/04/2024 21:21

Op, first rule of MN, do not post on AIBU if you are trying to actually get help solving a problem. In between the odd helpful poster you’ll have 10 keyboard warriors telling you that it is all your own fault, you’re entitled, you have only yourself to blame and YABU. AIBU is a open door to a pile on.

you need to post on a more sedate legal forum. You’ll get a good discussion and some actually nuanced opinions on how to proceed.

logically, it makes no sense to imply you have an increased risk to other insurance companies because you were NOT driving or on the road as much as you expcted when you signed up to th box, as a learner driver aged 18.

you are not unreasonable to state this is bizarre, unfair, and illogical. YANBU to fight it as a particularly stupid insurance con to penalise you for someone else’s actions. I think folks here forgetting you were a learner, and therefore could not drive on your own. There are a million reason why a learner driver commits to lessons and hours per week and then doesn’t manage that. it’s not a fecking problem - it’s life, shit happens to get in way of having lessons you thought you’d have. You were in your dad’s hands. He let you down. But in truth he almost certain didn’t realise they’d be any implications to you other than a disappointed and disillusioned daughter either.

yanbu to expect that they would have given you fair warning of consequences. BUT point is if even they’d have warned you, as a learner there was FA you could do as it was your dad who was refusing. Most 18 year olds don’t have a pot of money they can simply book additional lessons with cos their dad’s a lazy sod. From that perspective the policy’s black box rules were designed to fail learners. How can anyone, even whose passed there test committ absolutely, on pain of being uninsurable in the future, thst they’ll drive a minimum of x miles per week. Even with professional instructor - you sign up to lessons and then driving instructors go on holiday, get sick, their car breaks down and a hundred other reasons why your lessons get cancelled.

This sounds very much like an unfair contract . Same as any other unfair contract where terms are so slanted in favour of the provider to make them uninforcable. Plenty of examples of thst- think back to covid and holiday lets with droves of holiday companies waving policies refusing refunds and then having to back down due to the ridiculously unfair terms where legal action was being threatened. And tons of other examples in all sorts of contract law.

Despite what the pompous, holier than tho poster here say about you should have known this at 18, that’s bollocks. That’s like the people who blame those who’ve been scammed with “you should have known”. Yeah, right, you’d have known at 18 the full legal consequences of a cancelled policy having just left school or being still at school? Like fuck they would. just as they’d all have known that insuring the car you’d been given in your own name as a learner isn’t always smartest given costs etc. 🤦‍♀️no they wouldn’t, they’re just enjoying being able to make you feel shitty and panic more and bigging up their own esteem

ignore these folks. There have been good suggestions so follow those and block out the other shit. Don’t give up hounding the insurance company (and hey post their name here- it might make the news and make them focus on who’s the villain here). The latest email sounds encouraging BUT you must get clarity that they did not refuse, and the policy was terminated due to lack of use NOT cancelled. And that they do not consider that they actually cancelled it in the sense of cancelling due a a perceived heightened risk

as final suggestion who to escalate it to, social media does sometimes work. Put it on their review page. Or multiple review pages. Facebook or instagram. They need good review - it’s a very competitive market.

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 21:31

Dartwarbler · 12/04/2024 21:21

Op, first rule of MN, do not post on AIBU if you are trying to actually get help solving a problem. In between the odd helpful poster you’ll have 10 keyboard warriors telling you that it is all your own fault, you’re entitled, you have only yourself to blame and YABU. AIBU is a open door to a pile on.

you need to post on a more sedate legal forum. You’ll get a good discussion and some actually nuanced opinions on how to proceed.

logically, it makes no sense to imply you have an increased risk to other insurance companies because you were NOT driving or on the road as much as you expcted when you signed up to th box, as a learner driver aged 18.

you are not unreasonable to state this is bizarre, unfair, and illogical. YANBU to fight it as a particularly stupid insurance con to penalise you for someone else’s actions. I think folks here forgetting you were a learner, and therefore could not drive on your own. There are a million reason why a learner driver commits to lessons and hours per week and then doesn’t manage that. it’s not a fecking problem - it’s life, shit happens to get in way of having lessons you thought you’d have. You were in your dad’s hands. He let you down. But in truth he almost certain didn’t realise they’d be any implications to you other than a disappointed and disillusioned daughter either.

yanbu to expect that they would have given you fair warning of consequences. BUT point is if even they’d have warned you, as a learner there was FA you could do as it was your dad who was refusing. Most 18 year olds don’t have a pot of money they can simply book additional lessons with cos their dad’s a lazy sod. From that perspective the policy’s black box rules were designed to fail learners. How can anyone, even whose passed there test committ absolutely, on pain of being uninsurable in the future, thst they’ll drive a minimum of x miles per week. Even with professional instructor - you sign up to lessons and then driving instructors go on holiday, get sick, their car breaks down and a hundred other reasons why your lessons get cancelled.

This sounds very much like an unfair contract . Same as any other unfair contract where terms are so slanted in favour of the provider to make them uninforcable. Plenty of examples of thst- think back to covid and holiday lets with droves of holiday companies waving policies refusing refunds and then having to back down due to the ridiculously unfair terms where legal action was being threatened. And tons of other examples in all sorts of contract law.

Despite what the pompous, holier than tho poster here say about you should have known this at 18, that’s bollocks. That’s like the people who blame those who’ve been scammed with “you should have known”. Yeah, right, you’d have known at 18 the full legal consequences of a cancelled policy having just left school or being still at school? Like fuck they would. just as they’d all have known that insuring the car you’d been given in your own name as a learner isn’t always smartest given costs etc. 🤦‍♀️no they wouldn’t, they’re just enjoying being able to make you feel shitty and panic more and bigging up their own esteem

ignore these folks. There have been good suggestions so follow those and block out the other shit. Don’t give up hounding the insurance company (and hey post their name here- it might make the news and make them focus on who’s the villain here). The latest email sounds encouraging BUT you must get clarity that they did not refuse, and the policy was terminated due to lack of use NOT cancelled. And that they do not consider that they actually cancelled it in the sense of cancelling due a a perceived heightened risk

as final suggestion who to escalate it to, social media does sometimes work. Put it on their review page. Or multiple review pages. Facebook or instagram. They need good review - it’s a very competitive market.

Thank you so much for this post!

OP posts:
lwymmd · 12/04/2024 21:31

www.saleinsurance.co.uk/convictedmotorists.aspx

These guys sorted me out for a few years when I had 2 cancelled policies. After 5 years RAC were willing to insure with the cancellations. As PP said you can phone round as some only interested if cancellations within 5 years so some might still be happy to quote. Otherwise broker is the way forward and I found sale insurance very easy and they got me reasonable quotes

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 21:42

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 21:31

Thank you so much for this post!

thank you for being kind. A few posters on here seemed to just want to kick me when I was down

OP posts:
Runningonjammiedodgers · 12/04/2024 22:03

I hope you get some luck with the broker OP. Thing the pile on from mumsnet has been ott. I wouldn't have realised at 18 the implications of having a cancelled policy either.

Blondeshavemorefun · 12/04/2024 22:35

It wouldn’t be fronting I don’t think as I’m still going to be the main driver. But is it illegal to put partner down as a secondary driver if, realistically, he isn’t actually ever going to drive it?

No

Many people do this to get costs down. When my dh died my insurance went up

I added my dad and went down again

PlanningTowns · 12/04/2024 22:42

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 12:42

Is there harm in trying though? I don’t think there is.

No but it’s highly unlikely the ombudsman will take the case on. They will throw it out at the first stage after you have been through the companies complaint procedures. And if you lie and say you never received the warning letter that will also be fraud (which you have said you received but say it’s not on the online account).

you should have sorted this at the time. If you are old enough to drive and buy your own insurance you were old enough to take all the responsibilities that come with that.

no insurance company will care why you had your insurance cancelled but will care that it was and they are unlikely to want your business. I don’t know if it’s fair or not, but you signed up for it and didn’t honour your end (yeah it’s a bugger your dad didn’t do what she said he would but that’s not the insurance companies fault).

whynotwhatknot · 12/04/2024 22:52

i put my sis down as second name genuinely doesnt live near me an they were fine with it

brought the price down

Blondeshavemorefun · 12/04/2024 22:53

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 18:55

And now the situation gets even bloody weirder. Just seen an email from customer service that was sent at 5pm in response to my call before. Apparently they looked into it further and clarified that “the policy was cancelled because you went 28 days without driving the car”. This is apparently stated on the insurance documents, but I see nothing about 28 days when I search the documents. Then the email says a policy cancelled for this reason does not need to be declared to other insurance providers and that the company is typically lenient towards policyholders that have a policy cancelled for this reason. Furthermore, it states that had I contacted them at the time, they would have reinstated the policy.

I never did at the time, because it was pointless as I wasn’t getting to drive.

This seems like good news but I’m not quite convinced as I was told otherwise on the phone (that I should declare it) and how can this company speak on behalf of other providers by saying they don’t need to know?

what a mindfuck

Well if you have an email so in writing then believe that

If anything ever occurs make sure you flag this email and print it out so can access it easily

It says you don't need to declare it so dont

Blondeshavemorefun · 12/04/2024 22:56

I didn't drive my car for over 9w (tho no black box) due to an ankle operation and leg in plaster

So not sure how they can cancel insurance

Tho dh drove it as i obv couldn't drive

Or is it only a black box thing the no driving could make policy invalid

eurochick · 12/04/2024 22:59

I hope with a broker and the 5pm email you have a way forward.

I've technically had a policy cancelled : our car was stolen as part of a burglary. The policy paid out without a quibble but the insurer then sent a letter saying they were cancelling the policy. I was quite alarmed by this as I was well aware that cancellations cause issues, but when I spoke to them it turned out this was simply because I no longer had anything to insure. The same company was happy to offer me a policy a few days later when I bought a replacement car and like you've I've been told it is not the sort of cancellation they mean. When I've taken out insurance since then I've preferred to do it on the phone so I can explain rather than just having to either say I have had a policy cancelled or risk being accused of not declaring that I have.

Franklyyes · 12/04/2024 23:08

Can I check - you car hasn’t passed it’s MOT yet - will it make a difference to quotes when you get it rectified?

Catza · 12/04/2024 23:12

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 19:00

And I still wouldn’t be comfortable not declaring it now because I’ve already declared it when running quotes on comparison sites. Should’ve used fake details when obtaining quotes in principal!

The search history is not saved. I searched quotes for multiple cars before making a purchase and also tried both as a home owner and a tenant in the rental (I never know how to answer this question as I have a property abroad but not in the UK), and also checked the difference between being child free and with a child as I do give lifts to my step kid. No issues whatsoever.
You have a written statement saying you don't need to declare. I wouldn't declare.

starfishmummy · 12/04/2024 23:29

Find local insurance broker - not one of the big Internet ones - and talk to them.

SharpLily · 12/04/2024 23:34

You have it now in writing, problem solved. It doesn't matter what someone else may have told you in a phonecall, what's in writing is what counts here, so you can go ahead and get quotes from a broker with a clean conscience. Should there ever be a question about your previous claim of a cancelled policy in your quoting history then you can explain you were mistaken and you have the email to back you up.

Really not impressed with the nest of vipers here tonight. Nasty and clearly not as clever as they think they are, given the OP's update. Clap yourselves on the back for never having been a bit naive and inexperienced when you were 18 years old. You must be very special 🙄.

Bjorkdidit · 13/04/2024 06:27

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 20:06

Have heard stories of people getting their insurance cancelled because the companies have found that they did several quotes with slightly different details each time, meaning that the insurance company doesn’t know which details are true or not. Happened to a friend’s DD who messed around with her occupation on insurance sites. she was an undergraduate but found it was cheaper to put her part-time job title (childcare worker) as her occupation rather than putting that she was a student. She signed up for the policy then had it cancelled a few weeks later because they said they couldn’t trust what her job title was.

OP it sounds like you've had an awful stressful time with this but things should be sorted now as you have it in writing that you do not need to declare this cancellation.

Guard this email with your life and make multiple copies. Save it in your Google/Apple drive and also print a copy and keep it with the logbook for your car.

That email is worth potentially thousands of pounds to you or your driving freedom as it confirms you do not need to declare the cancellation which as you have discovered has a massive impact on the cost of your insurance. So do not even think about declaring it 'just in case'.

It also trumps what you were told on the phone and a lot of things you have 'heard' as when businesses like this put things in writing its far more likely to be definitive than when speaking on the phone and is also far more reliable than any of the shite a lot of people post on the Internet.

Like a PP says, AIBU is a terrible place to ask for advice because all the good advice you do get is drowned by far more posts full of rubbish, unnecessary picking apart of the situation and comments on any SPAG errors.

Bjorkdidit · 13/04/2024 06:35

Oh, and look at the 'how to reduce your car insurance cost' advice on Moneysavingexpert.com and try as many tips as relevant.

It's absolutely fine to play about with quotes on comparison sites to see what factors reduce the cost as long as you're careful to only use accurate information when buying insurance.

Moneysavingexpert.com is also probably a lot better place to ask for advice on anything 'financial' than Mumsnet because you don't get anywhere near as many people who are just there for an argument or post things that are simply made up.

RotundCheese · 13/04/2024 08:14

Catza · 12/04/2024 23:12

The search history is not saved. I searched quotes for multiple cars before making a purchase and also tried both as a home owner and a tenant in the rental (I never know how to answer this question as I have a property abroad but not in the UK), and also checked the difference between being child free and with a child as I do give lifts to my step kid. No issues whatsoever.
You have a written statement saying you don't need to declare. I wouldn't declare.

When I look at my credit report I can see the number of checks that have been run in my hunt for insurance. It looks like there's a check each time I run through a price comparison site(?), but I'm not sure as my last renewal was a while ago and I can't remember what I did. Will keep an eye on it next time I renew!

GraceyBeaker · 13/04/2024 08:25

Bjorkdidit · 13/04/2024 06:27

OP it sounds like you've had an awful stressful time with this but things should be sorted now as you have it in writing that you do not need to declare this cancellation.

Guard this email with your life and make multiple copies. Save it in your Google/Apple drive and also print a copy and keep it with the logbook for your car.

That email is worth potentially thousands of pounds to you or your driving freedom as it confirms you do not need to declare the cancellation which as you have discovered has a massive impact on the cost of your insurance. So do not even think about declaring it 'just in case'.

It also trumps what you were told on the phone and a lot of things you have 'heard' as when businesses like this put things in writing its far more likely to be definitive than when speaking on the phone and is also far more reliable than any of the shite a lot of people post on the Internet.

Like a PP says, AIBU is a terrible place to ask for advice because all the good advice you do get is drowned by far more posts full of rubbish, unnecessary picking apart of the situation and comments on any SPAG errors.

Thank you. I bet some of the unpleasant posters will hide the thread now there’s been a positive development and I’m not in as much distress anymore. Not as satisfying for them

OP posts:
Hecatoncheires · 13/04/2024 08:45

I feel for you, @GraceyBeaker, and I’m glad you now have something positive to go on. All this guff about you being 18 and an adult is bonkers. 18 is an arbitrary number as far as being an adult goes: you’re an adult at 12 for some holiday companies, at 16 for some hotels, 15 for adult ticket prices in cinemas. You don’t just magically turn 18 and suddenly know everything. My DD will still be in school when she’s 18! Hope you manage to get your insurance sorted. All the best to you.

KoolKookaburra · 13/04/2024 08:47

GraceyBeaker · 12/04/2024 19:00

And I still wouldn’t be comfortable not declaring it now because I’ve already declared it when running quotes on comparison sites. Should’ve used fake details when obtaining quotes in principal!

Now you have that email (I'd print several copies and keep one with your insurance paper work) then no I wouldn't declare it. Then just carry on.

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